[User] Heavy wooden doors more than twice your height stand shut in front of you. The rectangular, sea-worn ornamentation appears in stark contrast to the padlock carelessly drilled into the wood.

[Assistant] Look at the sticker.

[User] You see a yellow circle with two X's and a big curve below them that looks like a mouth. You're pretty sure you haven't seen it before, but what the symbol depicts is clear enough: a smiling dead guy. The curve makes it smile and the X's make it dead.

[Assistant] There is something blindingly *modern* about this symbol. Its modernness puts to shame everything you've seen before.

[User] Take another look at the padlock.

[Assistant] This cheap-looking padlock is sturdily built. It shackles together a hasp and a staple screwed into the wooden door. The lock is adorned with a yellow sticker.

[User] It'll be easier to break the staple than the lock. Also -- that sticker is interesting, somehow...

[Assistant] Open the padlock with the key.

[User] The lock turns easily. You hear a click as the shackle pops open.

[Assistant] Feels like electricity and a very small piece of nothingness.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "Let's go." The lieutenant nods at you.


[User] A moment passes. The lieutenant glances at the sports watch on his wrist.

[Assistant] "Tell me about the case."

[User] "What do you want to know?"

[Assistant] "Can we go over the preliminary info again?"

[User] "You mean like a brief? Do you want me to brief you again?"

[Assistant] "No. I'll wing it."

[User] "There's no reason to *wing* anything. If you didn't get the brief, that's okay, I did."

[Assistant] "Three days ago, the RCM Emergencies Desk received a report about a security guard who was found hanged in Martinaise. An anonymous caller said there was a dead body behind the Whirling-in-Rags hostel-cafeteria. The cadaver had been there for four days -- no one had come to investigate..."

[User] "During that time, the victim had been stripped of his belongings. The caller did not identify him, but used the word *lynching*. There is an ongoing labour dispute between the local dockworkers and the logistics company Wild Pines. I was told we should approach the death as part of this dispute."

[Assistant] "Why didn't we know anything about the caller?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.who_was_caller_done"]]

[Assistant] "They -- Klaasje, as we've come to suspect -- didn't identify themselves in any way. The tone was muffled using a device of some sort. The desk could identify neither the caller's age nor sex."

[User] "Why hide themselves?"

[Assistant] "There's a strong prejudice against involving the RCM in what's seen as *Union matters*. The Dockworkers' Union is the de facto police in Martinaise. Now -- it appears -- they've started executing too. We cannot allow that."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.replaced_viscal_success_read"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.replaced_viscal_read_before_tribunal"]  and  Variable["TASK.report_to_the_tribunal_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.klaasje_drew_red_thread"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.replaced_viscal_returned"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (CheckItem("map_of_martinaise")) == false]

[Assistant] The same two neon lit shapes -- a man and a woman. A ray of backward motion explodes from the man's mouth, through the window, to the roof outside, widening into a radius -- A prime.

[User] Where does the thread lead?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.viscal_window_b_primes_counted"] >=3) == false]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.ravers_inside_church"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["ice.acelegreeting_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["church.acele_church_altgreet_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] The girl stands behind the row of pulpits, whistling a melody with the electronic device pressed against the wood. At the sound of your footsteps, she stops what she was doing.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.acele_passives_hint_reaction"]  or  Variable["church.acele_reaction_is_lost_about_bird"]]

[Assistant] That melody is oddly familiar... Why does it feel like some gang-related thing?

[User] "Hey, there." She gives you a shy smile. "I've been recording some new audio from all these beams and rafters. The sounds travelling through the wood are pretty cool -- creaks and stuff. Like you're underwater, you know... But, like, underwater inside a tree."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.contact_mic"]) == false]

[User] "Gotcha."

[Assistant] "I really wanted to say: thanks for getting me and my friends in here. And we even found some new... associates, such as they are."

[User] "How's everyone doing?"

[Assistant] "Good, I think. Noid is getting a read on the place, I think he finds the carpentry very impressive. Andre's been setting up the compressor and... dancing. Egg Head's keeping the party up, he's got the stage under control."


[User] Look at that lucky boozer there, the heaviest drinker on the planet! Look at his liquor-abusing excuse of a face -- those swollen bug-eyes, that muttering mouth.

[Assistant] I wonder how many litres of sheer alcohol has he consumed today? I bet you'd like a sip of that. Give it a real taste of your manly mouth.

[User] Wait... what is happening?

[Assistant] That old rummy here brings back some good memories. Remember how great that piss in your pants used to feel? Warm and cosy, just the way you like it. Time to get yourself another drink and soak those pants for *good*!

[User] Fuck, I don't know... maybe I shouldn't rush head-first into bad habits? I'll leave that alcohol be for now.

[Assistant] And while you're there, maybe you should hop by the Anonymous Alcoholics as well. You *lamo*.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.kineema_sylvie_greeting_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] If she used to work in the Whirling-in-Rags, then you must have met her.

[User] "Sylvie? I believe we've met before. This is me, a detective from the Whirling-in-Rags!"

[Assistant] "Oh, right..." She recognizes your voice almost immediately. "Hello, officer, what can I do for you?"

[User] You can hear resentment in her tone -- she's not thrilled to be talking to you again.

[Assistant] There is *no* resentment in her tone. She wants you to ask her out. No question about it.

[User] "Hey, do you want to grab a cup of coffee with me some time?"

[Assistant] "No, absolutely not."

[User] That came so fast you can't but wonder what else would she be good at.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.kineema_sylvie_reaction"]) == false]

[User] Ouch.... That's like twenty points of pride-damage right there, buddy.

[Assistant] "Do you know how my paperwork ended up in the trash container behind the Whirling?"


[User] He eyes you sceptically. "All right -- what cryptids, precisely? I usually discuss these things with *specialists*, so I don't know what..."

[Assistant] *...we would have to discuss?* he wants to say, but decides against it since you've offered to help.

[User] "I know about *Cryobacter katlensis*."

[Assistant] "Oh, everyone knows about that one, thanks to professor Mijanou being the talk of the town for a time..." He coughs in his fist.

[User] A bit of jealousy there. He'd want that glory, truth be told. Even if he'd have to inject *himself* with bacteria to get it.

[Assistant] "Although -- probably because her life ended as a result of her work in Katla -- no one remembers her contributions to the search for the Nnong Okk."

[User] "Better not to go into the Nnong Okk."

[Assistant] "Yes. Probably." Another cough. His face grows reddish from it.

[User] "Your friend Gary told me about the burning rhino."

[Assistant] "Did he?" He lowers his voice. "That one's a hoax. Some Seraise rice farmers set fire to rhinoceros cadavers and used them scare tourists."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.barbell_main_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] A barbell lies on the floor. The colour has worn off its weight plates.

[User] It's 60 kg. Your triceps hum at the sight of these weights. Show the world what kind of beast it's dealing with. Lift them.

[Assistant] There are no collars on the barbell. This is a safety hazard.

[User] Why does it feel so familiar?

[Assistant] Is this familiar because I'm a weightlifter?

[User] No, it's not that... It's the stale smell of rubber, the squeaky sound of sneakers, your bruised knee against the mat. And a whistle... then the feeling is gone.

[Assistant] It's just a memory.

[User] A memory from another life -- when you were young and fit.

[Assistant] Is this familiar because I'm a weightlifter?

[User] No, it's not that... It's the stale smell of rubber, the squeaky sound of sneakers, your bruised knee against the mat. And a whistle... then the feeling is gone.

[Assistant] It's just a memory.


[User] A moustachioed and mutton-chopped man, amateurishly depicted, gazes at you with sad eyes. A plaque reads: "K. Mazov." There is a spider web in the lower left corner of the portrait.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["tc.mazov"]]

[User] "It's Kras Mazov! What a troublemaker he was."

[Assistant] "Yes. Looks like some latter-day radicals were hiding out here. They left a long time ago."

[User] "What's this still doing here?"

[Assistant] "What most people think of as *history* has a tendency to linger in run-down neighbourhoods. Martinaise being what it is, no one has gone through the trouble of cleaning out the old bunkers."

[User] A good hiding place for someone who's up to no good.

[Assistant] "Could someone have stopped through here recently?" (Conclude.)

[User] "You mean, like Ruby? No. I think we've stumbled on a piece of history." He looks at the dust.

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[User] The front of this quarterly journal features a large, satirical portrait of the late King Frissel. From the sides of his head, a pair of white antlers spread to the corners of the cover.

[Assistant] Why antlers?

[User] Because white antlers are one of the symbols of communism. They represent a society in accord with the natural world and at the same time above it.

[Assistant] A shameful way to treat a former king, even one as underwhelming as Frissel.

[User] Why Frissel?

[Assistant] Because Frissel was incompetent, foolish, and cruel. In short, the embodiment of everything the communards wished to overthrow. It's *satire*, you see.

[User] Why antlers?

[Assistant] Because white antlers are one of the symbols of communism. They represent a society in accord with the natural world and at the same time above it.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] On the table you see a bowl of water, a rough soap, and next to it a small hand mirror. A straight razor soaks inside the wash basin.

[User] Wash the smell of death off yourself.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.hanged_man_used_gloves_for_bullet_digging"]]

[User] Thank god you didn't go in there barehanded! Death smell is notoriously difficult to get off yourself and your clothes though and cleaning up takes a while...

[Assistant] But man persists and after fifteen minutes pass, you look almost presentable. Sort of. The sudden absence of the morbid dead tissue smell instantly lifts your spirit.


[User] "It's an adventure!"

[Assistant] "No, it's a gym," he disagrees. "Though it looks like no one's been here in ages..."

[User] "I doubt the electricity still works... We should find a flashlight if we want to go on. There should be one in my Kineema."

[Assistant] Some specks of dust shimmer in a faint beam of daylight falling from the window. Other than that, the room is dark.

[User] An eerie feeling rises in your chest...

[Assistant] "What if there's a *reason* why no one's been here for ages..."

[User] "Yes, because it's *closed*..."

[Assistant] "Now, let's go get the flashlight, shall we?"


[User] Take an aggressive step closer.

[Assistant] The room is silent. The leader does not flinch.

[User] Get *further* in there. Escalate.

[Assistant] De-escalate.

[User] "What are you looking at, copper?" He cracks his neck.

[Assistant] "Guess what? I've connected you to the local drug trade."

[User] "Like hell you have." He leans back, unruffled. "There is no 'local drug trade'. This place is as clean as a rifle. Go back to Jamrock and ask the local junkies how clean *your* streets are in Precinct '41-Kilos'."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[User] "You're right, there is no local drug trade -- except you." (Point at Titus.)

