Ants

{= (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Morning") (set: $place to "at home") (set: $activity to "being idle") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity] (display: "Mood")  (set: _ant to (random:1,4)) (if: _ant is 1)[You're startled. Something has bit you. There are ants crawling inside your shirt. You reach in and rub them all dead. They cannot die fast enough.] (else-if: _ant is 2)[You think about brushing your teeth today but thought better of it. It's not like you're going to have a job interview today. You have better things to do. Like finding a job.] (else-if: _ant is 3)[Jesse rubs her face on your leg and leads you to her food bowl. Semi-conscious, you clean and refill it. The ants have been crawling into her food bowl, it seems. Even so, Jesse has never taken to digging through your trash, of which there are piles around the apartment. Jesse's probably the most well-behaved cat in the universe. ] (else-if: _ant is 4)[Another day, another chance to work on that "magnum opus" of yours. It is fortunate that ants do not eat oil paint. It has no nutritional value for them. It has no nutritional value for you either. You would know. You've tried once.] Rubbing the rheum from your eyes, you slowly come to accept that you have not awaken anywhere other than this stuffy apartment room. And you are still you. --- <ol> (if: $mind>1)[You: (if: $lockManA is false)[<li>[[Observe the state of your apartment.->Obs A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>] (else:)[<li>[[Observe the stack of Chinese takeouts.->Obs A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>] <li>[[Approach the canvas in the corner.->Storylet X1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> <li>[[Approach your work desk.->Storylet B1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> <li>[[Play with Jesse, while she's still awake.->Storylet A1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> Or...] (else:)[You're currently too unwell to do anything else but stay in bed.] <li>(link: "Go back to sleep. You're still so tired.")[(print: $actionNap's effect)](print: $actionNap's desc)</li> </ol>

{= (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Evening") (set: $place to "at home") (set: $activity to "being idle") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity] Evening approaches. (set: _room to (random:1,3)) (if: _room is 1)[Twilight casts its violet, its indigo, its scarlet, its whispers upon the world.] (else-if: _room is 2)[The Sun is reddening, embarrassed about having to stoop so low.] (else-if: _room is 3)[The streetlamps have come on, startling you. One cannot keep being surprised like this.] (if: (random: 1, 2) > 1) [You've eaten your fill. One more for the Chinese tower. One more for the ants.] (else:) [The ants are all over the leftovers. You don't feel hungry today. It doesn't matter.] (if: $mind >1)[ (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0)[You're feeling ''inspired''. Tonight, the canvas seems like a slightly ajar door, ever so inviting.] (else-if: $attProgress's qt > 0)[You feel some ''small satisfaction'' with the painting - kindlings to stoke ambitious dreams later.] (else-if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[You're feeling ''restless''. You think you might paint. You might.] (else:)[You are now shuffling around your room as another day draws to a close. You haven't done much with yourself... thankfully.]] (else:)[You're bedbound. Your troubled thoughts sit heavily on your chest. Tonight might be the end.] --- <ol> (if: $mind >1)[ You: <li>[[Go to the canvas in the corner. You feel readier in the evening.->Storylet X1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> <li>[[Observe a sleeping Jesse.->Storylet A1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> <li>[[Observe the stack of Chinese takeouts.->Obs A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> <li>[[Approach your work desk.->Storylet B1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> Or... ] (else:)[You're currently too unwell to do anything else but stay in bed.] <li>(link: "Just sleep. You're still so tired.")[(print: $actionNap's effect)](print: $actionNap's desc)</li> </ol>

{= (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Dream") (set: $place to "nowhere") (set: $activity to "a fitful sleep") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $mind <2)[You've wished for a dreamless sleep. It was granted. What you have now is no dream. It is Hell - black and absolute, churning your mind incessantly. But you don't smell sulfur. You only smell the salt of your tears and the iron of your blood. Your gums must be bleeding again. If you don't do something soon, you will never be freed from this nightmare. But the nightmare in and of itself is a kind of freedom. Black and absolute. (You are at the end of your rope. One more hurt, and the story ends.) ] (else-if: $mind <5)[Tossing and turning, you finally sleep. And you dream of a vast desert of gray ash. When you gaze up at the sky, you do not see your beloved Sun. Where did She go? Your wings are tattered, and you wrap them around you like vagrants do with their rags. Your blistered feet are hurting, and they are only going to be more worn. ] (else-if: $mind <8)[You dream of better days, when you still had your wings, and all the swans in the lake were jealous of your down. Now, a man - a hunter - appears from the reeds and approaches you. In his hand is a gleaming knife, blade as broad as your forearm and shining like the Sun. He plunges at you. The brilliance glints off the metal. He misses. You are taking into the sky. Your feathers fall onto the Earth, and the ants carry them underground. ] (else:)[You are soaring across the heavens. You are swimming with the mermaids. You skewer one of them with your arrow, and the rest swarms and tears apart their sister's corpse. You are Apollo incarnate. Where you point your instrument, the truth of the matter is illuminated. Your light flays the skin of the world. And beneath it is a throbbing, oozing organ. The sight sends the Sun shuddering with delight. ] --- <ol> You: <li>(link: "Let it happen. Just... let it.")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (print: $actionDamage's desc)</li>  (if: $attProgress's qt >0)[ <li> (link: "Think of what you've accomplished, no matter how small.")[ (print: $attProgress's useEffect) (set: $dice to (random: 1,8)) (goto: "Dream A") ] (print: $attProgress's use)</li>  ] (else:)[<li>~~Think of what you've accomplished.~~ (You haven't done anything to be proud about.)</li>] (if: $attJesse01's qt >0)[ <li> (link: "Think happy thoughts.")[ (print: $attJesse01's useEffect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (print: $attJesse01's use)</li> ] (else:)[<li>~~Think happy thoughts.~~ (Too bad, nothing happy has happened today to think about.)</li>]    ] (print: $attInspiration's use)</li>] (else:)[<li>~~Recall in your mind the Sun~~ (You're not inspired enough to do this, and even if you were, you shouldn't do it while dreaming.)</li>]--> </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "pondering your trash mountain") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $lockManA is false)[(goto: "Man A")] Your record is ten boxes before the tower topples. You've learned that the tower will be more stable if there are leftover bones in the boxes. The ants will swarm more agressively, too. They're like black-and-red tendrils creeping up from the floorboard, like a glue that seeps between the spaces of your Chinese contraption. (link: "What else is there?")[Musty laundry piles, discarded wraps, fermenting juice bottles, and the attendant phorid flies are the rule here, nothing worth your special attention. Well, maybe the sanitary pads on the wall are a bit too much. It's not like you need them; you're just hard-headed. --- (link: "You'll get to them. All of them. One day.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) ]

{= (set: $activity to "in front of the unfinished painting") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $lockStoryletX0 is false)[(goto: "Storylet X0")]  (if: $time is "Evening")[It is dark outside, but your mind is afire. It is always good to work when the world sleeps. No-one will see. No-one will know. No-one will judge you.]  (else-if: $time is "Morning")[The Sun is still up. Your painting pales in its light. Still, you try to remember what you've been working on.] (link: "Closing your eyes...")[ (set: _art to (random:1,4)) (if: _art is 1)[Closing your eyes, you see in your mind a brilliant Sun. Its hundred flanges wiggling out into the void of your mind.] (else-if: _art is 2)[Closing your eyes, you see violet rays pulsating across the blackness of your lids, tracing the path with which the stars hurl through the void.] (else-if: _art is 3)[Closing your eyes, you see a red slit in space, where the air peels to reveal the dream behind all things.] (else-if: _art is 4)[Closing your eyes, you see the Sun's twin sister - red, rippling, and roiling beneath the surface of an obsidian lake.] (if: $attInspiration's qt is 0)[That is not what you see on the canvas. What you see here is your failure, rendered in dried, cracking oil.] (else:)[When you open your eyes again, you see that ghostly image impressed on the canvas, whose fabric quivers like waiting skin. You can make something out of yourself, yet.] --- <ol> <li>(link: "No sense in meditating on what you haven't done.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li> (if: $time is "Evening" and $attInspiration's qt > 0)[ <li> (link: "The time is right. The spirit is right. You are inspired to see your vision in paint.")[(print: $attInspiration's useEffect)(set: $choicePaintInspired to it + 1)(go-to: "Storylet X2b")](print: $attInspiration's use) </li>]  (else-if: $time is "Evening")[<li> (link: "You peel the flakes from the brushes and attempt. Again. Even if you're not inspired. Even if it hurts.")[(goto: "Storylet X2")](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li>]   (else-if: $attInspiration's qt > 0)[<li> ~~You are inspired to paint, but...~~ (Your inspiration, strong as it is, has come too early in the day. Are you merely lazy? Or are you afraid that the Sun is still watching?)</li>]  (else:)[<li>~~You peel the flakes from the brushes and attempt. Again.~~ (Perhaps later in the day. Always later. Your muse is Sun-shy, so you tell yourself.)</li>] </ol> ]

