LPN Deep Dives: HOSAB / Episode 19: More Danifacts?!

Summary

LPN Deep Dives: Crescent City

HOSAB / Episode 19: More Danifacts?!

Hosts: Natalie Jean & Jackie Zebrowski
Date: October 14, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this lively and irreverent episode, Natalie and Jackie return to break down a pivotal stretch of House of Sky and Breath (HOSAB) from Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series. The focus is on the major bombshells and character confrontations around Danica’s parentage, new secrets, pack hierarchies, and the escalating mess of feelings among the main cast. The hosts, in their signature comedic style, weave genuine insight with fan banter, veering into personal anecdotes, raunchy humor, and plenty of fandom in-jokes.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

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1. Sabine vs. The World: The Apartment Showdown

[12:12 – 31:11]

• Natalie and Jackie act out and analyze a major scene: Sabine barges into Bryce's apartment, resulting in a tense, multi-character confrontation.
• Sabine is angry and confrontational, Ethan is defiant, and Bryce steps into leadership.
• The scene reveals to Bryce (and others) that Mordoc is Danica’s father—a truth the listener already knows, which is now revealed in explosive fashion.

Insight:

• The girls discuss Sabine’s appeal and motivations: power, trauma, daddy issues, and self-destructive patterns.
• Jackie jokes, "I try not to kink-shame, but like, yo, you, Russ, really have some problems. I think you might need to talk about a couple of them if that's what you’re choosing." [15:58]
• They riff on Sabine’s potential for BDSM, and question pack politics and the consequences of toxic leadership.

Notable Quotes:

• Jackie: "It's a bit of a wolf sledgehammer, you know?" [14:21]
• Natalie: "She made some choices. She made some to beg for attention. Also, self-destructive. Yeah. We're therapizing right now." [17:28]

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2. Danica’s Deepening Mysteries & Bryce’s Betrayal

[19:43 – 34:00]

• The emotional fallout for Bryce as she learns another Danica secret—the real identity of Danica's dad, and that everyone but her seemed to know.
• The hosts highlight themes of betrayal, friendship demotion, and the limits of loyalty.
• They share personal stories about outgrowing friendships and reflect on how Bryce and Danica’s friendship hits the rocks with every new revelation.

Notable Quotes:

• Jackie: "I feel like there is the point when you’re just like, I guess she's not my best friend, and I guess she never was." [32:51]
• Natalie: "It does feel like that. But there’s these other elements..." [33:02]

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3. Pack Politics: Could Ethan Be Alpha?

[34:00 – 41:55]

• The group speculates about Ethan’s potential as pack leader, Bryce’s attempt to maneuver Sabine through veiled threats, and Ethan’s own emotional growth.
• They joke about who should actually lead, highlighting Ethan’s youth and reluctance.

Notable Quotes:

• Natalie: "Isn’t it sometimes who the leader should be—the person who never wanted to have the power in the first place?" [26:47]

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4. Baxian’s Surprise Appearance & Plot Mechanics

[27:57 – 45:53]

• Baxian, a wildcard angel shifter, enters the crowded confrontation armed, diffusing tension with Sabine.
• The hosts discuss Baxian’s role, the presence of guns in a fantasy world, and Hunt’s emotional state as a jealous partner.
• Discussion turns comically to gun safety—“nothing is taut in your body when the gun goes off”—and how Hunt’s libido is interfering with his awareness. [28:42]

Notable Quotes:

• Jackie: "All the blood is in his dick, Natalie. It's not his fault." [29:42]

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5. Hunt & Bryce: Processing Trauma and Connection

[45:53 – 49:41]

• Post-showdown, Bryce and Hunt reflect on Danica’s secrets and their own vulnerabilities in love.
• Emotional exchange as Hunt affirms, “wherever it is, he wants to go be there with her.” [47:17]
• Natalie and Jackie digress with earnest, comic longing about 'Brian Adams songs' and mock the trope of the epic love declaration.

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6. Norse Lore and Vanir Etymology

[49:42 – 51:44]

• The hosts sidebar with a deep dive into the Norse etymology of "Vanir" (the magic/fertility gods), contrasting with "venereal" (related to Venus/love/STIs).
• Revel in Maas’s habit of borrowing names and elements from myth, with playful confusion about Feyre and other Maas characters.

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7. The Mind-Bridge: Rune & Daybright’s Intimacy

[51:44 – 65:00]

• Deep analysis of Rune's mind-bridge rendezvous with Daybright (now a seductive, fainting-couch-loving entity).
• They read subtext as overt flirting/sexual tension, and draw real-world parallels to late-night texting and inappropriate work communications.
• Daybright reveals her lack of friends and sadistic father, ruling out her being an Asteri. There’s mutual trauma-bonding.
• “Special feelings” (read: sexual energy) surface; Natalie points out the careful escalation of intimate stakes.

Notable Quotes:

• Natalie: "Their shared misery gives Rune special feelings." [59:11]
• Jackie: "It's ratcheting up. There’s an interesting erotic tension." [59:25]

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8. Ethan’s Big Crush: The Bryce Backstory Reveal

[66:06 – 80:49]

• Extended segment delving into Ethan’s point-of-view: his long-hidden, deep, angsty pining for Bryce, beginning as a high school crush on his brother’s crush.
• Natalie and Jackie share their own ‘inappropriate crush’ stories, drawing teen parallels and laughing at the universality and cringe of falling hard at a young age.
• Reflect on the awkwardness of friendships with tangled feelings, and how Ethan’s new move to Rune’s frat house is both a relief and a sign of maturity.

Notable Quotes:

• Jackie: "He’d been struck stupid. She was the hottest person he'd ever seen. No joke. Her smile had warmed some God's forsaken place in Ethan's chest that had been icy and dark since his parents had died." [69:43]
• Natalie: "His little heart was broken, but he just pretended that he just saw Bryce as a friend." [72:31]

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9. The Bone Quarter & The Mystics: A New Plot Thread

[80:53 – 85:24]

• Ethan pitches to Tharion: "Can you get me to the Bone Quarter?"—hoping to connect with Connor’s spirit, despite Tharion’s warnings about the risks.
• They pivot to plan a trip to “The Mystics”—a shady, mystical alternative that might give them answers, setting up the next arc.

Notable Quotes:

• Natalie: "But can you?" / Jackie: "How many times do I have to tell you? It doesn't work like that." [82:26]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

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On Sabine and Mor-dog’s Appeal:

"No, he's gross. Like, he's yucko. But, like, Sabine, man, I try not to like kink-shame. But like, yo, you, Russ, really have some problems." – Jackie [15:58]

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On Nail Fails:

"Nails are just flying, y’all." – Jackie [10:43]
"They're just going to pop off. But I wanted you to at least see them, everyone." – Natalie [04:39]

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On Friendship Demotion:

"I feel like there is the point when you're just like: I guess she's not my best friend, and I guess she never was." – Jackie [32:51]

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On Ethan's Teen Longing:

"He’d been struck stupid. She was the hottest person he'd ever seen. No joke. Her smile had warmed some God's forsaken place in Ethan's chest that had been icy and dark since his parents had died." – Jackie [69:43]

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On Gun Safety (and Fantasy Realism):

"I don't think you should hold a gun the way you just were ... Nothing is taut in your body when the gun goes off. So then you can roll with it the way a drunk driver does when they crash the car." – Natalie [28:42]

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On Vanir and Norse Lore:

"Vanir seems to be a reference to the Norse word describing a group of their gods ... the more romantic, like fertility, like magic ones." – Natalie [49:48]

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On Daybright and Rune’s Mind Connection:

“Special feelings? I mean… have special feelings? He doesn’t say he’s getting sexually turned on, but, like…” – Natalie [59:14]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Conversation | |-----------|-------------------| | 02:51 – 04:57 | Hosts’ banter, Sabine cosplay and nail mishaps | | 12:12 – 19:43 | The Sabine apartment showdown (Bryce, Ethan, secrets spilled) | | 19:43 – 32:51 | Processing Danica’s secrets, betrayal, and friendship demotion | | 27:57 – 31:11 | Baxian’s appearance, threat escalation, guns and power dynamics | | 41:55 – 49:42 | Hunt and Bryce: processing, comfort, Brian Adams digression | | 49:42 – 51:44 | Etymology/geek sidebar: Vanir, Venus, Norse roots | | 51:44 – 65:00 | Mind-bridge: Rune & Daybright, trauma-bonding and intimacy | | 66:06 – 80:49 | Ethan’s pining: flashback, heartbreak, growing up, moving out | | 80:53 – 85:24 | Ethan’s plan: Bone Quarter, The Mystics set-up |

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Tone & Style

• Comedic, irreverent, and horny: Natalie and Jackie bounce between literary analysis, raunchy jokes, and sincere fandom.
• Pop culture savvy: Frequent digressions into personal anecdotes, references to drag culture, MMA, Brian Adams, League of Their Own, and more.
• Queer & feminist lens: Commentary on power, pack politics, friendship, and female rage.
• Relatable yet analytical: Despite the laughs, both hosts offer genuine insight into Maas’s worldbuilding and character psychology.

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode contains a comprehensive and hilarious breakdown of escalating drama in Crescent City, especially around the tangled secrets of Danica’s parentage, Sabine’s pack politics, Ethan’s unrequited love, and Rune’s curious mind-bridge dates. Jackie and Natalie bring their own experiences to bear, unwrapping the text through personal stories, feminist takes, and unfiltered humor. The result is both a cathartic discussion for longtime fans and an engaging recap for newcomers wanting to stay up to speed with the juicy plot twists and emotional underpinnings of the Crescent City saga.

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Next Reading Assignment: Read up to Chapter 39 for the next episode!

Transcript

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[Jackie Zabrowski]

We're excited to announce that we're going to Prythian and Vaalbara and Basgaeth.

[Natalie Jean]

If you're nasty and you can too.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Join us in spring of 2026 at the Dreamers and Readers Festival, a three day event chock full of choose your own adventures, multiple Fae balls, fashion shows, photo shoots, hotties.