[Assistant] "That's a mighty interesting theory." He rubs his jaw, smiling. "I guess that's what you would need to do, theoretically. A big, strong, state run monopoly *would* out-compete the runts on the street."

[User] "Yeah, man. *Theoretically* that's what you would do -- to get rid of the gangs, the dealers, even some of the junkies."

[Assistant] "You would need good, trustworthy people to take their place, of course. *Hardy* men to run such a monopoly." He grins. "For the good of the community, of course."


[User] "I thought about it and you know what? I can pay 3 reál for the spirits."

[Assistant] "Finally came to your senses, huh, buddy-boy? Ain't nobody else gonna give you a price like that." The man starts laughing to himself. "Had to let life squeeze you to get that, huh?"

[User] "Cool. So can I get it for that?"

[Assistant] "Sure, friend. A bottle of high-quality spirits comin' right up, that'll be 3 reál and you're practically robbing me at this price."

[User] "I want a pack of smokes."

[Assistant] "My kinda guy," he mumbles, handing you a pack. "Here you go, friend."

[User] "Here's the money for a pilsner."

[Assistant] "Bottoms up, captain!" He hands you an ugly brown bottle.

[User] "I want a pack of smokes."

[Assistant] "My kinda guy," he mumbles, handing you a pack. "Here you go, friend."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.mirror_saw_your_face"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.mirror_first_greeting_done"]) == false]

[User] What if I told you there's a *mirror* on your bathroom wall, upstairs? You *may* want to take a look.

[Assistant] "I've investigated the body. Shouldn't be long till we get it down."

[User] "Oh. Okay." She doesn't quite know what to say. "Thanks for keeping me in the know, sir."

[Assistant] "Evrart confirmed, he sent you to spy on us."

[User] "Is that so?" Her face remains expressionless as she shrugs. "I don't know anything about that. Must be a misunderstanding."

[Assistant] She's a pro. Nothing short of coming face to face with the fatman himself would make her admit it right now.

[User] "My partner told me you may have ammonia -- can I have some?"

[Assistant] "Sure -- I'm done with it." She takes a small capsule out of her breast pocket and hands it to you.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsHourBetween(21, 2)]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["village.ww_greeting_done"]) == false]

[User] The woman next to a bucket of clothes hums an odd melody. Her eyes are closed.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.ww_ency_southsamaran"]]

[User] "Welcome to the fishing village." She opens her eyes. "Please lean in closer. I have cataracts."

[Assistant] Then how does she know you're here?

[User] Lean forward.

[Assistant] "Oh." A shadow passes over her face. "Welcome, police officer. We don't cause any trouble around here -- and we don't *want* any trouble either."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "We're not here to cause any trouble, madam."


[User] "I thought we decided to leave it to Processing." The lieutenant shakes his head. "Let's not turn this into some kind of circus."

[Assistant] Damn it, this is turning into some sort of mega-puzzle.

[User] Okay, so you can *sneak* out of your room maybe, after he's gone asleep...

[Assistant] "Alright, time to freeze the body!"

[User] "Of course. I'll take the head, you take the feet..."

[Assistant] "It's not going to be the *easiest* thing in the world, but we'll manage."

[User] The two of you? Easily.

[Assistant] "Okay, let's do this!" (Clap your hands.)

[User] The body is heavier than you expected -- and stinkier. It takes half an hour to get it down to the basement, then ten more minutes to stuff it into the fridge. The lieutenant takes a step back to admire your handiwork.

[Assistant] "Beautiful," he says, wiping his hands in his handkerchief. "A dead body in an ice bear fridge -- this is some of the best police work I've ever done."


[User] "Cuno is present on the scene." He looks around with his hands on his hips.

[Assistant] "I want to buy the FALN pants."

[User] He unzips his jacket again and pulls the pants from the plastic wrapping. "Here pig, we both FALN now. Performance Pigs. Let's try not to shit ourselves."

[Assistant] "What happened to your art thing?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.ravers_inside_church"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["ice.acelegreeting_done"]) == false]

[User] "Hey there." The girl with an electronic recording apparatus turns to you as you approach.

[Assistant] "Thanks for helping us out. My associates and I are settling in here nicely. Even found some new associates." She turns back to her work, whistling softly...

[User] Why does that melody sound so familiar?

[Assistant] "You're Acele."

[User] "Yeah," she responds, turning back to her device.

[Assistant] "What are you doing?"

[User] "Recording the audio coming through the wooden framework. I bet it's pretty cool. Creaks and stuff. Sounds like when you're underwater, you know?"

[Assistant] "Gotcha. I have some questions for you."

[User] "I'm listening." She puts the device down and props herself up a bit, waiting for you to speak.

[Assistant] "The others told me you went inside the church. What did you see in there?"


[User] "I can't take it anymore. Just go." (Don't attempt to destroy the compressor.)

[Assistant] "Glad to have been of assistance." She tosses her head back defiantly and turns down the machine. "Best of luck to you, officers -- Revachol's a bitch."

[User] The woman runs past you and disappears into the darkness of the tunnel.

[Assistant] "All things considered..." The lieutenant is still reeling from the pain. "...that could've gone worse."

[User] "Wait... shouldn't we go after her?"

[Assistant] "No, I don't think she did it... She's someone else's case now."

[User] It's too late now anyway. She's gone.

[Assistant] "What now?" (Conclude.)

[User] "Now we have to come up with a really good excuse... for why we walked right into a trap like that. This isn't going to look good in the report." He looks around, then points further into the cavern.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.explore_the_passages_done"]) == false]


[User] The trap stands empty amongst the reeds. No insect sounds or movement around -- only the reeds' melancholy rustling.

[Assistant] Release the locusts into the empty trap.

[User] The locusts, dazed from being transported, slowly begin to acclimate to their new surroundings.

[Assistant] They're not really going to get the chance to get comfortable here.


[User] You see a young man on a balcony nursing a cigarette. His eyes have been following you for a while.

[Assistant] "Not looking for any trouble, officer..." he says in a quiet voice. Despite the cold, his shirt hangs unbuttoned on his frame.

[User] It's the voice of someone who has something to *hide* my liege.

[Assistant] "No trouble from me, I just want to know what's going on here."

[User] "I don't want to be seen talking to the *gendarmerie*, if that's okay. I just want to finish my cigarette."

[Assistant] It's the God of Cigarettes and Youth -- ask him if he's got anything to spare.

[User] Don't let him go! This could be your witness -- the balcony has a great view of the whole thing.

[Assistant] "Actually, the police *really* needs to talk to you."

[User] "Is it really that important?" he asks you, adjusting his shirt.

[Assistant] Like a nervous cat, he keeps stealing looks at the neighbouring windows.

[User] "Alright, but make it quick. Once I finish this cigarette I have to run."

[Assistant] By god, this young man has the body of a *decathlete*. His lithe form was practically made for vaulting over the high bar!


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["canal.hjelmdall_mainhub_reached"]]

[Assistant] What a shirt. All other shirts pale in comparison to the muscular man with antlers and immense zweihänders.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["tc.hjelmdall"]]

[Assistant] "How much are you selling this T-shirt for?"

[User] "Two reál."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[User] That's very cheap for a printed t-shirt that's still in pretty good shape.

[Assistant] "Sounds like a good deal, although I wouldn't really know."

[User] "Oh, it is."

[Assistant] "That's unusually cheap, isn't it?"


[User] "I'm coming." (Climb down.)

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.soona_archer_working_soona"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] "Good. Now, give me a hand with these amplifiers. Leave the cables. I don't feel like making two trips..."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.warship_turned_down_archer"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Well, this was an *interesting collaboration*."

[User] "We make a pretty good team, Soona."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.warship_empathy_rc_success"]) == false]

[User] "Really? I do not think we were all that successful. But maybe the RCM has a different definition of success..."

[Assistant] "In any event, just leave that equipment here. I'll put it away later. If you'd like, you can take one of the extra headsets. I don't need so many spares."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.serial_number_2"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (TotalHourCount() >= Variable["plaza.kineema_serial_personal_aliiz_deadline"]) == false]

[User] "Not yet -- but I was able to convince the database people to share private sector information. They promised to get back to me by tomorrow morning. Did you have any other questions?"

[Assistant] "I need you to connect me to a civilian -- a Sylvie. She may have reported a murder."

[User] "Of course. What is her number, officer?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.kineema_empathy_connect_me_to_you"]]

[User] "Actually, let's not do that right now." (Back.)

[Assistant] "Officer?" You hear phones ringing and people talking in the background.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.report_to_the_tribunal_done"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.netpicker_wounds_talked_about"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["village.netpicker_asked_skiff_from_her"]]

[Assistant] "Be careful out there. Sea's calm as death, but still... there are ruins underwater. You can scrape the paint... or worse."

[User] "I'm looking for someone, maybe you can help?"

[Assistant] "Let's see," she tilts her head ever so slightly. "Who are you looking for?"

[User] "A working class husband."

[Assistant] "Yeah, *I'm* not really looking for that anymore. Not much into the middle-class ones either." She sighs. "I could use some *landed gentry*, but apparently they don't make those anymore."

[User] "The husband isn't for me. I'm looking for him for his wife."

[Assistant] "Wish I could help you with that, but I haven't seen your 'working class husband'. Maybe I can help you find someone else?"


[User] "Guess what -- I've come upon something incriminating."

[Assistant] "Incriminating... now that's a big boy word." He puts his beer can down.

[User] "Why are your boot prints all over the scene?"

[Assistant] "You mean *these* boots?" He raises his worker boot -- size 46, steel reinforced toe.

[User] "Yes."

[Assistant] "We all got a pair." He squints. "We wore them the night we took the Pretty Boy out back and hung him. By the neck."

[User] As he speaks, his fists contract, going through the pulling motion again, savouring it.

[Assistant] "Yeah, we did this." He looks you dead in the eye. "Together. All of us. Until he was dead. That's why our prints are all over the scene."

[User] There's a catch hidden somewhere. He didn't confess so that you could take them all away. It's too simple.

[Assistant] "That's it, the game's over. I got the perpetrator!"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.return_to_hardies_with_more_evidence"]) == false]

[Assistant] "No, you don't. What you have is seven honest men, who thought it forthcoming to tell you what happened -- so that you don't waste any more of your time."

[User] All -- seven -- together. They're diluting responsibility. It's an anti-arrest tactic.

[Assistant] They're playing to their *considerable* strength in numbers. Don't talk about arresting them. You'll only bring attention to your inability to do so.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.report_to_cryptozoologists_1"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.morell_refused_to_restock_trap"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.morell_white_check_succeeded"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.report_to_cryptozoologists_1_done"]]

[User] "Hello! Lena and I were just discussing the design of the new trap."

