POP 8: The Chariot



 "'What do you think it would take to make you listen?' 'Some serious consequences.' -The Narrator & Sloane Parker"

The Chariot is the eighth episode of Eidolon POP and the seventeenth episode of Eidolon Playtest Season 1. It covers Quentin's Class as they partially undo the effects of their erasure and investigate the Heart of Glass document.

Summary
Quentin's Class are laying in a puddle of slime in a field of grass near Joseph University of North Gibsonburg. Sloane Parker, James Studebaker, and Quentin Brooks are skeptical of their new boss, Lady Luck. Everyone discovers that their phones have been factory reset - no apps, no contacts. Ursa has memorized Sloane's number, so texts her to re-establish that contact. Sloane, Ursa, and Alexis head off to Sloane and Ursa's dorm room to get drunk. James heads off to his, and Quentin stays lying in the slime.

Sloane, Ursa, and Alexis reach their dorm room. They can't find their student IDs, but Ursa magics the door open. Inside is Abby Morrison, who doesn't recognize them and is concerned Sloane knows her name. There is only one bed in the room. The three of them rush off back to Quentin, Abby threatening to call security. James reaches his dorm room and his student ID doesn't work, so he knocks. Inside is a man he doesn't recognize. James apologizes and leaves, going to buy a new baseball bat.

Quentin is still laying in the slime. Ursa, Sloane, and Alexis update him on the situation, and he is unsurprised. Alexis creates a copy of the Heart of Glass document with Vivid Memories Turn to Fantasies. While the writing on it is Quentin's, it was clearly rushed and he can't remember any details.

On the way back to Quentin, James gets a text from Lady Luck. She tells him that to reverse what happened they need to burn their pink slip alongside their most precious possession. James had left his pink slip in his old dorm room, and rushes back there to see if its still there. Even with the help of Time After Time, there is no trace of James left anywhere in that room. James heads back to the group, and finds Sloane laying on the ground next to Quentin, sharing her vape with Alexis. James tells them what he learned, and that he and Ursa don't have their pink slips.

Everyone agrees to work together on this. Quentin pulls out a photo of him and his previous group, but everyone bar him and Caroline Rose are blurred. Quentin throws it into the fire alongside his pink slip. The employment papers in Sloane's pocket rustle - they have partially regenerated to reinstate Quentin's employment. Sloane quietly throws a frayed cloth bracelet into the fire, and Alexis throws in the camera Lady Luck gave her. After burning their pink slips, the same happens to them. All the apps are back on Sloane's phone, and Alexis has her old camera back.

With their lives restored, Quentin, Sloane, and Alexis struggle to pay attention to or remember details about James and Ursa. The moment they stop actively thinking of either of them, they forget. Quentin texts Caroline telling her that he went to The Estate again and came back. Caroline calls him an idiot and to come home. Alexis suggests they all go with him, and they hop in Quentin's car and drive off.

Caroline greets Quentin as he enters his home. She thinks they experienced something similar in past, but is unsure. Caroline is unsure why they're there seeking her advice, as she can't really help or remember anything. Alexis shows her the Heart of Glass document, which she vaguely recognizes. She refuses to share if she still has her Eidolon, and advises they stay away from The Estate and Lady Luck and move on with their lives. Ursa and James focus on sensing their pink slips, and determine they must be in the Paperwork Department as it never ended up being sent. James gives Ursa his number, then goes for a walk.

Quentin drives Sloane, Ursa, and Alexis back to Sloane's dorm room. After some distance, James pulls out his poker chip and contemplates throwing it down a storm drain. Lady Luck starts texting him and talks him down. In Quentin's car, Alexis writes "JAMES, PROMISED TO SAVE" on her left hand. Lady Luck tells James that as long as he follows her instructions, he can spend his free time going back to the Paperwork Department. Quentin drops the others off, asking them to promise not to wreck anything else. He picks up James on the drive back, checking in on him and reassuring him.