[Natalie Jean]

Everybody at least fear 15 different events at the otherworldly Gaylord Texan Resort that you can customize to make the perfect trip fit your Fantasy Dreams.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Visit fantastiquecollection.com and use our code FayBays at checkout to receive $10 off of any of these events.

[Natalie Jean]

Dreamers and readers Night 1 and 2.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Mythical Creatures, Masquerade, Fantastique Starfo Ball and the Farewell Fae Bash.

[Natalie Jean]

Not only that, but if you use our code fayebays at checkout for those events, you can you will receive an exclusive swag bag from the Weeknd.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'll do anything for a swag bag, Natalie. Thanks.

[Natalie Jean]

Swag. Give it to me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes, that's right. Use our code Faybase F A E B A e [e-mail] to get your $10 off of any of these events.

[Natalie Jean]

Dreamers and Readers Baby, I cannot wait for this.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Gimme, gimme.

[Natalie Jean]

Give me that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

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

[Natalie Jean]

My nails won't stay on so I can't use my hands and Jackie has helped me with everything because I just can't do it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sounds like you're a baby in total control of herself. And it also means you can't slap me back, huh? I'm not gonna hit her in the face, but it would have been hella. Wow. Nails are already falling off. Surprise. The nails she just put on, they're not sticking, and I don't know why. Maybe. Have you thought about just getting black nails? Anyway, think about it.

[Natalie Jean]

I can't do the long nails because of my hobbies.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So masturbating?

[Natalie Jean]

No, you can. Wouldn't they help?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No. What do you mean they help? The nails, you just put, like, a little bubble. They're gonna get lost inside of you.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, well, yeah. I mean, if you have real ones on. I used to just the press ons.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I just always assume that my nail salon person just knows I'm a lesbian because these two fingers are always cut shorter than the other nails. But it's because I got to get my contacts out. But I'll get in there. I mean, let me. Adam, who then. Whoa. Very aggressive. I'm sabitch today. All right, so I'm allowed to come in hot.

[Natalie Jean]

All right, we've got Sabine squared.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's going to be a difficult day because you've got double bitch power in here today. And that does mean total babies in control of themselves. Babies in total control of themselves.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Let me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's two of them. All right. And that's. It's going to be. It's going to be a long day, everybody. I think I'm.

[Natalie Jean]

With these nails, I'm more of a baby in partial control of herself.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. I definitely not in total control of the show because I don't know how you're going to scroll on the laptop.

[Natalie Jean]

They're just going to pop off. But I wanted you to at least see them, everyone.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Are you looking at them? Do you see them do.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, there they go. And now they're falling off. And it's good. She got the accolades she needed. They're not gonna make it to the photo. I'm sorry. Social media users.

[Natalie Jean]

No, I'm putting them back on for the photo.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Gonna put them back on for the photo.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're crazy. That, man, you are a sabitch.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Not me.

[Natalie Jean]

I like that we went with two different vibes of Sabine. I'm more of a sports an athleisure.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You are more. Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

And I mean, you're more like business.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I feel like, honestly, I did think about this because, let's be real, at the beginning of this day, I had the wig, and I was like, what would Sabine be wearing right now when she comes to go kick some ass? I thought about athleisure but then I also thought, I'm like, or is she in the middle of her fucking day? And she stopped. It was like, no, I am going to go beat the shit out of these young people now. Not waiting for the end of the day.

[Natalie Jean]

You sound like you're advocating for her behavior.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, I'm her today, Natalie. I'm sorry. I do a little bit of character work before I come in here.

[Natalie Jean]

You kind of look like you are in your business where. And then the time you seduced more dog. Spoiler. Your blazer came off, and you've got your sheer shirt on. Oh, no.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I say, can you smell me from there? He can, because, no, he could definitely smell my heritage. So he knew that I was a bitch, and he still pumped that dump inside of me and made a baby. And isn't that wonderful?

[Natalie Jean]

Well, if you pump the dump, isn't that the.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But I guess I was thinking that the dump in this was that you were pumping and the dump was the load. But I guess if you're getting pumped in the dump, that's back there. But it's good that we talk about these things.

[Natalie Jean]

You shouldn't call your vagina your dump, because that is.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, I'm talking about their load. I'm saying they're dumped. They're pumping their dump.

[Natalie Jean]

Dumped.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's more dog's dump that's in there.

[Natalie Jean]

Got it. Calm can be called dump because it's not delicate and beautiful. Like, honestly, in a vulva.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Trash.

[Natalie Jean]

You know, I do really understand the appeal of nails. I wish that I could wear these long nails because they look. I feel like, very good. Like, very, like, polished wearing them.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I know many people that feel when they have their nails done. I feel that way about having my nails done, even though I don't do fake nails. But, like, when my nails are. Are done, I do feel better. But the long nails, even though, oh, I'm. I'm begging for the clickety clacks. Everybody's got their clickety clacks. I want the clickety clacks.

[Natalie Jean]

And then you can do this one.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. You can do your little tiny claps at people and pretend like you're young. And you'd be like, I know what tiny claps are. Even though maybe you don't really, but you keep tiny clapping anyway.

[Natalie Jean]

I think the young took that from the drag culture.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes, they did.

[Natalie Jean]

So.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But technically, no, technically, Natalie, that's this and not this. And so now you have to go to YouTube if you want to see the difference. This can you hear it and not this. So they are two different things. It was inspired, though. But they're like different finger, different thing.

[Natalie Jean]

We know what we're talking about.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Because we're youthful and man, all up in drag culture. I mean.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, I do like watching drag culture.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes, me too.

[Natalie Jean]

So we have just returned from the fantastique Starfleet bar. 2025 Starbucks.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And it was popping, y'. All. We had so much fun. We met so many new friends. But everybody, you guys gotta get yourselves to one of these events. I mean, Fantastique puts on amazing. They really think it all through. And we just. It's such a wonderful community building experience where I feel like sometimes the bookish community on TikTok can be a little piercing. It can be a little tough at times.

[Natalie Jean]

What?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No.

[Natalie Jean]

And I support you because you're correct.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Going to these communities and just. And seeing each other and being like you exist too. And honestly, being in place where I was dressed as the Viper Queen and a bunch of people knew who I was dressed as.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. I was dressed as the Hind. And people figured it out.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, after they realized you weren't a Nazi, you were definitely like, oh, good. Okay. She's just a bookish character.

[Natalie Jean]

I did the biblically accurate version of her from the description and the thousands.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Of eyes and all the wings. Yeah, yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

And when you put her costume together, we understand that they are sort of representing Nazism. Ish. In the world of Crescent City. But when you put the costume together, it really. Especially Natalie's legit.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I didn't mean to. Statuesque. And you're just so tall and you have such beautiful skin. But then you put on the blonde wig and like a beret and you had some sort of the military jumpsuit on and you looked great. But I will say, very scary.

[Natalie Jean]

I did. As we were walking out onto the floor, I asked Jackie if I should take one of the patches off.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like, is it too nice? More. You need even more patches.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, we just. We made sure, because we were close in the hotel to where the convention was happening, that. But the walk between the two, I had to change out of the costume because if you're not in the context of a fantasy ball, probably would have gotten some. Some aggression. Yeah. Coming at me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Which fair understandable.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, also we were this fantasy ball. Sometimes they're out in the middle of the fields and the fjords and it's like, beautiful.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, my God. Put me on a fjord. I'd thrive on a fjord.

[Natalie Jean]

I would thrive In a bog. Personally, my people are bogged.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay, okay. I can see that on you.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you. But this one was giving bog.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, giving bog.

[Natalie Jean]

This one was done at the city, the San Francisco City Hall. And so it was an extremely different vibe. You were white. Right. By the Tenderloin people walking into this.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And we ain't talking pork.

[Natalie Jean]

No. Unfortunately, it's very, very tragic place to be. But City hall itself.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Nails are just flying, y'.

[Natalie Jean]

All. Told you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Wow. I. I feel like I'm gonna get pierced at some point.

[Natalie Jean]

See, you gotta keep your get. Keep your head a swivel or I'm.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Gonna start eating them. Depends. You know, I love a crunch.

[Natalie Jean]

Ew.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm a sprinkle girl.

[Natalie Jean]

I do. I'm not gonna eat your fingernails.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I mean, I don't want to eat your fingernails, but if they get in the way of my hoarding of sprinkles into my mouth. Well, you heard.

[Natalie Jean]

You're here first. Jackie wants fingernails in her sprinkles. Finger sprinkles. But yes. So you. The building itself was stunning. It was beautiful inside. People have their weddings there and stuff all the time. But you did have to walk through metal detectors in your full ball gown gear, which was a fun difference from when you're just out frolicking in fields for some of them.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah. But that's why the one that we're going to be in in March, there's going be a lot of frolicking because it's like a choose your own adventure experience event. Guys, get on it. The readers and dreamers Festival. It's going to be in March in Dallas.

[Natalie Jean]

It's outside of Dallas. It's outside the Gaylord. The Gaylord Texan resort, which you'd be surprised that was happening in Texas.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, put a 10 gallon hat on that.

[Natalie Jean]

But yeah, you know, you guys know, we've talked about it. It's going to be fun. We're doing a bunch of other conventions too, so you guys can.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We'll.

[Natalie Jean]

We'll keep. We'll keep you posted on what?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Come find us. Come hang out with us. But guess we've got to get to banging down a door. I'm sorry. Punches are flying and I'm ready to rip.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, punches are flying. Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because we're Sabine.

[Natalie Jean]

I guess they almost. They. They're about to rip.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

There's a lot of growling.

[Natalie Jean]

There's a lots of growling. Because we are returning to Sabine. Barging into Bryce's apartment from. Now we're at Bryce's pov.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I Want a party? Yeah. I wonder. I want to give her. Yes, a little more var. Not the band, but the girl. The bitchy little girl.