[Assistant] "I'm looking for a suspect. Have you seen anyone who appeared to be on the run?"

[User] "I'm afraid not, officer. I've been busy digging around in the reeds for days, looking for signs of insect activity -- I'm less interested in mammalian concerns, to be perfectly honest."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]


[User] Establish authority in their eyes.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardie_authority_wc_to_get_klaasje"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardie_failed_wc_once"]) == false]

[Assistant] Establish authority, yes! AUTHORITY! Feverish thoughts race through your mind.

[User] (Turn to the lieutenant.) "Kim, I need your gun."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("gun_villiers") == true  or  CheckItem("gun_ruby") == true]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("gun_villiers")]

[Assistant] "Why? You have your own gun."

[User] This is not what he thinks it is -- this is a great idea.

[Assistant] I'm afraid it's not what *you* think it is either.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("gun_villiers")]

[Assistant] "Everybody calm down! This is only a demonstration!" (Turn to Kim.) "Kim, the gun. Yours is better. It will make sense."


[User] One day, you may be able to scale this tower. But it won't be today. Neither your sinews nor your spirit could handle this ascent.

[Assistant] When, then?

[User] When your mind is clear of the neurotoxins you've been injecting it with for years -- and your body regains some nimbleness and swiftness.

[Assistant] You're not doing *that* bad. But, yeah, there's some distance to go.

[User] Yeah, you were getting a tad too ambitious there.

[Assistant] But, can't deny it -- your mind's pretty clear, all things considered. In fact, it's too clear for you to be buying into this climbing vision quest.

[User] (Look at your bottle.)  But it makes me feel more powerful...

[Assistant] That's just whiny bullshit. Get it together.

[User] "Hey, man. I see it in you -- you are prepared to surrender yourself to the fire of revelation. But you're still a bit shaky spiritually." He looks you over. "You're also just, physically, shaking."

[Assistant] "Keep the flame in your soul alive, though. One day you'll make it up here, if you put in the work."

[User] "You've been here for a long time. Did you see the police raid that took place here?"

[Assistant] "Something like that," he responds, his voice suddenly flat.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.jammystery_ladydriver_cabin_located_racist"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.truckman_greeting_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.truckman_told_him_to_fuck_off"]]

[Assistant] "Looking for something, runt? Come to tell me to fuck off again?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.racist_authority_soles"]]

[Assistant] "We're done for now." [Leave.]


[User] "Who killed the merc... if it wasn't you?"

[Assistant] "How should I know? As I keep saying, he already had a bullet in his head when I got to him, and there hasn't been any useful gossip over the radio..."

[User] Those rings around her eyes, her tired voice -- she's been staying up late listening in on the conversations criss-crossing Martinaise.

[Assistant] "Police radio? You've been... following the case?"

[User] "Who hasn't?" She shrugs. "You know, I can still see him there, in Klaasje's room, lying on his side."

[Assistant] "He was still warm, but the blueish light coming through the broken window made him look as though he'd been dead for a good long while..."

[User] Klaasje didn't want to turn the lamp on. She was afraid of another shot.

[Assistant] "You said something about a tribunal..."

[User] She sighs. "Yeah. The mercenaries are about to set up a tribunal and execute someone for killing Lely."

[Assistant] "How do you know this?"

[User] "I was listening in on their frequency." She pauses, biting her lip. "Even though those assholes gave me up... I'm worried for the boys."

[Assistant] "And you -- watch out for yourselves. You seem to have a habit of walking into traps."

[User] "They're planning to set up a trap for us?"

[Assistant] "I'm guessing you don't know that a third mercenary has come to town just in time for the tribunal -- now you do."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.dicemaker_main_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.dicemaker_greeting_done"]) == false]

[User] "Hello, I'm Neha." A bird-like woman sits on a throne of tools, with emerald light shining through her hair.

[Assistant] "Did you try knocking on my window? I must have missed you, I've been listening to my *milieus*." She taps on her headphones.

[User] "So, what kind of die are you looking for?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.find_the_witch"]]

[User] Could this be the malicious Entity? Perhaps it's wise to go along with this *masquerade* for now...

[Assistant] She's got a direct view to the backyard. You should interrogate her about the lynching.

[User] "Hold on, what do you mean by *milieus*?"

[Assistant] "Yes, a milieu is like a call-in station. You need a two-way radio to access one. That's why I have these." She pats the headphones on the table.

[User] "Mostly they just teach you to swear in different languages, but some of the stations can be quite interesting. I was so absorbed, I must have missed you knocking."

[Assistant] "You must have me confused with someone else -- I haven't knocked on your window."


[User] You holding it together there, Meltdown Cop?

[Assistant] What? (Sniffle.) Of course I am.

[User] Do you need to have a cry?

[Assistant] I don't cry. (Wipe your eye.)

[User] It's fine. Being a cop is tough. You can't be expected to keep it together *all the time*. Or, in your case, *much of the time*.

[Assistant] Let's just cut straight to the waterworks.

[User] Not just yet! Sure, it feels good to wallow in self-pity... But think of all the other people out there who are suffering -- people whom you could be helping right now.

[Assistant] (Try to collect yourself.) Right, other people.

[User] Fine, don't cry, keep all those toxins in.

[Assistant] This is bullshit. My eyes are dry as a damn desert. [Discard thought.]


[User] Establish authority in their eyes.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardie_authority_wc_to_get_klaasje"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardie_failed_wc_once"]) == false]

[Assistant] Establish authority, yes! AUTHORITY! Feverish thoughts race through your mind.

[User] "Let's try this again -- Kim, gimme your gun."

[Assistant] "No," he whispers, not even looking at you. "Not going to happen."

[User] "Kim, I'm only getting total garbage here." (Whisper) "Please help."

[Assistant] The lieutenant nods and turns to address the room: "You know what? You guys *must* be the cops. Because this is what cops do, right?"

[User] He's had enough. He's really gonna push their buttons now.

[Assistant] "Live in a bar. Sit on their fat asses like they own the place, while the neighbourhood goes to shit, corpses hang from trees, kids shoot up..."

[User] "Hey, we don't have to fucking take this shit..."

[Assistant] "Glen..."


[User] This bookstore is not *strictly* about crime, romance, and biographies of famous people -- there's also a wide range of paranatural literature.

[Assistant] "All right. I want to buy *Medicinal Purposes of the Pale*."

[User] "Indeed..." She mumbles, staring at the book for a moment. "Something about that book does seem to have spoken to you..."

[Assistant] "Well, I hope it contains what you're looking for."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["tc.turn_off_tutorial_node"]  or  Variable["character.interactable_tutorial_seen"]]

[Assistant] "All right. I want to buy *Medicinal Purposes of the Pale*."

[User] "Indeed..." She mumbles, staring at the book for a moment. "Something about that book does seem to have spoken to you..."

[Assistant] "Well, I hope it contains what you're looking for."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["tc.turn_off_tutorial_node"]  or  Variable["character.interactable_tutorial_seen"]]

[Assistant] Find something truly otherworldly.


[User] There's really no point in manipulating anyone. You're chummy. Just go on and ask!

[Assistant] "Hey, Lena, I'd really like to hear about some of those juicy *cryptids* you've studied. Could you tell me about a couple?"

[User] "Oh, I'd be delighted!"

[Assistant] "Are there any *invisible* cryptids?"

[User] "What an interesting question! And the answer is: yes, there are!"

[Assistant] "What's that?"

[User] "The *Col Do Ma Ma Daqua*, or 'thin whisper of sound'. And that's *precisely* what it seems to be -- self-replicating sound waves, invisible and intangible! It's very afraid of us, which makes it incredibly difficult to track."

[Assistant] "Col Do Ma Ma Daqua" can also be translated as "a whisper light and low."


[User] Points are good. Have one, you old dog! Before we all die...

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.klaasje_kim_sports"]  and  Variable["whirling.klaasje_saw_sports_branch_in_race"] == false]

[User] "I did not know this was a competition, Kim."

[Assistant] "It isn't. Police work is a *cooperative* sport."

[User] There is no challenge without competition. There must be an opponent.

[Assistant] This is clearly sports for him. Something like archery -- or darts?

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.klaasje_hecoord_kim_archery"]  or  Variable["whirling.klaasje_physinst_kim_challenge"]]

[Assistant] "It's still about getting hits right -- and not missing?"

[User] "That's too *pinball* for me, I just like to get autopsies right on the first try." He makes another note. "Where were we?"

[Assistant] He's lying.

[User] "I ran the serial number on his boots. I know his name."

[Assistant] She blows a long column of smoke and watches it disperse overhead. After a moment, she says: "Good for you."

[User] "You don't want to know?"

[Assistant] "Not really." Curls of smoke leave her mouth with each word. "Lely's good enough for me."


[User] "I'm more interested in *why* you're so fixated on this idea in the first place."

[Assistant] "To be honest, I mostly just want to ride on Coalition Warship Archer."

[User] "Let me make a prediction, detective. You are not going to see the inside of a Coalition warship anytime soon."

[Assistant] "Do you think we'll actually be able to reach the Coalition with this?"

[User] "I wouldn't like to guess. Your performance so far doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but all sorts of things are possible..."

[Assistant] "*You* could reach the Coalition and have your talk about *la responsabilité*... *I* could grow 10 centimetres and become a flanker for the Stormers."

[User] "How does this compare to your DynaWave, Kim?"

[Assistant] "It doesn't, frankly. Don't get me wrong, this appears to be a *fine* transceiver for a general audience, but it's not something a serious radio-head would use." He shrugs.

[User] (Clench your fist.) "I'll show you yet, Kitsuragi."

[Assistant] "Show me what, detective?" The lieutenant seems immensely pleased by your irritation.

[User] [Leave.]

[Assistant] With its transceiver gone, the radio has ceased its peristent buzzing. It is as silent as a headstone.


[User] A few bricks have fallen off, revealing a compartment behind the wall. It's too dark to see in.

[Assistant] "What does this mean -- a rifle here?"

[User] "It means there are firearms -- breechloaders -- still lying around in Martinaise. This could prove useful in our case against Ruby for Titus. Men are easily swayed by the sight of a rifle."

[Assistant] He likes this find.

[User] "Look, there's a hole in the wall." (Point at the hidden compartment.)

[Assistant] "There is, yes. And there also appears to be something *inside* the hole... Interesting. Do you want to take a look?"

[User] "No, you do the honours." (Back off.)

