Dreadful (Pt. 2)

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to B and C Book Club. I'm Kristen. [00:00:03] Speaker B: And I'm Summer. This is the podcast where we bring all the comfort and gossip of a regular book club. But just between you, me, and her. [00:00:11] Speaker A: You may be wondering what the B and the C stands for. Well, the B stands for buttercup and. [00:00:17] Speaker B: The C stands for calluses. [00:00:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:00:20] Speaker B: Aren't those very fitting? [00:00:23] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:00:25] Speaker B: Buttercup. [00:00:26] Speaker A: What have you been up to lately? [00:00:28] Speaker B: I just woke up from a nap. It was a migraine nap, though, so, you know, it's one of those. Yeah, that's what I've been up to in my life, generally. Not very much. What about you? [00:00:43] Speaker A: Well, I. Some unexpected days off, and so today I did basically nothing. So that's fun. I have no plans for the next two days, which is also fun. I'm probably going to read our next book. [00:01:05] Speaker B: That's a good plan. You know what I've noticed? I can't really read when I'm reading a heavy book for this, because, like, Lord of the Rings, I'll think about reading, and I'll be like, I really want to read this one book. But I also will then think about, well, if I'm gonna read, I should probably read our Lord of the Rings book because it's gonna take me a while to get through it, and then I just end up reading nothing. [00:01:31] Speaker A: See, that's why I frontload it at the beginning of the week, and then for the rest of the week, I'm like, ooh, I need to read something because I can't read ahead. So what other book am I going to read to fill up my time? [00:01:42] Speaker B: That's a good idea. But the thing is, then, like, everything that I had in my head for that first book, if I read it at the beginning of the week, gets out of my head by the time I'm done reading all the other books. [00:01:52] Speaker A: I am very good at keeping my story separate for some reason. I've always been able to read multiple stories at the same time and keep everything in line between them. [00:02:03] Speaker B: Well, that's good. I'm not you, that's for sure. [00:02:06] Speaker A: Except somehow, between the Hobbit and the first Lord of the Rings book, somehow those two just mixed. Yeah, for me. [00:02:18] Speaker B: Yeah. I think it's because we took so long to record. But this week we have this second part of Dreadful, which I loved. [00:02:32] Speaker A: I loved Caitlin Rosakis. I. For a debut novel. This was great. It was so cute. I loved it as well. [00:02:40] Speaker B: It was very cute. And you can tell she liked consistency with her themes, and she was actually Very good at staying consistent throughout the whole book. [00:02:52] Speaker A: She was. [00:02:53] Speaker B: There wasn't really a part where I was like, this doesn't really belong here or anything like that. [00:02:58] Speaker A: You're right. Everything was very, like you said, consistent, and it flowed very nicely. [00:03:04] Speaker B: We pick up right where. What was the last chapter? Hold on. Gotta scroll a bunch. [00:03:12] Speaker A: They. They're there. Like, they just had an announcement that the first person arrived. [00:03:18] Speaker B: Yes, the Dark Wizards. The first Dark wizard is arriving. We left where you thought that the princess is gonna stay with Gav, and that was your last prediction that you made. My last prediction was that, like, obviously, you know, fairy tale ending, everything's gonna happen. The princess is gonna go away with Gav, the goblins are gonna love their master even more, and we're gonna have a fun ride getting to the end of this book. And I would say all of that is pretty accurate, at least the fun ride part. [00:03:53] Speaker A: Right. So now I think we start chapter 10. So the first person that comes to their little get together is Valevna. She's early, and she's brought in by shirtless men. And she's just on this, like, thing. They're just, like, walking her in. She's on one of those, like, old school, you know, in the ancient times, when they have, like, their open walking thing. You know what I'm talking about? I don't know what it's called. [00:04:19] Speaker B: I know what you're talking about. The audience, there's no way they know what you're talking about. [00:04:23] Speaker A: I can't remember what it's called, and I didn't write it down. [00:04:25] Speaker B: It's like a platform that gets lifted up by the men. And the bamboo bars are sitting on the men's shoulders as they walk through. It's like a parade thing. [00:04:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:04:34] Speaker B: I still don't know what it's called. [00:04:37] Speaker A: It's a palanquin. Palanquin. Sorry. That's why I forgot it, because it's a weird name. [00:04:43] Speaker B: Yeah. And she has this weird glamour on her that makes her basically, like, irresistible to men in general. Which he's like, why? Why is it so strong? Can you. Can you tone it down? And she's like, oh. Oh. Why? I guess you've never been resistant to me before. [00:05:09] Speaker A: I know. And this is when. Because last episode that we were talking, you're like, oh, for a little while, I shipped Val and Gav together. And in this scene when they were talking to each other and she actually got a little bit more respect for him, I was like, okay, now I can kind of see what Summer was saying was like, okay, they could be a cute couple potentially. [00:05:27] Speaker B: If he were evil. [00:05:29] Speaker A: If he were evil, yeah. [00:05:30] Speaker B: They would be perfect for each other. Exactly. That's what I was thinking. Because he's, like, the only one that, like, respects her, apparently. [00:05:38] Speaker A: Yeah. So in this conversation, he basically compliments Val, and this is when he also gives up to Val that Zark. Zarkanar. Sorry, I, I, in this section, to make it easier on myself, I just named him Zark. And so that's his nickname from now on. [00:05:55] Speaker B: Honestly, every time I say his name, it's. Or you say his name, it sounds like you're saying something in Australian, like Gnar. Yeah, don't do it, Cleo. The condensation. Zarkanar. [00:06:12] Speaker A: Zarkanar. So his name is Zark from now on. Okay. Z, he gives up to vow that Z has something on him. And Valley gives up to Gav that basically everything that she does is an act. If she doesn't want to do something, she doesn't have to do something sexually. Okay. If she goes big enough, most of the time, people back off. And then she says that she came early to see what Gav was up to because he's been acting differently, and she wanted to know what was going on with him and what was going on with Zark, because she thinks that something is going down and she's very suspicious. And then she decides that she's going to kiss him, which he just immediately freezes at and doesn't do anything. And then they part ways and he has no actual real response to it romantically, I would say. And this is when I was like, okay, so that he's fully in love with Elisha. And then we go to a new scene and we find out that Val has now broken into Gav's workshop and is moving things around because there's not enough space for the ritual. And if Zark gets there and there's not enough space for the ritual, he's probably burn everything. [00:07:18] Speaker B: And. [00:07:18] Speaker A: And so she's at least moving all the things into Gav's room. And she also says that she met Ren, and they're kind of talking about Ren. [00:07:27] Speaker