[Natalie Jean]

I sadly, in many ways, feel companionship to baroque assault. Not with the daddy thing, but I often feel like I just want too many things. Not items, but just, like, accomplishments. And I go, I want the whole world.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Have you thought of trying to be ambitionless? It's a lot of fun. It really opens up your schedule.

[Natalie Jean]

I'll give it. I'll try it. Sounds good.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just throwing that out there. It is an option. Always.

[Natalie Jean]

You're not ambitionless.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I am. I could be. No. Never had a high sight. I. Yeah, Like, I'm upset, I'm angry. And when I'm upset, you know, I'm in character. Natalie. And I really want to knock all these drinks off of the table.

[Natalie Jean]

Hold on. You're not a cat, so.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, I'm a wolf, like Ruhn.

[Natalie Jean]

She's pissed. She didn't think to check who was at the door because we were with Runes POV last time, and he was like, oh, right, there's a person at the door. But we're talking about all these other really intense things. And I forgot to check who it was.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oops.

[Natalie Jean]

But now it's too late. Ethan and Sabine have begun to face off. Bryce is stunned when, in their arguing, Ethan insults Sabine by mocking her for banging Murdoch. Because this is explosive news for Bryce, we, the reader, have already learned this information. Bryce is not.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No.

[Natalie Jean]

And so Ethan bringing this up in the middle of this argument is a bit of a wit. Ex. Squeeze me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's a bit of a wolf sledgehammer, you know?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Which, honestly, I feel like Ethan doesn't get very often. He doesn't really get like a mic drop in any. Usually, you know, that's true. More bumbling, I feel.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, you could also argue that he was bumbling here. Not thinking about who doesn't know who.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Doesn'T know, of course.

[Natalie Jean]

But sure. He also gets a mic drop. So we learned about this. The boys were out in the alleyway. They were discussing more. Doc Bryce has not heard this truth until right now. Unfortunately, another Danica secret will be revealed here in an ugly way. Ithan presses Sabine, asking if she's going to take Mordoch to the Black Doc to bid farewell to his daughter.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Mordoc to the Black dog.

[Natalie Jean]

I. I wrote. I wrote it wrong in this. And it says more cod. And I like it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hell yeah. I mean, I guess. Get this. More fish. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Ethan's just like, basically antagonizing Sabine. Like, are you gonna go take her daddy over to where she went sailing? And this is a big. Bryce's mind spins, going over what she has known already of Danica's sperm donor. Because of course, she knew that Danica didn't know her dad. But she's struck when she's like, going through, like, the info. What do. What do you mean? Mordoc. Like I thought. And she remembers that Danica had only.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Mentioned that he was a male not worth knowing or remembering.

[Natalie Jean]

Sounds about Murdoch to me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. So less, Doc, please.

[Natalie Jean]

Less. Please give me less, Doc.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know, Sabine, it makes sense now. I don't want to watch them have sex.

[Natalie Jean]

No, he's gross.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like, he's yucko. But like Sabine, man. I try not to like kink shame. But like, yo, you, Russ, really have some problems. Yeah. I think you might need to talk about a couple of them, if that's what you're choosing. And I mean, he is strong. He does begat her. A very strong sire.

[Natalie Jean]

He's. He's powerful.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

Which probably really appeals to somebody like Sabine. Yes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And also something. I mean, you know, I imagine also the idea of him being a bloodhound, him being. And having a lot of. And knowing a lot of people too.

[Natalie Jean]

I can see Sabine being a bit into the BDSM community. And he probably would be fine with that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I guess. I feel like we don't know much about the Prime. But I feel like the prime should have been like, this guy. Couldn't you choose a different wolf? Like, there's so many wolves in the.

[Natalie Jean]

Pack, you know, it seems like he's a noble Prime. Doesn't always mean you were a great father. You know what I mean? Same way that sometimes people are great grandparents. But maybe they weren't the best parents.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They needed to learn a little bit more.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. They had to grow up. Sometimes parents are not fully grown even when they are technically.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Whoa, whoa.

[Natalie Jean]

And we should support people growing. However, maybe the prime wasn't there for Sabine a lot. I'm just saying she made some choices. She made some to beg for attention. Also self destructive. Yeah. We're therapizing right now.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

But we're also so hot. I mean. Yeah, obviously that. And that's the most important thing about her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I just hope. Because my hair is starting to really come in silver. I hope it goes pure silver at some point because I really. I think I would dye my eyebrows and then just keep. Because I.

[Natalie Jean]

Your complexion is great for that. That silvery color. It like looks really good.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm just ready to be a Wilf.

[Natalie Jean]

A witch. You want to wolf. Wolf. You want to.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's also not going to happen, I guess, unless I get bit.

[Natalie Jean]

There's a lot of coyotes where we are in. In Los Angeles.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm always stopping them. I'm like, are you actually a werewolf? And I. I don't shake it, but I go, bite me. Bite me, wolf.

[Natalie Jean]

And goes, I'm not a wolf.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm a coyote. And I'm like, whoa. I'm taking you to the Guggenheim. Is that. No, they won't like him at the Guggenheim.

[Natalie Jean]

No. That's amazing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Take him to the Natural History of Museum and History.

[Natalie Jean]

Maybe take him to the. Technically, I think you'd take him to the government. But I would never do that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, of course not. Hell, no.

[Natalie Jean]

Never. I'd keep his secret.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, because then they're gonna take them away from me. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

I would keep the secret.

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[Natalie Jean]

So Bryce feels sick knowing this is just another thing that she had to confide it in Danica, which is AKA her lineage. She told Danika about her big secret about her papa that Danika did not reciprocate.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, well, I think at this point, Bryce, we understand that Danika didn't share a lot.

[Natalie Jean]

I still feel like everyone would be like a slap, though. You know? Every new fact I feel like would still be another thing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think at some point, bitch, I just fucking shut down and be like, all right, makes sense. What else are you gonna tell me about her? But maybe that's just the Leo in me. Maybe I'm too much of a lion to understand a wolf.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I Can't see the dresses. Oh, my God.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm a ram.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Whoa.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know what I do.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What are you gonna do about it?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Butt people get in there and I.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

What are you horny and you climb mountains? Yeah. And eat cans. I do eat cans.

[Natalie Jean]

I do.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, God. I did I just upset the goat community. Like, I really. I'm gonna say I don't know anything. Goats v Rams. I know. I think one's bigger and has bigger horns.

[Natalie Jean]

I should know as an Aries.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Natalie, I am putting this on you.

[Natalie Jean]

I will do a book report on it and come back.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you. That's what the next episode's gonna be. Tell us about rams, Natalie.

[Natalie Jean]

The life cycle of the ram. So Sabitch is enraged during this fight with Ethan, and Ethan squares off as though they are about to do fisticuffs. So.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Wolf. Wolf. Come on. They said wolf at me. Wolf. I guess if she did that, it wouldn't be very intimidating, but sounds a.

[Natalie Jean]

Little bit more like a bird.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, but also, I wouldn't with an ostrich either.

[Natalie Jean]

No, you shouldn't.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Birds are a little scary.

[Natalie Jean]

Have you ever seen a. What are they called? Hang on.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, so bitch. A bitch. It's a bitches back. I can't get it out of my head. Oh, now Natalie's getting lost, looking down the birds and dinosaurs tunnel. And I don't know how we're gonna get her back, but. Come here, girl. Come here, girl. Get back here, girl. Come on, girl. You get back here.

[Natalie Jean]

Cassowaries.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Cassowaries.

[Natalie Jean]

I saw it in Australia. It is terror. It is an actual dinosaur and it will kill you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Big beaks on them.

[Natalie Jean]

So scary. But they're awesome. Anyway, that's kind of what I thought. You thought?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hell yeah. I'm still gonna you up.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, yeah. I would not. I'd be terrified if that was my face. They can definitely kill you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Man, I wish I had a beak.

[Natalie Jean]

Keep wishing. Sucks. So Bryce thinks quickly and steps in, distracting whatever fight's about to go down in her apartment. She asks Sabine if Danika was a.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Rebel, and she responded, she's a rebel and she'll never ever be any good. It's like, we cannot make this into a musical fight.

[Natalie Jean]

Can't we?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Musical fight.

[Natalie Jean]

I'd see. I'd see Crescent City as a musical. I think that'd be fun.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It would be a lot of fun. What I actually. What said was Sabine whipped her head to her. What?

[Natalie Jean]

Should we both be saying the Sabine lines.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay, sure.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sabine whipped her Head to her. What?

[Natalie Jean]

You guys can choose which one you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like which one did better. Yeah. Put us against each other, like as all women should be.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Make sure.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes, please.

[Natalie Jean]

Nervous, but reminding herself that she now outranks Sabine, Bryce holds herself high and presses her. Because now, as the princess, she actually is more powerful than Sabine.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You know, Sabine loves.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, she loves it. Sabine turns her ire on to Bryce, but seems rattled by the accusation. She denies that Danika had anything to do with Ophion, but Bryce contends that maybe she was because she was so ashamed of her mom banging Maur. Doc.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Damn. Need some ice for that wrist.

[Natalie Jean]

For that wrist.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Roast.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh. Roast, roast, roast, roast.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sorry. It's the birds coming out. It's me coughing. The bird that lives inside of me. He lives inside of my mouth. The little bird that lives inside of my mouth. Yeah, Just like that. I love being so. It really. It. It unleashes me in a way I didn't expect.

[Natalie Jean]

Is this because you sh. You filmed the Hoopa Goo Goo finale yesterday and you were the crazy queen lady?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. And so sometimes it just. The character stays. I just. I'm so, like. I get so into it. They call me Daniel J. Lewis for Jackie and I. And I'm like, my left foot, my right foot, my left, right foot. And it's just like, give me your shoes. I guess I'm a cobbler now. And that's all the bits I could do about Daniel Day Lewis. Lincoln. He sounded stupid. Although I guess just Lincoln sounded stupid. So. President of the United States. I need to end slavery.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't even know how to respond to you. There's so many things that just happen. Success in a succession. It's. It's.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

This a bitch. I'm sorry.

