Episode 84 - Ribbons and Ropes

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

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JASON: [Tired] Hey babe. Just closed up. Another good night done.

Ricardo is still a bit wobbly. We talked for a long while tonight. No one else was here or left awake, so it was a good time for it.

He's still struggling. We tried to come up with ideas that might help, but I mean... well, the top idea is therapy, but who the fuck can afford therapy?

I mean... [Sigh] I didn't tell him this part, but I thought maybe we could look at our budget and maybe help him out with that sometime? I don't know if we can help much, but... I mean, shit. It'd be good, you know? If he could have someone to talk to who might actually be able to help? As opposed to just us, who... I mean, we all love him, but none of us know how to treat PTSD. We're all just... doing our best.

But the other idea we had, was maybe getting him a dog. I mean... I'm not sure if our lease would let us do that, but... worst case scenario we just... won't tell anyone. Lying about pets in rentals is a time honoured tradition, and it's not like we've ever had an inspection or anything since we moved in.

And... I don't know. I mean, having a dog could help a lot. It might help him feel a bit safer, and it would mean if he has a nightmare and there's no one around to talk to, then he'll still have someone nearby, you know?

Anyway, I realize I should have asked you about this before I talked to him about it, but it pretty much only occurred to me during the conversation. And I mean, it's not set in stone or anything, it's just an idea.

[Sigh] Fuck, I'm tired. I love you. See you tomorrow.

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KANE: Jason, you are a genius. A dog is a great idea. I'll talk to Ricardo about that when he gets up. I... will also call the real estate agent and ask about it. [Uncertain] Hopefully it'll be okay.

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KANE: Ugh. Real estate agent said no to the dog. What a surprise.

[Hangup]

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KANE: So... where do you think we stand on magic use and the mundanity rule when it comes to dealing with real estate agents? Because... I was thinking about it, and... I think we can probably luck magic our way into getting them to agree to it.

But... I worry about that. I mean... you know I'm kind of firmly against making people think or do whatever we want. But... we'd definitely do whatever was needed in non magic methods to get them to agree to this, so... where does it fall on the morality scale? I mean, I already asked, and they said no, so... I guess trying to turn that no into a yes probably doesn't pass the test, right?

Ugh. UGH. For the first time, I actually kind of wish we didn't have ethical stances on this stuff.

[Hangup]

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JASON: So, here's a thing. I was thinking about the real estate situation, and... well, actually, I was thinking about how much I hate real estate agents, but it's related. I realized, we don't actually have to ask the real estate agent's permission to get a dog. We need the landlord's permission to get a dog.

From what you told me about your actual call with the agent today, it doesn't sound like they actually contacted our landlord to ask, they just... assumed it would be a no. So... this might be a way in.

And I mean, I don't think there's anything ethically dodgy about making it more likely that the landlord will actually hear our request rather than just the agent. I'm not even sure it's dodgy to make us a bit more lucky in terms of the actual decision - I mean, people make pet resumes and offer pet bonds and stuff to increase the odds of a yes all the time, right? So... this isn't all that different.

Besides... I really do think a dog would help Ricardo a lot. And I think we should do our best to make it happen. Our actual best.

[Hangup]

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KANE: Okay, so, I had a thought, and I have no idea if it will pan out, but I figured it's worth trying.

I was tidying the kitchen, and I found some string. And I was thinking about the string on the back of our door, and... remembering how Mumma used to tie knots for good luck when I was a kid, and... well, we haven't really experimented with that side of this stuff beyond the wards of the bar. I thought this might be a good opportunity.

So... I braided some string, and I tried to put some luck magic into it. Specifically dog-related luck, or at least, that's what I was aiming for.

I thought about Ricardo, and how much I wanted to help him. How much good a dog could do for him.

And, you know... it felt a lot like what Mumma talked about on her tapes, when she was soothing the pain of her friend. It was like I could feel my emotions flowing down my fingers and into the string. My desire to help. My compassion.

So... then I asked Ricardo if he'd hold onto the string for a while. I explained what I was trying, and he agreed it was worth a try.

We tied it around his wrist like one of those friendship bracelets we made as kids. Remember those?

Anyway. Ricardo is wearing a magic dog string bracelet, is what I'm saying. So I guess... I'm going to try and call the agent again.

[Hangup]

[Beep]

KANE: [Excited] Jason, it worked! I asked the agent to call the landlord and put our request directly to them, and she did, and they said yes! We can get Ricardo a dog!!

[Hangup]

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JULIE: I'm getting a lot better with my superpowers, or whatever they are. I asked Priya if I could try calming her grief with a little superstition yesterday, and she agreed.

I'm still not... 100% clear on what's happening to me, or where these powers come from, so... I haven't really talked to her much about it yet. I've mentioned the strange things, but... she thinks it's just mother's intuition, like I do. Or did. I'm honestly starting to wonder about that, because... well, things are getting complicated.

So, yes. I asked her if I could try out some superstitions, because I feel like that's a pretty non threatening way to ask if I can try my weird powers on her, right? She said yes, and so... we sat on our bed, and I held her hands.

And it was just like the pain in my friend - I could feel her grief in her mind and her chest. It was so sharp and black and cold. I felt my own body in a different way - I felt this warm pulsing beneath my skin. My love. My concern.

So I tried to sort of... flow that into her, through our hands.

[Touched] And she started crying. But... it wasn't bad crying. It was relief. I wasn't... removing her grief. I was smoothing it. Making it easier to feel. And she... she could feel it better, because it wasn't so overwhelming.

[Relieved] And I was so happy, and so grateful, baby, that I started crying too. I was able to take the jagged edge off her grief, and that... I can't even tell you how happy that made me, to be able to do that for her.

It... stopped, when we stopped holding hands, though. And that was frustrating, because... I want it to last. I want to help her for longer.

So... I found this old ribbon, it fell off a dress I've had for years... and I sat with Priya again, and I tried to flow that warm gentle feeling into the ribbon. Then I tied it around her wrist, and... it worked. It worked! Even when we stopped holding hands, she still felt cradled by me.

[Emotional] I'm so happy, baby. I'm so happy. I don't know where these powers came from, but I am so, so glad that they're here. I can do so much good with this. I can make such a difference.

We're going to do that, baby. You and me. We're going to make a big difference in the world. I know we can. I know we will.

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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. Credits spoken by Roslyn Quin. Recorded by Kermie Breydon and Eris Barnes.

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