B: Ren is the princess without her. [00:07:30] Speaker A: Ren slash Elisha. She. Her name, when she doesn't have the ring on, is Ren. And so Ren without the ring on, Elisha without the ring on, walks into the room as they're talking about her. And Gav is trying not to stare at her because he just wants to stare at her and look at her constantly, especially because Val is talking about her and about her clothing, but he tries to look away to make it seem like he's not super, super into her. [00:07:59] Speaker B: Once Gab and Alicia, Elisha, Alicia, the princess, walk out, they kind of discuss a little bit, and then they go to the dungeon because she wants to go let out the hero that was caught earlier and is currently residing there. They get there, and they can't find anyone. So now they're like, what the heck's going on? Sirakao comes and he says that he's let them all go, and they're like, what do you mean? And he's like, by the way, I also have never, ever tortured someone. And they're like, what do you mean? And then he's like, by the way, I'm also an actor who only got this job so that he could do a little bit of studying of how to be acting as evil. I wanted to be the world's greatest evil actor. And then Gav is like, you know what? That's actually perfectly fine. You got a little deep in there, but it's great. At least I didn't kill those people that you guys said I killed recently, so that's good for me. We found out that the guy, he his, like, dresser, henchman person that he apparently burned, Siricao saved. And he's currently living in the village, and he's perfectly fine. And then he's, like, super excited that he's not a horrible person because he's kind of being vindicated a little bit. And the princess is like, actually, no, because you still tried to kill them, and you can't be making excuses for the guy you used to be if you want to be a better guy. And I was like, okay, true. Like, I get that. But also, like, he didn't do anything that bad. Like, let's be honest that they know, team, he's not evil. Like, I'm still there. [00:09:50] Speaker A: That they know of. [00:09:52] Speaker B: And in my notes, I put. Serikao is literally just an actor. Mwah. That's all he is. [00:10:00] Speaker A: That's all he ever wanted to be. [00:10:02] Speaker B: Exactly. And then when they find out all of this information, he's like, great. This actually helps me, because now I can just be truthful with you. I have no idea what I'm doing. I need help getting people into rooms. We didn't really prepare any rooms, so can you and the princess, who is used to kind of managing a castle, like, prepare some rooms for our guests? That would be great, and I would really appreciate it. So they do that. And that leads us to the next chapter. [00:10:28] Speaker A: They thank goodness. They thank goodness. Finally got that together. Before we started reading the second half of this, you made me guess a chapter that they would kiss in. And before, before the first chapter, I said, we're gonna. Out of a 19 chapter book, we're gonna say chapter 16. And so at this point, I still do not have a clear timeline for their kiss, but right as of this moment, I'm sticking to chapter 16. [00:10:55] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. With that. Yeah, I see. The thing is, I started reading the second half of this book, and only one time, and it wasn't even this time. Like, when this happened, only one time did I get romance vibes. But other than that, I didn't. So I was like, Kristen. Kristen was onto something. [00:11:16] Speaker A: I told you, I will. We're gonna cover this later because I feel very vindicated about being able to guess this. But at the. At this point, because I was expecting there still to be at least some romance, I was like, okay. Even though I'm not feeling it right now and I don't have a timeline, I'm not feeling the vibes. Like I told you last section. Like, I'm not just haven't really felt the vibes. And so even though I still hadn't felt the vibes, I was like, I still feel like chapter 16 is maybe where we're gonna get something. [00:11:42] Speaker B: I did strong hand you into guessing a chapter. Like I said, you have to, or else you're not doing this podcast anymore. So that one's on me. But we'll get into all of that later because right now, they have figured out the rooms. They put Val in with all the herbs, and they put Zaxus with the garden shed, thinking he'd love that because he's very witchy and potiony and he likes concocting things. They put Zarkinard in the throne room with Gav's bed to make him feel more comfortable because he likes big, elaborate things and shows and whatever. And then suddenly, as all this is happening, we get somebody rolling in on a giant winged dragon creature thing that has two heads, and it's screaming and everyone starts freaking out, and they all run out of the castle and it's Zaxus arriving on one of his weird concocted animals, and it has two heads, and it's like a dragon, except it dies immediately after landing. [00:12:48] Speaker A: And I couldn't believe it. [00:12:49] Speaker B: I was sad. I was like, oh, that's it. That's all we get of this dragon thing. [00:12:55] Speaker A: He's just such a weird guy and an animal. Animal abuser on top of it. So that means about his companion. No, I'm not Team Zaxis. It made me think things about what he was doing with his companion, but that all turned out to be wrong. [00:13:10] Speaker B: Okay. I had no thoughts on what he was doing with his companion. His companion, by the way we get introduced to in this chapter. She is, like, part lizard. She has no whites in her eyes. It's all just pupil and, like, the brown surrounding. She has no hair. Not a single hair on her body. Not no eyebrows, no head of hair. She's just shiny bald up there. What else? There's something else weird about her. Her tongue was like a lizard's, and it licked her eyeball. Yeah, she gave weird vibes. [00:13:43] Speaker A: I think they said that she looked like a frog, too. Lizard. Frog thing. [00:13:48] Speaker B: Yeah. So they land. He goes through the garlic festival. He's like, oh, my God, you planned all this garlic festival for us for some fun? And Gav was like, okay. And then he's, like, going through and he's trying to do things, and he almost ends up drowning the mare because he assumed that she had gills. Because why else would she be in a dunk tank with water if not to have modifications toward it? I don't know. And he, like, traps her into the water and she can't get up, and she almost drowns. And then Gav's like, I don't want them to know I really care about this person, but I do. So please let her up. Please, please, please. And then they do. After Zarknard arrives, they go to dinner. Our lovely Orla has made hedgehogs for dinner, and she skinned them, baked them, and then reattached their skin and sewed it together, quills and all, which is. It's. It's a. It's a little bit of a visual, for sure. Can't say, like, every time they explain what she's made for dinner. But she's also a goblin who doesn't really know any better, I suppose. And so I just go with it. [00:15:07] Speaker A: I mean, she knows that it's bad because later she's crying about it. But maybe she doesn't know why it's bad. [00:15:13] Speaker B: She knows it's bad because no one eats it. She said no one touched it. Oh, poor Orla. And then after, in the middle of dinner, we get an assassin who tries to kill them all. And Zarkonarn basically catches the assassin, burns the assassin alive, and we move on with our lives just like that. And everybody actually likes the dessert that Orla