[Natalie Jean]

Sip on my coffee.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sometimes I'm like a chainsaw, you know?

[Natalie Jean]

So many sounds. You're like that guy from Police Academy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Which I think we do reference every other episode. Do I? Not just you.

[Natalie Jean]

Me too.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We bring up that guy. Still don't know his name. Have never looked at what his name is.

[Natalie Jean]

Half of the listeners were not born.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

When that don't know what we're talking about. And that's fine.

[Natalie Jean]

Sabine argues back. But Bryce pushes, pointing out that Sabine must be really scared about her position in the wolf den. She came over to try to squash Ethan's potential to take over the wolves after all. So this is a thing Bryce is positing on top of Sabine.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Spin's like, nuh, no, no, no, no. It's like, oh, someone's Short circuiting.

[Natalie Jean]

Bryce continues suggesting that it might be pretty easy to sway the prime of Ethan's superiority as the leader. All the while, Ethan is looking on in shock him. He's never obviously considered this proposition. But Bryce is doing it to threaten Sabine. But maybe she also thinks Ethan could be a good leader.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's got a lot of growing up to do.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, he still does. He's still growing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So, I mean, better than her, though.

[Natalie Jean]

Sure. Of course.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

At least he can be controlled.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, sometimes. Also, Ethan doesn't want the power. Isn't it sometimes who the leader should be? The person who never wanted to have the power in the first place.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Right.

[Natalie Jean]

She watches Sabine back up and then slowly begin to reach for something behind her back. Like, I don't know, a sword.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Up until maybe her nails are falling off. And she doesn't want anybody to see.

[Natalie Jean]

It's possible up until then. Ruhn, who's in the room, was letting this play out. But as she makes this motion, his gun is in her face in a millisecond.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I always forget there's guns in this world. I don't know how I forget, but I'm just like, oh, yeah, I forgot.

[Natalie Jean]

They feel like. They feel like old timey, right? But then suddenly they're like, oh, they have a phone.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, a phone and a gun. Yep.

[Natalie Jean]

So, moments later, Bryce is relieved to hear Hunt's voice and see his body fill the doorway.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

God, it fills the doorway.

[Natalie Jean]

So now Bruhn's gun is in Sabine's face. And then Hunt is now also aiming a gun at her. Sabine is still antagonizing the group, warning them if they tangle with Mordoc, they'll get what they deserve. Then, to the surprise of everyone, another figure enters the room.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Baxian, the angel shifter, had a gun drawn, aimed at Sabine's legs to disable her if she tried to run.

[Natalie Jean]

Ouch.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Whoa. Baxian.

[Natalie Jean]

Baxian, what are you doing here?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Okay, okay. But also very smart to aim the gun at her legs. I feel like I'm like, wow, I'm really not a soldier. I'd be like, you know, it's like, that's smart thing to do because then you'd stop her, but then you wouldn't.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't think you should hold a gun the way you just were.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Not, no. Not willy nilly, no. I thought that was the first rule of gun ownership. Loose wrists kind of hold on to it. Like it's seeping out of your hand. Like it turned into slime.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, just make sure. Nothing is taut in your body when the gun goes off. So then you can. You can roll with it the way a drunk driver does when they crash the car. Shoot, shoot, you know, so this guy again, he's back, but also it's like.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, like, what is. What is his deal?

[Natalie Jean]

Bryce realizes even Hunt is surprised by this appearance. In that he hadn't known Baxian had once again been following him.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hunt also.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, it's like back scene's either really good at hiding in the shadows, or Hunt is too distracted right now by Bryce's toes to pay attention.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She'd be paying attention.

[Natalie Jean]

It's technically the correct time to strike at him because he's so distracted. Yes, by her sweaty sports bra. So.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But also think about that, Hunt. That, like, if Baxian can follow you, anybody can follow you.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm getting mad at Hunt here for not knowing again that this guy's been following him.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

All the blood is in his dick, Natalie. It's not his fault.

[Natalie Jean]

He needs to shake himself up like a snow globe. Shake the blood around.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, get that blood back up in the brain, son.

[Natalie Jean]

So seeing the other Triari member seems to be the deal breaker for Sabine. And she tells them they're all carrion and beats it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Whoa. Bird much?

[Natalie Jean]

Again, Birds. Now she has at least stopped threatening everyone in the apartment because of vaccine appearing. So I guess, great.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I love that she's like, fine. There's multiple guns pointing at me. Fine. I guess I won't continue this.

[Natalie Jean]

But also threatens them. They're all dead meat, so, I mean.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She'S gotta leave with something. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Dignity. Cut over to the same moment with Hunt's pov. He spins to confront Baxian. His lightning flaring vaccine is like, whoa, I just saw you had an emergency and thought you might need a backup. It's like, sure, sure, Jan. But Bryce doesn't seem to care much because she's processing the new Dana facts. She snaps at Ethan, asking if he knew. And when he confirms that he did in fact know that Mordoch was Danica's father, she demands to know why she wasn't good enough to be told herself. So right now, Bryce is kind of processing that. That not only did she not know about Mordoch, that but the other wolves did know, they were aware of it and nobody had told her. And Ethan responds like, this is correct. It wasn't his place to reveal nails gone, piece of information. It's not his place. That was Danica's decision to do. He can't just tell Bryce, that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, it's her story to tell. It's not for other people. But I guess after she died, I imagine Bryce was like, well, you can tell me now.

[Natalie Jean]

Fair. But also, they have just begun talking again after that. And so it probably didn't come up naturally, organically. You know, hun sees, you don't start.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Off with that when you're trying to heal a friendship. Right?

[Natalie Jean]

Like, hey, guess what? There's so many secrets that you don't know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Your bestie really lied to you a lot.

[Natalie Jean]

Although you could. You could trauma bond and then be. Then you have a mutual enemy when you're both like, what about the thing Danika didn't tell us?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're right. You are right. But I feel like Ethan isn't that manipulative, which is good. I feel like. I don't think that's what I'm saying. I don't think he can do that, which is good, because he definitely could use this information for evil.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. No, I think it's probably for the best. So. Hunt sees Bryce's pained expression and takes her hand. Bryce says to the room that she would have understood having an asshole father, insinuating that this seems like things two best friends could have commiserated over the fact that she had this terrible bio father. And then Danika also did. And it's just this. Another piece of herself, Bryce, that was offered that Danika did not return, which is very painful.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I wonder at what point, because I feel like there is the point when you're just like, I guess she's not my best friend and I guess she never was.

[Natalie Jean]

It does feel like that. But then there's these other elements where.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Where they were.

[Natalie Jean]

Where she did all of these very like. Yes. Did she put something in Bryce's back without her consent?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. But did she lie about a lot of the stuff? She didn't. Yes. But she couldn't tell her a lot of things. We understand that. But still with every single thing, it's just like. I feel like even in real life, you get to a point when you have to think. Like when you demote. Like, have you ever demoted a friend before? Yeah, I feel like I've definitely had friends that I referred to as best friends that. That I would never refer to them as that.

[Natalie Jean]

Now, here is the list.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, let's go through them and what they did to us.

[Natalie Jean]

No, we're. I feel like we're very lucky to have a very good friend circle as adults.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We've all known each other for a long Time. So we're kind of like the wolf pack. Like.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, my God.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But does that mean that we are the Sabines of the LPN pack?

[Natalie Jean]

Sure are. Yeah. Okay. Yep. We both are.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I feel like you're given Amelie. I think you could be an Amelie.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know if that's an insult or not.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Well, you're alive. I mean, definitely you would be Danica, but Danica's dead. Natalie.

[Natalie Jean]

Thank you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So I want to choose an alive one for you.

[Natalie Jean]

There is a Natalie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, but she's not.

[Natalie Jean]

She's like, nothing. Yeah. And also, she's got the H in her name. And I don't. I don't vibe with.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, no. Oh, hell no. Although I've always been so attracted to Jackie's that have the Q in it, and I always wanted the Q in it, and I never got the Q in it because my. The name is very Americanized and my version of it. And I just always thought I used to hate people that were J, A, C, Q, U, I. But then I realized eventually it's because I wanted my name to be that.

[Natalie Jean]

Change it now.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

All right, I'm doing it. Fucking whatever.

[Natalie Jean]

Do whatever.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sorry, grandpa. Not gonna have your name anymore. You're dead. Wait, you don't care.

[Natalie Jean]

Wait, what do you mean?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Jack. That's why I'm Jackie. That's why I'm so. That's why it's J, C, K, L, Y, N. Because it was named after Jack.

[Natalie Jean]

You should post mortem, rename him Jack with a Q.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Good. Dig him up. I'm changing the headstone. Except that he's Jacques, though, isn't he? No, we're not getting into that.

[Natalie Jean]

J, A, Q, U, E. I don't think it's Jacques.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I think I just feel like if you're gonna.

[Natalie Jean]

Spicy Jack.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, it's Spicy Jack. And that is what I want to call my grandfather. Oh, you mean Spicy Jack over there? Yeah, I hated cremating that one. So spicy I can't touch him with your hands.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Natalie Jean]

Ethan tells her that he truly doesn't know why she didn't tell Bryce. Tharion also, by the way, is in the room for all of this. He's just been standing back, I guess, in standing by. And he seems to not have participated in any of the drama. He asks Ethan if he would have tried to fight Sabine today. To which he responds that, yeah, he probably would have tried to fight her. Ethan then becomes defensive when Baxian, who's still in the room, points out that he would have lost.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She's like, bro, you just showed up. Bro, you're gonna be laying this stuff down. But he's right.

[Natalie Jean]

He's right in a way that is protecting him because he could have been killed to fight her. And vaccine's like. He clarifies. I mean, more that you need a couple years, Ethan, you're too young, you're not experienced enough. And then you could defeat her. Hunt realizes that Baxian may be attempting to defuse Ethan's heightened defenses by offering to spar him, which we see a lot in veneer males. They sometimes need to fight out their passions.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Human males too, I think.