[Assistant] "Sure," he nods and steps closer. "Okay, here's some more rifles... None of these seem to be working. And oh..." His hand reaches in, rummaging in the dark...


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: DayCount() == 3]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.rene_altgreet_day_two_heart_hint"]) == false]

[User] "Offic... argh..." He rubs his chest and spits. "Goddamnit... pull yourself together, René." He turns to you. "What do you want?"

[Assistant] This man seems to be experiencing a mild to medium level of congestive heart problems, either due to narrowing of the arteries or high blood pressure.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.rene_endurance_heart_problems"]]

[Assistant] Judging by his attitude -- probably the second one.

[User] "I understand Jeanne-Marie meant a lot to you?"

[Assistant] "There's nothing for you to *understand* here," he snaps. "It is not *her* death you are investigating."

[User] "Where was the photo of you two taken?"

[Assistant] "Revachol Fair of '91 in the Faubourg district." His eyes turn to the sea. "A parade was held to honour Guillaume *Le Lion's* name-day. And the carabineers marched in the place of honour."

[User] "Okay, thanks."

[Assistant] He nods.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.working_meeting_done"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.working_pre_greeting_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.working_greeting_done"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.working_reached_police"]) == false]

[User] She's still browsing books.

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["boardwalk.trant_main_hub_reached"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsMorning()) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsEvening()) == false]

[Assistant] "Hello again!" He nods to you, smiling.

[User] "Do you know of an *alternative* way into the building?"

[Assistant] "Alternative? I don't even have a *mainstream* way in, I'm afraid, although..." He points over the guardrail, to the sewage run-off there.

[User] "There's a sewage pipe there, maybe that does something? Sorry I can't help more."

[Assistant] Pipes *can* be broken. With force.

[User] "Do you have any advice on how to climb that ladder?" (Point to the one next to the mural.)

[Assistant] "How to climb that ladder, you say?" He turns around, eyeing the bleak metal bars next to the giant mural. "I do know that the Lomanthangs used *sticks* to climb battlements, there's even a special technique for that."

[User] "Something tells me I'm not going to climb the ladder with Lo Manthang sticks."

[Assistant] "Then there's also the method of climbing that the ancient Iilmaraans used to get into the huts of their enemies."


[User] You close your eyes and vacate your skull, leaving your brain to wonder: where did that little fluttering light go?

[Assistant] TOTAL DARKNESS! You sink down the darkest fathoms of your own personal deep, vertebrae by vertebrae -- THROUGH THE UNFORMED SKULLS OF YOUR SPINE.

[User] HERE IT WILL BEGIN.

[Assistant] Bust a move.

[User] Foolhardy! Do you even *know* what's happening on the surface? Maybe a thousand years have passed? Or maybe you started spazzing out like two seconds ago?

[Assistant] With your eyes still closed, the first thing you feel, all the way back in the pivoting darkness of your own torso, is warmth. You have become a triumph of rhythmo-plastics -- somewhere in a smelly wooden church on the coast of Revachol. The wounds from the war you've waged on your body are healing, twist by twist, turn by turn.

[User] You must have touched upon an entirely new way of moving the human body! Every motion is pumping your brain full of endorphins... Open your eyes to the pioneering glory of HARD STYLE!

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["ice.noid_protorave_aesthetic_conceptualization_done"]]

[User] As you open your eyes, you should scream "HYPER! HYPER!" (It seems appropriate.)

[Assistant] "HYPER! HYPER!"

[User] You have become a flawless interlocking mechanism. A flesh-and-bone approximation of the throb coming from the speaker set-up of the one called Egg Head's. Entirely, rigidly imbecilic. Without pity or fear.

[Assistant] Free from self-awareness. No deliberation, only -- and I mean *only* -- execution.

[User] "Oh my god..." The speedfreaks' would-be leader stands slack-jawed in disbelief at the hard-coreness on display. He whispers to himself: "No way..."

[Assistant] "Yes way."

[User] With his reel-to-reel mixer blasting the anthem of a future that will never come, the young man observes your moves for a second...

[Assistant] ... then blasts into the same hideous pattern, yelling: "AAAAAAHHHH!"


[User] "And I'm sure you two had a hell of a time." He throws a couple of playful punches in your direction. "But I couldn't care less about the bitch. Let's talk about the *real* stuff, Harry. The stuff that matters."

[Assistant] "A few more questions about the harbour."

[User] "I'm always happy to educate and entertain you, my friend." He takes a sip from his coffee. "So, what's on your mind?"

[Assistant] "Did *you* order the hanged man killed?"

[User] "Order it? You know my men didn't kill him. They told you -- it was a happy accident. You know how it is, no one takes the *initiative*. If I wanted him dead I would have had to do it myself. And I'm too fat for that."

[Assistant] "What do you gain from him being dead?"


[User] Whoa! In your hand: *pyrholidon* -- the double rainbow of synthetic hallucinogens. Rare and gritty, a product of the age of atomic power.

[Assistant] Look at the little puck of liquid.

[User] What a funny little cap! Don't let the *scary* medical warnings throw you off. It's an inadequate antidote to radiation poisoning, but a *potent* antidote to *boredom*.

[Assistant] Wait -- radiation poisoning sounds scary.

[User] It's not gonna *give* you radiation poisoning, stupid. Pyrholidon is a perfect match for a bad-ass junkie cop who's looking for a little *heat*.

[Assistant] You need to lower the radiation levels, your stomach thinks. Slurp it.

[User] Hmm... open the cap.

[Assistant] The container is warm to the touch -- or is that just the anticipation? You screw the lid open and look. A little slit on the side lets you just *slurp* it up, like an oyster! C'mon! Slurp it!

[User] Slurp it, but only a little.

[Assistant] You suck a minuscule drop of extremely chemical-smelling liquid into your mouth. There it seeps into your tongue. When you swallow it's already almost all gone.

[User] Tastes like... an anti-radiation drug.

[Assistant] It tastes like *many* things, all melting into one conflagration in the back of your throat. As you look around, the world slowly *exists*. As it did before. Only now gentle flames lick at its edges, as though it were a photo burning.


[User] Let's test. This is the last hub.

[Assistant] "I'm ready." (End with Kim / Cuno.)

[User] "Good." She looks at you, then Vicquemare...

[Assistant] "Fuck it, let's go." The man points down the street. "Trant left his motor carriage behind the gates. It's a 20 minute drive to Jamrock."

[User] Under the night sky the great district sleeps: A dark chessboard of wooden houses in the rain, 80,000 living souls inside. Firetraps as far as the eye can see -- from Main Street to Precinct 41 atop the motorway, to Boogie Street glowing on the rainswept horizon...

[Assistant] You close your eyes and hear the dogs bark. A lone woman sits by a factory window, dreaming of meteorite strikes. On Rue Saint-Gérôme a square bullet slides into a square-shaped chamber. In Old South a man without eyelids smiles. Spring has come. It's time.

[User]
"Torson?"
"Yes."
"McLaine?"
"Yes."
"Heidelstam?"
"No."
"Vicquemare?"
"Yes."
"Du Bois?"
"Of course."

[Assistant]
"Torson?"
"Yes."
"McLaine?"
"Yes."
"Heidelstam?"
"No."
"Vicquemare?"
"Yes."
"Du Bois?"
"Yes."


[User] This is the trap Morell just set. Checking it over, he said, is just a *technicality*, but...

[Assistant] Look around.

[User] The reeds by the abandoned camp site hiss and shake.

[Assistant] It's good the cryptozoologists left -- this isn't a very cosy place to stay night after night.

[User] The later it gets, the colder. Remnants of the camp can still be seen in the sand, the fire that's gone out... you feel strange, somehow.

[Assistant] Look around.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["ice.egg_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["ice.egg_greeting_third"]]

[User] "We're close!" says the young man with the tape player and the large boiadeiro boots. Lung-shaped trees sprout on his silver belt buckle.

[Assistant] "True, hard, full core!"

[User] "Is it?"

[Assistant] "IT'S HAAAAAAAAARD CORE!"

[User] "I don't know what to say to that."

[Assistant] "Skibadee, skibadanger! I am the rearranger!"

[User] Your cop training did not prepare you for this. What to do?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["ice.egg_dialogue_ended_once"]]


[User] A skiff with a small steering engine in the back floats on the calm mirror of the sea. Its two seats are empty.

[Assistant] The boat's belly is a shiny yellow colour, industrial paint over fresh tar. You see it reflect off the water, along with the factory number: A72.

[User] SRV-made, this machine represents humanitarian aid from a workers' state on the Samaran isola. The *ROO* logo on the engine gives it away -- that and the white five-pointed star.

[Assistant] Once you get in, that's it -- one pull of the starter handle and you're off into the bay. A strange trepidation comes over you: are you sure you want to go *now*?

[User] Have you made all the necessary preparations? Closed all your accounts?

[Assistant] Remember what the Net Picker said: It's a small tank. You won't be going back and forth on this.

[User] Nothing to do here without the lieutenant... You must return here with him.

[Assistant] First -- tie your porta-reel boombox to the breasthook to keep you company.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["ice.tentflap_greeting_done"]]

[Assistant] "C'mon! Get in, the warm stuff is getting out."

[User] Squeeze in.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]


[User] The fortress is still defiantly standing. There's an inviting gleam of *something* coming from the depths of the deepest cellars.

[Assistant] "Broken..."

[User] "The little castle?" The lieutenant smiles a little. "The reigning lord must have come upon some really tough times to let it slip in such decrepitude."

[Assistant] Reach in the catacombs and pull out the shiny object.


[User] An inconspicuous pile of the roofing material, eternite.

[Assistant] What is this?

[User] It's nothing. Someone just left some roofing material slanted against an old shack.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.shack_ency_eternite_dump"]) == false]

[User] Glad you asked. When junior researcher Õlari Taal invented eternite in the Värtna Polytechnic Institute, some thirty odd years ago, he thought it would last forever -- hence the name eternite. Sadly the only lasting thing turned out to be the material's highly carcinogenic effect.

[Assistant] What is this?

[User] It's nothing. Someone just left some roofing material slanted against an old shack.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.shack_ency_eternite_dump"]]

[User] Why am I looking at this pile of the roofing material?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.cuno_shack_white_perc_sight"]]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.plais_whitecheck_succeeded"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.bookstore_curtains_greeting_done"] == true) == false]

[User] You see a set of tattered curtains blocking the way to another room. A strange cage-like trinket dangles from the curtains.

[Assistant] "Excuse me, officer..." She calls out from the counter. "The back room is strictly for employees only."

[User] She's right -- those curtains give off some *eerie vibes*. Better not mess with it.

[Assistant] (Rip them apart, this time for real.)