Made that's important because it was a little like candy mold of the castle, and there was little servants that you could eat, and Zaxus chewed the heads off of all of them. And then Gav returns back to his room and kind of is like. And then finally he's like, okay, I have to go see Zarganard, and then I have to go see my princess. [00:16:05] Speaker A: And Elisha is mad when he goes to see her, she's mad. She heard about what happened at dinner. All the servants have been talking about it. And she doesn't like that he didn't try to stop Zarganara, because Gav tells Elisha that he didn't do it. He wasn't one that killed the hero, so it's not his fault. But she says, you want to be a good guy. You can't keep making excuses for the people that you're around and expect everything to be okay. And so Gav decides to admit that he's wrong and that she's right, that he shouldn't be making excuses, and that he really does need to try and figure out how to stop Zarkanar. And so Elisha kind of makes him work for the apology, though. And in the working for the apology, he is able to flatter her and say, like, I came to you because you are the person that will be able to get me out of this mess. You're the most strategy minded person that I know, and I know that you will be able to figure out how we can defeat him. And she realizes that the spell that he's going to do for this ritual is probably written down somewhere by him. And so the rooster hero that's in the room, Fjari, the one that he turned into a rooster earlier, is there, and he says that he's the one who can go and find the spell in Zarkonar's. They assume it's gonna be in Zarkonar's room, but Gav says it needs to be somebody that they won't suspect. So it has to be Gav. They're just gonna need a diversion. And he's pretty sure that Val will help them if it means getting more information about the spell, because that's the one she's really worried about, is making sure that Zarkonar is actually doing what he's supposed to be doing with the spell. So then this is when Gav is cutting through the kitchen to go see Val and ask her if she can do the distraction. And this is when he hears Orla and another goblin talking. And this is when he hears her crying about how they didn't like the food and how he's going to kill her now. And she's just so disappointed that nobody liked it. And she basically thinks that she's gonna get punished. The thing is, though, that Orla isn't speaking the way that she normally does. She's speaking like Gavin does. And it turns out that Orla was only speaking like that in the quote unquote, goblin like way, because that's what Gav expected her to sound like. And so she just fed into her his perceptions of her. And she thinks that he thinks that Orlo's gonna sound uneducated, then Orlo is gonna sound uneducated in order to give Gav what he wants. Because. Because it's all about perceptions in this place. And so he says, I want you to talk like you want to talk. I don't want you to talk like how you think. I want you to talk. And so he also tells her that after all of these people leave, they're going to have a nice feast once this is all over, if they survive, and they'll have dinner with all the people that they like. And I thought at the time this was going to be the ending scene. [00:18:58] Speaker B: Yeah, a nice feast together. Because that's what he promised. [00:19:01] Speaker A: Yes. Now he's in Val's room when he asks Val to be a distraction. Val thinks that Gav wants her to be a distraction by actually seducing Zarkanar. But in reality, Gav wants Val to be a distraction by figuring out another way to distract Zarkonar so that he's out of his room so that Gav can sneak into his room and find the spell. So Val decides that she's going to tell Zarkenar that Elisha may not be a virgin anymore because of how much Gav is paying attention to her. And so they should really, really check on that. She'll be there in 30 minutes. And so he needs to hurry up. He's able to get past the words that Zarkonar set up on the throne room because the throne room is so attached to him and because he's been there for so long and tried to manifest so much of his power in that room that the room accepts him as a part of the room itself. And so he's able to get past. [00:19:50] Speaker B: Swords because of that, which was an interesting concept. I didn't really understand understand it. Towards the end, he was like, I am a part of the room. And it's like, no, you're not, but I guess I can see how that can be used to get through. Once he's in that room, he, like, is trying to think like Zarknar and is finding these papers. Finally, he finds them in, like a wooden daze. He uses instead of touching them because he knows Zarknar would know if he touched them at all. He uses something called an absorption paper to transfer the writing on one paper to another so that he could keep it and make a copy of it, basically. So he does that. And then he noticed that there was a jar with all these papers, and that jar is full of his memories. Kind of has an internal battle about whether or not he should get his memories back or not. Ultimately, he decides not to because Zarkinar would know, but also because it would change the person that he is currently. So he finds Elisha. She's irritated. He doesn't know why, but he and her go and they go to her cell and they look at the papers and see that the whole summoning is to summon an ancient God of outer darkness so that he could potentially rip a hole in reality and make them great wizards. Basically. The only thing is that he doesn't have the last page. So Elisha's like, why didn't you get the last page? And he said, it just wasn't there. Which makes sense because why would you keep the whole place, the whole spell in one place? I understand that. But he also says that maybe it's because without that last page, the only way to do the spell would be with Zargarnar. So you have no choice but to include him, which is also very smart. They go through the whole spell. They realize they have to do a diagram. Then the anchor points with the three things that they had to get. And then at the end, the virgin of royal blood has to get stabbed through the heart in order to finish the spell. And that's when they start going and freaking out a little bit. She remains pretty calm throughout the whole conversation. The. The chicken, the rooster. He is fighting with Gav and is like, don't let her die, blah, blah, blah. I mean, basically, he's just trying to be the hero and trying to save everybody. They need to find a way to mess up the spell components, he says. She says, well, what if I just am not a virgin anymore? And for a second he goes, oop. And, like, thinks through every single possibility in the castle of who she could sleep with. [00:22:44] Speaker A: And he's. He's like, nope, it would only be me. We're only talking about. [00:22:48] Speaker B: He's Like, I'm literally the only possibility. And from the beginning, when they mentioned, like, I would like in the first half of the book, when they were like, well, they need a version, I was like, so make her not one. Then what are they gonna do? [00:23:04] Speaker A: It would seem like it would be the simplest way, right? [00:23:08] Speaker B: But he's like, no, it's too late. They checked you already. Literally 30 minutes ago, they just checked to see if you're a virgin and you are. So they would still stab you through the heart anyway. Conveniently, this is the only time we came up with this excuse anyway. And then he's like, would. If I was a better guy, would you do it? And she was like, what? I