{  (set: $atInventory to false) (set: $worldState to 0) (set: $mind to 3) (set: $date to 1) (set: $time to "Morning") (set: $place to "at home") (set: $activity to "looking around")  (set: $choicePlayWithJesse to 0) (set: $choiceLaptop to 0) (set: $choiceHenriIgnore to 0) (set: $choicePaintRaw to 0) (set: $choicePaintPush to 0) (set: $choicePaintInspired to 0) (set: $choiceDreamA to 0) (set: $choiceDreamB to 0)  (set: $lockManA to false) (set: $lockStoryletX0 to false) (set: $lockDreamA to false) (set: $lockJesseX2 to false) (set: $lockHenriB to false) (set: $skipMidday1 to true) (set: $lockDreamC to false) (set: $lockHenriC to false) (set: $lockPartyRedirect to false) (set: $partyVisited to false) (set: $lockDreamG to false) (set: $lockPartyAlt to false) (set: $lockPartyA to false) (set: $lockPartyB to false) (set: $lockPartyC to false) (set: $lockHenriD to false) (set: $lockHenriVisit to false) (set: $lockLaptopB to false) (set: $lockDarkbloomA to false) (set: $lockDarkbloomA2 to false) (set: $lockDarkbloomB to false) (set: $skipMidday2 to true) (set: $skipMorning2 to true) (set: $lockJesseD to false) (set: $lockHenriF to false) (set: $lockHenriG to false) (set: $waitMorning2 to 0) (set: $lockDreamEStage1 to false) (set: $lockDreamEStage2 to false) (set: $lockPoliceA to false) (set: $busyHenriF to false) (set: $busyHenriG to false) (set: $shakenHenriG to false) (set: $talkHenriG to false) (set: $lockHenriH to false) (set: $waitHenri to 0) (set: $lockHenriH1 to false) (set: $choiceHenriH1a to false) (set: $busyHenriH2 to false) (set: $lockHenriH2a to false) (set: $lockHenriH2b to false) (set: $lockHenriI to false) (set: $lockHenriI1 to false) (set: $lockHenriI2 to false) (set: $lockHenriI3 to false) (set: $lockHenriI0 to false) (set: $lockHenriIminus1 to false) (set: $lockAmyX to false) (set: $lockAmyA to false) (set: $lockDreamAmy1 to false) (set: $lockAmyB to false) (set: $lockAmyB1 to false) (set: $lockAmyC to false) (set: $lockAmyC1 to false) (set: $lockAmyRejected to false) (set: $lockAmyE to false) (set: $lockAmyE4 to false) (set: $lockAmyE5 to false) (set: $AmyE6 to (dm: "qt", 0, "lock", false, )) (set: $lockJesseE to false) (set: $lockJesseE1 to false) (set: $lockTurnIn to false) (set: $lockGalaA to false) (set: $shakenDreamE to 0) (set: $lockDreamF to false) (set: $lockGalaB5 to false) (set: $lockGalaC6 to false) (set: $lockGalaC6a to false) (set: $lockGalaC6b to false) (set: $lockGalaD1 to false)  (set: $attJesse01 to (dm: "name", "A pleasant memory of Jesse", "desc", "How old is she? Five? Twelve? No matter; she's still a baby to you.", "gain", " (Gain (print: $attJesse01's name): You've gained an emotional buffer. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $attJesse01's qt to it + 1) (dialog: [You gained: <details><summary>''(print: $attJesse01's name)''</summary>(print: $attJesse01's desc)</details>], \"OK.\") ", "use", " (Expend (print: $attJesse01's name): Exhaust a good thing for a bit of relief. Time crawls forward.)", "useEffect", " (set: $attJesse01's qt to it - 1) (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [You spent: <details><summary>''(print: $attJesse01's name)''</summary>(print: $attJesse01's desc)</details> ... and felt better because of it.], \"OK.\")", "qt", 0, ) ) (set: $attRestlessness to (dm: "name", "Restlessness", "desc", "Frustrated energy. Hurts to have, hurts to let go. May motivate you to push through with certain tasks, but it will hurt.", "gain", " (Gain (print: $attRestlessness's name): You become restless, and though your mind suffers for it, it is nonetheless vital energy. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $attRestlessness's qt to it + 1)(set: $mind to it - 1) (dialog: [You gained: <details><summary>''(print: $attRestlessness's name)''</summary>(print: $attRestlessness's desc)</details> ... and were hurt by it.], \"OK.\") ", "use", " (Expend (print: $attRestlessness's name): Put your frustrated energy to work, even if it hurts. Time crawls forward.)", "useEffect", " (set: $attRestlessness's qt to it -1) (set: $mind to it - 1) (dialog: [You spent: <details><summary>''(print: $attRestlessness's name)''</summary>(print: $attRestlessness's desc)</details> ... and were hurt by it.], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, ) ) (set: $attProgress to (dm: "name", "Small Satisfaction", "desc", "One more chip off that mountain. You neither feel very good nor very bad, but something may come of this.", "gain", " (Gain (print: $attProgress's name): It's not much. Not at all. But it's there. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $attProgress's qt to it + 1) (dialog: [You gained: <details><summary>''(print: $attProgress's name)''</summary>(print: $attProgress's desc)</details>], \"OK.\") ", "use", " (Expend (print: $attProgress's name): Think of the small things you've done and be inspired. Time crawls forward.)", "useEffect", " (set: $attProgress's qt to it -1) (dialog: [You spent: <details><summary>''(print: $attProgress's name)''</summary>(print: $attProgress's desc)</details>], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, ) ) (set: $attInspiration to (dm: "name", "Inspiration", "desc", "Like a breath from the Sun, a light on your nape. By itself, not very useful, at least until it is put to work. Remember: Let the light in when you paint, but keep the blinds shut when you sleep.", "gain", " (Gain (print: $attInspiration's name): This light, it reveals the canvas, but be careful about what else it reveals. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $attInspiration's qt to it + 1) (dialog: [You gained: <details><summary>''(print: $attInspiration's name)''</summary>(print: $attInspiration's desc)</details>], \"OK.\") ", "use", " (Expend (print: $attInspiration's name): Your spirit is lifted up, and up towards the dazzling Sun. The light is warm. Too warm. Time crawls forward.)", "useEffect", " (set: $attInspiration's qt to it -1) (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [You spent: <details><summary>''(print: $attInspiration's name)''</summary>(print: $attInspiration's desc)</details> ... and felt better because of it.], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, ) ) (set: $attEmbarrassed to (dm: "name", "Shame", "desc", "Shame is something only a highly advanced cognition is capable of - what an embarrassing thing to think, let alone believe. You are less willing to do certain things.", "gain", " (Gain (print: $attEmbarrassed's name): Your ego is hurt. You become so small, and you mumble when you talk. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $attEmbarrassed's qt to it + 1) (set: $mind to it - 1) (dialog: [You gained: <details><summary>''(print: $attEmbarrassed's name)''</summary>(print: $attEmbarrassed's desc)</details> ... and were hurt by it.], \"OK.\")", "use", " (Expend (print: $attEmbarrassed's name): Stand up straight. Really, coyness annoys others. Time crawls forward.)", "useEffect", " (set: $attEmbarrassed's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [You spent: <details><summary>''(print: $attEmbarrassed's name)''</summary>(print: $attEmbarrassed's desc)</details>], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, ) ) (set: $attConfidence to (dm: "name", "Confidence", "desc", "... Or \"arrogance\" - pick your poison. You are less bothered by whether others might sneer at you or smile.", "gain", " (Gain (print: $attConfidence's name): You are surer of yourself, marginally. You feel a bit better as well. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $attConfidence's qt to it + 1) (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [You gained: <details><summary>''(print: $attConfidence's name)''</summary>(print: $attConfidence's desc)</details> ... and felt better because of it.], \"OK.\")", "use", " (Expend (print: $attConfidence's name): Do something bold and see that smirk disappear from your face. Doesn't hurt. Time crawls forward.)", "useEffect", " (set: $attConfidence's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [You spent: <details><summary>''(print: $attConfidence's name)''</summary>(print: $attConfidence's desc)</details>], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, ) ) (set: $attMad to (dm: "name", "Soul", "desc", "A secret light has leaked into the waking world and fallen into your eyes. This is what you've been pretending to have; this is what your art is missing.", "gain", " (Gain (print: $attMad's name): A light stains your mind!)", "gainEffect", " (set: $attMad's qt to it + 1) (dialog: [You gained: <details><summary>''(print: $attMad's name)''</summary>(print: $attMad's desc)</details> ... and things have changed.], \"OK.\") ", "use", " (Expend (print: $attMad's name): Reap this fruit. Time crawls forward.)", "useEffect", " (set: $attMad's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [You spent: <details><summary>''(print: $attMad's name)''</summary>(print: $attMad's desc)</details>], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, ) )  (set: $actionNap to (dm: "desc", " (It doesn't hurt. It doesn't help either. Time crawls forward.)", "effect", " (if: $time is \"Morning\")[(go-to: \"Midday \" + (string: $worldState))] (else-if: $time is \"Midday\")[(go-to: \"Evening \" + (string: $worldState))] (else-if: $time is \"Evening\")[(go-to: \"Dream \" + (string: $worldState))] (else-if: $time is \"Dream\")[(go-to: \"Morning \" + (string: $worldState))]", ) ) (set: $actionBack to (dm: "desc", " (Go back.)", "effect", "(go-to: $daily's name)", ) ) (set: $actionOnward to (dm: "desc", " (Move on with your life.)", "effect", " (if: $time is \"Morning\")[(go-to: \"Midday \" + (string: $worldState))] (else-if: $time is \"Midday\")[(go-to: \"Evening \" + (string: $worldState))] (else-if: $time is \"Evening\")[(go-to: \"Dream \" + (string: $worldState))] (else-if: $time is \"Dream\")[(go-to: \"Morning \" + (string: $worldState))]", ) ) (set: $actionCommit to (dm: "desc", " (Commit. Begin something time consuming.)", ) ) (set: $actionObs to (dm: "desc", " (Looking shouldn't cost you anything.)", ) ) (set: $actionDamage to (dm: "desc", " (Your mind falters ever so slightly. Time crawls forward.)", "effect", " (set: $mind to it - 1) (dialog: [Your mind was hurt by this.], \"OK.\") (replace: ?mindStat)[$mind] ", ) )  (set: $eventParty to (dm: "desc", "Henri's party is (if: $eventParty's timer > 0)[in (print: $eventParty's timer) day(if: $eventParty's timer > 1)[s]. Will it kill you to be there?](else-if: $eventParty's timer is 0)[today.](else:)[over.]", "timer", 7, "know", false, "onTrigger", " (set: $eventParty's know to true) (set: $eventParty's timer to 7) (dialog: [A week from now, there will be a party on your floor.], \"Noted.\") ", ) ) (set: $eventEmail to (dm: "desc", "(if: $eventEmail's progress < 5)[You've corresponded with the Darkbloom Foundation a total of (print: $eventEmail's progress) time(if: $eventEmail's progress > 1)[s].](else:)[You've submitted all you could to the Darkbloom Foundation.]", "progress", 0, "wait", 0, "know", false, "gain", " (Finish up.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $eventEmail's progress to it + 1) (dialog: [(if: $eventEmail's progress is 5)[You send the email. That should be the last thing they need, for now. A reply will come some time in the near future.](else:)[You send in what the Darkbloom Foundation has requested. Check back later to see if they need something else, still.]], \"OK.\") ", "onTrigger", " (set: $eventEmail's know to true) (dialog: [You've begun corresponding with the Darkbloom Foundation. It will take several back-and-forths to complete your application.], \"OK.\") ", ) ) (set: $eventCleanup to (dm: "desc", "(if: $eventCleanup's progress <10)[You're cleaning up the apartment and have been at it (print: $eventCleanup's progress) time(if: $eventCleanup's progress >1)[s]. (if: $eventCleanup's progress > 7)[It's close to done.]](else:)[You're done. The trash is gone, and so are the ants.]", "progress", 0, "start", false, "gain", " (Take out the trash bags. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $eventCleanup's progress to it + 1) (dialog: [(if: $eventCleanup's progress is 10)[It's done. That's the last of the most visible trash.](else:)[The apartment marginally improves.]], \"OK.\") ", "onTrigger", " (set: $eventCleanup's start to true) (dialog: [You've finally begun to address the trash problem. It will take repeated effort until the place is decent, and all the ants are gone.], \"OK.\") ", ) ) (set: $eventShow to (dm: "name", "The Greeting Gala", "wait1", 0, "know", false, "timer", 15, "onTrigger", " (set: $eventShow's know to true) (set: $eventShow's timer to 15) (dialog: [The deadline for Greeting Gala will be in ''(print: $eventShow's timer) days'', but you'll have to start traveling a day before that. Your painting - you'll need to make another ''breakthrough'' before then.], \"But how?\") ", "desc", "(if: $eventShow's timer > 0)[The Greeting Gala will take place (if: $eventShow's timer > 1)[in ''(print: $eventShow's timer) day(if: $eventShow's timer>1)[s]''(else:)[]](else:)[tomorrow], and you'll have to start traveling (if: $eventShow's timer > 1)[a day before that](else:)[''now''].](else-if: $eventShow's timer is 0)[The Greeting Gala is today. It'll be near closing by the time you get there.](else:)[The Greeting Gala is over.]", "submit", false, "wait2", 5, ) ) (set: $eventPainting to (dm: "name", "Attempting Another Breakthrough", "ready1", false, "A1", false, "A2", false, "A3", false, "B1", false, "B2", false, "B3", false, "C1", false, "C2", false, "C3", false, "turned-in", false, ) ) (set: $storyHenri to (dm: "name", "''Relationship:'' Henri", "desc", "Henri is a brilliant scholar living on the same floor as you. He is the kind of man you are supposed to be with.", "gain", " ''(Gain (print: $storyHenri's name):'' You earn some goodwill from (and towards) Henri. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $storyHenri's qt to it + 1) (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [You've made a stride with <details><summary>''(print: $storyHenri's name)''</summary>(print: $storyHenri's desc)</details> ... and felt better because of it.], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, ) ) (set: $storyAmy to (dm: "name", "''Want:'' Amy", "desc", "The young, beautiful, and gifted Amy is grieving her missing aunt, and you are there for her.", "gain", " ''(Gain (print: $storyAmy's name):'' You've gotten closer to Amy. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $storyAmy's qt to it + 1) (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [You've made a stride with <details><summary>''(print: $storyAmy's name)''</summary>(print: $storyAmy's desc)</details> ... and felt better for it.], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, "progress", 0, "gainProgress", " (if: $storyAmy's progress is 0)[ (dialog: [In the end, Amy thanks you and says that she plans to come back every other day, now that her semester is coming to an end.], \"That's good to hear.\") ] (if: $storyAmy's progress > 0)[ (dialog: [You stand at the window and watch her leave. There she is, down in the parking lot, a mere speck on the concrete. She waves up at you, gets in her car, and drives into the foggy afternoon. This is slowly becoming a ritual.], \"Your cup fills, ever so slowly.\") ] (set: $storyAmy's progress to it + 1)", "decline", 0, "visit", 0, ) ) (set: $storyArt to (dm: "name", "''Breakthrough:'' The \"magnum opus\"", "desc", "The thing - once dead, now glistening with new life - sighs in satisfaction. Ecstasy. A new Sun is being birthed. More. You are so close, oh expectant mother.", "gain", " ''(Gain (print: $storyArt's name):'' You gain significant progress with the painting. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $storyArt's qt to it + 1) (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [You've made a stride with <details><summary>''(print: $storyArt's name)''</summary>(print: $storyArt's desc)</details> ... and felt better because of it.], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, ) ) (set: $storyAnts to (dm: "name", "''Mission:'' Eradication", "desc", "Those red-and-black creatures have grown so bold. There is a limit to your mercy! You're determined to do something... //biblical//.", "gain", " ''(Advance (print: $storyAnts's name):'' You're making steps to address the ant problem. Time crawls forward.)", "gainEffect", " (set: $storyAnts's qt to it + 1) (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [You've made a stride with <details><summary>''(print: $storyAnts's name)''</summary>(print: $storyAnts's desc)</details> ... and felt better because of it.], \"OK.\") ", "qt", 0, "vetDay", 0, "medicine", 0, "medicineMiss", 0, "medicineCalc", "(set: $storyAnts's medicineMiss to $date - 1 - $storyAnts's vetDay - $storyAnts's medicine)(if: $storyAnts's medicineMiss < 0)[(set: $storyAnts's medicineMiss to 0)]", "medicineDesc", "(if: $storyAnts's medicine < 7)[You have given Jesse her daily medicine a total of (print: $storyAnts's medicine) time(if: $storyAnts's medicine is not 1)[s] out of 7. You've missed (print: $storyAnts's medicineMiss) day(if: $storyAnts's medicineMiss is not 1)[s].](else:)[You've given Jesse all the medicine you have.]", ) ) }

{= (set: $activity to "observing Jesse") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $time is "Evening")[ Jesse is a morning cat. Right now, she is snoring softly. You don't dare wake her. It'll break your heart. --- <ol> <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse.~~ (She is sleeping.) (print: $actionBack's desc) <li>(link: "The best you can do is admire her from a distance. Otherwise, you leave her to her beauty sleep.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]  (else:)[ Jesse blinks at you lazily. Without judgment. She's just glad you're awake. You'll give her everything you have. And in your case, all you have is time. --- <ol> <li>(link: "She's the light of your day and night. Playing with her makes you feel better.")[ (goto: "Storylet A2") ] (print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> <li>(link: "There will always be time for her, just not now.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)](print: $actionBack's desc)</li> ]

(link: "Take the leap.")[(dialog: [You jump...], "And?")(goto: "codeTest02")] (dialog: [You gained: (print: $attRestlessness's name)], "OK.")

[One]<Text1|(hide:?Text1) [Two]<Text2|(hide:?Text2) [Three]<Text3|(hide:?Text3) (set: _text to (random: 1,3)) (if: _text is 1)[(show:?Text1)] (if: _text is 2)[(show:?Text2)] (if: _text is 3)[(show:?Text3)]

{= (set: $activity to "at work desk")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You crawl towards the low table. Somewhere among the empty soda bottles, the crumpled draft paper, the nail clippings, the frayed cables, and the ants, there is a (link: "laptop.")[laptop. You-know-who bought you this laptop for your thirty-fifth birthday. That person is no more, but the gift is still here. Still whirling and wheezing through the crust that chokes its vents. Still sending out your CV boasting about things you've done long ago, with a photo of you from better days. (link: "...")[Once in a while, you would check your email inbox. You've been waiting for a a piece of good news - commissions, salaried positions, grants, anything - for... very long. There is hope yet.]] --- <ol> (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0) [<li>(link: "There's a chance...") [(goto: "Storylet B2")](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li>] (else:)[<li>~~It shouldn't hurt to check.~~ (You're currently restless and have no patience for reading rejection letters.)</li>] <li>(link: "Ah, but only fools hope, and you know better.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li>

{= (set: $activity to "playing with Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] *"Miu!"* (link: "You toss her stuffed mouse across the room.")[You toss her stuffed mouse across the room. She darts towards the toy, knocking away empty plastic bottles and takeout boxes. (link: "She's fast!")[She's fast! Already, she is bringing the toy back to you. (link: "You let out an 'aw'.")[You let out an 'aw' as she plops the toy down at your lap and begins purring. (link: "You scratch her behind the ears.")[You scratch her behind the ears. Her fur is soft. It has been a while since you last showered her, but she takes care of herself well. You can stand to learn a lot from her. (link: "You throw the toy again.")[You throw the toy again, and she chases after it, less enthusiastic this time. Time flies when you're having fun. --- (link: "It's the little things that help the most.")[ (print: $attJesse01's gainEffect) (set: $choicePlayWithJesse to it + 1) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attJesse01's gain) ]]]]]

{= (set: $time to "The reaping hour") (set: $place to "nowhere") (set: $activity to "judgment") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (If: $mind < 1)[ While your body stirs awake to a lonely night, your mind is too weak to do likewise. Your Sun - lovely and terrible - is dashed away, shattered, pieces falling into a black void. You are now crawling about with the ants, letting them overtake you and lead your tired flesh. You follow them. Wherever you'll go tonight, whatever you'll do, you will not see your Sun again tomorrow. Count yourself lucky. --- (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[<h2>(link: "A stillborn tale. A premature end.")[(reload:)]</h2>] ]  (else:)[ Well done. You've made it through another night. That means you'll have to make it through another day. The Sun beckons. --- (link-goto: "Continue.", "newDay") ]

{= (append: ?SideBar)[  Mind: [$mind]<mindStat|  (unless: $time is "Midday" or (passage:)'s name is "newDay")[ (link-rerun: "SET MIND")[ (dialog: bind $mind, "Set mind stat", "0", "1", "2", "5", "10", "12",) (set: $mind to (number: $mind)) (replace: ?mindStat)[$mind] ] (link: "Check self")[ (if: $atInventory is false)[ (redirect:"Inventory") ] (else:)[ (set: $atInventory to false) (redirect: (history:)'s last) ] ] ] ]

{= (set: _text to (a: " *\"Thank you for your interest in our gallery...\"*", " *\"... peace talks breaking down amidst allegations of...\"*", " *\"Earn passive income with affiliated marketing, here's...\"*", " *\"... Our curatorial team regrets to inform you of...\"*", " *\"... a series of disappearances...\"*", " *\"... the position you applied for is very competitive, and...\"*", " *\"... the catatonia-like conditions dubbed mannequin's...\"*", " *\"Are you still there? Are you alive or dead? I've...'*", " *\"Donate to your alma mater - for the future of the arts...\"*", )) (set: _result to 0) (set: _trial to 0) (link-rerun: "Click.")[ (if: _result < 9)[ (set: _result to it +1)] (else:)[(set: _result to 1)] (print: _text's _result) (set:_trial to it + 1) (if: _trial > 12)[ Nothing new, it seems. What did you expect? It's not like you've done anything of note since you last checked. (if: $time is "Morning")[But the Sun - the beautiful Sun - is already gone while you stare at a dim and false light.](else:)[Instead of trying to convince others that you can paint, you could have spent tonight //actually// painting. Now, it's too late, and you're tired.] --- (link: "You feel anxious. More than you already have.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (set: $choiceLaptop to it + 1) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attRestlessness's gain) ] ]

