Part 28

INT. POLICE STATION–NIGHT

ROCH enters the office before throwing his weight onto the chair. His body relaxes and ISABEL watches him with curiosity. She continues to file documents back into the cabinets.

ROCH CONT'D: Maybe I can rest easier tonight, Isabel.

ISABEL: Oh? Did something good happen?

ROCH: Got Ambrose in arrest. Found some loiterers trying to push their void things on people. Suspect there's some drug exchange happening. We'll keep him here for the next little while.

ISABEL: Ah, so you got your big break tonight, hm?

ROCH: Yup. Streets should be safer now. I can take a break and not worry as much.

ISABEL: A break would be nice. Especially since Damon said to hold back on arrests.

ROCH: Maybe we should go out for once. A drink? A show at the theatre?

Isabel closes the cabinet and turns to face Roch.

ISABEL: Oh, why not? That sounds like a lovely evening.

CUT TO:

INT. GOAT MAN'S HOUSE–DAY

VANESSA, RANDI, MIN, JORDANIA, BELINDA, CONNER, LUCY, ERLE, GINA, DARCY, and NANCY all gather around the table to stare at the key.

VANESSA CONT'D: Ambrose gave me the key right as he was fleeing the shop.

RANDI: Why?

CONNER: He said she was a wandering soul so she had to find other people that wander.

ERLE: Is there other wandering souls?

LUCY: There are a lot of them for sure.

GINA: Team work? What would they have to do as a team though?

NANCY: To see through the fog?

MIN: That's stupid, it sounds more like it's to open the vaults in each place.

JORDANIA: Who else is a wandering soul?

BELINDA: I want to be the one to have the key...

DARCY: Well, you don't. Vanessa got it.

NANCY: Darcy, didn't you say you didn't switch marks at all too?

DARCY: Uh... yeah.

ERLE: Perfect. Darcy can help Vanessa open the vaults.

LUCY: Do you think we'll need more people?

JORDANIA: More help the better, right?

RANDI: Why the hell would we need multiple people to open vaults?

VANESSA: Maybe it's like a ritual of sorts...

GINA: Oh! Like we're in a cult?

RANDI: Don't say that.

BELINDA: Huh? Why can't she say that?

RANDI: She just can't.

CONNER: Maybe we all have magic powers that get unlocked with the power of friendship.

JORDANIA: Excuse me while I laugh in a corner.

MIN: Excuse me while I do the same.

Min and Jordania walk away briefly laughing and PETER gives them a weird stare as he finishes up his latest llama drawing.

VANESSA: Erle. Lucy. You said you found the last entry for the journal of doubt.

ERLE: Ah, we did.

VANESSA: What did it say?

LUCY: It said not to trust Ambrose.

BELINDA: Wait, legit?

NANCY: So the shop keeper was the one we couldn't trust the whole time...

RANDI: I never really trusted the guy.

LUCY: Yeah, he was creepy but for him to be called out like that...

ERLE: It means he must've done something bad.

DARCY: Like what?

CONNER: It said he walked the path of the machine before right? Maybe it meant he failed at walking the path.

LUCY: I really don't trust going back to the shop.

BELINDA: I still really want to get those notebooks I found.

Jordania and Min enter the conversation again with snacks in hand.

JORDANIA: Oh, those magic notebooks?

VANESSA: Magic notebooks?

MIN: Belinda found notebooks that can be written in so that they all have the same information. Seems useful for communication.

ERLE: We need those notebooks.

CONNER: Ambrose got arrested though, remember? We can't exactly try to buy it anymore.

RANDI: We can steal them.

LUCY: Wait, wait, wait. How are we supposed to use items from a guy we're not supposed to trust?

RANDI: He's in jail, isn't he? He's all locked up and can't hurt us.

GINA: What if he's magic like the Goat Man? He did have magic items in his shop.

BELINDA: I vote for taking the notebooks anyways. We can leave like money on the coutner or something.

LUCY: Didn't he say it was too expensive for us to buy?

GINA: I'm not keen on the idea of taking it, even if we are paying.

VANESSA: The notebooks would be really nice but I don't want to let people think it's okay to do this kind of stuff.

RANDI: What if the notebooks just happened to appear here one day?

VANESSA (pause): Then we'll just say it's a gift from the Goat Man.

BELINDA: Let's just steal it and say Goat Man gave it to us!

JORDANIA: Can someone tell the kid we ain't stealing anything?

MIN: Yeah, Randi is going to stea—

JORDANIA: Min, shush! There are impressionable children!