don't think you want to. And then by the end, he's decided that he's just gonna ask his other ally in this situation, which is Val, if she just doesn't go through with her portion. Because if she doesn't go through with her, she can run away and be fine. Whereas if he doesn't go through with his. His villagers and whole castle will be basically taken as repercussions and killed off. [00:24:06] Speaker A: And he was also saying that by that part of the ritual, it's already too late. Like, there's already enough of a bridge that the demon God outer darkness would be able to come and get them anyway. Basically. [00:24:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:21] Speaker A: And there'd be a lot of repercussions that way as well. [00:24:24] Speaker B: So that's his only chance is to ask Bao. [00:24:27] Speaker A: And this is when I was like, spitballing and thinking that maybe we could come up with more ideas, especially because nobody knows how this is going to happen, how they're gonna be able to defeat them. And because the knowledge demon earlier said that Elisha was eventually gonna. Going to have to come to him one day, I thought that we were gonna see Elisha summon the knowledge demon and try to figure something out. [00:24:46] Speaker B: Oh, interesting. I actually didn't even think about that at all. But it's a good theory. [00:24:51] Speaker A: It's not relevant because it doesn't come up. But that was. That was. I was like, okay, if. Then nobody knows what to do. This isn't working out. No, like, Val is probably not gonna do anything. So what is our other option? And that was my. My thought was that she was possibly going to summon the demon this time. [00:25:06] Speaker B: Yeah, that makes sense. So the next day, it's morning, it's breakfast, and everybody's like, hey, there's heroes basically camping at her door. They're planning to break down your walls basically to get in here. He's like, oh, okay. He goes and looks to the big gathering from the battlements of his castle. And Ren, who is the unglamoured version of Elisha, our princess, is there, and they're talking about all the heroes arriving. She recognizes one of them, and he's like, who is that? A cousin, a brother, somebody, you know? But she doesn't get a chance to. To respond because Zarkinard is behind them, and he appears. They can see a couple of the wizards sneaking up to this dragon creature that's dead that Zaxus left, basically. And they're like, what's going on over there? And Elisha's like, I don't understand. But then Gav is like, oh, no. And he basically tackles her to the floor and covers her because they exploded the carcass, basically, and guts are raining all over the place. And I was like, that poor dragon dude, he was just murdered because you tried to make him into an experiment, and then they just blew up his body. That is so mean. [00:26:25] Speaker A: So mean. [00:26:26] Speaker B: Like, come on, dude. This is the one moment that I thought was romantic, but it wasn't, obviously, because dragon carcass is raining all over them. But he's, like, covering her. He's like, oh, I got you. [00:26:39] Speaker A: And I was like, the problem with that is that she immediately was like, get off of me. [00:26:43] Speaker B: Yeah. But that was, like, the one chance where I was like, oh, my God. This is the only romantic moment in this whole half of the book. [00:26:52] Speaker A: The only romantic moment that I found was when they went into, like, briefly. There was, like, a second where they were alone in the dungeon before they found out that everybody was being let go by circle. That I was like, oh, they're alone for the first time ever. Is this the time? And then literally two seconds later, they were bickering again, and it was not the vibes. And I was like, no, I'm never gonna do this. [00:27:16] Speaker B: Zarknard, obviously, is there. So they couldn't do anything. And, like, they couldn't have a moment or whatever. And he's like, yeah, she's kind of fine. Because she's like, oh, that was. That was kind of fun. And he's like, yeah, she's a good apprentice. And then she asked him to kill. Not to kill anyone. And he was like, okay, never mind. And then Gav is like, all right, buddy, why don't you go start drawing that diagram, and I'm gonna go take care of these heroes, guys, okay? Okay. Goodbye. And that's the end of that chapter. [00:27:49] Speaker A: Yes. And through the chapter. My theory was that because at the end of this, she kind of says, like, oh, well, who can help us stop this? And he's like, I don't know. I'm a coward. I would not be able to do this, but maybe somebody else can. And that was kind of the end of how that chapter is. And I was thinking that maybe he calls the other wizard Arthur. I don't know how to say that wizard's name. [00:28:12] Speaker B: The good wizard. I was. [00:28:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I was. Couldn't think of anybody else that he would call other than Eartheno. And then, because you were saying, like, this is sort of the only place that you get vibes from them that I had a recheck in with how if they were going to kiss or not. Especially because it is chapter 14. And I was giving myself leeway to see if actually felt vibes leading up to chapter 16 or not. And at the end of chapter 14, I was like, okay, I do not feel like they would kiss in the middle of the mess. Like, they have to be done with all of the drama that is happening in the castle before they kiss. I feel like they're not gonna do it in the middle of everything. Because Caitlyn really wants a nice, clean romance. She doesn't want any secrets between them. She wants to make sure that everybody is on the up and up. And so I feel like there's just too much chaos going around for them to be kissing in the middle of it. [00:29:02] Speaker B: Yeah, that makes sense. [00:29:03] Speaker A: We are at the start of chapter 15, and we are in a secret tunnel that leads to the village. Apparently, they've had it this whole time. And all of the goblins have relationships with everybody in the village because they often exchange goods back and forth. But Gav never knew about this, and they have a big meeting. Even the mayor shows up. They're trying to get a plan to evacuate the castle. And they're also worried about the village and what they potentially do because they are wondering what the heroes are gonna do. The heroes are trying to get into the castle and stop Gav and rescue the princess. And this puts a lot of people in danger. But I think it's Gurb ytil who suggests that instead of trying to keep everybody out, we let everybody in. And so now we are explaining to Zarkonar and to Val and to Zaxis the plan. And they've decided that they're going to do a tour of the castle, and they're going to invite everybody from the festival to attend. And they're Also going to make sure all the heroes are invited. And then on the tour, they're going to tell everyone that the ritual is taking place in the throne room, but they can't watch it, even though the ritual is actually taking place upstairs in the workshop. And Gav decides that he's going to go on a tour himself so that he can lay some groundwork while he's with some of these heroes. And they are basically setting it up so that the heroes go into the throne room themselves and actually fake take part of the ritual, because they think that everybody in the ritual is going to be dark wizards, when in reality, it should only be heroes around the circle rather than dark wizards. So they're basically just using their heroism on them by trying to break into whatever bad thing that has