[Dial tone]

[Pickup]

ROSLYN: You've reached the Love and Luck Podcast.

[Music]

[Beep]

[Pickup]

[Beep]

KANE: [Nervous] Hey, Ricardo, it's Kane. I, uh... jeez, I hope you check your voicemail before you get up today.

Anyway, um, Jason left me a message letting me know that you can feel us do our... weird soothing thing. And I just wanted to ask you... maybe not to mention it to anyone else yet, if that's okay? We... still don't know much about what it even is, or where it comes from, and... we just don't want people to think we're making shit up, you know?

Anyway, um, yeah. I guess... we'll talk about it later.

Honestly, I'm... actually kind of relieved that you can feel it. It means... it means we're not alone, and it means we can talk about it with you. Jason and I... we haven't been able to talk to anyone else about this since it started happening so... yeah. I'm... kind of excited to have someone else in the know.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

JASON: Hey babe. I hope you're sleeping well. Tonight was a really late night for you.

Ricardo's gone to bed as well. I'm sending some more soothing sleep magic his way again, and, yes, I promise to be a bit more restrained tonight so I don't wear myself out again.

It was... really good to be able to talk with Ricardo about everything tonight. I mean... fuck, I've wanted to brag about these sweet fucking powers ever since we got them, and... well, okay, actually getting to do that was a bit of a let down since it turns out "we can make people happy and lucky" doesn't feel like much of a brag, but still. It's something.

I wish we had more answers to his questions, though. Hell, I wish we had answers to our own damn questions. Having someone else in on it like this is this huge reminder that we have no fucking clue what the fuck we're doing.

I gotta say, it's kind of disappointing that he didn't have any idea where all this stuff comes from either. I guess... I was kind of holding out hope that when we finally had someone else to talk to about it, it'd be someone with answers, you know? Someone who could fill us in on all the stuff we're clearly missing.

[Sigh] Ah well. It's still nice to be have someone outside of us to talk to about it. Even if it feels kind of weird, after so long keeping it secret. It's going to take some getting used to, I think. But that's okay.

I love you. See you tomorrow.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

KANE: Hey honey. Things are good down here this morning. Helen's been teaching Mira about all these different types of tea, including like... what temperature they should be brewed at, and stuff like that. She knows so much more than me about tea.

Huh. Potentially I should be paying more attention to this lesson. Maybe she can teach me some of this stuff too.

Anyway, yeah, I know what you mean. It feels kind of... surreal, actually. Ricardo knowing about us. I was kind of expecting it to be a much more dramatic thing too, you know? Not that I wanted it to be, I just... expected it to be. Maybe I just grew up with too many soap operas.

Ah, I should go. Couple of customers look like they need attention.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

JASON: [Quietly] Hey babe. Be quiet when you come downstairs in the morning. Mira was having kind of a rough night, she was really upset about Sarah again.

I stayed up talking with her, and soothed her as best I could, and she eventually started to feel sleepy so she's just gone to sleep on the red couch at the back of the bar.

I'm sure she won't mind being woken up before you open tomorrow, but, yeah, maybe let her wake up gently to the smell of coffee or something.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

KANE: Hey honey. Mira's doing a lot better this morning. She's in the shower now. We had breakfast together and she had another little cry, but she's holding up really well, honestly. I was a much bigger mess during all my breakups, even the short term ones.

I guess maybe it helps that the breakup wasn't a mean spirited one, or because someone did something wrong. It was just... incompatibility. Which sucks, but... I don't know. Honestly, I'm so proud of those girls for having the strength to break up at all. Like you said, the temptation is to always say "love conquers all", but... all that does is push the problems back to be handled at a later date. It doesn't solve them.

Oh, it sounds like Tom and Brandon are up. I should see if they want breakfast too.

I love you. And I love our busy little bar full of good people doing their best at life.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

JASON: [Quietly] Hey, it's me. I thought I'd leave you a message to tell you about the absolutely adorable thing happening downstairs in our bar right now.

It's... about two in the morning, and there's no customers. Ricardo just went to bed a little while ago, so there's just me behind the bar, and Helen and Mira sitting on the couches at the back, folding origami stars together.

I can't hear what they're talking about, but Mira looks really, genuinely happy for the first time since she came back here. She used your sewing kit to string some of the stars together, and Helen's wearing them around her head like a flower crown.

I don't know, Kane. It's just... I love these girls, and I'm so glad we know them.

And I'm just so glad Helen is around in general.. She's just... I don't know. Everyone likes her. She's really, really special and I honestly treasure the fact she's with us. She makes me glad not just to be alive, but to be alive in the same time and place as her.

[Chuckles] Ah, listen to me. I'm getting all sentimental and shit. Normally I only do that about you. Or... well, no, actually. I do that about a lot of people and places and things these days. I never used to, but... now I do.

I do think you're the reason why, though. I feel way more comfortable being sentimental since being with you. You make it easy to have feelings and shit. It's safe and good with you.

I love you. And... I love that you help me love other people too.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

KANE: [Sweetly] Hey. I love you too.

And I'm glad I make you sentimental. In my opinion, the world could use more sentimentality.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

RICARDO: Hey Jason, it's Ricardo again.

Sorry for yet another voicemail. I imagine my voice is a little disappointing to hear when you're waiting for love notes from your boyfriend instead. But, well... you said I could call you, and... it really does seem to help to scream into the void. It really does.

I think, maybe, I'm starting to get why you and Kane leave voicemails for each other all the time. It's... different, but I mean... it's just another method of communication, really. With all its own problems and benefits.

[Sigh] I'm still having nightmares. I really hope the doctor I see today can give me something. I know you and Kane are helping me sleep, but... you need to sleep too, you know? You can't be beaming sleep magic at me all the time.

I should either go back to sleep or get out of bed. It's late - or early, I suppose - enough that the bar is open. I can hear people downstairs. So maybe I should just... get up, and stop lying here.

[Decisively] Yeah. Yeah, breakfast sounds good, if nothing else. I wonder if Kane still has any of those frittatas he made? Those were really good.

Oh - before I hang up, I keep forgetting to ask. I know you and Kane started noticing your magic stuff not long after you started seeing each other.

When did Helen start being able to use hers?

[Hangup]

[Music]

ROSLYN: Love and Luck is written by Erin Kyan, and produced by Passer Vulpes Productions.

Kane is voiced by Lee Davis-Thalbourne. Jason is voiced by Erin Kyan. Ricardo is voiced by Justin Jones Li. Credits spoken by Roslyn Quin. Recorded by Kermie Breydon and Eris Barnes.

Thank you to Milton Hallin for supporting this episode.

If you're enjoying Love and Luck, consider backing us on Patreon. We do our best not only to make a high quality show for you, but to pay everyone involved in its creation. Your monthly donation will be directly supporting queer art by queer people. Pledge now at patreon.com/passervulpes - that's patreon.com/ P A S S E R V U L P E S.

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