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.wards_plais"]) == false]

[Assistant] You see a dimly lit room full of dusty furniture and trash. A doorway stands in the back, covered in dozens of scary little cage-like trinkets, your shadow looming over it like an omen.


[User] As you approach the metal grille you can hear several voices having what appears to be an animated discussion.

[Assistant] This must be it. Beyond this door lies the beating heart of radical communism in Martinaise.

[User] Somehow the night air softens the smell of trash and sea brine. As the breeze pulls through the canvas like a shuttle through a loom you catch a hint of something unexpected, something earthy, warm, and burnt...

[Assistant] "Just look at this pig, sniffing about after-hours..."

[User] "Hey, it's past curfew! Get to bed, Cindy!"

[Assistant] "Go ahead and arrest me, officer. I swear I'll go peacefully." You can feel her smirk through the dark.

[User] The metal grille is cool to the touch.

[Assistant] You notice the lieutenant is looking uncustomarily anxious. His posture is rigid, his right hand hovers near the zipper of his jacket.

[User] He wants so badly to draw his Armistice, but he also doesn't *want* to want to draw it.

[Assistant] "You okay, Kim?"

[User] "Oh, I'm fine. I was practically *born* to infiltrate underground communist cells..." He takes a quick look over his shoulder.

[Assistant] "Which is just to say: We should be prepared for *any* eventuality."


[User] "I'm looking for any information that you can provide on Billie Méjean, a reader."

[Assistant] "Billie, Billie *Méjean*, you said? Give me a moment, I'll have to check our database." He puts down the receiver.

[Assistant] On Meroe drive in Central Jamrock -- in a darkened hall lit by orange desk lamps -- far away from the noise outside -- a middle-aged man taps commands into an old radiocomputer. A printout falls on the desk. Behind him, a lonely reader scours some dusty bookshelves, looking for a paperback...

[User] "Yes, hello, are you still there?" You can hear him fiddle with the printout. "I found Billie Méjean's home address, is that alright? No phone number unfortunately."

[Assistant] They're too poor to have a phone line.

[User] "I'm not really that good with addresses."

[Assistant] "Maybe you can write it down? It's Rue de Saint-Ghislaine 33B, apartment no 20. It's in Martinaise, I believe... Capeside Apartments, it says. That's all."

[User] That's where the smoker on the balcony lives, isn't it?

[Assistant] "Do you have any other information on Billie Méjean?"

[User] "It says here that they returned their last book just a few days ago, but I wasn't at work that day."

[Assistant] "Do you know someone who was?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["canal.roy_intro_done"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.report_to_the_tribunal_done"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["canal.roy_pilehub_reached"]]

[Assistant] "Hello hello! Let me know if I can help you with anything."

[User] "You might be able to aid my investigation."

[Assistant] "I doubt it, but I can try to answer any questions you may have."

[User] "Think you could help me get a corpse out of a tree?"

[Assistant] "The corpse behind the hostel, I assume..." He looks into the swirling lights, then to you: "I don't have a truck with a mounted platform or anything of that sort myself..."

[User] "Ask around the harbour. There might be some workers there who'd be willing to help."

[Assistant] "Think you could help me get a corpse out of a tree?"


[User] A shabby door hangs oddly on its hinges, secured to the doorframe with a safety chain. An unpaid energy bill is attached, threatening to cut off the electricity. It's addressed to Mr. Uuno de Ruyter.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.get_drugs_from_cunos_apartment"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.get_drugs_from_cunos_apartment_done"] == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["apt.cuno_door_main_hub_reached"] == true]

[Assistant] "Looks like we found where Cuno's dad lives." (Point to the bill on the door.)

[User] "And the place comes with three months' worth of utility bills."

[Assistant] "Looks like we found where Cuno's dad lives." (Point to the bill on the door.)

[User] "And the place comes with three months' worth of utility bills."

[Assistant] [Leave.]


[User] "Me and Evrart talked. He promised you'd cooperate."

[Assistant] "Oh, so you went and talked to my mommy -- and now she's making me play with you?" He spits. "Is that it, lawman?"

[User] "And what's going to happen if we don't?" The little guy leans forward. "You gonna go and *tell* on us?"

[Assistant] "Why don't you push me some more and find out, gimp."

[User] "You gonna let him talk to me like that, Titus?" He turns his eyes, full of hurt, to the big man.

[Assistant] "Let's see..." He chuckles. "Yeah. I guess I am, you big pussy."

[User] He turns back to you. "The old man sent word you'd be around again. That's the reason I'm being so forthcoming with ya. Don't wear it out."

[Assistant] It would take an army to bend Titus to its will, but having Evrart back you up like that... did seem to have *some* effect.

[User] "There's an old catatonic lady in the old fish market, on the other side of the bay. She needs help."

[Assistant] The big man laughs, nearly spitting out his beer. "What's that, copper? You want us to help little old ladies now?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] "If you wanna be the local law enforcement, these kind of things fall on your shoulders."


[User] "Huh?" He leans closer with a strange expression on his face.

[Assistant] Now that you say them, the words feel like tin, heavy, they're coming from the bottom of you. You've said them half a thousand times...

[User] (Say:) "You will be taken to the nearest precinct holding area for preliminary investigation."

[Assistant] "But..." His eyes fill with sudden terror: "You said I would be taken to the, uhm, the..."

[User] This terror, the sum of all the uncontrollable movements and mood swings he's been exhibiting...

[Assistant] The wind picks up. The silence on the water is broken, little shivers of waves appear...


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.siileng_clothes_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] There are clothes inside. Cheap second-hand clothes, smelling of strangers' body odours.

[User] "Don't be shy, these are premium-class clothes! Good quality fabrics, best retro design! Save the economy with your style, officer!"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.siileng_asked_pay_net_worth"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["jam.siileng_rhetoric_why_eco_needs_saving"]) == false]

[Assistant] Save the economy? That sounds off.

[User] "Save the economy? What are you talking about?"

[Assistant] "Haven't you heard, officer? We've got to be economically conscious. Recycle your cash, keep it in circulation! Don't buy new things! Buy eco!"

[User] "Thanks for the advice, I'll try to be more economically conscious."

[Assistant] "Very cool. The economy thanks you, officer."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.doomed_radiocomputer_turned_on"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.seen_radiocomputer"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["church.mainframe_have_seen_radiocomputer"]) == false]

[Assistant] This appears to be some kind of machine with a cube-shaped heart and a wired framework. The keyboard has a rectangular ON/OFF button; a piece of paper still hangs from the printer.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "A radiocomputer..." says the lieutenant, watching you circle around the machine. "Just sitting here without anyone in sight." He sounds surprised and a bit cautious.

[User] What he means is that these things cost *money*. Why would anyone just leave it behind?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsTaskActive("TASK.locate_a_fridge")  or  IsTaskActive("TASK.go_see_the_fridge")--[[ Variable[ ]]) == false]

[User] This is the Rehm Civic radiocomputer, model RC5120, equipped with a Feld mainframe and a Rehm-compatible printer.

[Assistant] "Do you think I should turn it on?"


[User] You see a terrifying ice bear with a strange compartment in its belly. The door is covered in frost and the bear's eyes are glowing red.

[Assistant] This ice bear is a hypercarnivore. Be careful.

[User] The bear looks oddly realistic. Is it taxidermy?

[Assistant] This must be the giant ice bear fridge that Soona mentioned. Look inside.

[User] Crack open the door...

[Assistant] A faint waft of cool air rolls out. You hear the sound of dripping water. This is the inside of a defrosting refrigerator.


[User] "I ran the serial number on his boots. I know his name."

[Assistant] She blows a long column of smoke and watches it disperse overhead. After a moment, she says: "Good for you."

[User] "You don't want to know?"

[Assistant] "Not really." Curls of smoke leave her mouth with each word. "Lely's good enough for me."

[User] "I'll respect that."

[Assistant] "Thank you." She smiles, takes a puff on her cigarette.

[User] "You mentioned he liked showing off his tattoos -- how?"

[Assistant] "How?" She leans back. "Imagine him lying in bed, *freakish* musculature laid out on the sheets. Scarred, of course. Tattooed. The sheets are dirty for some reason."

[User] Is this Oranjese lit?

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.klaasje_concept_is_this_oranjese_lit"]) == false]

[User] Don't interrupt.

[Assistant] "He's smoking and drinking, of course. And his chest and shoulders and arms are studded with stars. Tens, hundreds of them. Maybe even thousands."

[User] "And the woman goes like..." She points at the air with her sharp-nailed finger, picking out an imaginary tattoo-star. "'What was this, baby?'"

[Assistant] "And he says..." She lowers her voice, comically. "'That was *too* hard core. Don't ask me about that.' So she goes: 'Okay. But what's this, baby?' And he's like: 'Saw some bad shit there, killed some loincloths.'"


[User] Now! Now you will *finally* get to know who you are!

[Assistant] "Wait. I have a *few* questions before we go. About who I am."

[User] The man looks westward, impatiently.

[Assistant] Jingling his car keys in his pocket.

[User] "Cuno -- what will you do now?"

[Assistant] "Fuck do you think? Gonna rock that law enforcement shit with you guys -- Detective Cuno." He chews on a piece of imaginary chewing gum. "Like you promised."

[User] "Like you... promised?"

[Assistant] "Yeah... no. You're staying here, Cuno. You're too young."

[User] "THE FUCK?!" He spreads his arms. "Cuno's been *seen* with you, out in the open. He's free game right now. Singin' to the popophone. Fuckin' informant shit. Got pig all over me -- smoked pig."

[Assistant] "You're what? Ten? Eleven?"

[User] "Cuno's fuckin' nineteen."

[Assistant] "You have to be *fifteen* for the junior officer program -- and you are not."

[User] "Hey, f****t! Understand this -- they're gonna hang me by the nuts if you leave me here. You want that on you? A dead kid? *Or* you want the Cuno at your station, solving shit? Like we *just* did?"

[Assistant] His hands are shaking and his face is white.

[User] He's genuinely scared of being left behind.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.cuno_offered_to_hook_you_up_get_you_hookin"]) == false]


[User] Great news -- the boat is big enough for a grown man like you to fit underneath it in a supine position.

[Assistant] Great news then. I do need somewhere cosy.

[User] No, wait -- sorry. My bad. There's a rotting dog carcass under there and old fish too. You wouldn't fit next to the mummified canine's mausoleum.

[Assistant] Damn dog, taking up all your space. The fish smell is too rank too, though.

[User] You have a home, somewhere. All cops do. When this is done you can return.

[Assistant] Just finish the case and you'll probably have somewhere to go. Hopefully.