happened, which. [00:30:49] Speaker B: Is kind of brilliant because they kind of all seem like idiots, and they're all following for falling for it. [00:30:54] Speaker A: Exactly. And another great thing about this is, while he's on the tour, heroes, he overhears some heroes talking. And Garlic is already a part of the legend of the castle and of Gravax, because that's how he gets his power. Didn't you hear that? Everyone knows that Garlic is a great source of his power. That's why he told them to grow so much garlic. Aren't you guys dumb? And then also, once, once they go through this and he sets the groundwork, like I said, then he goes back to his workshop, and they're still getting ready. They're still drawing the lines and everything that they need to, and they don't want Gav to participate because they think that he's gonna fuck it up somehow. And they're just like, go take care of that situation and come back when we need you for your hand. And again, he goes up to Val and tries to get her to sabotage the plan. But Val wants power, and if Zark is going to give her power and actually do what he says he's going to do, then she wants to follow through with the plan. There's a whole reason why they all said they want to do this plan in the first place. Okay? She's not a hero. She is a villain. She's a dark wizard, and she's evil. Gab. Yeah. And Gav thinks of a key last minute, and he's like, oh, I know exactly what I can do. And I couldn't figure out what this key was until they explained it in the next chapter. I didn't remember what the key was. [00:32:16] Speaker B: I didn't either, because we read this in two parts, right? So it was, like, a little bit far from my brain, but he thinks of this key, and he has, like, this big moment, and then he's like, yes. And he's looking in his room for this key, and Sir Kao comes in and is like, I don't fit this garlic costume. And Gav's like, you're right, actually. We're making a goblin wear that. And then two heroes come in, and they're trying to save Sirakao because he's in the garlic costume. And they know that the princess is, according to the ritual, Rumor is supposed to be in the garlic costume. And so. I forgot about that part. [00:32:53] Speaker A: Sorry. [00:32:55] Speaker B: Yeah, they're trying. [00:32:56] Speaker A: That's one of the best parts. [00:32:57] Speaker B: They're trying to save Siricao, and he's like, ah, stop it. And he gets out, and he's like, look, not. Not a princess. And then they're like, this is a storage room. What are you doing in here? And they were like, we were looking for the princess. We need to save her before the ritual. Duh. Because she's gonna be in danger at the ritual. And he was like, okay, she's in the dungeon. And they're like, we just took a tour of the dungeon. And he's like, okay, you didn't take a tour of the secret part of the dungeon. That's where she is. And then they leave. And I thought that whole exchange was great. [00:33:33] Speaker A: They're like, there was no secret part of the dungeon. Okay, well, did you look for a secret part of the dungeon? [00:33:37] Speaker B: Obviously, it's kind of a secret. So then. So then Sir Cow is like, yeah, I can do this. I'm an actor. I will lead everything. And Val comes in, and she still doesn't believe Gav is gonna pull this off. He gets a princess out of her cell as Ren so that she can help. Because he's trying to balance all these tasks today. He has so much to do, but he still has to find this key to help the princess. So he's like, actually, why don't you just look for it yourself? Because I'm busy, bro. She's like, fine. She goes looking for the key, and he does a. Like, a spell on the staircase so that it's not really noticeable by anyone on the tour. So they can not come upstairs, because then they get put in danger if they come up to the second floor. And so then he gets back, and now Throck is there because he's decided that he's the one gonna wear the garlic costume. And Then the bard, who she noticed from the battlements before, comes in the room, and she says, hey, what are you doing here? And he's like, I am here for the princess. And she's like, okay. And he's like, I shall bring my family. [00:35:01] Speaker A: Oh, I think she says that. She was like, what are you doing here? And he's like, I'm here for the princess. And she's like, oh, I didn't realize that you cared about her so much. And he's like, oh, no, I don't. I'm only here because my older brother isn't here. And I really want to show our dad that I'm actually the best brother and that I deserve to rule the kingdom. So, I mean, just show me where my sister is so I can take her and get really good cool points with my father. Okay. [00:35:24] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. Exactly what he said. And then Gav is like, actually, how did you get upstairs? Because I just did this spell. And he's like, I have an enchantment from the good wizard. If he was like, okay, well, goodbye. And then finally, our Alicia, our princess, finds the key, but it's covered in wax, so they can't use it. So he's like, oh, my God, I have to get the wax off this key. And she's like, yeah, just do a fireball. And he's like, I can't do it. So close to them preparing for the other spell, because they would know. So I actually have to, like, leave, and I'm gonna go, like, use a fire or something to melt the wax off this key. So he goes downstairs to the kitchen to melt the wax, but Zaxus catches him and brings him to the throne room to watch all of the heroes just doing nothing. Basically, once he goes into this room, he's like, nobody's doing anything. And then he was like, blah, blah, blah, blah, and they all copied him. And then he was like, oh. And he said. And they were like. And he's like, okay. And he starts to dance and confuse everyone. And then he realizes he's the leader of this now fake ritual, and everybody's copying him. And he's like, how did I get put in this situation? And so he starts to, like, do weird things that everybody starts to copy. And then he's like, okay, now I'm gonna make a fireball. And then everybody else who's a wizard anyway makes a fireball. And then some people just fake trying to make a fireball, and he uses it to melt the key. But then the key becomes hot, so it drops onto the floor, and he dives after it, and then everyone dives onto the floor in copying him. And I can literally see this entire scene in my head. And I was like, wow, wow. And then finally, as he's diving to the floor, somebody else, their cape falls off, their big black cloak that made them look like a dark wizard. And now their shiny armor is showing, and everybody's like, oh, my gosh, it's a hero. And so some people, like, attack that person because they're supposed to be dark wizards. And so they were like, this is what a dark wizard would do. And they attack that person. And then they were like, oh, we're. You're like a hero, so we're not gonna hurt you. But then, like, other people are attacking them because they're like, hey, we're heroes, and you're dark wizards. But then the dark wizards are like, no, actually, we're heroes pretending to be dark wizards. [00:37:55] Speaker A: It's very chaotic. [00:37:57] Speaker B: Very, very chaotic. So then randomly, the garlic bulb comes in, and it's. Elisha's wearing it right now. And all she's supposed to. [00:38:10] Speaker A: That's what they decided the plan was going to be, was that she was going to get into the bulb like they originally said she was going to and that she was because she's. They're trying to get the key off, right? And so once, as soon as he gets the