Abby is no longer Sloane's roommate again, but neither is Ursa. Sloane's room contains her things, but none of Ursa's and an unmade second bed. Sloane heads right into her bed to sleep. Ursa grabs Sloane's laundry basket and heads off to wash some sheets and the rest of Sloane's clothes. Alexis strips down and lays on the empty second bed. Before anyone can sleep, Joanna calls Sloane and demands to know how they escaped. She is certain Sloane broke them out and will get back at her somehow. Sloane hangs up and turns the phone off. Ursa returns, lays a clean sheet on top of Alexis, a comforter on the ground for her to sleep on, and puts the rest of Sloane's clothes away.

Quentin and James return to Quentin's house. The couch is made up with blankets and pillows, James goes right to sleep. Quentin goes upstairs to Caroline in their bedroom. She isn't thrilled about anything that's going on, and when she hears that Quentin cleaned a room, asks to know what changed. Quentin being a well-respected tenured professor is new, which means he didn't actually write his textbook. This upsets Caroline greatly as she remembers spending five years editing it. On one hand, Caroline wants no part of this whole affair. On the other hand, she hates her life being changed without her knowledge. They discuss what to do with James, clean up, then go to sleep.

Sunday, the next morning, Sloane and Alexis wake up to Ursa having somehow made breakfast in their dorm room. James wakes up on Quentin's couch, eats some cereal, and barely reacts when Quentin bursts out of his bedroom in song in attempt to cheer him up. On the kitchen table is a vase of Roses. Quentin joins him, and tries to reassure him. James doesn't know what to do.

Sloane turns her phone back on, and gets a mass of notifications of missed calls and texts from Joanna. Peeking at the text messages, Joanna is apologizing for her aggression towards Sloane and instead directing the blame to 'that Shade', Ursa. Sloane immediately informs Ursa that Joanna is being racist, and texts her back saying she's late for her Klan meeting. After breakfast, Alexis studies the Heart of Glass document more closely. She picks up on the five lower case letters - t e o t h, and intuits they form the word teoth. When she speaks it, her and anyone who hears it is filled with really bad vibes. Alexis wants to look into this further, so Sloane summons Start A Riot and asks her if she knows anything.

Eidolon Fight
Start A Riot's eyes flash red and she falls to the ground, growing larger and more draconic. It breathes fire at Ursa, who counters with a fire extinguisher and escapes from the room. Sloane Parker has lost control of her Eidolon. Alexis Lorentzen throws some pants on and runs out.

Quentin Brooks suggests to James Studebaker that they look at Quentin's textbook that The Estate wrote into reality. James looks closely at it with Time After Time, and picks out a code that reads "PHONE IN BASEMENT". While they already knew the phone was there, this suggests that either Quentin or Quentin's alternate self knew the phone was down there already. Quentin suggests they take a relaxing Sunday to figure it out.

Back at Joseph University of North Gibsonburg, Sloane, Alexis, and Ursa are diving out of a window. Start A Riot bursts out of the dorm and takes to the sky. Ursa uses a grappling hook to grab her and Sloane, and Alexis summons an elevator to ride safely to the ground. Start A Riot sets the quad on fire, and swoops down over Sloane. Only Sloane can hear her say she is doing as Sloane wishes, and that the entire world will be burned until there is nothing.

Appearances
● Abby Morrison

● Alexis Lorentzen // Vivid Memories Turn to Fantasies

● Caroline Rose // Roses

● James Studebaker // Time After Time

● Joanna

● Lady Luck // Poker Face

● Professor Quentin Brooks // Speakerboxxx

● Sloane Parker // Start A Riot

● "Ursula" Ursa "Bear" // Revolution Lover

Trivia
● Caroline Rose hazily recognizes the Heart of Glass document with Quentin's handwriting, despite not being there when it was made during the events of POP #17.

● Quentin Brooks tells Caroline that James Studebaker reminds him of himself when he was younger, when he was sure of himself and everything.


 * ● In POP #17, Quentin Brooks is incredibly spineless and unsure of what he should be doing.