[User] Establish authority in their eyes.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardie_authority_wc_to_get_klaasje"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.hardie_failed_wc_once"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.hardie_failed_the_wc_second_time"]]

[User] You have *so* many bad options ruled out it's *insane*! There is no way in the world you won't do it this time!

[Assistant] (Turn to the lieutenant.) "Kim, I need your gun."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (CheckItem("gun_villiers") == true  or  CheckItem("gun_ruby") == true) == false]

[Assistant] "Why?"

[User] This is not what he thinks it is -- this is a great idea.

[Assistant] I'm afraid it's not what *you* think it is either.

[User] "What? Who -- me? What is it?"

[Assistant] Yes -- you. Stop talking out loud, you sound like you're unravelling.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (DayCount() == 1) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.inspect_traps_2_done"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.restock_trap_done"]]

[Assistant] "Hello, dear. It's good to see a familiar face." The elderly woman smiles up at you hopefully.

[User] "Lena, what's wrong? You seem different."

[Assistant] "Different -- how?" The half-moons of her glasses reflect you as she looks up at you.

[User] Answering a question with a question, for example -- defensive isn't her usual style.

[Assistant] "You've given up on the phasmid."

[User] "I'm... in doubt, sweetie. That's all. Everyone is, now and then."

[Assistant] "You're in doubt? About what?"


[User] Woah! What have we here?

[Assistant] A bridge?

[User] A bridge with loose nails and rot-infested wood that creaks in the wind. A construction code violation if there ever was one!

[Assistant] "Kim, it looks like we've got a construction code violation."

[User] The lieutenant looks around. "True, they never cleaned up the war damage... The rest of Revachol looks better, though."

[Assistant] "But lieutenant, think about the splinters!"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.soona_pregreeting_hub_reached"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["church.soona_greeting_done"]]

[User] "Yes, what is it?" She doesn't look up from the keyboard.

[Assistant] "Those ravers won't be bothering you anymore -- I told them to leave because they were planning a drug trade."

[User] "You told them to leave..." She looks up, surprised. "Didn't think the cops in this place had it in them," she murmurs.

[Assistant] "I found a radio transceiver."

[User] "Ah, very good. Let's see what you have."

[Assistant] "Someone was using this to coordinate a drug smuggling operation." (Use the highly advanced transceiver.)

[User] "Interesting," she says as examines the transceiver, "an Esterhaz EH-4, heavily customised. This is an advanced model, highly capable. I'll need to replace the frequency dial, but it should certainly work for our purposes."

[Assistant] She's impressed by your resourcefulness as much as by the equipment itself.

[User] "I believe that means we're ready to get started. I should warn you, once we begin setting up this antenna, we'll need to see the whole process through. There won't be any second chances, any 'do-overs,' you understand?"

[Assistant] "So if there's anything you'd like to get in order before we depart, I suggest you do it now."


[User] The theme on that pinball machine is a standard *royalist* theme -- used on everything from pinball cabinets to full-flavour cigarettes.

[Assistant] What are its hallmarks?

[User] Clinging to a picture-book version of the past century, waiting for the King to come back and cast out all the profiteers and homo-sexuals. Basically, imagine a yellow plastic crown with a liquor brand emblazoned on it.

[Assistant] I'd rather know more about the world of today.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.tracks_viscal_wc_success_done"]]

[Assistant] The tracks are as they have ever been. A bit more worn, perhaps. Fortunately, the street sweeper still hasn't noticed their presence.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "Is this connected to the case?"

[User] "I'm not sure... there are plenty of traffic accidents waiting to happen in Martinaise. With the jam right here on the roundabout. I would keep them separate."

[Assistant] You could *follow* the tracks south. There seems to be a canal there. See where they went. (If you find the time.)

[User] "A car drove through the fence."

[Assistant] "You are correct. This is a rather motor carriage-friendly city."

[User] Somehow that makes you feel... scared. You don't know why.

[Assistant] "This is the point of departure of the vehicle that crashed into the Samaran Butter sign."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.make_truce_with_Cuno_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.cuno_amends_hub_reached"]]

[User] "Have you come to make your offering to Cuno?"

[Assistant] "Whatever then."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.cuno_had_the_being_cuno_bitch_dialogue"]) == false]

[User] "What are you doing?" The lieutenant's dark eyes peer into yours over his spectacles.

[Assistant] "Nothing, lieutenant. I don't want to get into this." [Leave.]


[User] "You might have noticed there's one hanging on a tree behind the hostel-cafeteria."

[Assistant] "Oh my..." He smiles pleasantly. "Don't take this question personally, but *why* would I get involved in this matter?"

[User] "Mr. Claire. The man was hanged with a cargo belt. A steel reinforced cargo belt. It's safe to assume the Union had *something* to do with the murder."

[Assistant] "Besides, getting the body down would benefit all of us. It's a stain on the neighbourhood."

[User] "You are a community leader, help your community out!"

[Assistant] "I can certainly see how having him up there might start affecting *some* real estate values." He licks his fat lips and smiles.

[User] "But of course, all joking aside, I *am* going to help you." He picks up the handset of a radio-phone to his right -- then clicks a button.

[Assistant] "Jean-Luc, my boy. I'm sending two police officers down. They have a dead-body-in-a-tree problem they need help with. Namely, they need it to be taken *down*."

[User] "And, Jean... please take it easy with the race science. That's a *yes* to getting the body down, *no* to the race science." He hangs up and turns back to you.

[Assistant] "You can find Jean-Luc down at the gates." He turns back to you. "He's the big, impressive one. You know: tattoos, muscles -- ethnic looking. Can't miss him. Great guy."


[User] The edges of the pages are worn and smudged. A lot of people have read about the Devil Woman's altercations with the Hjelmdall Man.

[Assistant] Look at the back cover.

[User] The jacket copy proclaims: "Man from Hjelmdall returns in his most exciting adventure yet! After crashing into a strange jungle, cannibalistic natives abduct his only surviving comrade, noble Tyrbald. Before Man from Hjemdall can mount a rescue..."

[Assistant] "...he is ambushed by a tribe of female warriors and taken to the ancient citadel of Cloud City, where a mysterious and wicked queen rules supreme. Will Man from Hjelmdall be able to escape his dire situation and find his missing friend?"


[User] "Hello, mister!" A young girl, barely four or five years old, sits on the sofa. She is looking at you with frank curiosity.

[Assistant] She clutches a small stuffed animal. Occasionally she twirls it around.

[User] "Do you know anyone named Ruby?"

[Assistant] "Ll... Luby... Rr... R-luuby." Suddenly the girl gets all serious and leans in, as if she's about to tell you a secret.

[User] "My mom tells me that I'm a big girl, but she doesn't know that I can't say *ll*. Or like, sometimes I can, but then... *ll*... *rr*... *llrr*..."

[Assistant] "Kids." The lieutenant shakes his head.

[User] "What's that?" (Point at the stuffed bird hanging from the ceiling.)

[Assistant] "It's a *grouse*," she yelps, smiling broadly.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.gardener_main_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Let me handle this," the woman says to the crowd in the mess hall before turning to you...

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.gardener_main_hub_reached"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[User] "You're far from home, *officer*... This isn't a district known for its love of self-proclaimed militiamen."

[Assistant] "You're not a gardener!"

[User] "That's right, I'm not a gardener, I'm a legal counsellor for the Dockworkers' Union." It feels like she's waiting for a reaction of some sort.

[Assistant] "Enough. Let's talk seriously."

[User] Not a muscle moves in her face, but her eyes trace yours, stern and perceptive.

[Assistant] "You are looking for Titus Hardie, who you think has information on a murder the RCM is investigating. You want to interview him." She points to the man standing in the middle of the room.

[User] "That's Titus. Talk to him. But know this: I'll be keeping an eye on you. No strong-arming, nothing official. The district of Martinaise does not recognize your authority to make arrests."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.report_to_cryptozoologists_1"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["coast.morell_greeting_done"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["coast.morell_midgreet_leave"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.locate_morell"]]

[User] "If you see Lena, tell her I won't be long," he says, getting up. "I'm so close to being done here..."

[Assistant] This is a man possessed, always on the brink of some breakthrough. He won't leave if there's a sliver of hope *the Great Find* might happen today.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "Sir, your wife is waiting for you."

[User] "I just have to do one more round, see if the phasmid has taken the bait... Then we're going." He refastens a bit of netting that has come loose in the wind.

[Assistant] His hands are large and weather-worn, but also used to delicate, precise work.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.trash_container_open"]) == false]

[Assistant] This trash container is locked. The sliding lid has a padlock that says "Whirling-in-Rags."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["yard.trash_inland_something_in_there"]]

[Assistant] "How do we get the lock open?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: CheckItem("prybar")]

[Assistant] "We could try using a prybar -- the one you took from my motor carriage. Or..."

[User] Did someone say *prybar*?!

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["yard.trash_physint_prybar_excitement"]) == false]

[User] "No *or*. Prybar!"

[Assistant] "We *might* want to ask for a key from the manager of the Whirling-in-Rags. He probably has one. And he also has *information*."


[User] "René... I need to go back in time. Can you help me?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[User] "What?!" The old soldier scowls at you, unamused.

[Assistant] He thinks you're playing a joke on him.

[User] "Now, now..." His partner raises both hands in a calming gesture. "I'm sure the officer means it figuratively. Like a forensic technique or something, right?"

[Assistant] "Forget it. Let's move on." (Drop it.)

[User] "I thought you were a busy man, officer. Or at least you should be, so I won't comment on this... eccentricity. Now what?"

[Assistant] He doesn't know anything, he's too old. Doesn't have that *fire* in him anymore. But no worries, *we* will carry on. *Semper fidelis*, kingsman!

[User] "René, I found your guard booth."

[Assistant] "Yes, the Débardeurs' Union pays me to stand vigil during the nights." He looks down. "Not out of any *political* allegiance, mind you."

[User] "I'm an old man, don't sleep more than a few hours every night anyway and... money is tight," he adds with a slight sigh.

[Assistant] He feels like he has to justify himself for some reason.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.inspect_traps_2_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.restock_trap_done"]]

[User] "Hello, dear. It's good to see a familiar face." The elderly woman smiles up at you hopefully.

[Assistant] "So your husband is some kind of scientist?"

[User] "Oh yes," she says with a pinch of pride. "A zoologist -- a *crypto*zoologist to be more precise."

[Assistant] "What is cryptozoology?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] "It's really just a *sub-field* of zoology, one specializing in animal species that are so exceedingly rare that many assume them to be *extinct* or even *fictitious*..."