[Natalie Jean]

I think I sometimes feel like it would be better if guys are super angry. They get, you know, like we. I. Obviously, I have a lot of bad feelings about MMA for reasons that are sociological, but it is good to have some, like, release of energy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We're just talking about break rooms, so just talking about another episode. Sometimes you gotta go smash some up.

[Natalie Jean]

Even just like take a ballet class. Maybe you like it, you know, you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Think that'll get out the same aggression.

[Natalie Jean]

It can.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because of all the self hatred, because.

[Natalie Jean]

Of the, like, the literal torment you're putting your body through. It depends on if you're like a masochist or a sadist and. Or if you're in the middle somewhere.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, I just like to have a good time.

[Natalie Jean]

That is a good time for some.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You're right.

[Natalie Jean]

Yep. So Bryce sees it too. Sees that Baxing may be offering himself to be beat up by Ethan.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's also. It's like puppies. I feel like, yeah, the puppy's got a. Puppy's got a pup.

[Natalie Jean]

Pup's got a pup. And she gets irritated seeing that this is going to happen and tells them to go have their little fight elsewhere so that more of her furniture doesn't get destroyed. This lightens the room a little. And Hunt jokes about holding a funeral for her coffee table. He gets a text from Isaiah in that moment. Hunt asking if everything is okay. And he then tells him that Celestina is displeased. We're looking at his text messages, remember?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because he left. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

So there's a whole other issue going on here. She hasn't said anything to Isaiah, according to Isaiah, but he can sense it. Especially since Baxian also left her high and dry. So this is her Triari, who had promised to be a power at her side. Their whole. Their whole reason for being is to show unity and strength. And in this moment, she's kind of been humiliated because their Triari all stayed with her mates and now it makes her look weak.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

And also it seems like she just needed emotional support.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She needed them. She asked them to stay and they said they would stay.

[Natalie Jean]

They were like, not a hurricane won't get me out of this room.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And then the tiniest gust of wind, just an achoo of a wind, just.

[Natalie Jean]

A little scent of Bryce took him right away. So this is not good news, of course, but the real question we have here is whether this displeasure by Celestina will be an archangel reaction or simply a workplace acquaintance reaction. To say either if it's an acquaintance reaction, passive aggressiveness will now occur in the office, or if it's an archangel reaction, will be involved being tortured in.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Some creative contraption, sawing your wings off or something, you know, something fun placed.

[Natalie Jean]

In a public square. So we don't know what yet she's going to say or do because of that. So Hunt's alarmed, but he gets distracted because Ithan announces to the room that he's, quote, accepting Ruhn's offer. Hunt and Bryce both don't know what they're talking about and look concerned. They haven't heard about this potential offering that Ruhn gave, but Ruhn just stops them from having to lay guilt on the situation by telling them he offered Ethan a place to stay because of their, quote, thin ass walls. So to probably keep Bryce from arguing against this arrangement, he's like, you're making Ethan uncomfortable and he wants to move in with me. Bryce might have argued more as an Alpha of her on her own, but she wants to have loud sex with Hunt. So she doesn't really push back much. She's like, oh, oh, no, I guess don't go. Have to. Hunt can sense that Ethan is not quite as jovial about this move as Ruhn is. And as the Fae and the wolf decide, you know, they're kind of concluding this conversation and they're gonna now go back to Ruhn's house, they begin to leave to start the moving process, Bryce stops Ruhn and Ithan before they step into the elevator to tell Ithan that she and him made a good team.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

From his angle, Hunt couldn't see Ethan's face. But he heard the quiet. Yeah. Right before the elevator doors ding. Then we did for all the world. Hunt could have sworn the wolf sounded sad.

[Natalie Jean]

So Bryce, in that moment, you know, as Ethan's leaving, she's trying to mend some bridges because you know, they're still coming back to their friendship. And so she wants him to feel like he's not being kicked out of the apartment.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But he's definitely getting kicked out of the apartment.

[Natalie Jean]

But Hunt can maybe see other reasons why Ithan might be feeling emotional. He might not fully know what we know about Ithan's feelings. That it's partly because he's got some hang ups, we'll say for Bryce.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But also he just revealed something from the wolf pack. Which I imagine like is a really big thing to do to say a wolf pack secret to people that are not in the pack. I imagine that heavily affects him.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because I mean just think of what he just went through with Sabine. That's a lot. That's like a huge. And then for her to not even be like, no, stay. Like to not even do the obligatory.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, yeah, that for sure. And she doesn't seem. She seems like oblivious to any subtext going on. But Hunt is maybe sensing a little something different coming off of Ethan. Tharion is also left with Ruhn and Ithan, leaving only Bryce, Hunt and Baxian in the apartment. Get out of here, Baxian. They are trying to have sex. Certainly nothing will stop them this time.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But also it's like we. Don't you want to find out a little bit more about Baxian and him.

[Natalie Jean]

Showed up and I guess my mind's elsewhere.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I. I mean I get you, believe me, from one horny to another, I understand. But like sometimes I'd also be like, why are you following me? Can we talk about this for a second?

[Natalie Jean]

Can we discuss something? Actually I. Yeah, I would just be like, just fucking leave. I don't even want to know. Just get out of my face. But no, you're correct. You're. You're the correct one.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you.

[Natalie Jean]

Bryce is like, can you leave? And Vaccine is busy taking in the apartment. He's kind of just analyzing everything. He suggests that Sabine was there because of something to do with Mordoch. So basically alluding back scenes, alluding that he also knows about Murdoch and Sabine. This shocks Hunt, asking him why he would know about Danika's heritage. Baxian brushes this off, suggesting that he's learned many things from tooling around with the Hind all these centuries, because the hind is a spy and she knows too many things about people. He tells them about when Mordoch had returned from Lunatheon years ago. So Baxian essentially tells Hunt in Bryce. He remembers years back when Mordoc had traveled to Lunatheon for an unknown reason and had come back. And we learned. He kind of figured out. He deduced that it was really the only time he had come to meet his daughter Danica. And when he returned, he was in a rage, for whatever reason. So much in a rage that he had, I don't know, eaten two human beings.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

We've all been there.

[Natalie Jean]

Suddenly, Hunt is shaken. He remembers when Mordoch did this, but he didn't know what preceded it. So now they're putting the pieces together. This time that Mordoch ate people was because he was furious. After returning from meeting Danica, Bryce is.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I guess he didn't like the baby.

[Natalie Jean]

I guess not. Bryce is horrified, but focused on the now. There's a lot of stuff happening in the moment. She doesn't. She can't think about this too much. And she asked Baxie and why he's following Hunt. He brushes it off, which pisses Hunt off. But Bryce seems to be warming up to Baxian for some reason, she's not being super aggressive with him, and she does escort him out of the apartment. But as she does, Hunt hears her tell him that he's going to fit right in here, as in Lunathian. Later that night, we're with Bryce as Brunt lay in bed, replaying everything that has happened just in the day. I don't know if you remember what we just discussed.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

All of this is in one day.

[Natalie Jean]

But we were. This is the same day they were in the cemetery with the Dot. With Andrew, Dyson Clay.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Andrew Dyson Clay.

[Natalie Jean]

This is all happening at the same time.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

So obviously they're horny.

[Natalie Jean]

They're. Yeah. Hunt is grappling with his guilt over leaving Celestina in the lurch and wonders if he's as bad a male as Baxian. Bryce, of course, says that he's not. Bryce consoles him and then goes over everything that happened in the Bone Quarter earlier that day. The bad news about the afterlife, the fact that Hunt can suck energy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Cool that, you know, they make a super weapon together. Some pretty, you know, cool that Bryce can take Check.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Can take in his lightning and take it all in. He chastises her for jumping in front of him, pointing out that the big scar that vaccine has on his neck was a just a tiny fraction of the lightning that he released today. She's all like, yeah, yeah, whatever, yeah.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But like, I'm a conduit or whatever.

[Natalie Jean]

And I'm like, also very self destructive, so it's kind of just my mo. And it worked, so I guess we can't get too mad about it. They lay intertwined in the darkness and ponder where they actually go if their souls aren't eaten by the bone. Man Hunt tells her, wherever it is he wants to go be there with her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, my God, that's so. That's so legit. Even when our souls aren't getting eaten, he doesn't want to be with me. Oh, my God, that makes me feel so good and tingly. But then she kind of yaks on herself just a little bit.

[Natalie Jean]

But no, I guess. Thank you. Like, but also gross.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, it's very nice. I love.

[Natalie Jean]

Love. It's like a Brian Adams song.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, I wish. I won't. Wow. You're gonna do. I was like, I won't do it.

[Natalie Jean]

Is that Brian Adams?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Which one? Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you. Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know if that's true.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Isn't that from King Arthur?

[Natalie Jean]

No. Well, Robin Hood. No.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

King Arthur. Robin Hood. No.

[Natalie Jean]

Robin Hood. Prince of Thieves is the everything I do.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, that's what I was thinking. Do it for you. Oh, Richard Marks. Richard Marks. Both wrong.

[Natalie Jean]

Wait, but the other song, the Robin Hood song is Bryan Adams, right?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. That is the song I was thinking of.

[Natalie Jean]

The Hollow.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like your love. They never say Robin Hood in it. And it's like, how are you supposed to say.

[Natalie Jean]

They don't say my heart go. We'll go on. They'll never say Titanic.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They're really missing out on the branding. Just at the end.

[Natalie Jean]

Crashing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Yes. Natalie. Ice picks everywhere. Just in the addendum. Glad we went on this journey.

[Natalie Jean]

All right, so anyway, that's what it sounds like he's saying. Yes. So we got Sabine in this chapter. Sabine confronting Ithan everyone catching up to Mordoc being Danica's dad. Okay, we get that Hunt might be in trouble with Celestina, which would make sense. And Ethan's moving into the real Animal House. Or I guess the Veneer House.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Cute.