key, they're going to unlock her, and she is going to run and get as far as possible before the ritual starts. And so they're going to hide her in the bulb so that nobody knows what she's doing and walking around the castle. And so she was supposed to be in the bulb. And so when a bulb comes in, we're like, oh, that must be Elisha in the garlic bulb. [00:38:38] Speaker B: Yeah. And all the heroes go to her. Zarkinard comes in, and we realize that the garlic isn't even Elisha. Like, we thought. It's Greeble Beetle. Oh. And Zarkinard is like, where is the princess? He's like, she's in her cell. He was like, actually, I just went into the cell and I found this thing, and it's Orla wearing her ring. And Orla's, like, all pretty ified, but she's still a goblin. And he can tell she's a goblin. And then Zarkinard's like, this is your plan, isn't it? And then Alicia reveals herself and she's captured. And Zarkinard takes her away and is like, where's her? Where's the key. And then Gav's like, here doesn't put up a fight at all. He just gives it. And now Alicia's like, okay, so you're betraying me. And then they clear the room because Gav is still like, I don't want all these heroes to die. And even though Zarknar just killed a bunch of them, and he's like, all right, let's go start the ritual. So they go upstairs, and everyone is doing their part with the ritual Gav is, like, trying to sabotage, but it doesn't really work. And we get to this point during the ritual where it's important that they reach across this ring or this barrier to seal the binding. But Gav and Val kind of pull back, and Zaxus is like, okay, and just reaches, and his hand is vaporized off. So now instead of having a hand, there's just a nub there. And that's important because everybody's like, actually, I don't want to lose my hand. And Val is like, yeah, I'm outtie, but I'm not outie. Like, I'd like to still go through with it, but not really. Zarkinard is like, we still need to finish this. But then we end this chapter on a brand new person has arrived behind them. Everybody's like, what's going on? And my notes for this chapter, I would like to say, is that I was actually pretty shocked that the heroes, instead of they. They were portrayed as kind of idiots, but not really that big of idiots. But the thing that got me was that during this ritual, in the beginning of this chapter, when they showed up, the. The original plan had been, like, there's specific masks. We're gonna give these heroes that want to come to this ritual and, like, sneak in so that they'll. They don't have to show their identity, and they'll blend in with the other dark wizards, not knowing that the other dark wizards are heroes, too. But then heroes just showed up in their own mask that they made, and they didn't have to bribe anyone for the mask, which kind of hurt Orla's plan, because she wanted the bribe. And they were just, like, portrayed as a little bit more idiotic than they originally let on. [00:41:40] Speaker A: I thought that that was actual. Actually, part of it was that they ran out of mass, and because so many heroes kept coming up to them because there's only supposed to be, what, eight people in the original ritual, and there ended up being, like, 30 people in the room when all was said and done. And so in My head. They actually made eight. They made eight masks. And then more heroes came up to them. And so they were still getting the money for the bribes. They were just like, here, you can have this one. You can have this one that looks like a frog. You can have this one that looks like a tiger. You can have this one that looks like a panda. [00:42:09] Speaker B: I thought that it said that, like, the heroes themselves made it and then snuck into the ritual, maybe. Oh, well, I'm not going to. [00:42:20] Speaker A: Was also saying that he was going to get bribes. The mayor was also saying that she was going to take bribes. I was just assuming that everyone had. [00:42:27] Speaker B: Yeah, they were like, giving to people, taking bribes for different things. [00:42:32] Speaker A: That's true. [00:42:34] Speaker B: They also. Orla was like, I'm planning food and they can eat these food that I make. And she was like, selling during it. Yeah, during the tour. [00:42:46] Speaker A: All right, so now we're at chapter 18. And the other person that arrived was the white wizard, Artharno. And she says that she's going to stop scrolling Sarkinar. She also has an owl that is her familiar that she sends over to attack Gav. And Elisha, while she was standing next to Zark, was trying to build up a fireball in order to try and get away. And she burns it literally on the owl in order to save Gav from getting his eyes gouged out. And so she can't make a fireball anymore because she's still new. And so that was basically took all of her power out from her. And then a new hero comes in and it's again just chaos. And accidentally trips the white wizard, causing her whole arm shoulder to get vaporized into the ring because she gets tripped into the ring. And so now. And this is when Xax's friends decides to open her mouth and eat this hero whole. Reminded me of a snake. Like a reptile or something. [00:43:50] Speaker B: It was weird. [00:43:50] Speaker A: It was super gross and graphic, but that's what happened. And Gav sees that there is a pinhole opening above them, because now the goddess of outer darkness has two of the three wizard hands that he needs in order to come and give them whatever they want. And so he's starting to appear, and Gav has a little bit of a plan. And he grabs the tentacle monster bag that he found earlier, and he decides that he's going to stick his hand inside of the ring to vaporize it. And now that the ritual is almost complete, the pinhole grows and grows until it becomes a gate and the demon walks through, who looks very creepy and he can't exactly hear what is happening, but it looks like Zark is negotiating with the creature. And because he had so much pain from cutting off his arm, so he's kind of out of it. But then he realizes that Dark is about to kill Elisha, and she tries. He tries to stop. I'm sorry. The Zax's friend kills, Eats, or Thanela. Because the hero that came in was the Bard. It was Elisha's brother. And so when. When Gav is trying to get Zark to not kill Elisha, he says, hey, get the. Her brother that's over there that's passed out and use him instead. But they're like, he's not in the circle that we drew. There's no way that he can get there. There's no way that he would be a virgin. He's a male royal. Like, royal. There's no way he would be a virgin. So we have to keep with Elijah. But apparently Fiori, who the rooster, has been in her dress cloak this whole time. And so as soon as Elisha is about to get stabbed, he jumps out of the back of her cloak, and he actually ends up getting stabbed. [00:45:42] Speaker B: He, like, flies into the knife. [00:45:45] Speaker A: Yeah. And as soon as he died, then Gav walks into the circle because there's, like, a split amount of time that he was able to walk into the circle and that it would be cleared for him and that he wouldn't get vaporized anymore where Zark and Elisha are. And he gets the tentacle bat and puts it over Zark's head, and he makes sure it's all tied up. And then Zark just is there until he dies. [00:46:08] Speaker B: Yep. [00:46:09] Speaker A: Good for the tentacles that the demon accepted Fiore because he's a bastard. Oh, my gosh. They were talking about how many bastards there were in the kingdom, but it turns out this hero was also a bastard and of royal blood, which is why he. His blood was