{= (link: "Set the oil onto the palette.")[The old oil resists you. The turpentine stings your nose. (link: "Now, try your best.")[Swish, swash, swiggly. (link: "And?")[For a moment, you thought you've made a breakthrough. But no. You're only making it worse. (set: _result to (random: 1,3)) (if: _result is 1)[Happy accidents are happier if left well enough alone - a lesson you seem to always forget.] (else-if: _result is 2)[With each stroke of the brush, you gradually remember why you stopped.] (else-if: _result is 3)[The painting isn't completely ruined, but you can't say the same for the evening.] ---- <ol> (if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[<li>(link: "You can power through. You know you can. You're so angry, but at what?")[ (print: $attRestlessness's useEffect) (set: $choicePush to it + 1) (go-to:"Storylet X3a")] (print: $attRestlessness's use)</li>] (else:)[<li>~~You can power through. You know you can. You're so angry, but at what?~~ (You're not restless enough. You're not restful either. You're just tired.)</li>  <li>(link:"Disappointed. Frustrated. You're used to it. And what do you when you feel this way? You sleep.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (set: $choiceRaw to it + 1) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attRestlessness's gain)</li>] </ol> ]]]

{= (link: "Once more, with //feeling//.")[You drum the canvas with your brush, as though punishing your own skin. (link: "How did you do?")[You step back and gaze upon what you've done. It's hard to tell if it's significant progress or even good progress, but it is progress. (link: "It's OK.")[You catch yourself smiling, so you put a stop to that. There's still a long way to go. --- (link: "Don't spoil a good thing. You've done enough for now.")[ (print: $attProgress's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attProgress's gain) ]]]

(set: $atInventory to true) (link: "<= RETURN")[(set: $atInventory to false)(redirect: (history:)'s last)] ''Attributes:'' {<ul> <li> (print: $attJesse01's name): [(print: $attJesse01's qt)]<attJesse01| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $attJesse01's qt, "Set attJesse01", "0", "1", ) (set: $attJesse01's qt to (number: $attJesse01's qt)) (replace: ?attJesse01)[(print: $attJesse01's qt)] ]</li> <li> (print: $attRestlessness's name): [(print: $attRestlessness's qt)]<attRestlessness| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $attRestlessness's qt, "Set attRestlessness", "0", "1", ) (set: $attRestlessness's qt to (number: $attRestlessness's qt)) (replace: ?attRestlessness)[(print: $attRestlessness's qt)] ]</li> <li> (print: $attProgress's name): [(print: $attProgress's qt)]<attProgress| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $attProgress's qt, "Set attProgress", "0", "1", ) (set: $attProgress's qt to (number: $attProgress's qt)) (replace: ?attProgress)[(print: $attProgress's qt)] ]</li> <li> (print: $attInspiration's name): [(print: $attInspiration's qt)]<attInspiration| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $attInspiration's qt, "Set attInspiration", "0", "1", ) (set: $attInspiration's qt to (number: $attInspiration's qt)) (replace: ?attInspiration)[(print: $attInspiration's qt)] ]</li> <li> (print: $attEmbarrassed's name): [(print: $attEmbarrassed's qt)]<attEmbarrassed| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $attEmbarrassed's qt, "Set attEmbarrassed", "0", "1", ) (set: $attEmbarrassed's qt to (number: $attEmbarrassed's qt)) (replace: ?attEmbarrassed)[(print: $attEmbarrassed's qt)] ]</li> <li> (print: $attConfidence's name): [(print: $attConfidence's qt)]<attConfidence| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $attConfidence's qt, "Set attConfidence", "0", "1", ) (set: $attConfidence's qt to (number: $attConfidence's qt)) (replace: ?attConfidence)[(print: $attConfidence's qt)] ]</li> <li> (print: $attMad's name): [(print: $attMad's qt)]<attMad| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $attMad's qt, "Set attMad", "0", "1", ) (set: $attMad's qt to (number: $attMad's qt)) (replace: ?attMad)[(print: $attMad's qt)] ]</li> </ul>} ''Story:'' {<ul> <li> (print: $storyHenri's name): [(print: $storyHenri's qt)]<storyHenri| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $storyHenri's qt, "Set storyHenri", "0", "1", "2","3","4","5","6",) (set: $storyHenri's qt to (number: $storyHenri's qt)) (replace: ?storyHenri)[(print: $storyHenri's qt)] ]</li> <li> [(print: $eventParty's desc)]<eventParty| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $eventParty's timer, "Set eventParty", "-1", "0", "1", "2","3","4", "5", "6", "7",) (set: $eventParty's timer to (number: $eventParty's timer)) (replace: ?eventParty)[(print: $eventParty's desc)] ]</li> <li> (print: $storyArt's name): [(print: $storyArt's qt)]<storyArt| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $storyArt's qt, "Set storyArt", "0", "1", "2","3","4",) (set: $storyArt's qt to (number: $storyArt's qt)) (replace: ?storyArt)[(print: $storyArt's qt)] ]</li> <li> [(print: $eventEmail's desc)]<eventEmail| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $eventEmail's progress, "Set eventEmail", "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5",) (set: $eventEmail's progress to (number: $eventEmail's progress)) (replace: ?eventEmail)[(print: $eventEmail's desc)] ]</li> <li> [(print: $eventShow's desc)]<eventShow| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $eventShow's timer, "Set eventShow", "-1", "0", "1", "2", "5", "10", "15",) (set: $eventShow's timer to (number: $eventShow's timer)) (replace: ?eventShow)[(print: $eventShow's desc)] ]</li> <li> (print: $storyAnts's name): [(print: $storyAnts's qt)]<storyAnts| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $storyAnts's qt, "Set storyAnts", "0", "1", "2", "3", "4",) (set: $storyAnts's qt to (number: $storyAnts's qt)) (replace: ?storyAnts)[(print: $storyAnts's qt)] ]</li> <li> [(print: $eventCleanup's desc)]<eventCleanup| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $eventCleanup's progress, "Set eventCleanup", "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "10",) (set: $eventCleanup's progress to (number: $eventCleanup's progress)) (replace: ?eventCleanup)[(print: $eventCleanup's desc)] ]</li> <li> (print: $storyAmy's name): [(print: $storyAmy's qt)]<storyAmy| (link-rerun: " set")[ (dialog: bind $storyAmy's qt, "Set storyAmy", "0", "1", "2","3","4","5","6",) (set: $storyAmy's qt to (number: $storyAmy's qt)) (replace: ?storyAmy)[(print: $storyAmy's qt)] ]</li> </ul>}

{= (set: $place to "nowhere") (set: $activity to "a dream of light") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $lockDreamA is false)[(set: $lockDreamA to true)] (else:)[(goto: "Dream A1")] (link:"Is it...")[Is... is it an idea you feel? A waft of life through those windows? A light at the end of this tunnel? (link: "Yes.")[Yes, it's the Sun. Oh, that perfect visage! What joy to behold it once again, if only in this dream, for real daylight shines too terribly. (link: "You are determined.")[You are determined to make something of yourself when you finally awake. But this dream is too sweet to wake... --- (link: "There is a sting and a sniffle in your nose. You laugh and let the tears flow.")[ (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (set: $choiceDreamA to it + 1) (goto: "DeathCheck") ](print: $attInspiration's gain)</li>  ]]]

{= (align:"==><==")+(box:"X")[ Day [$date]<date|: [$time]<time|, [$place]<place|, [$activity]<activity|. ] ---

{= (set: $date to it + 1)(replace: ?date)[$date] (set: $time to "Morning")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "back to this world")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $eventParty's know is true)[(set: $eventParty's timer to it -1)]  (if: $eventEmail's know is true and $eventEmail's wait is > 0)[(set: $eventEmail's wait to it -1)]  (if: $eventEmail's progress is 5)[(set: $eventShow's wait1 to it -1)]  (if: $eventShow's know is true)[(set: $eventShow's timer to it -1)]  (if: $eventShow's submit is true)[(set: $eventShow's wait2 to it -1)]  (set: $lockHenriVisit to false)  (if: $worldState is 2 and $eventParty's timer < -4)[ (set: $waitMorning2 to it + 1) (if: $waitMorning2 > 4)[(set: $waitMorning2 to 1)] ]  (if: $waitHenri > 0)[(set: $waitHenri to it - 1)]  (set: $shakenHenriG to false)  (if: $lockDreamEStage2 is true and $shakenDreamE > 0)[(set: $shakenDreamE to it - 1)]  (set: $busyHenriH2 to false)  (if: $lockJesseE1 is true and $storyAnts's medicine < 7)[(print: $storyAnts's medicineCalc)]  (if: $last is "Gala B5" and $worldState is 2)[(set: $place to "the motel near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place]] (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[It is now ''day $date''.] --- (link: "Wake up.")[ (if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "Gala C")] (else:)[(goto: "Morning " + (string: $worldState))] ]

{= (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Midday") (set: $place to "at home") (set: $activity to "being idle") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $mind <2 and $lockJesseX2 is false) [(goto: "Jesse X")]  (else-if: $attInspiration's qt > 0 and $choiceHenriIgnore is 0) [(goto: "Henri 0")]  (else-if: $date > 4 and $choiceHenriIgnore is 0) [(goto: "Henri 0")]  (else-if: $date > 4 and $choiceHenriIgnore is 1) [(goto: "Henri A")]  (else-if: $attInspiration's qt is 0 and $choiceHenriIgnore is 0 and $date < 5)[ (set: _idleText to (random:1,3)) (if: _idleText is 1)[The day is hot, and the flies are buzzing. A dozen ants or so have taken interest in the you-shaped stain on your mattress. Does that mean you're sweet?] (if: _idleText is 2)[Already, you've forgotten what you've been doing all day. Scratching yourself raw, perhaps? Your skin is dotted with ant bites.] (if: _idleText is 3)[When you've found the time, you can only doodle and eat away your meager savings. These things don't bring you pleasure, but you do them anyway.] --- (link: "Nothing of note happens. That's not unusual.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc)  ]

{= (if: $worldState < 1)[(set: $worldState to 1)] (set: $activity to "talking to Henri") (replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $time to "Midday")(replace: ?time)[$time] You open your door just enough for Henri to hear you, but not enough for him to see you. He's being friendly and polite, asking you about how you've been. You know he's trying his best not to scrunch up his nose. Even you can smell it - your apartment. You. (link: "What does he want?")[(show: ?hidden1)] [Henri's trying to be coy about it, but apparently, he has just landed a teaching position. Or was he promoted? Or won a grant? You're not sure. You can't concentrate too well. (link: "Why is he telling you all of this?")[(show: ?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [He's throwing a party. Everyone on this floor is invited, especially the "resident artist". "Artist". The word sounds like an insult, but you remind yourself that it isn't about you. (link: "Congratulations, but...")[(show: ?hidden3)]]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //"I know,"// he says. //"But just this once, please? I'll make it up to you."// His smile says otherwise, but you know he pities you. (link: "You tell him...")[(show: ?choices)]]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ --- <ol> You tell him: (if: $mind <3)[ <li>~~I'd love to leave my bed and be around people.~~ (You're not well enough to muster up the strength to say "yes", even if it's a false one.)</li> ] (else:)[<li>(link: "Yeah... sure.")[(goto: "Storylet C2b")]</li>] <li>(link: "That you should close the door soon, or Jesse is apt to run outside. But congratulations though.")[(goto: "Storylet C2a")]</li> </ol>]<choices|(hide: ?choices)

{= (set: $time to "Midnight") (set: $place to "nowhere") (set: $activity to "gaining your bearing") (set: $date to 0)(replace: ?date)[$date] (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity] (align:"=><=")[<h2>About</h2>] PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER PLACEHOLDER --- (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[<h2>[[BEGIN PLAYING->Start 2]]</h2> ]

{= (link: "You find yourself unmoored from reality.")[You find yourself unmoored from reality. Whacky things are happening. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Choose A")[(set: $sampleVariable to 1)(goto: "Start 3")] (Some words about A. Onward.)</li> <li>(link: "Choose B")[(set: $sampleVariable to 2)(goto: "Start 3")] (Some words about B. Onward.)</li> </ol>  ]

{= (if: $sampleVariable is 1)[Acknowledgement that you've chosen A.] (else:)[Acknowledgement that you've chosen B.] --- <ol> <li>[[Either way, let's begin->newDay]]</li> </ol>

{= (if: $worldState < 1)[(set: $worldState to 1)] (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Morning") (set: $place to "at home") (set: $activity to "being idle") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 0)[(goto: "Ants A")] A new day. (display: "Mood")  (set: _status to (random:1,3)) (if: _status is 1)[ (if: $storyAnts's qt is not 2)[Jesse has ran and hid from the ants. You are left with the insects, which are crawling up your legs this very instance.] (else:)[Now that the ants have been driven back, temporarily, Jesse rejoins your side for her morning rubs. There are blisters on her face where the ant bites have not healed.] ] (else-if: _status is 2)[ (if: $storyArt's qt < 1)[The unfinished painting taunts you from the corner of the apartment. The Sun it depicts beg you - its hesitant midwife - to finish the job.] (else-if: $storyArt's qt is 1)[Against all reason, it crosses your mind to reactive your social media accounts. And maybe, you might take a photo of your unfinished painting and... Truly, you've lost all jurisprudence.] (else-if: $storyArt's qt > 1)[When you are ready, you will set brush to task. The world needs to see the Sun in its most perfected splendor.] ] (else-if: _status is 3)[ (if: $attConfidence's qt >0 and $attEmbarrassed's qt <1)[Today, when you think about talking to people, you no longer imagine them sneering at you. The thought disturbs you greatly.] (else-if: $attConfidence's qt >0 and $attEmbarrassed's qt >0)[Through your window, you see a woman below, walking from the parking lot towards your building. The woman trips, sending several doughnuts flying from her hands. You snicker. Truly, there is always someone watching and laughing.] (else-if: $attConfidence's qt <1 and $attEmbarrassed's qt >0)[The stench has grown unbearable, even though you've been its friend for years now. Perhaps all friends turn on each other, eventually.] (else:)[You don't feel like talking to anyone today, online or off.] ]  (if: $eventParty's know is true and $eventParty's timer >-2)[(print: $eventParty's desc) (if: $storyHenri's qt > 1 and $eventParty's timer >-1)[After all, Henri is always so nice to you. The best you can do is shower and pretend to be human for one evening.] ]  (if: $eventEmail's know is true and $eventEmail's progress < 5)[(if: $eventParty's know is true and $eventParty's timer >-1)[But then again... ]You still need to send in whatever Darkbloom people have requested. ] (else-if: $eventShow's wait1 > 0)[You’re currently waiting for the Darkbloom Foundation’s final reply. ]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 and $eventCleanup's progress < 10)[(if: $eventParty's know is true and $eventParty's timer >-1)[Then there's also... ]The trash, it's everywhere. It'll continue to attract ants so long as it remains. (if: $storyHenri's qt > 1)[If there's a time to ask for help, it'd be now.] ] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[At least you’re living in a clean and antless place. Relatively. ] --- <ol> (if: $mind>1)[You:  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[<li>(link: "Approach the ant-infested piles of trash around the apartment.")[(goto: "Ant B")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>] (else:)[<li>(link: "Inspect the apartment's cleanliness. It's still cluttered, but the ants are largely gone.")[(goto: "Ant B")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>] <li>[[Observe the canvas in the corner.->Storylet X1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>  <li>(if: $eventEmail's progress is 5)[[[Your laptop: You're waiting for the Darkbloom Foundation's final verdict.->Laptop A]]](else-if: $eventEmail's know is true)[[[Crawl to your laptop; your application to the Darkbloom Foundation won't complete itself. ->Laptop A]]](else:)[[Crawl to your laptop.->Laptop A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> <li>[[Look for Jesse. Maybe she still likes to play, after everything.->Jesse A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> (if: $storyHenri's qt > 3)[ Then, there's Henri... <li>(link: "Consider paying Henri a visit.")[ (goto: "Henri E") ] (Just thinking about it won't cost you anything yet.)] Or...] (else:)[You're currently too unwell to do anything else but stay in bed.]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[ <li>(link: "You want to lay down, but it will mean subjecting your flesh and mind to the six-legged menace.")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $actionDamage's desc)</li> ]  (else:)[ <li>(link: "Go back to sleep. You're feeling overwhelmed.")[(print: $actionNap's effect)](print: $actionNap's desc)</li> ]