[Natalie Jean]

Ironically, though, they would have gotten venereal diseases in Animal House.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, they weren't Protecting themselves.

[Natalie Jean]

But you know, I actually when I thought that funny little thought, I had to check whether veneer and venereal had similar root words. And it seems like not so. Vanir seems to be a reference to the Norse word describing a group of their gods. So there's two different kinds of gods in Norse culture and old Norse culture. And Vanir are the more romantic, like fertility, like magic ones, when the other ones are the warriors that we're more familiar with.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I was just begging for fjords earlier. This really works out well.

[Natalie Jean]

But here, listen to this interesting thing about the Norse veneers.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The most famous veneer deities are Njord, God of the sea, and his twin children, Freyja. Fertility, prosperity and Freya. Love, beauty, magic.

[Natalie Jean]

Wait, but say those two names more clearly.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

The twin children, Freyr and Freya. Who does that look like from Churd?

[Natalie Jean]

Wait, you seriously don't see what those.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Names look like from Jerd?

[Natalie Jean]

Do you actually not see?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's what I'm sticking with.

[Natalie Jean]

Okay, I don't know what from sure.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Means, and I'm sad that you don't know what that is. No, I don't know what you're talking about.

[Natalie Jean]

It's fey.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, Pharaoh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She does get knocked up and stuff.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, it looks like Feyre, another character from her other books. Anyway, venereal is stemmed from the Roman goddess Venus. Because it's a. Venereal is an antiquated word for an sti, but it's because it means love diseases like Venus, which is like not super clinical.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Get them sometimes when you're not in love too. I hate to break it to you.

[Natalie Jean]

It was like they were trying to make it cute or something. It's weird.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Weird.

[Natalie Jean]

Anyway, Runes on the mind bridge. At the start of chapter 36, he's thinking about how he's grateful for the silence of the mental plane. And he's. He's inhabiting at the moment after the relative chaos of the day and then bringing Ethan over to the party house. So it's the night of that day we just went through. We're with Rune and he is on his mind. Mind of speak Bridge.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Hell yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

And he is in his sleep. And he. At least that part he thinks was easy. Getting Ethan over to the frat house. Flynn and Deck just shrugged and handed Ethan a beer. So very. You know, I've lived in that house. Simple boys.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh yeah?

[Natalie Jean]

Oh yeah. I've lived in many of those.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Sometimes.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I mean, they're fun.

[Natalie Jean]

There was a couple where I just had new roommates that I was like, who's that? And like, oh, they live here. Like, okay.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah. And then you're just always coming home to a different party and you're just like, oh, what's happening now? Okay. And then you just hit the keg and keep going.

[Natalie Jean]

I legitimately could not name some of my roommates if you had a gun to my head.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like, I don't and I won't do that. Even though that would be a Sabine move.

[Natalie Jean]

If you did it, I would die because I have so many roommates from my past. There are some who I definitely just never.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's good. I have to log that just in.

[Natalie Jean]

Case you want to kill me. You can just kill me. You don't have to like, oh, okay.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I'm a character I manipulated.

[Natalie Jean]

You don't have to quiz me if you're going to murder me.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just so you're.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know if you know that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Give me Eleanor Roosevelt quotes.

[Natalie Jean]

Women are very smart.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

They're strong. I have sex with my bodyguard.

[Natalie Jean]

I don't know why she's British, but so they're. Yeah. So Flynn and Dak are just like, sure, Ethan can live in the other room that we have that we put all our crap in. We'll clear it out or whatever. Now Rune stares at the fiery being across from him on the mind bridge and wishes that he had a couch or somewhere to sit so that it was he wasn't just awkwardly floating across from her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, that's why you want a couch to sit on.

[Natalie Jean]

What are you saying? Apparently, since this is of the mind, all he had to do was wish. And suddenly a deep armchair was behind him. He's like, hell yeah. A moment later, day kind of laughed. As he sits down and manifests herself a red velvet fainting couch for herself. Interesting choice. A little seductive. We're talking like, listen, that's not a professional business chair. She's sitting down. What does that mean?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just a Rune moth to a flame.

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa. Rune thinks about how much in that moment she looks like Lehaba. And his heart hurts.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh God.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh. Because she's all aflame on a little couch, somehow unable to see his face through the the stars. She senses that he's frowning and asks why. She distresses him. He won't say very much, but reveals that she, in that moment is reminding him of a fire sprite friend who sacrificed herself for someone he loved. When she asks if he would have traded his life for the Sprites, he said he would. And then she just went slipping right off of that?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, man. That couch was nowhere to be seen.

[Natalie Jean]

So he says that, but then he tries to change the subject, telling her about the. The intel was being conveyed. So basically he's reporting to her about the intel, going to the point person, and then goes into everything that happened with Sandriel's Triari that day. So reporting on seeing more Doc seeing in the hind that. That the harpy. Everybody was fucking with them all day. Daybright tenses and tells him that they are lethal beings and they must avoid them at all costs.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, we know. We're not just trying to hang out with him.

[Natalie Jean]

I wish that they would leave me the fuck alone. She asks why he has brought her to the bridge this evening and what he's trying to convey to her, but he actually doesn't know. He shrugs and says, I didn't bring myself or you here. He guesses that his mind just reached out to her unconsciously after he fell asleep. Okay. Interesting. Inappropriate. It's like texting your co worker in the middle of the night.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's a little. I mean, it's. It's a little Edward. It's given a little. It's given a little twilight to watch in her sleep. I think it's given a little bit of that. But it's not his fault, okay?

[Natalie Jean]

He didn't. He didn't consciously do it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She watched him. And even though he couldn't see her face and she couldn't see his, he never felt so naked. She said quietly, something's riled you. Goosh goosh goose. And it's that light bitch on a.

[Natalie Jean]

J on a shade. He reveals that he has just had a hard day. And after a moment, Day relents and says that she has also had a hard day. Without revealing information. Daywright tells him she works for people who make Mordoch look like a river otter, which is kind of an admission in itself in a way, because wouldn't that be the Asteri? Like, what is worse than a cannibal in this world?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Who knows, man? I feel like they keep learning more and more every day. Like, think of how much lore drops every day. So who knows?

[Natalie Jean]

I guess. But like, if you're saying it makes Murdoch look tame, I feel like that would be the Hysteri. I don't know. But whatever. She admits that she has in. In this conversation, they're kind of opening themselves up a little bit to talk a little bit more about their personal lives. And she admits in this conversation that she's never had a friend. Like in her life, girl. This is a definitively more candid conversation. Obviously, I think the chairs help.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It is. It's the comfort.

[Natalie Jean]

It's like dual therapy now.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

Dueling banjos of therapy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, God. Ugh.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. Rune tells her that his. That's. He's like, kind of blown away by that fact about her. And he tells her that his friends and his sister are the most important people to his own survival. But. But also that, you know, sometimes your family can be shit. So maybe you're luckier off not having family and friends.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, that's what everybody that doesn't have any family or friends thinks. They're like, you know what? Good. Unless they chose it. Which that's fine. But outside of that, I think a lot of them are like, I mean, I wish I had somebody to talk to. It would be nice to have one person.

[Natalie Jean]

I think he's trying to make her feel better.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, he's trying to make her feel better because he's a good male.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes, he is. She tells him she does have a family, actually, and that the two of them share the misfortune of having sadistic fathers because he's made light admissions about having a shitty daddy. This truth gives Rooney insight that she can't be in a starry because. So she has revealed very little about her life. But in this moment, her saying that her father is sadistic means that she's not in a stereo because steries don't have daddies.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

That's what he says. He goes, starry don't have daddies. And very inappropriate on the mind bridge.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, very inappropriate. Their shared misery gives Rune special feelings.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ew. Is that what you call it?

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, have special feelings? He doesn't say he's getting sexually turned on, but like.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, I know. Yeah. It's like the. It's. It's.

[Natalie Jean]

It's in the text.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's ratcheting up. It's definitely.

[Natalie Jean]

There's a.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

There's an interesting erotic tension.

[Natalie Jean]

I believe the. The. The actual text says something male awoke in him or something like that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, why was it asleep?

[Natalie Jean]

And he notices that she seems very, we'll say, engaged in their discussion also. Like they are both really feeling each other.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I like that.

[Natalie Jean]

You're right.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She seems engaged in their discussion also, which just makes me think. I know that we can't see how horny Daybright is, but, like, if you could see it and it's like, oh, you can't stop it. Yeah, like, oh, my son is expanding. Oh, don't look at it. Oh, my rage.

[Natalie Jean]

Very sexy. Yeah. Yeah. So the reason I'm putting it in that term is because in the. The chapter, there's no direct mention of sexual tension, but you can feel it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Pick it up where they're putting it.

[Natalie Jean]

You're picking it up. So in their conversation, she suggests that Ruhn probably has a powerful father based on context clues, and asks him why he doesn't work more aggressively in the rebellion to overthrow his mean daddy.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's like he's in the middle of a lot.

[Commercial Narrator]

Okay.

[Natalie Jean]

He's got stuff going on. He's got.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Got daddy can't appointments coming up.

[Natalie Jean]

And, like, there's like, his. He's got to get, like, stuff repaired in his house.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Like all the. That happened today. Yeah. How is he supposed to do laundry? You know what I mean?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. So run says he is himself not good at deception, and it's not in his nature to try to overthrow somebody. He then gets a little bit pessimistic. He goes, even if this rebellion somehow, by a miracle, wins, there will just be more battles for power amongst the houses. And he's not necessarily wrong.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No. He's just very negative. But, I mean, with everything going on, it's pretty easy to live in that negative space, huh, guys?

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, for sure. Daybright, though, surprisingly, has a more optimistic vision of what the future could be, which is her saying, if we do this correctly, there won't be fights. We could. We could make this a better world. Which is like, okay, wow, you don't hear that a lot, especially right now in our timeline. So it is. It is nice to hear somebody say, oh, maybe there's a hope for the future.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's nice to hear. It's nice to hear there's some hope out there.