accepted and Elisha doesn't have to die. [00:46:28] Speaker B: Which, like, I honestly was not expecting that one. [00:46:33] Speaker A: I kept saying that he looks similar to her, but I was not expecting her. Him to be his actual brother. [00:46:38] Speaker B: I mean, I didn't even, like, pick up on the he looks similar to her thing. Like, it just came out of left field for me. I was like, what? Yeah, but, like, good for him. [00:46:47] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, he was. [00:46:48] Speaker B: He was a real hero. [00:46:50] Speaker A: Hero's death at the end. [00:46:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:55] Speaker A: So now there's a problem with the demon, because the demon doesn't want to accept Gav as a leader, but he's able to, like, legally his way into it and able to get the demon to accept him as the new leader. And then he realizes that he actually has to ask his demon to do something for him, because he was like, oh, it's fine. Now I'm the leader. And then as soon as he's the leader, he's like, fuck, what am I gonna do? What am I gonna ask for? And so he tries to do the smallest thing possible without actually making the demon mad that he called him for such a small thing. So he decides that he's going to ask the demon to get rid of all the enchantments that are on that floor of the castle. And the demon looks a little annoyed, but he does it and he leaves. And because Gav is already so close to passing out, and apparently he also has enchantments on his face, which also causes him great agony, he ends up passing out. [00:47:46] Speaker B: I will say one thing we kind of skipped over. So when he's not accepted as the new leader, Gav literally is like, so I have this spell that summons you. You like to be summoned. I'm the only one with the copy of the spell that summons you. And if you don't want to accept me as a new leader, then I'll destroy this. Which is exactly what the princess did with the knowledge demon. And I was like, oh, my God. He stole the princess's negotiation tactic. But, like, it was kind of brilliant. Both times they used that, it was kind of brilliant. And I was like, I would have never thought of something like that. So kudos for that. [00:48:27] Speaker A: No, totally. And it did work out pretty well because it was seated earlier. That's why I was like, it's a very legal way to do it. And that's exactly how Elisha did it the last time. But, yeah, now we're at the final chapter. And I thought that they could possibly still kiss in this last chapter, because I was very gaslit by you into thinking that there was going to be a kiss in this book. I mean, technically, there is a kiss. It's just a kiss between Val and Gav. [00:48:54] Speaker B: Yeah. I guess this is when we can tell everyone that there was absolutely no kissing in this book. And they didn't even end romantically. [00:49:03] Speaker A: They didn't. They're friends. It was very platonic. I was so proud of them. Oh, my gosh. Okay. So he wakes up, and everything that was in his room that was magical is now inert, and everything is normal. Zaxis was the one who helped Gav out And he actually gave Gav Arthanos hand because he ended up getting rid of his left hand. And Arthano had a left hand still available, and she wasn't using it anymore. So this is when we find out that Zaxis companion actually liked all of her enchantments and is mad that they're getting taken away. And kind of tells Gavin, like, thanks for nothing, basically. [00:49:40] Speaker B: Yeah, she literally says, thanks for nothing, asshole. Like, literally word for word. [00:49:45] Speaker A: Well, it's in a foreign language, but yes, you're right. [00:49:47] Speaker B: But it's translated word for word to thanks for nothing, asshole. [00:49:54] Speaker A: Then. Then Gavin goes and finds Val, and turns out she's still beautiful even with all of her enchantments taken off. She just looks a little bit older, which annoying. Yeah. [00:50:03] Speaker B: Okay. [00:50:04] Speaker A: And he. He feels a little bit bad, even with her looking still amazing. And she's like, oh, you actually do feel bad. You are changing. And guess what? Like, that's great for you, but I like evil, and I'm going to continue to be evil. So it's great that you want to do whatever you're doing and try to find a new life, but I don't really need to be saved. So thanks, but I guess I'll never see you again. [00:50:31] Speaker B: She actually kind of hits on him, and then he was like, actually, I'm not enough of a man for you. And she was like, you're valid. [00:50:38] Speaker A: He's like, I'm too much of a man for you to throw me around and do whatever you want with, and I'm not enough of a man for you to respect me, so we're just gonna leave it there. And he's like, you're right. We are gonna leave it right there. [00:50:49] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:50:52] Speaker A: And this is when he looks at his appearance and he now looks like a normal guy. He doesn't have crazy eyebrows. I mean, his eyebrows are still a little patchy because of how many times that he's burned them off, but he no longer has, like, the totally pointed, dark wizard features that he had before. He just looks like a normal guy. [00:51:12] Speaker B: And he has a receding hairline. Yeah, he's like middle aged too. [00:51:18] Speaker A: Yeah. And he is trying to figure out if Elisha is still there because he's not sure if she ever got the key back and was able to unlock her collar or not. And so he goes to herself, but she's not there. Instead, everybody, all of her, his staff, gathers around him and is like, oh, my gosh. Like, we. Luckily we made out of it. We got out of that like, what are we gonna do now? And he's like, you know what? I think we're gonna turn this castle into a place where people can stay with some spooky. Okay. They're gonna stay in as many rooms as they want, and then you're also gonna serve them slightly inedible food, and they're gonna love it. All right. [00:51:58] Speaker B: It's basically a themed bnb. [00:52:00] Speaker A: Yeah, I was like, tourism will go through the roof, all right? Everyone's gonna be happy. Nobody dies. And they're like, oh, my gosh, that's so great. And everyone's gonna be so happy that you're here. And he's like, actually, a dark wizard is better in theory rather than in practice, so I don't know if that's the best idea. And Elisha comes in, and her collar is still on, by the way. And she's like, okay, so what are you gonna do then? Where are you gonna go? And Gav tells everyone that he's going to leave in a few days, and he's not entirely sure where he's gonna go, but he needs to leave. And all of the goblins and community members that are there are like, okay, well, we're gonna miss you. And Gav is like, okay, we'll still get it settled. I'm gonna leave in a few days. And he leaves, and Elisha follows him out of the room. And when they get into his bedroom again, Elisha tells him that she found his memories in all of Zarkonar's stuff. And it turns out that it was spelled so that anybody who opens it doesn't matter who it is. As soon as you open it, all of the memories are lost and erased forever. And so it doesn't matter that Zarkonar is dead. He'll never be able to get his memories. And so he is okay with that, and he opens it up and lets all of his memories go and is okay with being just Gav and trying to figure out who Gav is. And she is happy for him, but it also seems like she's kind of upset, especially because her brother did leave and is now left without her. And she's like, I don't think that he's coming back for