[User] "Searching for such species -- called *cryptids* -- is difficult and often thankless, and frankly, many scientists are too lazy to do it. Universities these days are rarely interested in supporting *real* research."

[Assistant] The quality of research at Revacholian universities *has* been on the decline, but you doubt there was ever a time when *cryptozoology* was embraced by the academic elite.


[User] Droplets of rain fall on the white-on-blue police livery of the motor carriage.

[Assistant] Wait, why am I even thinking about this? Wasn't I supposed to...

[User] ... do something important? Something murder-related? There's always *something* important. Doesn't mean you can't take a moment to admire this piece of machinery.

[Assistant] This is a Coupris Kineema, the Coupris MotorCorp's follow-up to their highly successful workhorse, Coupris 40, and the answer to the LUM's racing-bred 'Fevre' series.

[User] Even at a standstill the uni-body Coupris Kineema looks sleek and dynamic. The cabin is tilted frontward to give it a more aggressive *hunched* look.

[Assistant] Someone has waxed it recently.

[User] "I don't like your machine, lieutenant. Looks impractical."

[Assistant] "Mhmh..." the lieutenant huffs. "No point in stopping then."


[User] "Cuno's a pig now." He picks his tooth with a dirty fingernail.

[Assistant] "What happened to your art thing?"

[User] "Locust city?" He swallows. "Cuno dropped that art shit coz Cuno's fucking *poor* and has shit for brains."

[Assistant] A truly rare moment of self pity.

[User] "You better not make Cuno fucking *cry* about his art-shit, okay? Change the subject, Cuno doesn't do that shit no more. Fuck that shit, fuck *everything*."

[Assistant] "Cuno, I have couple of questions about Martinaise."

[User] "Shoot," he says with a nod. "Cuno knows this shithole better than anyone."

[Assistant] "Thanks Cuno, but enough about Martinaise."


[User] "What happened to you?" the lieutenant asks as he leans in, eyes mapping your frozen face.

[Assistant] "This is what I am now, Kim. What I was always meant to be."

[User] "And what is that? A walking mask?"

[Assistant] "He Who Withstands All Temptation."

[User] "Including drinking?"

[Assistant] "Including drinking."

[User] "Hm." The lieutenant seems almost impressed. "Admitting a problem is the first step forward. Perhaps now we can finally get some work done."

[Assistant] "Shall we?" He looks ready to go.


[User] In the cabin you see a set of steering levers, a radio on a hook, a pull-out toolbox and the soft glow of the fuel pre-heater gauge.

[Assistant] Pick up the radio again.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.kinema_made_it_to_radio_hub"]) == false]

[Assistant] The frequency tableau lights up and a green button labelled PRIMELINE glows like a feline eye... and then you hear something.

[User] The soft purr of electrical kittens -- radio waves cast far and wide over the metropolis. A woman's voice greets you through the static:

[Assistant] "This is Precinct 57! Hello, lieutenant, how may I assist you?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[Assistant] "Hello, Alice, please assist our colleague from the 41st Precinct here. I'm putting him on."

[User] Operating the radio is easy. Just be confident -- you've probably done it a thousand times.

[Assistant] "Come in dispatch, come in dispatch!"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.alice_said_one_of_the_weird_things"]]

[Assistant] "This is Officer Alice DeMettrie, Precinct 57. How may I assist you?" You could swear she was friendlier with the lieutenant.


[User] A moment passes. The lieutenant glances at the sports watch on his wrist.

[Assistant] "You seem to be following me."

[User] "Excuse me?"

[Assistant] "What if I want to work this case alone?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.kim_badge_lie"] == false]

[Assistant] "Detective, if I may be frank -- you seem to be in a deranged state. You have trouble remembering things, you've *misplaced* your badge. I cannot let you act in the name of the RCM without supervision until you've regained control of your faculties."

[User] Oh, so you're an unaccountable wreck who has to be supervised? You don't *have* to take this display of authority, you can disobey!

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.rcm"]) == false]

[User] The RCM, or the Revachol Citizens Militia, is the police force you and him are part of. A self-organized peace corps of the occupied city of Revachol, the RCM operates within a legal twilight, yet its authority is rarely questioned. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if you didn't know this?

[Assistant] "You don't need to *supervise* me, Kim."

[User] "Except that I *do*, detective."

[Assistant] "I know what the RCM is."


[User] "Shoot that shit at Cuno, piggonaut."

[Assistant] "Cuno, I found your shack." (Point to the shack.)

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["XP.befriend_the_cuno"]) == false]

[Assistant] "You found Cuno's secret door to Cuno's secret shack?! It was closed for five thousand years. How the fuck did you get in?"

[User] "I *phase-shifted* through the roofing material."

[Assistant] "Shit... get the fuck out of here! You can't do that."

[User] "He can't do that, Cuno! He's tryin'a fuck at you again!"

[Assistant] "Pigs can't displace, can't do that teleport shit..." He says to himself, then turns to you.

[User] "How did you like it in there, piggo-boy? Cuno's got a lot of cool shit there, right?"

[Assistant] "What's with the tube of Magnesolam, Cuno?"

[User] "It's a vitamin, pig. Don't you know anything?" He looks at you like you just pointed at the sun and asked what it was.

[Assistant] You could use some.

[User] "It's magnesium, right?"

[Assistant] "Yeah, it's the *Mag*! You fucking *need* that shit to stay on top of your game. Cuno goes through like a tube a day, rips Mag like a motherfucker. And you could use a *barrel*."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.replaced_viscal_success_read"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.locate_ruby_on_the_coast_done"]]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["TASK.arrest_klaasje_done"]]

[Assistant] Light from the desk lamp reflects off the glass in an untarnished golden halo. The glass is pristine and utterly silent.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsCunoInParty()]

[User] "Shit I know this..." His voice is excited as he nods approvingly. "Cuno gets this shit. Ballistics shit, science shit."

[Assistant] What happened here?


[User] "The man hanged in the backyard -- did you do it?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.titus_big_dick_cop"]]

[User] "So you're not just here to swing your big dick -- you're here for the Pretty Boy? A real looker that one..." He shakes his head. "Stinks like *shit* too."

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.get_the_dead_body_down_from_the_tree_done"]) == false]

[User] "They couldn't get him down boss. He's still up there, stinking up the place." The small guy smirks.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[User] Evidence. Show them you have it. It doesn't have to be conclusive.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardies_rhet_show_them_some_evidence"]) == false]

[User] Just keep talking. Put something on the table. Something incriminating.

[Assistant] "Why are your boot prints all over the scene?"

[User] "You mean *these* boots?" He raises his worker boot -- size 46, steel reinforced toe.

[Assistant] "Yes."


[User] It's just a racist mug, what's there to *read* here? Not much.

[Assistant] There's quite a lot to read into here, actually. Look at all that content.

[User] Oh, boy. Here we go. What are you going to say about a broken, tossed away mug that *you* dug out of the garbage?

[Assistant] The mug will be useful. By denouncing it I can earn *political* capital to mask my bad ass hustling (ie, fraud and embezzlement).


[User] The spread pattern of these bullet holes makes your chest ache. Your breath grows heavier.

[Assistant] Another set of awfully old bullet holes.

[User] "These bullet holes look like the bullet holes we saw before."

[Assistant] "Bullet holes generally look the same, so... probably." He leans in to inspect the wall. "But you are right, more old bullet holes from the Revolution."

[User] "Figured as much." [Discard thought.]

[Assistant] "A history of violence streaking all across Revachol."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.tribunal_made_it_to_pre_hub"]) == false]

[Assistant] "I'm all out of shits to give, loincloth." There's a feverish gleam in his eyes. "Welcome to the fucking reckoning."

[User] "Put your damn gun down." Titus remains calm. "People are gonna get hurt. We need to talk this through, alright?"

[Assistant] "SHUT UP!!! You're not gonna talk yourself out of this, loincloth-shit fuck!"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["tc.scab_leader_is_a_merc"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["gates.scableader_greeting_done"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.tribunal_perc_reaction"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Kim, what's going on here?"

[User] "Ssshhhhh...." The lieutenant raises his left hand.

[Assistant] "This is a misunderstanding. Nothing irreversible has happened yet. You can just return to your unit and forget all about this."

[User] "The kipt is merciful. Willing to spare us if we just forget about our murdered and humiliated commander." Her tone is frighteningly emotionless. "I think we should just kill everyone, Korty."

[Assistant] "You're all drunk, come to your senses!" She sounds very sure of herself. "You won't gun down seven people in the middle of the street. This isn't a frontier town or a jungle outpost."


[User] In your hand, you hold "Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity." The brittle paperback feels fragile to the touch.

[Assistant] Start reading.

[User] The story opens with a knock at the door. Detective Dick Mullen is greeted by an old friend, Charlie Spillane, who's come to Mullen to ask a favour on this dark and cold night...

[Assistant] Spillane needs Mullen to drive him in from Vesper to a small town along the Insulindian coast. Despite his friend's apparent agitation, Mullen does as he's asked, then returns home where he passes out drunk, as he does most nights...

[User] An extremely unprofessional and *hurtful* stereotype that's offensive to all upstanding officers of the law.

[Assistant] Look, I can't judge.

[User] Two days later, Mullen is arrested by the Vesper police and charged with the murder of Charlie Spillane. At his interrogation, Mullen learns that Charlie Spillane was shot in a bar in the very town Mullen dropped him off in, by a man matching *Mullen's* description...

[Assistant] Desperate to clear his name, Mullen manages to convince the Vesper police to release him for *three days* so that Mullen may solve his friend's murder and prove his innocence.

[User] "The cops release their prime murder suspect so he can find 'the real killer'? Are you shitting me?"

[Assistant] "What's the matter, detective?" The lieutenant turns to you with a start.


[User] She's black.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.gardener_perc_black"]) == false]

[User] "The body is down."

[Assistant] "Down...?" The gardener straightens her back. "Do you mean the body is finally gone?"

[User] Absolutely gone.

[Assistant] "No, the body is down on the ground."

[User] "Oh... right." She scratches her cheek. "Can you tell me when you've taken him away then?"

[Assistant] Yeah, keep her in the *loop*. It's strangely enjoyable to report back on the minute progress you've made. Even to strangers.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["plaza.gardener_conze_yes_keep_her_in_the_loop"]) == false]

[Assistant] No! Do *not* report back to this random civilian about anything.

[User] "I have to run." [Leave.]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["plaza.gardener_first_ending_done"]]


[User] There! Working class drunk! You know what this means, right?

[Assistant] Case solved!

[User] Who's Dick Mullen now?

[Assistant] I am.