MIN: Ah. Right.

VANESSA: Everyone on the same page now?

Everyone nods or gives a hand gesture to show that they understand.

VANESSA: Is there anything else that we need to cover?

BELINDA: Maybe we should vote on whom to represent each group in case we need someone to represent us.

ERLE: Sure, why not?

GINA: I say we can go for it. It would be nice in case we need someone to communicate to the Goat Man...

LUCY: And what are they going to say?

BELINDA: Like the status of the group?

MIN: If Goat Man wanted someone to represent each group he would choose them himself.

JORDANIA: She's right. Goat Man does what he wants. Plus he's like a powerful entity so he would probably do the divine picking thing.

BELINDA: We should still do a vote.

MIN: Everyone can't be here at the same time if the time happens either.

LUCY: Yeah, we have chores to do.

NANCY: I don't mind a vote...

DARCY: Jordania and Min are going to win the vote anyways. What's the point of even doing one?

MIN: Uh, what?

JORDANIA: Hold on? Who said we'll win the votes? We're in the same category too.

VANESSA: Guys, who said anything about doing a vote?

DARCY: I'm sure I'm not going to be picked anyways. I don't want to be a candidate for the vote.

NANCY: Alright, we just drop Darcy from the poll options and then we'll go for anyone else that wants to be elected.

JORDANIA: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Darcy you obviously want to be picked. Don't you want to be the spokesperson for the wandering soul people or whatever?

DARCY: No, you guys will just win.

MIN: We're not even in the same group. There's you and Vanessa and lots of others.

DARCY: Yeah but there's a lot of other people that can be picked. I know I won't be picked so I don't want to participate.

ERLE: Everyone might not be here if we set up a poll either. Did people forget about our chores and other jobs? I know Min is doing an apprenticeship and Randi is trying to get a job

RANDI: Well, about that...

ERLE: Really? You said you would try to find one as soon as possible.

RANDI: It's been rough lately. Everyone knows I ran away and all and no one really wants to take me in...

JORDANIA: I still think it's a bad idea to do the poll at all. It'll only make everyone feel worse due to some kind of popularity contest.

MIN: I don't even think I'm popular.

LUCY: I mean you guys are really entertaining to watch.

JORDANIA: If you guys think we're threats to winning a poll then I'm out. I'm only here for a good time not more responsibility

MIN: Same. I don't want to have any part in it either.

BELINDA: You can't just drop though!

JORDANIA: Why not?

BELINDA: It'll discourage other people!

MIN: I don't want to be in a popularity contest, I just want to solve a damn mystery.

JORDANIA: Yeah, I just want to go back home guys.

VANESSA: We need to do a vote for a poll it seems. Who here wants to pick a person for each group to elect as a representative when the time comes?

A few people raise their hands.

VANESSA: Those that don't?

Min, Jordania and Erle raise their hands.

VANESSA: Those uncertain?

Darcy raises his hand.

VANESSA: I guess we're doing a poll for who gets to represent us.

JORDANIA: Christ, this is stupid.

MIN: I don't think it'll go as planned either.

BELINDA: Well, whatever. We'll be organized once the time comes.

JORDANIA: Yeah, sure if you say so.

Jordania and Min are about to walk away and Erle stops Min.

MIN: What is it?

ERLE: I wanted to apologize.

MIN: You've been doing a lot of that lately, haven't you?

ERLE: Well, I really am sorry. Ambrose was the one we couldn't trust the whole time...

MIN: It's whatever. I don't care.

ERLE: You sure? You don't seem okay.

Jordania appears in the conversation.

JORDANIA: Hey, stop holding up the damn alchemist. I need them to give me a potion to screw around with a crows. Going to turn them pink.

MIN: I told you that I'm not skilled enough to do that or if it's even possible. Everything I know is in that book over there.

Min points to the table where an alchemy book lays.

JORDANIA: But it's possible right? I freaking want to do it.

MIN: Jordania, alchemy isn't a toy. You have to be careful.

JORDANIA: But it sounds fun!

ERLE (clears throat): If there's anything I can do...

MIN: You can just drop it. I'm not angry. Seriously, I'm fine.

ERLE: Oh, okay.

Erle looks at the ground awkwardly.

JORDANIA: Well, I'll remember this interaction. I might take advantage of your offer.

ERLE: But you're not them...

JORDANIA: Shush, I have my ways.

ERLE: Uh, okay.

They both walk away. Erle watches them then notices a book of alchemy on the table. The book sits silently as he stares at it longer before he greedily takes it.