{= (if: $worldState < 1)[(set: $worldState to 1)] (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Evening") (set: $place to "at home") (set: $activity to "being idle") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity] Evening approaches.  (if: $eventParty's timer is 0 and $lockPartyRedirect is false)[(goto: "Party Entry")] (else-if: $eventParty's timer is 0)[You can hear music echoing down the hallway. It's not too late for you to (link-goto: "join", "Party Entry")(if: $mind <5)[, though you're sure you won't make it out alive].]  (if: $storyAnts's qt < 1)[(goto: "Evening 0")] (set: _room to (random:1,3)) (if: _room is 1)[The hues of twilight are many. They are the fragmented brilliance of the great Sun.] (else-if: _room is 2)[Already, you miss the Sun like a child misses her mother. Your painting in the corner is a lamentation for this lack.] (else-if: _room is 3)[You hear footsteps out in the hallway. Couples returning from work. Children chattering. And here you are, waiting for their echoes to end.] (if: (random: 1, 2) > 1) [Your stomach growls. You must have eaten, but you don't remember, and neither does your body.] (else:) [(if: $storyAnts's qt < 2)[There are several lines of ants marching towards your Chinese takeout. They must be warring factions, so you imagine. If only they would decimate one another for you. That'd be a relief.](else:)[The apartment air stings with residual disinfectant.]] (if: $mind >1)[ (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0)[You're feeling ''inspired''. Tonight, the canvas seems like a slightly ajar door, ever so inviting.] (else-if: $attProgress's qt > 0)[You feel some ''small satisfaction'' with the painting - kindlings to stoke ambitious dreams later.] (else-if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[You're feeling ''restless''. You think you might paint. You might.] (else:)[You are now shuffling around your room as another day draws to a close. You haven't done much with yourself... thankfully.]] (else:)[You're bedbound. Your troubled thoughts sit on your chest like a stack of stones. Tonight might be the end.] --- <ol> (if: $mind >1)[ You: (if: $eventParty's timer is 0)[<li>[[Consider joining Henri's house party.->Party Entry]] (Thinking about it shouldn't cost you anything.) ] <li>[[Go to your unfinished painting. The day's ending, and you've no more excuses.->Storylet X1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 0)[ <li>[[Observe a sleeping Jesse.->Storylet A1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>] (else:)[ <li>[[Check up on Jesse's condition.->Jesse B]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>]  (if: $storyAnts's qt <1) [<li>[[Observe the stack of Chinese takeouts.->Obs A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[<li>(link: "Approach the ant-infested piles of trash around the apartment.")[(goto: "Ant B")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>] (else:)[<li>(link: "Inspect the apartment's cleanliness. It's still cluttered, but the ants are largely gone.")[(goto: "Ant B")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li>]  <li>(if: $eventEmail's progress is 5)[[[Your laptop: You're waiting for the Darkbloom Foundation's final verdict.->Laptop A]]](else-if: $eventEmail's know is true)[[[Crawl to your laptop; your application to the Darkbloom Foundation won't complete itself. ->Laptop A]]](else:)[[Crawl to your laptop.->Laptop A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> (if: $eventParty's timer is 0)[ <li> (link: "Consider joining Henri's party.")[ (goto: "Party Entry") ] (Consideration shouldn't hurt... until you make a decision.) </li>] (if: $storyHenri's qt > 3)[ Then, there's Henri... <li>(link: "Consider paying Henri a visit.")[ (goto: "Henri E") ] (Just thinking about it won't cost you anything yet.)] Or... ] (else:)[You're currently too unwell to do anything else but stay in bed.]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3) [ <li>(link: "You want to lay down, but it will mean subjecting your flesh and mind to the six-legged menace.")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $actionDamage's desc)</li> ]  (else:)[ <li>(link: "Go back to sleep. You're feeling overwhelmed.")[(print: $actionNap's effect)](print: $actionNap's desc)</li> ]

{= (if: $worldState < 1)[(set: $worldState to 1)] (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Midday") (set: $place to "at home") (set: $activity to "being idle") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $partyDelayedReward is true and $lockHenriD is false)[(set: $skipMidday1 to true)(goto: "Henri D")]  (else-if: $eventParty's timer is -1 and $partyVisited is false and $lockPartyAlt is false)[(set: $skipMidday1 to true)(goto: "Party Alt")]  (else-if: $mind <2 and $lockJesseX2 is false) [(goto: "Jesse X")]  (else-if: $eventParty's know is false)[(set: $skipMidday1 to true)(goto: "Henri A")]  (else-if: $skipMidday1 is true)[(set: $skipMidday1 to false)(show: ?default)]  (else-if: $eventParty's know is true and $storyAnts's qt > 0 and $lockHenriB is false)[(set: $skipMidday1 to true)(goto: "Henri B")]  (else-if: $eventParty's know is true and $storyAnts's qt > 0 and $lockHenriC is false)[(set: $skipMidday1 to true)(goto: "Henri C")]  (else-if: $eventEmail's know is false and $eventParty's timer < -2 and $lockLaptopB is false)[(set: $skipMidday1 to true)(goto: "Laptop B")]  (else:)[(show: ?default)]  [(set: _idleText to (random:1,3)) (if: _idleText is 1)[(if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[Today, when you accidentally open an old food box (and are hit with a sour wind), you see that the inside is filled with ants. You lose your appetite for lunch completely and go back to bed.](else:)[You look around the apartment and admire how much you've managed to clean it up. How was that even possible? Your gladness fades somewhat when you remember that you'll have to keep doing this forever.]] (if: _idleText is 2)[You find yourself thinking about the people at the old gallery, the old teaching job, the... but you can conjure up no feeling other than anger - at yourself.] (if: _idleText is 3)[Some time today, you spent upwards of two hours with your ears very close to the ground. Is it the neighbors' voice? Or is it the sloshing of blood in your head?] --- (link: "Nothing of note happens. That's not unusual.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc) ]<default|

{= (if: $worldState < 1)[(set: $worldState to 1)] (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Dream") (set: $place to "nowhere") (set: $activity to "a fitful sleep") (replace: ?time)[$time] (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $eventParty's timer is 0 and $partyVisited is false and $lockDreamG is false)[(goto: "Dream G")]  (else-if: $mind < 2 and $lockDreamC is false)[ The world is tar-black, and you're sinking. What have you been doing? You can't remember. Not fight the tar, certainly. Maybe you've been crying. For how long? (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[Are those tears crawling down your cheeks? Or are they ants?] (link: "//\"Miu!\"//")[//"Miu!"// You hear her. She's calling for you from somewhere above. You gaze into the darkness. There is only a single star, far in the distance, twinkling, call out for you, your last hope out of here. --- (link: "You reach towards the light.")[(goto: "Dream C")] ]]  (else-if: $lockDreamF is false)[(goto: "Dream F")]   (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[ (set: _ant to (random: 1,10)) (if: _ant <5)[(goto: "Dream D")] (else:)[(goto: "Dream 0")] ] (else:)[(goto: "Dream 0")]

{=  (if: $storyArt's qt <1)[You feel elated.] (else:)[Inspired painting - you can get used to this feeling.] (set: _art to (random:1,3)) (if: _art is 1)[If a brush could be a scapel, then what would it cut if not truth?] (if: _art is 2)[The splatters are like a thousand stars - each seems like an accident, but they are all part of a grand design.] (if: _art is 3)[Who is guiding your hands right now? Who urges the Sun to rise tomorrow? Each of your stroke is a breathless praise.] (link: "And?")[You've had worse days, for sure. Looking at the thing that is forming right before your eyes, you cannot help but feel like whatever you do next will only be to its detriment. In other words, it's... good. What you've painted today is a hundredth of what you had in mind. But that means you've a hundredth less to go. (if: $storyArt's qt >0)[... But somehow, it doesn't feel as consequential as the first time. ] --- (if: $storyArt's qt < 1)[ (link: "As the light of inspiration ebbs from your mind, you realize that tonight has been a breakthrough! Maybe you //can// do this, after all.")[(print: $storyArt's gainEffect)(goto: "Storylet D1")] (print: $storyArt's gain) ] (else:)[ (link: "Miracles happens but once, it seems. Still, it is an exhilarating reminder of why you've ever chosen this path.")[(print: $attConfidence's gainEffect)(print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $attConfidence's gain) ] ]

{= (if: $worldState < 1)[(set: $worldState to 1)] (set: $activity to "reflecting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $time to "Midnight")(replace: ?time)[$time] You are in your bed, reflecting on what you've managed to do. In only $date days, you've done what you couldn't for months - no, that's not right - years! Yes, it's been years since you first stretched the fresh roll of canvas onto this frame. It is not so fresh anymore. The oil has layered so thick over the years that it's starting to resemble plaster. It is the evidence of an interminable cycle: Manic highs and months of lows. Your breaks are always too long. You always forget and start over again. But this time, it'll be different. You won't forget anymore. How did you ever managed to do this? You try to remember the last few days, (link-reveal: "tracing your own steps.")[ (if: $choicePaintRaw > 0)[You had neither energy nor cause, but you picked up the brush again. ](if: $choicePaintPush > 0)[Painting never starts off fun, but when you would normally have given up, you managed to channel your frustration into motivation. ](if: $choicePaintInspired > 0)[With something to sleep on, you see that inspiration comes readily. How strange... it wasn't like this before.] What were you like before? Distantly, you recall gala dinners, international flights, art school... (if: $choiceLaptop > 0)[Now, things that used to be easy - like emails - have become so difficult, but you did it anyway. Maybe one day, that life-changing email will grace your mailbox.] Things have changed, and things will keep changing. (if: $choicePlayWithJesse > 0)[Through out it all, Jesse was probably your most fastidious lifeline. You should play with her more. You're her entire world. ](if: $eventCleanup's start is true)[You've begun to clean up your apartment, as unbelievable as that is. ](if: $storyHenri's qt > 0)[And, you've even managed to talk to someone who's not Jesse. ](if: $choiceHenriIgnore > 0)[And you still have no-one else but Jesse. ]The question remains: Why is it different this time? --- (if: $attMad's qt < 1)[ (link: "Because you willed it. You always had it in you.")[(goto: "Storylet D2a")] ] (else:)[~~Because you willed it. You always had it in you.~~ (link: "Because SOMEONE - a will GREATER than your own - is pulling the STRINGS.")[(goto: "Storylet D2b")]]]

{= You apologize. Henri apologizes. It seems both of you are regretful. Henri used to go to your shows downtown, back when the galleries still let you have your shows. That was a different time. Back then, you still had someone. You were someone. (link: "//'For what it's worth...'//")[(show: ?hidden1)] [He says that the party is a week from now - ''exactly seven days'' - and the invitation is still open to you. Meanwhile, he will be running errands, buying party favors and whatnot. OK. The small talk will breed more of itself if you don't put a stop to it. --- (link: "Right. Goodbye, Henri.")[ (print: $eventParty's onTrigger) (print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $actionOnward's desc)]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{= Against every creaking bone and every protesting fiber in your body, you accept. //"Wow, uh... wow. Thank you,"// Henri says in barely concealed disbelief. He's grinning widely. //"I promise: You won't find me to be dull company. I know a thing or two about art."// (link: "You try to smile.")[(show: ?hidden1)] [You manage to smile. The problem won't him or anyone. Of course not. Henri used to go to your shows downtown, back when the galleries still let you have your shows. That was a different time. Back then, you still had someone. You were someone. (link: "//\"The party is in a week's time...\"//")[(show: ?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [Henri says that the party will be a week from now. ''Exactly seven days'', he helpfully clarifies. Meanwhile, he will be running errands at the mall, buying party favors and whatnot. You want to ask if there's anything you can chip in, but you remember not to make promises you cannot keep. So, you only nod politely until the conversation naturally runs its course. --- (link: "Right. I'll see you soon.")[ (print: $eventParty's onTrigger) (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $storyHenri's gain)]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (if: $worldState < 1)[(set: $worldState to 1)] (set: $place to "nowhere") (set: $activity to "a dream that changes you") (replace: ?place)[$place] (replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link: "One ought not to admire the Sun directly.")[(show: ?hidden1)]  [One ought not to admire the Sun directly. But you did. Stray light from the hidden cosmos beams straight into your mind. What inspires you now burns, cauterizing the wounds of your psyche. It is a terrible heat. All the thoughts that dwell in the pit of your mind are fleeing every which way. (link: "You try to recall why you did it.")[(show: ?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [You try to recall why you did it, but reason escapes you. (if: $mind > 2)[Was this necessary? Truly?] (else-if: $mind <= 2)[You tell yourself that you were desperate, that your mind was slipping. So, you held onto your only ray of hope. But it has seared and left a permanent mark on you.] --- (link: "The Sun leaves its after-image.")[ (print: $attMad's gainEffect) (set: $choiceDreamB to it + 1) (goto: "DeathCheck") ](print: $attMad's gain)</li>  ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= Indeed, you are the captain of your own ship. (Evidently, the captain had ran the ship aground and was stranded for years; one must wonder what happened to the crew). You can already feel doubt creeping back in. It always does. But for now, you will let yourself enjoy this (link: "rare moment of confidence.")[rare moment of confidence. Surely, if you've done it once, you can do it again, even if it takes a hundred times. (link: "Careful now, lest you speak too soon.")[ You are exhausted and pass into a dreamless sleep. The last thought on your mind is: Tomorrow will be different. --- (link: "Captain, I am.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ](print: $attConfidence's gain) ]]

{= Ah, there you go again. That kind of talk creeps people out. That's why they all left you. That's why you're wearing week-old clothes and living among trash. (link: "They'll all regret it when your work is done.")[You think that when you have finally put the last stroke on your "art", people will see that they have been wrong about you. You //think//. Ah, but this is exactly the kind of thing that makes you so off-putting. No normal person thinks this way. Normal people enjoy each other's company immensely and everything else - your Sun included - in moderation. Very light moderation. --- (link: "Maybe you're not always right.")[(print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect)(goto: "DeathCheck")](print: $attEmbarrassed's gain)]

{= (set: $activity to "a note under the door")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $worldState < 1)[(set: $worldState to 1)] Jesse is pawing at the crack under the front door. (link: "What is it, now?")[As you approach, she turns and rubs her face on your legs. There, on the pile of marketing envelops, electric bills, missing persons posters, and whatever else that has been slipped under your door but has been left to languish, there is a handwritten note. (link: "//\"To: our resident artist...\"//")[ It addresses you as the building's "resident artist", which immediately tells you whom the note is from (if the neat handwriting hasn't given it away). Henri, the young man living on the other side of your floor, loves to call you that. Apparently, he is hosting a party ''seven days'' from now. He has tried to invite you in person, but you must have been away - so the piece of paper says. You put it away, which is really to say: you let it fall back onto the pile on the floor. --- (link: "Goodbye, sweet sleep.")[ (print: $eventParty's onTrigger) (print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc) ]]