[User] Cracked it. All in a good day's work.

[Assistant] Open and shut. I don't even need to think about this anymore. Goodbye. [Finish thought.]


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["gates.fritte_kicked_tare_machine"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["gates.fritte_clerk_reacted_to_hitting_tare_machine"]) == false]

[User] "Uhm, you kicked the tare machine. Please don't kick the tare machine. This is Frittte -- and you don't want to fuck with Frittte."

[Assistant] "What kind of discounts can a man with net worth get in here?"

[User] "Uhm..." She looks up from her magazine, not really sure how to reply.

[Assistant] That's teen-speak for 'no' -- *no discounts*.

[User] She couldn't be more unbothered by your question if she tried.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsKimHere()]

[User] "Excuse us -- my partner here of course knows that net worth is not *legal tender*." The lieutenant gives you a quick glance.

[Assistant] "Yeah, I don't know..." She returns to her magazine.

[User] "Does Frittte have a warehouse in the back of the Whirling-in-Rags?"

[Assistant] "A warehouse? I don't know. Maybe. I don't really care what Frittte does."


[User] The display rack is brimming with worn paperbacks featuring an extremely muscular, sword-wielding barbarian on the cover. Nearly all the titles contain the word *Hjelmdall* somewhere.

[Assistant] This is entirely, *completely* you. You have found the *right* books.

[User] "Wow, more Hjelmdall..."

[Assistant] Mountains of it. Heroic quantities of Hjelmdall. Roy's puny shirt is nothing compared to the *real deal*.

[User] Look through the display of books.

[Assistant] Rows and rows of Hjelmdallermenn blur your vision. You make out some titles: "Man from Hjelmdall and the Mammoth-Riders", "Man from Hjelmdall: Return to Hjelmdall", and the solipsistic "Man From Hjelmdall and the Hjelmdall Man."

[User] Enough.

[Assistant] The display rack before you is burdened under piles of Man from Hjelmdall novels.


[User] Sounds like you're the Suicide Cop! With his finger on the *eject* button. Ready to let go of this life! But guess what?

[Assistant] You idiot! You've got the bullet, but no gun!

[User] You've made such a big show out of it too. You feel like everyone basically *expects* you to do it now.

[Assistant] What is this? You're not ready to die, this is garbage.

[User] It *would* be the honourable thing to do. It would really show them. Show her too.

[Assistant] Hmm... maybe I should. Yes. (Look at the gun and start thinking about it.)


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.siileng_clothes_hub_reached"]]

[Assistant] "You keep coming back. That's good, officer! Keep browsing those clothes, keep saving that economy!"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.siileng_asked_pay_net_worth"]]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["jam.siileng_rhetoric_why_eco_needs_saving"]]

[User] Browse through the box.

[Assistant] You find your hands deep in tattered and faded garments made from weird polyester blends that make your body itch and sweat in all the wrong places.

[User] The box smells like cat piss -- or like an old person with no money.

[Assistant] "Economical, but also trendy!" the street vendor shouts. "Look first-hand, buy second-hand. Keep the economy moving!"

[User] Browse through the box.

[Assistant] You find your hands deep in tattered and faded garments made from weird polyester blends that make your body itch and sweat in all the wrong places.

[User] The box smells like cat piss -- or like an old person with no money.

[Assistant] "Economical, but also trendy!" the street vendor shouts. "Look first-hand, buy second-hand. Keep the economy moving!"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["canal.water_lock_greeting_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["canal.water_lock_left_mid_intro"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsEvening()) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: IsAfternoon()]

[User] "G'day to you, officer!"

[Assistant] A burly man hangs out by the water lock, carving up a generous serving of salami with an old hunter's knife. His eyes are fixed on a man stranded on the other side of the water lock -- and on an enormous billboard that has fallen down into the canal between them.

[User] His posture is relaxed. Despite his powerful build and the knife in his hand, this man resorts to physical intimidation only infrequently, if at all.

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: DayCount() > 2]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.close_water_lock_done"]  or  Variable["canal.water_lock_alt_cant_chat"]) == false]

[Assistant] "'Fraid I can't hang out and chat." He looks west, across the water, chewing on a piece of salami. "Damned water lock's finally been fixed, so I've got to get going."


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.plais_whitecheck_succeeded"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["doomed.bookstore_curtains_greeting_done"] == true) == false]

[User] You see a set of tattered curtains blocking the way to another room. A strange cage-like trinket dangles from the curtains.

[Assistant] "Excuse me, officer..." She calls out from the counter. "The back room is strictly for employees only."

[User] She's right -- those curtains give off some *eerie vibes*. Better not mess with it.

[Assistant] Examine the strange cage-like trinket.

[User] You see some kind of charm -- an irregular polyhedron, assembled from bones, sticks, and straw. Inside, a disturbing fish-head with empty eye sockets stares at you.

[Assistant] From the looks of it this is a traditional Semenese ward, meant to provide protection against ill luck, bad dreams, curses, and other supra-natural scourges.

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["doomed.bookstore_curtains_ency_darkisles"]]

[Assistant] And who are the Semenese?

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["doomed.bookstore_curtains_inland_darkisles"]]

[Assistant] Inhabitants of Ile du Fantôme or the Semenine Islands down south. Don't listen to what Inland Empire told you -- it's a beautiful place with a rich and unique culture...


[User] "So, *who* killed the merc then? Any leads?"

[Assistant] "Not yet. Just some ideas. She says the shot came from outside, behind the window somewhere. So that's a clue."

[User] "What are you thinking?"

[Assistant] "I'm thinking -- someone's past caught up with them. Either hers or his."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (IsKimHere()) == false]

[Assistant] "Hers?"

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["whirling.hardies_went_through_if_she_didnt_kill_him_why_cover_up_branch"]) == false]

[Assistant] "She's got one of those *chequered* pasts. The shot could have missed. Could've been meant for her?"

[User] "I like that." The young guy nods. "Been thinkin' the same thing myself."

[Assistant] "And you had ideas about *his* past too?"

[User] "I do -- one of those mercenary buddies of his could've done it. They got guns. Training. Years of bad blood, probably. Or it could've been someone else from Krenel..." He pauses to think.

[Assistant] "Tell you what I'd do -- check out the coast for vantage points. Maybe consult with a ballistics buddy of mine -- that's what *I'd* do. If I wasn't too busy doing this clown dance with you."

[User] He's calm now. Threw all that turmoil away and became himself again.

[Assistant] These theories -- not bad. Don't buy either one, but still. This guy's not as dumb as he looks.


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.report_to_the_tribunal_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.karaoke_drama_redcheck"]  and  Variable["whirling.garte_greet_post_karaoke_done"] == false]

[User] "Ah, 'Smallest Church in Saint-Saëns,' right?" The cafeteria manager is waiting for you to acknowledge that he recognized the song.

[Assistant] "Yeah. The Church is actually my *love*. Things are really *bad* with it."

[User] "Cool." He really does sound like he thinks it's a little *cool*. "Now, what can I do for you?"

[Assistant] "About my bill for tonight..."

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["auto.daychange_whirling_paid"]) == false]

[Assistant] "Got the 20 reál?"

[User] "Not yet..."

[Assistant] He rolls his eyes. "Then why are you wasting my time... and yours?"


[User] "Do you think he did it?"

[Assistant] He nods. "From nothing to this in a day..." A crooked little smile. "This is *good*, we just need a confession first, and then *maybe* a solid motive later."

[User] "I'm slapping myself to get ideas!"

[Assistant] "I can see that, yes. I'm not judging."

[User] "I'm trying to get him to confess..."

[Assistant] "Yes, good going -- that should be our *first* priority."

[User] "How do you think the questioning is going?"

[Assistant] "Good." He nods. "We're doing very good. He *wants* to confess -- I can see that. We just need to pile it on, a little more -- the more we have on him, the closer he is..."


[User] If only Kim were here right now! You could ask him if he sees a case here. The sight of those bullet holes stirs something in you.

[Assistant] Look closer first.

[User] The fading marks are too degraded to draw any forensic conclusions. Just chips in the sandstone.

[Assistant] They look pretty ancient...

[User] "Kim, look, bullet holes!"

[Assistant] "Where?" He looks around.

[User] (Point to the chips in the wall.) "Someone has been shot! We're cops, we should solve it."

[Assistant] "There?" He looks to the wall. "Those are *old*."

[User] "What do you mean old?"

[Assistant] "These bullets were fired during the Revolution, over half a century ago. They do not warrant investigation."

[User] "Okay. What can you tell me about this Revolution?"

[Assistant] "Not much. I don't have a *fresh perspective* on it. Shall we go?"


[User] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.inspect_traps_2_done"]) == false]

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["TASK.restock_trap_done"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["whirling.lena_husband_back"]]

[Assistant] "Oh, hello, sweetie. So nice to see you again."

[User] Maybe you could convince her to tell you about some *cool* cryptids?

[Assistant] You should totally use emotional blackmail. Because that *always* works on women.


[User] One of the flyers has gotten stuck to the branches of a small brush. The sound of it flapping in the wind is an echo of Van Eyck.

[Assistant] Grab it quickly.

[User] As your hand reaches for the small rectangle of glossy paper, it snaps free from the branch...

[Assistant] ...and is swept away, out of existence.

[User] What the shit?

[Assistant] Cold drops of rain fall onto your outstretched hand. A slight tremble passes through it...

[User] A GLIMPSE INTO THE PAST

[Assistant] Am I hallucinating?

[User] No.

[Assistant] Yes. It's likely triggered by a focal epileptic seizure in your temporal lobe.

[User] Okay, I'm done with this. [Finish thought.]

[Assistant] At the back of your head you feel the rapid beat of anodic music... then it fades away.


[User] "Have you considered breaking into the local art market?"

[Assistant] [Action/Check: Condition: (Variable["cargo.container_door_ultraliberal_knock"]) == false]

[User] [Action/Check: Condition: Variable["cargo.mrlb_wcheck_done_success"]]

[Assistant] "The art market? Intriguing. You've already convinced me to invest in you, so please, go on -- tell me what you're thinking."

[User] "I've recently discovered a local painter with enormous potential." (Show him Cindy's *chef d'oeuvre*.)

[Assistant] "A painter, eh? I am always looking to expand into new asset classes. Who's the artist?"

[User] "Cindy the SKULL."

[Assistant] "A-ha. And the name of the piece?" He leans in to take a good look at the rectangular plastic board coated thick with emulsion.

[User] "Keith."

[Assistant] There's no sign of a reaction for a good three seconds. Then...

[User] "Keith? Just *Keith*?"

[Assistant] Yes, Keith. Stick with it.