[Natalie Jean]

Yes. So he asks her why she's deciding to be more candid with him this time. And. And she says it's probably due to her personal long day, meaning that she's had a bit of a situation during the day, and she's a little bit more vulnerable and unguarded because of that. After a moment, she reveals that she hasn't had as normal a conversation as this in a very long time. Oh, that maybe she has lost herself, her true self in the game she's forced to play to be a rebel. Rune tells her next time when he, you know, calls for her, he'll bring a TV and beer and get her normal again.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

She laughed. The sound like clear bells. Something male and primal in him set up at the sound. I've only ever had wine. We're gonna have to give you a couple of experiences then, aren't we?

[Natalie Jean]

I'll teach a baby how to drink beer.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I want to flirt in the mind bridge.

[Natalie Jean]

I do too, Socks. He invites her to Lunathian. And when he does this, he almost makes it sound like he's asking her out on a date. And I think in this moment, it shakes her out of the little fantasy she's living inside of, like the fact that she's pulled off her shell a little bit and is just sort of like becoming vulnerable.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's the first connection she's had possibly ever and, you know, at least in a very long time.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah. And maybe the, the her. The amount that she would want to go on a date is like, freaks her out because she can't. And so it's this, this boundary breaking seems to shake her out of her ease. She turns their conversation back to the spine hit, which is the main reason they're communicating, the spine being the big train system. And Ruhn asks her why they've never tried to take the entire spine out, which is like such a dumb question.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

In the same way, like, she just asked him, why don't you just get rid of your father? You know, it's like, both of you guys, like, what are you talking about? Huh?

[Natalie Jean]

Dave Wright's like, oh, I don't know why. Oh, that's. I guess nobody's ever thought of that before.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You kill the bad guys, you know, it's like, oh, wow. What that.

[Natalie Jean]

Thanks for that advice. So she kind of gets a little like angry at this obviously very stupid question. She tells him that this isn't a game and that obviously they haven't because it's incredibly difficult to pull off. He responds angrily, saying he's aware it's not a game. And instead of escalating, she apologizes to him. They make their amends and run. Tells her he's going to take off. So they end it it with a little bit of a turn in emotion, but then they kind of quell it immediately.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He half hoped she'd counter with something to keep them talking, keep him here, but day and her couch faded into embers Drifting on a phantom wind.

[Natalie Jean]

Goodbye, Knight.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Such an awesome. It's like so not seen as Irish goodbye because you're going way right in front of him. But like, God, I wish I had that opportunity. Like, okay, thank you, Natalie. And then you never saw me again, ever. Yeah, you gotta grab on to me while you've got me corporeal. Whoa. Okay.

[Natalie Jean]

I love that you're fantasizing about never seeing me again.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's just because then in this. In this fantasy, I am magic. And if I to be magic, it means I can never see you ever again.

[Natalie Jean]

So be it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Natalie. I mean, I'd feel the same way. I'd understood if I found out. I'd be like, oh, well, bye, Natalie.

[Natalie Jean]

I understand. I would be happy for you.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you. I'd be happy for you too.

[Natalie Jean]

And I wouldn't be jealous.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No. I would try to, like, cling on to you and be like, explain it to me. Bring me with you.

[Natalie Jean]

God, you wish. You know, you wish it would just happen. You can just show everybody how to do it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Show everybody how to do it.

[Natalie Jean]

So we cut over to Ethan as he's getting accustomed to his new stinky boy surroundings. Yeah, probably not super clean. No. I imagine they still smell really good because they're too hot. Yeah. He feels pretty comfortable in the dude space. And it reminds him of Connor's old hangout apartment that he had. So back before the murders. I imagine they had a similar apartment to what Bryce and Danica had, which was kind of like just.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just a big flop house.

[Natalie Jean]

Flop house. It was even. Actually, Connor's apartment was in the same neighborhood as Runes.

[Commercial Narrator]

Oh.

[Natalie Jean]

He had just gotten out of the shower and he had felt a pang of almost longing when he saw that Flynn and Roon had an ongoing argument via messages left on Flynn's shampoo products where they're fucking with each other. And it makes him feel almost like the camaraderie of the brotherhood he probably shared with Flynn. After he's gotten himself ready for the day, he sends a message to Tharion to meet him. And as he heads over to the Istros to go meet Tharion, he buys an iced coffee.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just like us.

[Natalie Jean]

Just relate. Just like us. And we get a recollection. He has a walk through the city and we have a. A moment of learning a little bit about their own.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes, this used to be my playground. This used to be my. I'm talking about old ass Geena Davis. And I was like, puke. You're all old now. And then when she's looking at the swings or whatever.

[Natalie Jean]

But that's the beginning.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. But then it comes back in the end.

[Natalie Jean]

Her recollections are the movie.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, she's got a lot of recollections. And I'm just like, wah, wah, wah. Oh, grandma, cut it up.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, right. We both collectively love that movie more than almost anything.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

He reflects on the fight that happened last night.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

When. With.

[Natalie Jean]

With sabitches. And how. Because there's two of them in. In my viewing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Thank you.

[Natalie Jean]

And how Bryce has now canon. He's canon. How Bryce has suggested he could be the leader. The leader of the pack. He had never considered. He had never considered it. Connor had been an Alpha that had relinquished the lead to Danica because she was going to be a good head of the pack. So Ethan has never thought about leading anything. Ethan ended up joining Amelie's pack in the aftermath because there was nowhere else for him to go. So he never considered what he might do the best because he was traumaed. Oh. So his thoughts turn to the Heinz humiliation of him at the poker game. He wonders how she sensed his feelings for Bryce because again, during that poker game, the hind somehow knew he had deep emotional romantic feelings for Bryce.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Which is very creepy, very weird.

[Natalie Jean]

And here we are going to get a sort of first person perspective of how deep Ethan's feelings go for Bryce.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh boy. Oh my God.

[Natalie Jean]

His memories flashback to the first day he met her. I just rewatched Wayne's World on a plane. I'm just only thinking of references for that. And his memories flashback. Connor was a college freshman making Ethan high school age. And he had come to visit Connor at his new dorm and see this chick that Connor keeps talking about who's. He's been gushing over her for the past few weeks. On his way to go to his brother's room in the dorm building, he had crossed paths with some chick. And this chick had blown his little mind.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He'd been struck stupid. She was the hottest person he'd ever seen. No joke. Her smile had warmed some God's forsaken place in Ethan's chest that had been icy and dark since his parents had died. And those whiskey eyes had seemed to see him. So it's a lot you just walk by her in a hallway. But man, we remember feeling that. We've all felt that before where you're just.

[Natalie Jean]

Well, especially in high school.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. And when you're at like your older siblings place and you meet one of.

[Natalie Jean]

The full bodied women there for the first time, you're like. After they spoke for 10 minutes in the hall, Ethan had already decided he was going to marry this woman. And I'm sure she was thrilled for seeing a high high school boy flirting with her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I'm sure. But I also, I bet Bryce was the kind of person that I'm sure flirted no matter what. Like she probably wouldn't thought it was.

[Natalie Jean]

Cute, you know, just being like, oh, it's cute. But now Ethan's already on a high school dream, you know, of like, he's gonna marry her and he's gonna.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He's writing the name in the journal and everything.

[Natalie Jean]

And he's so excited. He's going, he's rushing over to Connor's room to tell him about meeting the girl of his dreams.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I love her.

[Natalie Jean]

I love her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't hear knows it.

[Natalie Jean]

He thinks they're probably mates because of how deep he felt.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, God. Can you imagine how many people in high school, if the idea of mates did exist, that you would think like, oh, they're obviously my mate. Oh, just found my mate.

[Natalie Jean]

Oh, good. I'm sure he'll be great in four years. Yeah, the guy from your class, that's probably the one.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Some of them grow with you and not grow against you. Absolutely. Some of them work. It works in the long run.

[Natalie Jean]

Sometimes the young marriages can work because they decide to grow together.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

Just not that often.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just also it's very hard to do and it takes a lot of time to grow with another person.

[Natalie Jean]

You just have to happen to be compatible as you grow. Yes. Which can happen.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

But sometimes it doesn't. So he thinks, you know, they're mates. I think probably it's just the old fashioned teen hormones there, mate.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Then Connor had said, looks like you.

[Natalie Jean]

Met Ethan already, Bryce.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And Ethan had wanted to dissolve into that disgusting dorm carpet because, yes, it's.

[Natalie Jean]

Only in that moment that he realizes his dream girl was also his very attractive older brother's dream girl.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, he's an alpha and he's everything I'm not.

[Natalie Jean]

No.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes. But now he's everything you're not because you're alive. So I'm just throwing that out there. I mean, somebody's doing better in the race than the other one.

[Natalie Jean]

He's definitely better doing better in the competition, that's for sure. His little heart was broken, but he just pretended that he just saw Bryce as a friend. There's nothing else. And she saw him as Connor's little brother. So he kind of manipulated the situation by developing his own friendship with Bryce as Connor's little brother, which then developed a friendship that was separate from Connor.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I don't even know if that was a manipulation. I think that was all he could do to make his heart not crush.

[Natalie Jean]

I know, but it's also like he's trying to convince her through this. He's a pup. Oh, I know. I had a crush on my best friend's boyfriend between when there was the summer between eighth and ninth grade. And it was so cringy. Like, I think back about it and like all of my friends, everyone knew, and it was so humiliating. I had a traumatic experience of my friend sitting me down in a diner and being like, Natalie, you can't like him. You can't like daddy's boyfriend. Like, you have to understand, like, you can't be calling him and stuff. And I, I, I still mortified thinking about that moment.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I had the old fashioned in love with a good friend's older brother. So it was one of those. And he knew I was in love with his older brother. And so then they, all they did was be like, oh, Tim's coming around. I'm like, okay. And then he would talk to me and I'd just be bright red. Like.

