[Dial tone]

[Pickup]

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

[Music]

[Beep]

[Pickup]

[Beep]

KANE: Hey, some flowers just arrived at the bar for us! Sunflowers. They're from your sister. The card says "sorry our parents are homophobic jerks", heh.

I... am just now realizing that I have no idea if we own a vase. I'll see if I can find one. Failing everything, we can probably use one of our water jugs, in a pinch.

I love you. And, Maggie clearly loves you too.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

JASON: Hey, Maggie. We got your flowers today. Thank you. It really, honestly, does mean a lot.

And... thanks for putting Kane's name on the card, too.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

MAGGIE: Of course Kane's on the card. He's your partner. He's family too.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

KANE: [Tired] Hey. Bedtime voicemail, as requested.

I keep replaying your sister's voicemail over in my head. I'm really glad you played it for me, by the way. Thank you.

She said it like it was so obvious. "Of course Kane is on the card". Of course, right?

But... I don't know, I mean... considering everything? It... really matters, for her to think like that. For her to welcome me into her family like that, into your family.

It's a little strange, when I think about it, I mean... I've only met her once. But... that was enough. She saw us together, she saw how happy we are and how good we are together, and that... that was enough.

I've never really had in-laws before. My mother was always the one accepting my partners as her own kids, usually because they had shitty parents like you do. So this is... kind of new, for me, this whole, inheriting new family later in life thing.

But... it's nice. I like it.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

JASON: Hey. Yeah... it's nice for me, too. I've never really exposed many boyfriends to my family before. I usually try to keep them away from my parents, and... that has the side effect of keeping them away from my sister, too.

But... well, I mean, you're in for the long haul, so it was gonna happen eventually, and... I don't know, I'm just really glad that Maggie likes you.

All this stuff with my parents and Maggie and the pregnancy and everything, it kind of sucks overall, but... I have to say, I feel closer to my sister than I have in years. Possibly ever.

I wish we could have found our way to this position with a little less family drama, but... I'm glad we got here, regardless of the road taken.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

RICARDO: Kane, it's Ricardo. I've been listening to the tapes your mother left for you.

[Gently] Thank you, by the way, for letting me listen to them. I can only imagine how hard it is to listen to them, let alone share them with other people.

I know you said I could listen ahead of you if I wanted, but... that feels disrespectful, honestly. I can't even really articulate why, it just... does. So... I've caught up to where you were, and I'll keep listening after you're finished with each one.

[Logically] Knowing as much as we can about what's happening for people when they start being able to use magic gets us a little closer to figuring out why it happens and where it comes from. I feel like... I'm getting close to being able to formulate a theory. Or at least I will be, once I get a few more details.

I know you already told me about when you and Jason first started noticing things, but, if you could go through it again, in detail for me, when we're just able to talk, that would be incredibly helpful. There has to be some commonalities somewhere between all these experiences.

[Sigh] I'm about to try talking to Helen about it again. See if I can find out more about how hers works and when it started. Wish me luck.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

RICARDO: [Frustrated] Well, that went about as well as expected.

Helen is absolutely certain there's nothing unusual about her ability to soothe people. She says she's just naturally empathic, and she just cares about people, and she enjoys the ASMR feeling she gets from spending time with people and helping them calm down or cheer up.

"There's nothing magical about it, Ricardo," she said to me. "It's just an interesting mix of psychology and physiology. Which I guess is magical in its own way, but it's still very normal." Ugh!

[Sigh] I... don't want to stress her out about it, so I dropped the subject. Again. I don't know if we'll ever be able to convince her that she's able to do something unusual.

I did learn a little more about when it became more common for her to experience, however. We know that she began to use magic after she'd already been here a little while, but apparently it didn't happen suddenly, it came on very gradually. The tingling feeling on her scalp started very small, and just gradually got more and more intense over time - and practise, I'd imagine.

So that's interesting, because that also seems to be the case somewhat with you and Jason, and with your mother. And I mean... I can feel people using magic, I just can't use it myself, which is another odd ingredient in this stew. It seems to imply that there are stages to magic developing.

So... it may be that there's not a single trigger on this. It may be far more complicated than that.

[Firmly] I will keep researching, and I will keep thinking. I'm sure we will find some answers, if we just keep trying.

[Hangup]

[Cassette Noise]

JULIE: Hey baby. So... the weird mama bear intuition thing continues to grow. And it's gotta be a mama bear thing, because I noticed something this week. Well, two things, actually.

The first thing is that I seem to have developed some kind of strange precognition. It's not particularly useful - it only goes like, five minutes into the future, far as I can tell. Which is why I didn't notice it much at first, because it's very similar to just the normal feeling of watching something play out and knowing how it's going to go, you know?

But... it has started to get kind of spooky. Like knowing I'm about to bump into a long lost friend in the outer suburbs, or knowing I'm about to get a phone call from my Mum, things like that. Things I couldn't possibly predict with just general knowledge or observation.

And the other thing is... whatever it is I can do, whether it's seeing five minutes into the future, making a stronger emotional connection with someone, or soothing someone's pain... it's easier, stronger, and more effective if I'm thinking about you.

If I think about you, if I think about what kind of world I want you to grow up in, if I think about the things I would do for you... whatever feeling is coursing through my veins gets stronger. I can feel deeper, I can soothe easier, I can see clearer.

I'm pretty sure this isn't just a mama bear thing, though. I don't recall any of the mothers I've talked to mentioning that they gained superpowers while they were pregnant. Although a few did develop a superhuman sense of smell. [Chuckle]

So... I don't know why this is happening, but... well, I already knew you were a miracle. I guess I'm just starting to learn exactly how big of a miracle you are.

[Click]

[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. Julie is voiced by Nic Rummery. Ricardo is voiced by Justin Jones Li. Maggie is voiced by Shelley Dunlop. Credits spoken by Roslyn Quin. Recorded by Kermie Breydon and Eris Barnes.

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.

For more information about Love and Luck, check out our website, loveandluckpodcast.com. You can also find us on facebook as Love and Luck Podcast, on twitter as @LoveLuckPodcast, and on tumblr and Instagram as loveandluckpodcast, all one word.

[Music fades out]