{= (set: $activity to "dealing with a new problem")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] It is a new day, and a new horror greets you. Jesse's yowling awakens you fully. She is desperately kicking and clawing at her own face. Inching closer, you see it.(event: when time > 3s)[ (link: "You see them.")[(show: ?hidden1)]] [The ants are swarming Jesse's face. They wiggle beneath her coat like living blackheads. They've got into her mouth, into her eyes, into her ears. You rush to Jesse's aid. She claws you. You let her. You deserve it. ---  (link: "How dare they? (You caused this). How dare they? (It's all your fault). How dare they?")[ (set: $storyAnts's qt to it + 1) (print: $actionDamage's effect) (dialog: [(print: $storyAnts's name) begins.], "War.") (print: $actionBack's effect)] (Your mind falters slightly. You begin your campaign of eradication against the ants.) ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{= (set: $activity to "observing Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 0)[(goto: "Storylet A1")]  (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 1) [You can hear Jesse somewhere on top the wardrobe. She's scratching her face and gnawing on her legs. Poor girl, she is hurting. She can't tell you how much, so you can only guess. You've tried your best to get rid of the ants from her fur, but it's not enough. For now, you've poured salt around the legs of the wardrobe, encircling her hiding place in a protective ward. You know that this is your fault. --- (link: "You've done all you could. But you could have done something sooner.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc)]  (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 2) [Jesse is asleep. She's lost a patch of fur behind her left ear after an intense bout of scratching. You whisper to her that the ants are gone, and you'll break out some new toys tomorrow morning. --- <ol> <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse.~~ (She is sleeping.) (print: $actionBack's desc) <li>(link: "Leave her be for now.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]

{= (set: $activity to "looking for Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $storyAnts's qt <2)[ You call out to Jesse. //"Miu..."// she answers meekly, voice full of hurt. Where is she? You suspect that she's hiding on top of the wardrobe, where there are fewer ants. At least you hope that's the case. --- <ol> <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse~~ (She's shy about the ants. You'll have to do something about that.) <li>(link: "You should get on with your morning.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li> ] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[ You feel whiskers brushing your legs. It's Jesse. Now that you've cleaned up the apartment a bit, and the worst of the ants are gone, she must have come down from the wardrobe to play with you. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Then play you will!") [(goto: "Jesse A2")](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> <li>(link: "She should rest. You have other plans anyway.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li>] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 3)[(goto: "Jesse C3")] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 4)[(goto: "Jesse C4")]

{= (set: $activity to "cleaning up the apartment... with help")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] With your face mask and gloves on, you're standing in front of his unit. Henri opens the door and greets you. (set: _greeting to (a: "//\"$time! What's with the getup? Working on a new artwork?\"//", "//\"$time! I didn't expect- Nevermind, how are you?\"//", "//\"... Yeah, no, I was just... It's not important. It can wait.\"//", "//\"Good (lowercase: $time),\"// he smiles.", )) (print: _greeting's (random: 1,4)) (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 6)[ (link: "One small favor... (and not another, for the cleanup is moments away from being done).")[(show: ?hidden1)] ] (else:)[ (link: "You have a favor to ask.")[(show: ?hidden1)] ]  [ You manage to tell him what you need of him.  (if: $eventCleanup's progress < 3)[Of course you're not going to let Henri into the apartment when everything is still so... raw. No, you're going to ask for his help in another ways. He has decent arms - he can carry (link: "things")[huge, dripping trash bags] for you down to the communual dumpster. That way, no-one would see you outside of the apartment. Oh, they'll know it's your things. But at least you won't have to make small talk to them on the way up. ]  (if: $eventCleanup's progress > 2 and it < 5)[The apartment is (link: "in a decent enough shape")[less of a biohazard enough] to invite Henri inside, given that you've provided him with adequate protective gears. And that you've strategically locked the doors that needed locking. To him, the favor will seem like nothing more than a little upkeeping project - a dash of fresh paint here, shaving off some water-damanged wood there - all the quaint things that a woman of sound spirit ought to be doing. ]  (if: $eventCleanup's progress > 4)[By this point, according to your estimation, Henri can safely spend upwards of twenty minutes inside your apartment without noticing anything too untoward. He might still get ant bites though. (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 5)[If you remember correctly, he might have offered to buy you scented candles, although it might be a fire risk given how much paint thinner is in the air at any given time. Henri is too eager for his own good.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 6)[Between breaks, he looks around at your apartment, and though he does not bring it up, you notice that he seems disappointed to find the canvas veiled in linen. There will be plenty of time for that later.] ] (link: "After an entire (lowercase: $time)'s worth of work, you're both sweating.")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1)  [ After an entire (lowercase: $time)'s worth of work, you're both sweating. You thank Henri and lets him off. He lingers. You thank him again. He complies, leaving you wondering why he always seems to have time for you. ---  (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 6)[ (link: "Fortunately, he won't be bothered anymore. The apartment is as good as it can be. And, there are no more ants.")[ (if: $storyHenri's qt <3)[(print: $storyHenri's gainEffect)] (if: $worldState <2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (print: $eventCleanup's gainEffect) (print: $storyAnts's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (It should be safe enough for Jesse to play around freely again. Feeling ''(print: $attConfidence's name)'', you advance (print: $storyAnts's name)(if: $storyHenri's qt <3)[ and gain (print: $storyHenri's name)]. Time crawls forward.) ] (else:)[ (link: "Either way, you're lucky that he did not ask you why there is so much cleaning to do.")[ (if: $storyHenri's qt <3)[(print: $storyHenri's gainEffect)] (print: $eventCleanup's gainEffect)  (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] ((if: $storyHenri's qt <3)[Gain (print: $storyHenri's name). ](else:)[You've gained all the goodwill you can with Henri - for now. ]Come a bit closer to having a clean apartment. Time crawls forward.) ] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $activity to "cleaning up the apartment by yourself")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $dice >= 5)[ (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 6)[You roll up the tainted mattress and leaves it by the dumpster downstairs. There is no saving it, no way to cleanse it other than fire. No matter. You have a spare one. You just haven't got around to using it. Why? It's the same reason why you've let garbage build up around you. You still can't believe that you've made it this far. When you return, you'll break out an air freshener... or several.] (else:)[By the time you decide that you're done for the day, sweat has flooded the fingers of your gloves. You slump down by the side of the mop and wave at Jesse, who has been watching you from atop the wardrobe. Does she know that the apartment is getting better? That //you're// getting better? Maybe she does, though you wouldn't blame her if she doesn't. For all anyone knows, this might just be one of your brief upswings, and it'll all go back to the way it's been for years.] --- (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 6)[ (link: "This should be the last thing. The apartment is as clean and ant-free as it's going to get.")[ (if: $worldState <2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (print: $eventCleanup's gainEffect) (print: $storyAnts's gainEffect) (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (It should be safe enough for Jesse to play around freely again. You advance (print: $storyAnts's name) and gain ''(print: $attConfidence's name)''. Time crawls forward.) ] (else:)[ (link: "Progress is progress. Enjoy it for now. You'll pick back up when you're ready.")[ (print: $eventCleanup's gainEffect)  (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (Come a bit closer to having clean apartment. Time crawls forward.) ] ]  (else:)[ Oh no... Your (if: $time is "Morning")[breakfast](else:)[dinner] surges up, and you have to run to the bathroom to hurl. It is not so much the pungent smell, nor the slimy texture, nor the thousands of wiggling ants that have disgusted you so much. Rather, it is the thought that //you// have been one with the rest of the rotting trash that had you gagging. Jesse looks on with concern. You know that's better than you deserve. --- (link: "You'll put the sponge down and try again later.")[ (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $attEmbarrassed's gain) ]

{= (set: $worldState to 1) (set: $activity to "talking to a stranger")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $time to "Midnight")(replace: ?time)[$time] In only $date days, you've done what you couldn't for months. No, that's not right. Years. Yes, that's how far back since you first stretched the fresh roll of canvas onto this frame. You try to remember the last few days, tracing your own steps and how you've managed to make this breakthrough, but the light - as soon as you grasp it - recedes from your mind. You suddenly feel very silly. (link: "Look at what you've done.")[(show: ?hidden1)] [Look at what you've done. The oil has layered so thick over the years that it's starting to resemble plaster. This is the evidence of an interminable cycle: Manic highs and months of lows. Your breaks are always too long. You always forget and start over again. (link: "Why should this time be any different?")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ --- <ol> Why should this time be any different? <li>(link: "Because you say so, and that's all that matters.")[(goto: "Storylet D2a")]</li> <li>(link: "Because this time, you've been lended a hand. A greater will is guiding your actions.")[(goto: "Storylet D2b")]</li> ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)  {= So it is. But your flesh disagrees. The flesh, so weak yet so tyrannical, it imposes its will upon you, always. Your skin itches with a hundred bites, half of them has not healed from your scratching. The creases of your body sticks together. You are made of mud. (link: "So?")[Then let this mud be a golem, divine breath animate its limbs. Tomorrow, you will put this body to work again. Surely, if you've done it once, you can do it again, even if it takes a hundred times. (link: "Careful now, lest you speak too soon.")[ Careful now, lest you speak too soon. (link: "Shut up, shut up!")[ Shut up! Something good has finally happened, and you've only managed to make yourself angry. Why? Why can't you just be happy? --- (link: "You should stop arguing with yourself.")[(print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect)(goto: "DeathCheck")](print: $attRestlessness's gain)] ]]  {= It may be the case that you're receiving aid - and you may believe it, too - but you should be careful about that kind of language around others. They don't like hearing it. It makes you sound like a puppet. (link: "Are you a puppet?")[(show: ?hidden1)] [Puppets creep other people out. That's why they all left you. That's why you're here, living in a trash-filled, ant-infested hole. Whenever you open your mouth to speak of the Sun, they shun you. Nothing with a soul goes about advertising that their strings are taut. (link: "They'll all regret it when your work is done.")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [You think that when you have finally put the last stroke on your "art", people will see that they have been wrong about you. You think. Ah, but this is exactly the kind of thing that makes you so off-putting. No normal person thinks this way. Normal people enjoy each other's company immensely and everything else - your Sun included - in moderation. Very light moderation. --- (link: "Maybe you're not always right.")[(print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect)(goto: "DeathCheck")](print: $attEmbarrassed's gain) ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $activity to "playing with Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "//\"Miu...\"//")[ she says, weakly. (show: ?hidden1)] [(link-reveal: "You throw her stuffed mouse across the room.")[ And she abides faithfully, albeitly slowly. (show: ?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [(link-reveal: "What's wrong, Jesse?")[ Jesse rubs her wet nose into your knee, as though saying that nothing is wrong, and that you should keep playing. As long as you keep playing, everything will be fine. (show: ?hidden3)]]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [(link-reveal: "You drop the toy and welcome her onto your lap.")[ She hops, curls, and is soon purring at your touch. There are blisters under patches of missing furs. You tell her that the culprit is all gone. And soon, even the worst of wounds will heal. (show: ?hidden4)]]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ --- (link: "There, there. Nothing can hurt you now.")[ (print: $attJesse01's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attJesse01's gain) ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4)

{= (set: $activity to "at laptop")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $eventEmail's know is true)[(goto: "Laptop A1b")] The laptop still sits there, wheezing through (link: "its last days of life.")[its last days of life. It has been doing that for at least two years now. One's last days can stretch on very long.]  (if: $storyArt's qt < 1)[ You haven't done anything significant with your art yet. You haven't updated your portfolio either. Why should anyone take notice? If you open your laptop right now, you will only see how much the world has passed you by. --- <ol> <li>(link: "It is foolhardy to think that things would magically be different.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li> <li>(link: "Maybe... just maybe...")[(goto: "Storylet B2")] (print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> </ol> ]  (else:)[ You've made a breakthrough with your painting the other day. The world of man does not know it yet, but you feel as though the cosmos is cognizant in its secret ways. There is an electricity in the wavebands. You picture your Sun rolling in the virtual heavens. A glad woman //is// entitled to her momentary delusion. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Maybe I can post a picture... close enough so no-one sees that it is unfinished.")[ (goto: "Laptop A1") ](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> <li>(link: "It is foolhardy to think that things would magically be different.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li> </ol> ]

{= (set: $activity to "a neighborly checkup")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriB to true) On this languid noon, while not doing anything in particular, you hear footsteps out in the common hallway. There is the jingling of car keys. (link: "Someone is approaching your door.")[ Someone is approaching your door. They don't walk past your unit. Instead, they stop, and as if hesitant, they wait a bit before knocking. Your chest tightens. //"Hello? Are you home?"// (link: "It's Henri, your neighbor.")[(show: ?choice1)] ]  [ It's Henri, your neighbor. //"Uh... Is this a bad time?"// --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Stay very silent. You can't deal with this right now.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $actionOnward's desc)</li> (if: $mind>1)[ <li>(link: "Open the door to greet him.")[(goto: "Henri B1")] (print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> ] (else:)[<li>~~Open the door to greet him.~~ (You are of no mind to see anyone right now, and no-one should see you.)] </ol> ]<choice1|(hide: ?choice1)

{= (set: $activity to "with Jesse") (replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockJesseX2 to true) Something cool, something rough on your cheek. It's Jesse, licking your face. (link: "Hey there, what's wrong?")[You've been crying in your sleep, you realize, and she's licking the tears off of you.] She's staring at you with those big, black eyes. Yes, (link: "she wants to play.")[she wants to play. But it's not for her benefit but yours. //"You seem to need it"//, those eyes are saying. Sitting up from the midday stupor you call a "nap", you can't help but feel like you've been saved.] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Go away, Jesse. Not now, not ever.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] (Move on with your life, or the little that's left of it.)</li> <li>(link: "What would I be without you? Here.")[(goto: "Jesse X2")] (print: $actionCommit's desc)</li>

{= (event: when time > 1s)[You play with her.] (event: when time > 2s)[You hold her tight.] (event: when time > 3s)[She nuzzles into you.] (event: when time > 4s)[You promise her that you'll try. For a bit longer.] (event: when time > 7s)[Or at least you'll leave the food out and the window open.] (event: when time > 10s)[ --- (link: "//\"Miu.\"//")[ (print: $attJesse01's gainEffect) (set: $choicePlayWithJesse to it + 1) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attJesse01's gain) ]

{=  (if: $storyHenri's qt >0)  [ When Henri sees you, he smiles, all familiar-like. //"I'm going on a bit of a shopping excursion - you know, for the party. Just wondering if there's anything I can get for you."// First, the invitation to his party. Now, this. You are reminded of Beethoven, who couldn't take care of himself without his friends coming over to cook and clean for him. <be> Ah, but you're no Beethoven, and you don't think you've called anyone "friend" in a long time. But then again, you do need to pick up a few things for that trash-slash-ant problem of yours. And it's not like you're in any state to go out in public. --- (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ (link: "You'll do it yourself, somehow.")[(goto: "Henri BShame")] (Shame has made you wary, preventing you from asking for help.) ] (else:)[ (link: "Hey, he asked for it.")[(goto: "Henri B2")] ] ]  (else:)[ You open the door, and there's Henri. He tries to make small talk, but you make him get to the point. //"I'm just checking up on you, that's all. Are you doing alright?"// Does he pity you? First, he invites you to his party. Now, this. You've never said much more to him than small talk in all your years living here. Surely, it must be because of all the trash you've accumulated. You have to get to that soon, if you don't want to draw anymore unwanted attention. Such as this. --- (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ (link: "You mumble something akin to \"I'm OK\".")[(goto: "Henri BShame")] (Shame has made you wary, preventing you from opening up.) ] (else:)[ (link: "You say that you just have a lot on your plate right now.")[(goto: "Henri B2")] (... ants are crawling across the Sun's splendor...) ] ]