[Natalie Jean]

That'S kind of what Connor's doing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I, I shouldn't really judge Connor.

[Natalie Jean]

No, I, I, But I am judging him because I was judging my, I'm judging myself at the time where, you know, you can't be.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And you can't hide it either.

[Natalie Jean]

So, yeah, it's like, I shouldn't have been trying. And I would call him every day and be like, we're.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, Natalie, you called him every day. Oh my God. All right, now I'm judging you. I wasn't doing that.

[Natalie Jean]

They eventually broke up and I actually stayed more friends with him and stopped having a crush on him. And he was a part of my friend group.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And then he got friends, ninth grade. Isn't that the way it goes? But yeah, he's like, I left her for you.

[Natalie Jean]

No, he didn't.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

He never ever liked me or ever.

[Natalie Jean]

I just got over it.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Gotcha.

[Natalie Jean]

Check out. Yeah. So it's obviously there's lot. And also this fits because the. My best friend was two grades ahead of me at that time. So she was older, he was older.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And I was like, I'm just tagging along of all of it.

[Natalie Jean]

Anyway, Ethan is keeping this, like, this communication open with Bryce, probably hoping to keep the seed of the idea of him in the back of her mind somewhere. It's very embarrassing. Ethan even feigned interest in their friend Nathalie for a reason. To keep Bryce giving him advice and helping him with it. But he never cared for Natalie, of course.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

You just fall deeper and deeper.

[Natalie Jean]

He never told Bryce the reason Connor finally asked her out, which we saw at the beginning of the first book on that real date. And it was because Ethan sort of challenged him and he had decided in his mind without telling Connor that he was going to ask her out if he did not piss or get off the pot. Piss or get off the pot. Piss or get off the pot. So he, he at least subliminally told Connor, get on top of this, she's dating all these losers, she's gonna find some dumb guy, and if you don't make your move, it's never gonna happen.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But in reality, he's an Alpha too, so being told that shit, I'm sure he didn'.

[Natalie Jean]

But he did it. He did it because he knew that Ethan was right. But what he didn't know is Ethan was going to do it if he didn't do it soon, so. Yikes. And that probably wouldn't have worked out well. He never outright admitted to Connor that he was in love with Bryce, but eventually that would have come out. And had she chosen Ethan, there would have been a lot of awkward holiday.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Events in Summer I Turned Pretty. And this is, I mean, that's the whole thing with the Summer I Turned Pretty is she's between two brothers that she has known for a long time. Don't you make that face. It's a beautiful story. And I did. Yes. I was shamed into not watching it anymore because it's children. But they are, they get older.

[Natalie Jean]

It's just you're. If you're bouncing between two brothers, it's like a weird dynamic.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Her heart was ripped in two. Natalia, she loved them both for different reasons.

[Natalie Jean]

And they're both competing for her.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yes.

[Natalie Jean]

Gross, dude.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's what every 14 year old wants, but it's not what you want in real life. It's honestly kind of why I stopped watching guys, because, like, I could feel 14 year old me watching this being like, oh, my heart, it pines. It hurts, it hurts. But now as an adult, I have to look at this and be like, girl, if they're both doing this, like, you're awesome.

[Natalie Jean]

Yeah, that makes sense for a minor child. But when you're an adult and there's two brothers fighting over one lady, that's just like, you guys need to deal with some. Whatever mental issues are happening here. That's so weird.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. But even the crush I was just talking about, I also had a crush on the friend that I had. So I always kind of wanted them to fight over me.

[Natalie Jean]

I mean, I get that.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

And then I wanted one of them to win.

[Natalie Jean]

Like I expected one of them was gonna win. There's scandals in, in real world where somebody will be in a marriage with somebody and then they'll have an affair with that person's sibling.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, yeah. Squibbling, squibbling, squib, squibbling, sweep.

[Natalie Jean]

What just happened?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I was trying to say sibling swap, but I said swibwing.

[Natalie Jean]

And then sometimes it's also they'll end up having an affair with the parent.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Whoa. What stories. You've been reading a lot of. Send them out.

[Natalie Jean]

I have to read a lot of crime stuff. And you're not gonna believe this.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, it's.

[Natalie Jean]

But when that happens, I want somebody gets killed off.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, I want the like, love side of it where everybody. And then everybody's fucking who they're supposed to by the end.

[Natalie Jean]

You think that there's nothing weird about having bodily fluids exchanged with somebody and then also that person's bio. Relation.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

No, no, I say it's all in the family, Natalie.

[Natalie Jean]

I guess I am sexually shaming. I am.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I love hearing her do it. She doesn't do it often, but I'll take it.

[Natalie Jean]

Yuck. Anyway, we're experiencing Ethan's feelings through all of this. I find the dynamic uncomfortable at the very least.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I understand.

[Natalie Jean]

And Ethan, now, he doesn't feel animosity towards Hunt and is happy actually, that. That the two of them have found each other. But the idea of spending more nights in the apartments of the girl he had pined for, you know, dreamed about, he had fantasized about living a life, having children with her, growing old makes him want to die, which absolutely valid. So he's relieved to have the room at the Fae frat house.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Honestly, I feel like this was the moment that I. After all of this reading, I really just was just continuously annoyed, annoyed, annoyed, annoyed by Ethan. And don't worry, it'll come back. But this point, I was like, man, okay, all right. I see you validated. All right. I see. I see what's happening here. You're a pup and you're just trying to get through. Just trying to get through it and trying to grow up while also pining and sure.

[Natalie Jean]

This.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Trying to be a rebel and all. And like, oh, God, what about my pack? And. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

This is a reasonable thing to do. And also you're having. You're making camaraderie with these guys. You're having a friend group like that. These guys are here for you and they're good guys. It's. This is a great decision. One of the very few that I feel like he will make.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

That's all I'm gonna say about that right now.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah, we'll get there.

[Natalie Jean]

Thankfully, he finally arrives at the river amidst this pain fest. So he can take a break from these memories.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Just imagine him in the shower, just like, oh. And he just can't stop himself. That's. Yeah, but that's gonna be annoying if you're like, like, like, I'm.

[Natalie Jean]

Will I.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Stop.

[Natalie Jean]

Stop. Oh.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Every time he gets upset.

[Natalie Jean]

I imagine there's other things the Fay men do that are really annoying. So maybe it works out. They each have to deal with each other. Yeah, they all got a thing. So he arrives at the river. He has come. He's basically called for Tharion to come meet him because he has a very interesting question that Theon seems a little taken aback by.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Ethan didn't bother with pleasantries.

[Natalie Jean]

Can you get me to the bone quarter?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

But did he do the. I know it sounds badass, but, like, no, really, I want to go to the bone quarter.

[Natalie Jean]

Like, but seriously, I'm not just be.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I can't do the air guitar. I can't stop there of air guitar.

[Natalie Jean]

Therian's like, no, I can't take you to the bone quarter. Yeah, bro. He warns Ethan. It's not just simple as writing him out there. There are sea creatures that are placed to stop people from entering. Hence the coin passage. You can't just waltz in there. It's why even at the beginning of the first book, when Bryce went and offered her soul, she had to steal a coin from Jezebel. Because there's no other way to get there. Right?

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Right.

[Natalie Jean]

Ethan's like, but can you. And Heron's like, ethan, I don't know how to break this down in simpler terms. He's like, well, maybe could you just swim me past and maybe I can spot.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

How many times do I have to tell you? It doesn't work like that. That's a really great idea. No, it's not. But, you know.

[Natalie Jean]

But not a great.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

It's not going to work. It's not going to work here. I. I feel like Therian would try to lift him up a little bit of like, okay, what? Wow. Interesting. I love that we were thinking out of the box there, but I don't think so.

[Natalie Jean]

The idea is, if you swim me past, maybe Connor will just be standing.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

In the Bone Gate doorway. We'll grab him, we'll bring him up.

[Natalie Jean]

Therian gives him this pitying expression, which irritates Ithan. But then Therian thinks for a second because he is trying to help this kid, right? He says, well, okay, I do have to find Emile. I have to do this. This, like, literally for my life. Maybe we can figure out there's this other thing we could do where we could both get answers about what we need to know.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Tharian grinned and jerked his chin to the city behind Ethan.

[Natalie Jean]

Get some money. Gold marks, not credit.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Tell me where we're going. Somewhere shady no doubt. Tharian's eyes darkened.

[Natalie Jean]

To the Mystics.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

I like your Bahama blueberry mystic. Picture of mystic the drink. Even though not spelled the same.

[Natalie Jean]

I whenever I was reading these chapters just my mind just traveled back to the 1990s when there was the drinks series called Mystic Drinks.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Man, they were begging for vodka though. Everyone. Oh those mystics were just like you know what would make me much tastier? And I'm like yeah, me not remembering drinking them. Yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

It is just Kool Aid. Essentially it's just bottled Kool Aid.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh yeah.

[Natalie Jean]

But did love him as a child.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sucked him back real hard. What are we on the mind bridge?

[Natalie Jean]

Whoa. Where we drink diabetic beverages. Diabetic inducing beverages.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Because of the sugar.

[Natalie Jean]

Because of the ship sugar. I don't know what I'm saying. But that's where we're stopping. We're going from the. We got. We got. You're still going. The wrap up of the chapter Rune on the bridge they start.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Oh, you're giving a wrap up of the.

[Natalie Jean]

I'm gonna start doing this because there's a lot of information. I gave a wrap up of the past chapter. This chapter. We have Rune on the bridge. We have Daybright and him coming together sharing some stuff. They kind of like maybe like each other. Other.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Yeah. Flirty flirt.

[Natalie Jean]

And then we're over at Ethan. Ethan has moved in to the frat house and he has now reached out to Tharion to ask to go to the bone quarter. Not going to happen. So now the two of them are going to something called the Mystics and I don't think it's probably a good idea.

[Jackie Zabrowski]

Sounds like a sequest, but I bet it'll be different than sequest. Please read up until chapter 39 for next week. Sam.