me. I don't even think they realize that they left without me. I've always been the youngest and always the one that nobody ever cares about, especially because I did have to wear the ring and I wasn't as attractive as anybody else. And so he is like, hey, I meant it when I said that. You were good at magic. And if you still want to be my apprentice, I promise that it'll just be friendship. We can figure this out together. I Probably not even good enough for you. I'm still trying to figure out who I am. Like, if you just want friendship, then we can just have friendship. And she says, yes, so long as they come back in a year and check in on everybody in the castle. And he agrees. And it's so sweet. [00:54:08] Speaker B: Adorable. [00:54:09] Speaker A: It's so sweet. And they're bestest friends, and they're going to figure things out. [00:54:13] Speaker B: I will say he should have been like, oh, yeah, I'll leave in a few days. And then, like, left the next day. But he's, like, leaving right now. Which I was like, oh, well, that's kind of. They're. They're gonna be super sad. [00:54:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:54:25] Speaker B: And he promised them a feast. [00:54:28] Speaker A: He did promise them a feast. Yeah. [00:54:30] Speaker B: And he was like, we were gonna invite all of our friends to this feast. And I was like, that's so cute. And he never has it. [00:54:37] Speaker A: I'm hoping that when they come back in a year, that's when they have the feast. It's like, oh, my gosh, you guys are all still doing good. And, like, they're gonna stay at the castle, and they'll be together by that point. [00:54:48] Speaker B: Who knows? [00:54:50] Speaker A: And in the last, we get some wizards coming to the village, and they find out that everyone has already been defeated and that they can actually leave. And actually, Arthano has also been defeated. And so they decide that they're going to ride to Arthano's tower and take it over and be the new white wizard over there. But as they're leaving, they, like, make a comment about how garlic is the key to the increasing power in that kingdom. And I just thought it was so funny that no matter what, she just needs to make it clear that garlic is the main thing. [00:55:25] Speaker B: Honestly, my favorite part of the whole book was anything to do with the Garlic Festival and all the garlic. Yeah. [00:55:31] Speaker A: Garlic is known for its unfathomable magical power. [00:55:36] Speaker B: Good for garlic. [00:55:38] Speaker A: Yeah, good for garlic. I love garlic. Garlic is magical in any meal. [00:55:43] Speaker B: I do actually love garlic in real life too. I do love me some garlic. [00:55:51] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:55:52] Speaker B: Okay, first of all, I'd like to formally apologize for absolutely strong arming you into making a prediction on a kiss that never even happens. And I made you make the prediction, even though you said you didn't have a prediction because you didn't really think it was going to happen. And I was like, could make one Anyway, and here we are. There was never a kiss. And you were right this whole time. And I'm sorry, I. [00:56:18] Speaker A: We have been joking about this, but I apparently have very good kiss perception abilities. [00:56:25] Speaker B: Yeah, you're. You're still going. [00:56:27] Speaker A: Books. [00:56:27] Speaker B: This one counts as a win for you. [00:56:30] Speaker A: Thank you. [00:56:31] Speaker B: It definitely counts as a win. [00:56:33] Speaker A: That was one of my favorite parts, was that it wasn't really romance. There's parts romance, obviously he had a little crush on her, but it was just a cute book. It was very funny. It was super entertaining. It. [00:56:44] Speaker B: As a romance reader, I was trying to make up romance because I was like, I need this to read a book. But I will say, by the end, I'm actually happy there wasn't as much romance because that would have drawn away from the rest of the plot and there were so many other things happening that it would have been just too much happening if we had thrown in, like, kissing and them being die hard for each other, which is what romance books turns into. [00:57:10] Speaker A: So, yes, there was a ton of plot. Way too much plot for. That's why in the middle of this, I was like, I feel like there's so much messiness happening that there's no way that they would kiss at any of this point. Like, there's just too much going on. There are some points in fantasy novels where there's a lot going on and you're still like, ooh, there's a little bit of time. I feel like they're going to kiss before this battle happens or before this happens or before that happens. And I'm like, there's just no time. They have no time. They're always doing something. But I really, really, really appreciate how much Gav grew and changed and how his growth wasn't even used as a cop out for anything. He still made the decision to let everything go that he had before, that he didn't actually earn himself and decide that he was going to, like she said, create a new life built from the things that he likes and not built off of. M the misery of other people. And how a lot of times just admitting that you were wrong is enough in a book for people to forgive you. And this time she was like, no, he actually has to do the actions and follow through and actually become a better person. [00:58:15] Speaker B: And he can't live off the things that the evilness got him. Yeah, I will say I really like that we didn't get our memories back because it would have changed him as a person. And we spent this entire book getting to know who he really is. Truly. And if we had he had gotten his memories back, I feel like it would have just ruined the whole point of the book. So I do agree with that as well. [00:58:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:58:41] Speaker B: But I really. [00:58:43] Speaker A: I did really like this book. [00:58:44] Speaker B: I did, too. It was great. I love the Goblins. I love our girl Orla. I loved, like, different aspects the actor. [00:58:53] Speaker A: And how it plays on perceptions of people and how the reason that all these people acted this way in the beginning was just the perceptions that other people had placed on them, and they just decided to feed into it. [00:59:04] Speaker B: Okay. [00:59:04] Speaker A: It was great. [00:59:05] Speaker B: Okay. Way to. Way to get into the deep meanings here. I'm like, yeah, they're funny. You're like, what? It changes the perceptions. [00:59:17] Speaker A: And that's why I'm the classics reader. [00:59:20] Speaker B: And that's why I am bold. Because they're funny. Okay. [00:59:26] Speaker A: No. And this is super, super funny. And honestly, it makes reading the classic books easier for me because it is in between, and I have a little bit of a breather to be like, okay, I don't need to have all this information. [00:59:39] Speaker B: I don't. [00:59:39] Speaker A: I can just have a quick read. [00:59:41] Speaker B: I don't have to deeply analyze, and. [00:59:43] Speaker A: I don't have to worry about it. Yeah. [00:59:45] Speaker B: All right. We're ending this podcast or this episode on one word. [00:59:49] Speaker A: One word. [00:59:50] Speaker B: One word. Can you guess the word? [00:59:52] Speaker A: Are we going to say it at the same time? [00:59:54] Speaker B: Okay, ready? Garlic. [00:59:55] Speaker A: Garlic. [00:59:56] Speaker B: It wasn't at the same time, but still, good job. [00:59:59] Speaker A: It was close enough for our only time that we're going to do this. Pretty good.