MAD SHIT

{=   (if: $storyHenri's qt > 0) [ //"Right. But if you ever need anything from me, just say so, yes?"// Henri says that he's always around. He's on sabbatical anyway, and being around books all day can get dull. You think to yourself that it cannot get any duller than looking at your mug. It's so much of a downer that you can't even look in the mirror. But you do not see your disgust reflected on Henri's face. He only smiles at you. For a moment, you forget your shame. Not enough to admit how bad your ant problem has become, though. --- (link: "Thanks for checking in, Henri. Goodbye.")[ (print: $attEmbarrassed's useEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $attEmbarrassed's use) ]  (else:) [ //"It's alright if you're not OK."// Henri lets the silence hangs, as if realizing how much of a cliché that comment was. Your hand tremble on the door knob. //"Well, maybe 'alright' isn't the right word."// It's not. //"But there's no shame in it.."// You close the door and latch it tight, safe, and secure. Henri's right though. --- (link: "Enough self-pity. Time to get to work.")[ (print: $attEmbarrassed's useEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $attEmbarrassed's use) ]

{=   (if: $storyHenri's qt > 0)[ Bleach, floor cleaner, air freshener, plastic bags - it will sound like you either have a dead body waiting to be rid of, or are living like a hoarder. The smell could mean either. Only you know which one. You pick at your cracked lips, trying to draw up the confidence to ask. //"So, what will it be?"// Henri asks. ---  (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ (link: "You give him the full list.")[ (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (goto: "Henri B3") ] (print: $attConfidence's use) ] (else:)[<ol> <li>~~You give him the full list.~~ (You're not confident enough to trouble him.)</li> <li>(link: "You mumble something about a spray cleaner.")[ (goto: "Henri B2b") ] (It's better than nothing.)</li> </ol>] ]  (else:)[ You don't elaborate any further. You're not going to, not to him, not like this. But Henri doesn't seem to be in a hurry. He's leaning against the wall, ear to the slit of your door, ready to hear what you have to say. ---  (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ (link: "You mumble some jargon about mental health - the types that rouses no suspicion.")[ (goto: "Henri B3") ] (You're confident enough to entertain this conversation, but how could anyone understand if you were honest?) ] (else:)[ <ol> <li> ~~You entertain the conversation.~~ (You don't feel confident enough to talk about this. People would have you committed if you were to speak openly.) </li> <li> (link: "You give him a flimsy excuse and close the door, ending the conversation.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $actionOnward's desc) </li> </ol> ] ]

{=   (if: $storyHenri's qt > 0)[ Henri nods, and when the list gets too long to remember, he takes out a small notepad to jot the items down. You hand him a wad of bills, but he only smiles and tells you to do that later, (link: "when he has the receipt.")[when he has the receipt. A few hours later, Henri comes back with a heavy bag full cleaning implements - the ones you've requested, plus some extra. He is visibly out of breath. Before you could stammer something close to a "thank you", he's already walking back to his unit, seeming pleased with himself. You wave at him. He didn't even ask for the money. --- (link: "Henri has just saved you a heap of trouble.")[ (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (if: $eventCleanup's start is false)[(print: $eventCleanup's onTrigger)] (print: $eventCleanup's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (You gain a bit of ''goodwill'' with Henri, plus a dent on the ''trash'' problem. Time crawls forward.) ] ]  (else:)[ Henri nods in sympathy. You wonder if it's necessary to use words like "anxiety", "ahedonia", or whatever else your shrink used to tell you. Henri doesn't need to hear them. He can see it for himself. (link: "He can smell it.")[He can smell it. There used to be a time when you could discuss about these things without a hint of cynicism. You really believed in them. But now, it's hard to call out what they are when you're this deep in it. A fish doesn't know what water is. It all feels false. (link: "You feel false.")[You feel false. The truth is plain to see - you've given up on yourself. But Henri only listens and smiles his sad smile. And to your surprise, you smile back. --- (link: "That was a good talk, Henri, but you should be on your way.")[ (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $storyHenri's gain) ] ] ]

{=  //"Sure, I can do that. In fact, I have it at home."// Before you could say anything, he's already off. (link: "...")[ About ten minutes later, Henri comes back with a bottle of window spray in his hand. It's not everything you need, but you'll have use for it. Everything else in your apartment has long dried up. As he leaves, Henri tells you to keep (link: "the bottle.")[the bottle. Looking at it, you notice that there is a solar design on the label - not your Sun, but a sun. The curves of the fire that eminate from it is... familiar. You've seen these shapes in your dreams. --- (link: "With this caustic light, you will burn those pesky insects.")[ (print: $attProgress's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attProgress's gain) ]]

{=  Your hands are unsteady, and your phone camera is greasy. The photo comes out blurry. Maybe your eagerness has got the best of you. You quietly post it to your portfolio. Then, like an impatient spider, you spend the rest of the (lowercase: $time) (set: _text to (a: " *\"Subscribe to our wellness newsletter for just...\"*", " *\"... twentieth missing person report filed in...\"*", " *\"... had to reject you, unfortunately ...\"*", " *\"... ten tips dealing with garden ants...\"*", " *\"Answer me! I've tried contacting you through...\"*", " *\"... look out the window...\"*", "", )) (set: _result to 0) [(link-rerun: "browsing the web.")[ (set: _result to it +1) (if: _result > 6)[(hide: ?cycle)(show: ?email)] (if: _result > 0)[(print: _text's _result)] ]]<cycle| [ browsing the web. //"... Thank you for your interest in the Resident Artist Program at The Darkbloom Foundation... While we cannot give you a final decision at this point... our panel members have found great interest in the direction of your past work... believe reputation should not be an undue obstacle to excellence... request ''additional samples of your most recent work''... direction you have taken in the years since... indicator of your continued commitment to fine arts..."// The email appears as your are reading an article on pet care. You are (link: "stunned.")[stunned. The rest of the email includes instructions for sending digital attachments, as well as a long list of paperwork you have to provide. ''It will take a while.'' No matter. No-one has shown any interest before, not since you disappeared from the public eye. In fact, Darkbloom was a moonshot when you first contacted them - when was it? - years ago. You want to lunge at the opportunity, but do you feel ready? (It will be a arduous process, taking many days and much of your confidence. You can always return to your laptop at a later date and continue where you left off.) --- (if: $attConfidence's qt <1)[ <ol> <li>~~Sure, you'll blow them away.~~ (You're not ''confident'' that your painting is ready. You need to work on it more.)</li> <li>(link: "No, not yet. Your // \"magnum opus \"// deserves more care. The email isn't going anywhere, and neither is the painting.")[ (print: $eventEmail's onTrigger) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc)</li> </ol> ] (else:)[ <ol> <li>(link: "You try again for a better photo, one that better reflects your// \"magnum opus \"//.")[ (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (print: $eventEmail's onTrigger) (set: $eventEmail's progress to it + 1) (goto: "Laptop A2") ] (print: $attConfidence's use)</li> <li>(link: "No, not yet. Your // \"magnum opus \"// deserves more care. The email isn't going anywhere, and neither is the painting.")[ (print: $eventEmail's onTrigger) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc)</li> </ol> ] ] ]<email|(hide: ?email)

{= (if: $eventEmail's progress <5)[ (if: $time is "Morning")[By the time you're done, half of the work day is over. You're not sure if anyone will get to it during the afternoon slump.] (else-if: $time is "Evening")[When you're done, it is already pitch-black outside. The world slumbers. They'll see it tomorrow.] (else-if: $time is "Midday")[The Sun has faded into amber by the time you're done fiddling with the files. What bother. They better be prompt in their reply.] You hit "send" and close your laptop. --- (link: "Is this better than sleeping in? Not always, but today, yes.")[ (dialog: [(if: $eventEmail's progress <5)[You've sent what the Darkbloom people requested. They'll take some time to get back to you. Check your email later.]], "OK.") (set: $eventEmail's wait to (random: 1,2)) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (Close the laptop and move on with your life.) ] (else:)[ After this, if they still want you to send in anything else, it'd be a gift-wrapped box of your still-beating heart. --- (link: "At least then, you'd not have to write any more email.")[ (if: $worldState <2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (dialog: [This should be the end of your back-and-forth, for now. There //is// a feeling of accomplishment, albeit an empty one.], "No wonder why you procrastinated.") (set: $eventShow's wait1 to (random: 3,5)) (print: $attProgress's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attProgress's gain) ]

{= (set: $activity to "paperwork for an artist residency position")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $eventEmail's wait > 0)[ Bite nails, strip lips, tear hair, do what you must while you wait for the Darkbloom people to respond. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Bite nails, strip lips, tear hair.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attRestlessness's gain)</li> (after: 3s)[ <li>(link: "Have patience. You'll check back later.")[ (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li> ] </ol> ] (else-if: $eventEmail's progress > 4)[ You've done everything you could. Now, you wait for their "yes" or their... It might be a while. In the meantime, you could actually... paint? (print: $eventEmail's desc) --- (link: "It's out of your hands now.")[ (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (print: $actionBack's desc) ] (else:)[ The laptop blinks awake. On the other side of the country, through miles of copper, is another computer, waiting for your response - the Darkbloom people. (if: $eventEmail's progress is 0)[They have requested a photo of the painting. You're sure that there is a DSLR camera somewhere collecting dust. But, is your art ready?] (if: $eventEmail's progress is 1)[They've sent back a confirmation email. It appears automated. It tells you to send additional documentation of your process. Why didn't they just tell you this at the beginning? (print: $eventEmail's desc)] (if: $eventEmail's progress is 2)[Now, they want you to write an artist statement explaining why you're a good fit for their organization. Haven't you already written something like that for them? Or did you take too much creative liberties with the application? (print: $eventEmail's desc)] (if: $eventEmail's progress is 3)[This time, they're asking for a project proposal. //A project proposal?// Would they have you send an ROI analysis as well? You take a moment to steady your breath. You remind yourself that foundations such as these are staffed by finance people. The artists - they've all locked themselves up, if they had a room to do so at all. You're luckier than most. Surely, you can whip up something. (print: $eventEmail's desc)] (if: $eventEmail's progress is 4)[They want a photo of you. A recent one. Get the scissors. That balled-up tangle has to go. (print: $eventEmail's desc)] --- (if: $attConfidence's qt <1)[ <ol> <li>~~You'll blow them away.~~ (You search within and find no confidence. Maybe you should touch up your painting a bit. Get inspired... See results first...)</span</li> <li>(link: "You procrastinate.")[ (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li> </ol> ] (else:)[ <ol> <li>(link: "Your // \"magnum opus \"// deserves your effort. Steel yourself!")[ (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (set: $eventEmail's progress to it + 1) (goto: "Laptop A2") ] (print: $attConfidence's use)</li> <li>(link: "Maybe not now. This feeling of self-assuredness is too valuable.")[ (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (print: $actionBack's desc)</li> </ol> ] ]

{= (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "a dream of hope")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Starlight filters through your fingers - one star becomes (after: 1s)[ two, ](after: 2s)[ four, ](after: 3s)[ eight,...] (after: 4s)[ From a single, hopeless point bursts forth an entire nebula, whose luminosity fills the darkness until a shape is formed. (link: "A kitten.")[A kitten. She's so lonely among the vast void. Everything around her is dead. Her siblings are stiff. The ants are already getting to them. She's trying to crawl out of the carton box, but she's too weak. Her eyes are barely open. (link: "It's raining.")[It's raining. Yes, it was raining that day, so you remember. What were you doing? You had been crying all the way from the train station back to your apartment. You've just lost everything. You were walking past an alleyway when you heard her. //"Miu!"// You buried her siblings in the park and took her home. If you go, who'll feed her tomorrow? --- (link: "You'll wake up, again and again.")[ (if: $mind <2)[(set: $mind to 3)(dialog: [Just as before, you are rescued. You will wake up feeling... not good, but better. More than you feel like you deserve. You will not get another chance like this.], "Thank you, Jesse.")] (set: $lockDreamC to true) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (Have your mind restored to where you started.) ]]]

{= (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "a dream of ants")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] They're here. They're (link: "HERE!")[ HERE! The ants - they're in your dreams. Even in the veil of sleep, you have not escaped them. They're all over you. Each step of their hair-like feet, each snap of their jaws, is like a call for your attention. You move to brush them away, but your arms won't move, for you have no arms. You try to turn your body over, but you realize that you are (link: "always turning.")[always turning. You are a barren planet rolling in a starless space, hopelessly so, and the ants are pouring into every rocky cervices on your surface. You wish for the light of the Sun. You yearn to fall into its brilliant fire, so that you might be rid of these ungrateful passengers. Either that, or you'll perish first, which will also be a blessing. (So long as the trash remains in the apartment, there will always be a chance that the ants will disrupt your sleep.) --- (link: "Bless me, my love. Save me!")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (print: $actionDamage's desc)</li>  ]]

{= (set: $activity to "looking through photographs")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriC to true)  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1)[While sorting the trash](else:)[While organizing your belongings], you find a cookie box full of old photographs. These were taken back when you had shows every other weekends. You thought you had forgotten all about that time. But they're here, ready for you to shuffle through and (set: _photo to (a: "You and you-know-who standing in front of a giant, concentric relief of Huītzilōpōchtli. Too bad, it turned out to be a hoax, as was your relationship.", "Your student-companions setting up their easels among those sand-worn columns of the Temple of Bastet, Egypt. One of the girls bought you a fake-gold amulet - an arm hanging from a thread - since eyes are \"so cliché\", the girl said.", "The auction where you sold your most expensive painting - //Bataille's Plexus// - whose proceeds have funded your years of Chinese deliveries. That was long ago. Back then, your hair was long and jet-black.", "Your old college roommate and you, hugging each other at LaGuardia. It was her last visit before she went missing. She liked ice-cream and loved Texas too much to defect. She would have been a far better artist than you.", "", )) (set: _result to 0) [(link-rerun: "recall...")[ (set: _result to it +1) (if: _result > 4)[(hide: ?cycle)(show: ?Henri)] (if: _result > 0)[(print: _photo's _result)] ]]<cycle| [see Henri. There he was, standing to your left in a group photo. He had just moved to your floor, and when he heard news that you were doing rounds in the local galleries, he came out to show support. This particular place was an hour's drive away. His smile is still the same. He hasn't aged a day while your face puffs and sags with your mood. His mood, however, is incessantly cheery. --- <ol> <li>(link: "You should send him the photograph. He seems like the sentimental sort.")[ (set: $choiceHenriC to "A") (goto: "Henri C1") ](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> <li>(link: "No, you should keep the photograph. You //are// the sentimental sort.")[ (set: $choiceHenriC to "B") (goto: "Henri C1") ](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> <li>(link: "Rip up the photograph. There is nothing in the past for you.")[ (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $actionOnward's desc) </li> </ol> ]<Henri|(hide: ?Henri)

{= (set: $activity to "observing a clean apartment")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The apartment is as clean (link: "as it can get.")[as it can get, which is to say as clean as you're willing to make it. Your fingers are blistering from the bleach. Sure, there are things that you've stuffed in the drawers, and there are still clothes left unfolded, but nothing should be attracting any ants.] Jesse seems relieved by this, even if the smell of disinfectant bothers her, and her blisters remain. Maybe you should spend some time playing with her, to make up for lost time. (if: $storyAmy's progress > 1)[ There are empty wine bottles in the kitchen. Amy's. ] --- (link: "Stop gawking and attend to other things.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc)

{=  (if: $choiceHenriC is "A")[ (set: $activity to "Henri's response")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You wait until the coast is clear before slipping out of your apartment, going over to his, and slipping the photo into his mailbox. Then, you hurry back before anyone sees you. It's nerve-wracking. You hope it's (link: "worth it.")[worth it. After all, this is what you're supposed to do in these types of situations, right? Before the day is over, you hear a note slipping under your door. It says, //"Thanks for the good memory. Looking forward to another one."// --- (if: $storyHenri's qt >1)[ (link: "You scoff but cannot help grinning either.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attConfidence's gain) ] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt <2)[ (link: "You scoff but cannot help grinning either.")[ (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $storyHenri's gain) ] ] ] (else-if: $choiceHenriC is "B")[ You put the photo back into the cookie box - on top of everything else. Questions paddles in the waters of your mind. What if you hadn't wasted your time with the wrong person? What if you only focused on your work? Could things have been different? (link: "You wouldn't be in the state that you're in now.")[You wouldn't be in the state that you're in now. However, you also recall, for as long as you could remember, that something was already wrong with you. The sourceless yearning, the causeless feeling of disappointment, the bursts of emotions and the long periods of near-catatonia... Even your parents were afraid of you. And yet, in the middle of a work week, at a run-down gallery the other side of town, there Henri was, standing to your left, grinning for the camera flash. --- (if: $storyHenri's qt >1)[ (link: "People are blind, sometimes, much to your benefit.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attConfidence's gain) ] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt <2)[ (link: "People are blind, sometimes, much to your benefit.")[ (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $storyHenri's gain) ] ] ]

{= (set: $activity to "observing the state of your apartment")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 10)[(goto: "Ant B4")]  (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 0)[First is the wet trash - leftover foodstuffs airing out inside half-closed Chinese takeout boxes. When you had nothing going on in your life, stacking these boxes was your only form of entertainment. They are the first to go.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 1)[Bloated trash bags sit in the room's corner, one stacked on top of another. They look like a snowman, a stinky one, an incontinent snowman leaking yellow liquid onto the floor.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 2)[Today, you decide to liberate the poor trash bins, those involuntary gluttons, force-fed until garbage is spilling out from their gaping mouths. They will be restored to their proper function - as decoration for a polite household.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 3)[The dishes in the sink have gone fuzzy, green, white, and yellow in certain places. You haven't used a metal utensil in a long, long while. The countertop dishwasher is beginning to develop its own morning breath.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 4)[Black grime completely coats the toilet bowl. All the way down the pipes, it appears. Sometimes, when you flushed, some of the black stuff would dislodge, showing the white porcelain beneath. You’ve held onto the hope that eventually, they’ll grow so chunky that they’ll all fall away. Time to stop hoping and act.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 5)[On the walls of the bathroom, a slimy orange mold is living side by side with the black stuff. You often wonder if they’re competing or cooperating. Either way, they’ll be the death of you, either by inhalation or by slipping. There is enough hair in the drain to reconstruct you in your entirety.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 6)[You once had the notion that a carpet would be a very nice addition for a cozy home, if you-know-who ever decided to pop the question. That didn’t happen. The carpet was a mistake. Whenever you step on it, something sharp always pokes at your soles - a chip fragment, some plastic thing, or even your own broken nails. Time to roll the thing up and put it aside.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 7)[It appears that the wood glue has cracked, and the spaces between the floorboards have become the ants’ superhighway. You trace their marching line back to a neglected cabinet. Inside, a forgotten box of instant ramen is currently hosting several broods of the mindless automatons.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 8)[Coastal humidity is the enemy of good clothes. Everything you’ve ever hunted on sale, thrifted, collected, and found pride in is currently too moldy to wear. Silverfishes crawl out of every pocket. Most of these items no longer fit you. You recall the building having a donation box in the lobby. You should wash the clothes first.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 9)[On the mattress is a dark-yellow shadow the shape of you. There is a similarly-colored spot on the wall, where you usually rest your knee against as you stare at the ceiling. That will not do. A proper home is one where the dweller is invisible, so that visitors might envision themselves living there. You must cleanse this place of your presence.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 10)[You’re done. You shouldn’t be seeing anything unseemly.] (if: $eventCleanup's start is true)[(print: $eventCleanup's desc)] --- <ol>  (if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $lockHenriVisit is false and $attEmbarrassed's qt < 1 and $eventParty's timer is not 0 and $eventParty's timer is not -1)[ <li>(link: "You do the impossible: Go out and ask Henri to lend you his help.")[ (if: $eventCleanup's start is false)[(print: $eventCleanup's onTrigger)] (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (goto: "Ant B1") ] (Commit. With someone else's help, you're guaranteed to make ''progress'', given that you're ''shameless'' enough to ask.) </li>] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $lockHenriVisit is true)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (You've already bothered him today.) </li> ] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $eventParty's timer is 0)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (Today is Henri's party, and he will be too busy to help.) </li> ] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $eventParty's timer is -1)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (Henri probably has some cleaning up of his own to do today.) </li> ] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (Henri seems keen, but you're not ''shameless'' enough to let anyone in on how you've been living.) </li> ] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt is 1)[ <li>~~You ask a friend for help.~~ (Henri's been friendly to you, but you're not friendly to him yet.) </li> ] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt is 0)[ <li>~~You ask a friend for help.~~ (Who are you kidding?) </li> ] <li>(link: "There is only you and the trash mountain. Roll up your sleeves.")[ (if: $eventCleanup's start is false)[(print: $eventCleanup's onTrigger)] (set: $dice to (random: 1,10)) (goto: "Ant B2") ] (Commit. You may make ''progress'', but there's a risk of failing and feeling ''ashamed'' instead.)</li>  <li>(link: "You tell yourself what you've been saying for years now: \"Later.\"")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </li> </ol>

{= (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $activity to "a party down the hall")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $eventParty's know to true)(set: $eventParty's timer to 0)  (if: $lockPartyRedirect is false)[ When the Sun has lowered, all kinds of creatures come out to (link: "play.")[play. You hear busy footsteps - strangers - walking past your door. Then, a rhythmic beating reverberates in the plaster wall. You thought it was your own nervous heart at first, but then realize that it is music. The party in Henri's flat has begun. You're invited, but whether you should join is a different matter altogether. Outside of talking to the delivery man, you haven't had much human contact in a long time. Normally, you wouldn't even consider it. But things hasn't been exactly normal. (link: "You...")[(show: ?choices)] ]] (else:)[ The party sounds to be in full swing. Henri has anticipated the neighbors' complaints by inviting them. Some pre-emptive cordiality goes a long way. You consider going there. Strange, it is so unlike you to even entertain the thought. But these days, it feels as though your actions are not entirely your own. (link: "You...")[(show: ?choices)] ] [ (if: $mind <5)[Presently, your mind is frayed. And so, if you do join, you must do well to conserve yourself, lest this be the last thing you do.] --- <ol> You... (if: $mind > 1)[<li>(link: "Put on your least sullied clothes, snip your tangled hair, and go join the party.")[ (set: $lockPartyRedirect to true) (set: $partyVisited to true) (set: $partyEnergy to 4) (set: $partyD to 0) (goto: "Party Main") ] (Commit. Begin something time consuming and potentially dangerous.) </li> ] (else:)[<li>~~Join the party.~~ (You're currently too unwell to put on proper clothes, let alone exit the apartment and be among others.)] <li>(link: "Stay home and mind your own business.")[ (set: $lockPartyRedirect to true) (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (Go back to your usual evening activities.) </li> </ol>]<choices|(hide: ?choices)

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's place")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "Henri's house party")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $partyEnergy is 4)[A quick drink. That's all you'll have - you've promised yourself. Inside, the light is dim, and a steady blues melody is playing. You half-expect to see college students mid-debauchery, but you quickly remember that you haven’t been to a real party in a very long time, and Henri’s crowd is different. The party-goers are spread out in clusters.] (if: $partyEnergy is 3)[It is not like you at all to be here. Your neck feels warm, and your skin crawls. People are still talking to each other, with or without you. You tell yourself that you prefer it this way, but there's also something in you that wants something different, something more. A jazz tune is reaching its fevered pitch.] (if: $partyEnergy is 2)[You're tipsy. Very. Maybe you shouldn't have come. The neighbors are politely excusing themselves. This gives you some comfort, but so long as you're here, there's still a risk of embarrassing yourself. The music has switched to something you don't recognize.] (if: $partyEnergy is 1)[Faces. How you detest them. They wobble and warble. The collegiate colleagues are reluctantly leaving, confused as to where Henri is. You are shuffling aimlessly in the living room, trying to compose yourself. Stop picking your lips, you look like an ill-raised child. The music is slowing down.] (if: $partyEnergy is 0)[The living room is almost entirely empty. The only music left is the muffled one coming from deeper inside the apartment. You've had more than your fill and are now unable to think clearly.] (set: _guest to (a: " (if: $partyEnergy > 2)[Gathering around the food tray is a handful of familiar faces - your ''neighbors''. They’re trying to make themselves seem comfortable, but the fact that they’re sticking to one another tells you otherwise. You might leave when they do, but you don’t want to attract their attention either. The older ones tend to be nosy.](else:)[Your neighbors have all left.]", " (if: $partyEnergy > 1)[Leaning against the tall bookcase, which spans from one end of the living room to another, is a group of bespectacled thirty-somethings conspicuously gesticulating in the air as though there is an invisible chalkboard. It’s apparent that they’re trying to set themselves apart - as not part of the unlearned masses - as Henri’s ''colleagues''.](else:)[The conspicuous academics have all left.]", " (if: $partyEnergy > 1)[The only ones who seem to be enjoying themselves are also those who are dressed the most casually - simple dresses, hemp sandals, and bottles in hand. But instead of mingling with the guests out front, they only flutter in and out of the backrooms. They must be Henri’s ''personal friends''.](else:)[The only ones remaining are the casually-dressed youths whose laughter is echoing from the inmost hallways.]", " (if: $partyEnergy > 1)[Then, there's always the ''punch bowl'' in the secluded corner. No-one goes there when there's still better drinks to go around. It will be a safe vantage point, where you can while away the night unbothered.](else:)[The punch bowl will always have you, but //should// you have it?]", )) (set: _result to 0) (link-rerun: "You look around and see...")[ (if: _result<4)[(set: _result to it + 1)] (else:)[(set: _result to 1)] (print: _guest's _result) ] No Henri. He's (if: $partyEnergy <4)[still] nowhere to be found. (if: $partyEnergy is 4)[You're feeling nervous but energetic.] (if: $partyEnergy is 3)[You're already tired.] (if: $partyEnergy is 2)[The night is beginning to wear on you greatly.] (if: $partyEnergy is 1)[You're exhausted. Your body begs to be laid down, and your mind says that it should not be here.] (if: $partyEnergy is 0)[It's too late in the night and too late to not regret staying.] --- <ol>  (if: $partyEnergy > 0)[ You...  <li> (link: "Approach the secluded punch bowl.")[ (goto: "Party D") ](print: $actionObs's desc)</li>  <li> (if: $lockPartyA is false and $partyEnergy > 2)[ (link: "Approach the familiar neighbors.")[ (goto: "Party A") ](print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else-if: $partyEnergy <=2)[ ~~Approach your neighbors.~~ (The neighbors have left.) ] (else-if: $lockPartyA is true)[ ~~Approach your neighbors.~~ (You've already talked to them. Once is enough.) ] </li>  <li> (if: $lockPartyB is false and $partyEnergy > 1)[ (link: "Approach the conspicuous academics.")[ (goto: "Party B") ](print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else-if: $partyEnergy <=1)[ ~~Approach the conspicuous academics.~~ (Henri's colleagues have left.) ] (else-if: $lockPartyB is true)[ ~~Approach the conspicuous academics.~~ (You've already talked to them. Anymore and you'll just exceed their welcome.) ] </li>  <li> (if: $lockPartyC is false)[ (link: "Approach the backrooms, where the casual youths are.")[ (goto: "Party C") ](print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else:)[ ~~Approach the backrooms.~~ (You already have. When you look, you cannot find the deep hallway. Everything is back to normal.) ] </li> ] (else:)[You're too exhausted.]  (if: $partyEnergy is 4)[<li>~~Leave.~~ (You //chose// to be here. At least try.)] (else-if: $partyEnergy > 1)[ <li>(link: "It's never too early to leave.")[(goto: "Party Exit")] (Leave the party.)</sapn></li>] (else-if: $partyEnergy is 1)[ <li>(link: "It's a more-than-reasonable time to leave.")[(goto: "Party Exit")] (Leave the party.)</sapn></li>] (else-if: $partyEnergy < 1)[ <li>(link: "Go. You're beyond tired.")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (goto: "Party Exit")] (Leave the party feeling like crap.)</sapn> </li>] </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "with the neighbors")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  Your floor neighbors are standing around the potluck tray. At least you think these are your neighbors, (link: "judging from their voices.")[judging from their voices.(show: ?hidden1)] [Mrs. Wong, as usual, is going on and on about some niece of hers, and the Perry girl has a fixed grin on her lips, while her eyes are looking for a way out. She catches your stare. No recognition. Most people who knew you as you were have already moved away. Since then, you’ve done your best to avoid the newcomers; it saves you from having to explain who you are or why you live the way you do.]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) Perhaps tonight, you can pretend to be someone else, perhaps a friend of the host, someone… normal. --- <ol> You… <li>(link: "Join their conversation.")[ (set: $partyEnergy to it -1) (set: $lockPartyA to true) (goto: "Party A1") ] (Commit.)</li> <li>(link: "Ignore them. They’ll leave soon.")[ (goto: "Party Main") ] (Go back to the party.)</li> </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "with the conspicuous academics")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  You are standing next to the ones you assume are Henri’s colleagues but can only stare at their shoes. Shiny leather and prim loafers. They are (link: "talking non-stop")[talking non-stop(show:?hidden1)], and the drinks only embolden them. [“Complex manifolds”, “gross topology”, “planar intersects”, “the blob” - they are all mouths, speaking the same tongues. ]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1) You get (link: "the gist of it.")[the gist of it.(show:?hidden2)] [They are either already working in Henri’s team or will soon be subsumed under that subdepartment when Henri returns from his sabbatical.]<hidden2|(hide:?hidden2) (link: "Something huge is happening at the school.")[(show:?hidden3)] [The school has cleared out the art department from the basement to make space for a new machine - a computer. ]<hidden3|(hide:?hidden3) When you look up, you see self-satisfied smirks and hear some guffawing. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Stay, to spite them, to spite yourself.")[ (set: $partyEnergy to it -1) (set: $lockPartyB to true) (goto: "Party B1") ] (Commit.)</li> <li>(link: "Ignore them. You're not here to fight. You're not sure //why// you're here either.")[ (goto: "Party Main") ] (Go back to the party.)</li> </ol>

{=  Several - perhaps Henri’s age or younger - are coming out of the (link: "inner hallway.")[inner hallway(show:?hidden1)] [to replace their empty bottles with new ones and quickly returning. Laughter emanates from the backrooms, and so does the smell of weed.]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1) They seem so (link: "youthful")[youthful(show: ?hidden2)], so full of energy, nothing like the uptight oldheads here in the living room, nothing like you.[ Everything looks nice on their lithe bodies - the little crop tops, the mussed up hair, the wooden accessories that dangle from their slender necks. You’ve spent your twenties telling yourself that you can look like that if you want to. That time is long past.]<hidden2|(hide:?hidden2) But, you have even less in common with the little cliques out here, who refuse to mingle with each other. If you’re to find some kindred soul, it’d be back there. Plus, you might find Henri. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Follow one of them out back.")[ (set: $partyEnergy to it -1) (set: $lockPartyC to true) (goto: "Party C1") ] (Commit.)</li> <li>(link: "Stay where you are.")[ (goto: "Party Main") ] (Go back to the party.)</li> </ol>

{=    (if: $partyEnergy > 0)[ (set: $place to "in common hallway")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "going home")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $partyEnergy is 3)[One drink is one too many.] (if: $partyEnergy is 2)[You've had a good buzz going. It’ll be gone tomorrow and never come back, if you can help it.] (if: $partyEnergy is 1)[You’re drunk. Tonight, you’ll lie down and lie to yourself that you’ve never broken your sobriety.] As you stumble out of the apartment and make your way back to your unit, you hear Henri calling after you. //“There you are, finally!”// He catches up to you, out of breath. His face is pink. But that smile of his hasn’t gone anywhere. //“Going already? I haven’t had a chance to speak to you at all!”// [<ul> <li>(link: "Where has he been all night?")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[You ask him where he has been all night. He seems confused. //“That’s strange… I was looking for you, too. Then I… I must have lost track of time while I was out back, showing my friends some records. Gosh, I feel awful about this. Let me walk you back home.”//]] <li>(link: "You haven’t seen him at all.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[You tell him that it’s because he’s been gone all evening. He seems confused. //“What do you mean? I was just right there in… Nevermind. My fault. I must have been caught up with all the guests. Gosh, I feel awful about this. Let me walk you back home.”//]] <li>(link: "He invited you to his party and left you hanging.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[You tell him that you’ve done fine without him. //“You did? That’s a relief,”// he says, but the smile quickly disappears. //“Oh… I messed up, didn’t I? I’m so sorry. I must have been caught up, and… That’s no excuse. Will you at least let me walk you back home?”//]] <ul>]<choices1| [ []<response1| You look at the hallway. Somewhere in the distance, a light is flickering. --- <ol> //"What do you say?"// <li>[[Some last-minute company wouldn’t hurt, as long as he doesn’t enter your door.->Party Exit 1]] <li>[[Tell him to go back to his friends. You've made enough mistakes.->Party Exit 2]] </ol> ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]  (if: $partyEnergy < 1)[ (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "lying in bed")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You hear the door closing. The ceiling fan is spinning. No, there’s no ceiling fan in your apartment. Still, whatever it is you’re looking at is spinning. You hear Jesse’s claws clicking against the floorboard in the dark. You’re at home. (link-reveal: "But how did you get here?") [ (link-reveal: "The last thing you did was passing out on Henri’s couch… ")[You were sure that you’d make it out that door before your eyes shuttered or before you hurled. The latter didn’t happen, thankfully. At least not to your knowledge.] (link-reveal: "And then, Henri appeared… ")[which jolted you awake. Where had he been all night, only to appear when you're unguarded? Still, you had the wherewithal to refuse his blanket (it was quilted, so you recall). You insisted that Jesse would miss you.] (link-reveal: "And he took you home… ")[You leaned against his shoulders and dragged your feet along the hallway. In your mind, you were playing up your drunkenness to spite his absence. But you really were that drunk. It was an old habit of yours to take a swig every time you felt nervous. There was a lot of that tonight.] (link-reveal: "Finally, he laid you down on your mattress… ")[(unless: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[Now you're among your ants. How much did he see? How much did he smell? You’d never have agreed to him being entering had you been able to drag yourself back home. ]He placed a water bottle next to you, too. He had just left. Your head is thumping. You want reach for the water bottle, but your limbs won't obey. So, you close your eyes.] --- (link: "The hangover will be brutal, but not as much as the regret.")[  (set: $partyDelayedReward to true) (if: $worldState <2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (set: $attConfidence's qt to 0) (set: $mind to it - $partyD) (dialog: [Your drunken courage has turned sour. All your <details><summary>''(print: $attConfidence's name)''</summary>(print: $attConfidence's desc)</details> ... is set to 0, and you lose all emotional benefits gained through drinking.], "Should've known better.") (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (You lose all of your ''confidence'' - and perhaps more, had Henri not taken you home safely. Move on with your life.(if: $mind <2)[ Or what little remains of it.]) ] ]

{=  (if: $partyD is 0)[A huge bowl of fruit punch - it is as much of a signpost for the idea of a “house party” as the music and the lighting. But other than this symbolic function, it’s not very popular. Still, it is a pleasant little corner. Everything here - including the fruit punch- fades into obscurity. And a little obscurity is what you need should you wish to muster your courage. Or, at least it’s the safest way to pass the time.] (if: $partyD is 1)[Perhaps Henri only made the fruit punch because people expect it to be there. Else, it’ll seem like something is missing. Half of the ice is melted, and the mix tastes like flavored water. You //can// drink something else, but then, you’re just taking up things other people actually enjoy, and you’re trying to take up as little space as possible. Perhaps another sip will give you what you need to go back out there again] (if: $partyD is 2)[Why //is// the fruit bowl here? What is it //doing// here? Decoration? If it is for decoration, it’s not very pretty. What a pointless thing. It shouldn’t be here at all. You’re several cups in. Too many, perhaps? You can always stop and actually go talk to someone. Isn’t that what you’ve come here for? You must have forgotten at some point between the apple slice and strawberry.] (if: $partyD is 3)[One thing that you can credit yourself is that during all of your shut-in years, you haven’t turned to alcohol. It’s expensive and hurts you; the stuff that’s not expensive will only hurt you more. Now, you don’t even have that privilege of self-congratulation. Now, you might finish the whole thing by yourself. Maybe that’s what you’ll do. Maybe that’s what you deserve.] (if: $partyEnergy <= 1)[ (It is currently very late, and you've drank plenty. Another drink, and it'll be your last... for tonight.)] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Sip from the bowl of liquid courage.")[ (set: $partyD to it + 1) (set: $partyEnergy to it -1) (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attConfidence's gain)</li> <li>(link: "Turn your attention back to the party.")[ (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $actionBack's desc)</li> </ol>

{=  You silently go up to the neighbors. Mrs. Wong notices you but continues talking anyway. She regales the group with tales about her niece, who is both talented (she was accepted to a prestigious institution) and a looker (according to her aunt) and single (is she hoping for Henri to overhear her?). The Perry girl grins and nods politely, hands twirling her cup. [ <ul> <li>(link: "To speak of one's accomplishments is to diminish another's - such is the invisible rule.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] <li>(link: "Then again, worldly people can only know of worldly accomplishments.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] <li>(link: "Therefore, you should keep your thoughts yourself. Mrs. Wong has no need for your opinion.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] </ul> ]<choices1| [ The group grows tired of the same old song. Slowly, the conversation shifts to the subject of other partygoers. The Perry girl says, with some hint of admiration, that Henri keeps such colorful company, which she doesn’t expect of the mathematics professor. Her husband pointedly reminds her that one can never know what others are up to. [ <ul> <li>(link: "He is right, more right than he knows.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)] <li>(link: "Can an ant know what a person is up to? Can an ant even know what other ants are bringing home?")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)] <li>(link: "The Perry girl used to be sweet on Henri. That was until her now-husband popped the question.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)] </ul> ]<choices2| ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ Mrs. Wong immediately jumps at the opportunity to mention the shut-in woman on this floor. Now //that// is an example of someone who no-one knows what she’s up to. (One sniff by the door would snuff out anyone's curiosity). According to Mrs. Wong, the woman used to be a painter but has given up on the brush and is now living as though in hiding. She must have done something terrible, but that was before Mrs. Wong moved here. The Perry girl wonders aloud what could be the reason for someone to be in such a state. Her husband, again, says that it’s pointless to speculate. [ <ul> <li>(link: "Of course. Even //you// think that you're worse than animals sometimes.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] <li>(link: "But what's next? Will mothers tell children to avoid your door, else you might lure them in and eat them alive?")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] <li>(link: "No, if you must kill, you'll kill the loudmouth first. The children will be last.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] </ul> ]<choices3| ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ Mrs. Wong guffaws, adding that it is fortunate that they will not have to find out tonight; kind, studious Henri would never associate with such types - layabouts - artists. --- <ol> You… (if: $storyHenri's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Say that Henri is not entirely apathetic to the shut-in painter.")[ (goto: "Party A2") ] (You know Henri well enough to say this.) </li>] (else:)[<li>~~Say that Henri is not entirely apathetic to the shut-in painter.~~ (Although you're invited, you and Henri are practically strangers.)</li>] (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Challenge the loudmouth: What makes her so sure that the artist in question isn’t here?")[ (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (goto: "Party A2") ](print: $attConfidence's use)</li>] (else:)[<li>~~Challenge the loudmouth.~~ (You're not feeling confident enough to butt in like this.)</li>] <li>(link: "Swallow your pride and leave them, quietly. You know this is how others see you.")[ (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main")] (print: $attEmbarrassed's gain)</li> </ol> ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{=  Down in the university basement, where the art department used to be, there are now racks on racks of electronics humming away. Apparently, they have to wear hearing protection like construction workers do, says the woman in pantsuit. The astrophysicists have been salivating at the new hardware, and so have the organic chemists. But there’s only one department - no, one subdepartment - that has the majority of the time-share. Henri’s. [<ul> <li>(link: "One has to wonder what kind of work has launched math - the middle child of the sciences - to such heights.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] <li>(link: "Fields, disciplines, and departments concern a building’s layout and budgeting plans, not the universe itself.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] <li>(link: "Soon, they will run out of art to burn, and the engineers and scientists will turn on each other. Who’s next in the tabernacle? Ecologists? Zoologists? Food scientists?")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] </ul>]<choices1| [ //“What we’re doing here is important work, world-changing even,”// a man in tweed explains to you slowly, in simple diction. //“So you’ll have to understand why it was necessary that your art profs be moved to the leased diner a few blocks over.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "He seems to think that you’re a student, one who is partial to the arts.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)] <li>(link: "He appeals for you to understand and yet, he does not think you can.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)] <li>(link: "He pretends to take the blame in order to take credit. Likely, it wasn’t his decision. Most people don’t get to make decisions. This man is only a beneficiary of the times.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“To you, it might seem like an absurd situation,”// the woman in pantsuit sighs and shakes her head. //“But maybe, the initial absurdity is that there is an art department at all in a polytechnic school.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "Art and science are childhood friends, destined to be rid of each other when it is time to grow up.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] <li>(link: "But in their full maturity, the two will look back and see that they have never been so far away.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] <li>(link: "And in the end, they will come together and watch the Sun set on humanity.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] </ul>]<choices3| ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“Wasn’t it Plato who said that art is only a pale imitation of reality? At best, it is a form of therapy, so says Aristotle, but there are therapists for that,”// the man in tweed says, and the others chuckle. //“Plus, you should see what the comp-sci guys are whipping up in the basement. It’s better than what most so-called artists these days can draw.”// --- <ol> You... (if: $storyHenri's qt >1)[ <li>(link: "Recall that accomplished scientists do not have such a dim view of art.")[ (goto: "Party B2") ] (You can think of at least one such person, and you know him well enough to assert this.) ] (else:)[ <li>~~Recall that accomplished scientists do not have such a dim view of art.~~ (You can think of at least one such person. But these are his colleagues; they know him better than you do.) ] (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Explain - passionately, even ineloquently - that there’s more to it than just pretty pictures.")[ (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (goto: "Party B2") ](print: $attConfidence's use) ] (else:)[ <li>~~Explain that they're wrongheaded.~~ (You're not feeling confident enough to interject.) ] <li>(link: "Politely disagree. Preferably silently, to your own self, as you walk away.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main")] (print: $attRestlessness's gain)</li> </ol> ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place]  You follow a (link-reveal: "tall, raven-haired girl")[ - an undergrad, at most, because no-one older would wear a silver-sequin tube top -] into the back of the apartment… much further than you think possible. [<ul> <li>(link: "His unit should be identical to yours, but yours do not have hallways this long. Or this dark.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] <li>(link: "In fact, the building - if you remember correctly - is only about seventy-steps across from the outside. But you keep walking. One hundred. One hundred and one. The drink is messing up your count.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] <li>(link: "Why hasn’t the girl turned her back and acknowledged you yet? Does she know you’re following her?")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] </ul>]<choices1| [ You squeeze past a few partygoers. Doorless walls pass you by, lit only with a very long string of fairy light, which sometimes flicker. It reminds you of a place you’ve been to before, down in Mexico City, back when you had a wilder heart. The girl and you arrive at a red door. You can’t tell whether it is painted that color, or perhaps it is only the harsh neon tube. Your eyes are burning dry. There is no-one else back here but you two. //“The Sun must set some time, friend,”// the girl turns back to you and speaks. [<ul> <li>(link: "But the night is young, even if you’re not.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response1)[You play along. But the girl curls her lips at you. A smile? Or pity?]] <li>(link: "Friend? Have she met you before? Have you ever...")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response1)[You ask if she knows you. The girl chuckles and shakes her head.]] <li>(link: "Is Henri back here?")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response1)[You ask if Henri is here. The girl shrugs. Of course.]] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ []<response1| She raises her cup to you, and you clink it, as much as plastic can clink. You notice the way her throat undulates as she gulps. There is a gold pendant the shape of a hand - with the forearm still attached. //“So tell me, what is it like, the Sun?”// [<ul> <li>(link: "G-type main sequence star, 4.6 billion years old, 149,600,000 kilometers from Earth, about 73% hydrogen, burning at 5,600 Celsius or 10,000 Fahrenheit on its surface.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response2)[You tell her some harmless facts about the star at the center of the Solar System, which you’ve memorized for such an occasion. She only laughs.]] <li>(link: "It screams so loudly.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response2)[You tell her what you’ve heard in Egypt. She seems unimpressed, acting like she has heard it before.]] <li>(link: "I love it.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response2)[You tell her that you love the Sun - an incomplete truth. //“I do, too,”// she giggles.]] </ul>]<choices3| ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ []<response2| The red door opens. A bearded man steps out, still wiping his wet hands on his jeans. He nods at you and the dark-haired girl as he follows the fairy light back towards the music. //“Anyways, I need to use this room,”// the brunette says. //“If you don’t want to wait, you’re welcome to join me, friend.”// --- <ol> (if: $storyHenri's qt >2)[ <li>(link: "This is not your house, but a friend’s. He must expect you to feel comfortable. You join her.")[ (goto: "Party C2") ] (You feel like you have Henri's tacit approval, given in lieu of knowledge.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Henri will want you to be comfortable. You join her.~~ (There's a limit to neighborly hospitality.)] (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Your heart is still wild, only slumbering. You join her.")[ (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (goto: "Party C2") ](print: $attConfidence's use) ] (else:)[<li>~~Your heart is still wild, only slumbering. You join her.~~ (What are you thinking? You're not nearly confident enough to do that.)] <li>(link: "There’s been a mistake. You’re not… No, you say you’ll wait until it’s your turn. And when she has closed the door, you’ll leave.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ] (You'll be ''embarrassed'' and ''stressed'', hurt twice over.) </ol> ]<hidden3|(hide:?hidden3)

{= Somehow, you’ve found the courage to put a word in: As far as you know, the host is not entirely a number’s man; he is at least partial to a little bit of art. A little bit of ambiguity. Plus, he has talked about inviting the so-called //”resident artist”// - you are sure of it. Mrs. Wong glares at you, about to tell you… [<ul> <li>(link: "… that you must be mistaken.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] <li>(link: "… that you would know that what you're saying is impossible if //you// had met the freakish painter in question.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] <li>(link: "… to mind your own business, ironically enough.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)] </ul>]<choices1| [ But the Perry girl interrupts. She says that it is good to finally have a chance to finally meet this mysterious neighbor of theirs, if she happens to be in their midst. Moreover, she is quite surprised to discover Henri’s artistic side, and that you seem to know a thing or two about it. [<ul> <li>(link: "Yes, one’s heart is often a secret to many.")[(set: _response2 to "One may never know fully another's heart.")(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[_response2]] <li>(link: "Some things are so secret, one would not know that it was there if it were presented in its full brilliance.")[(set: _response2 to "Not all secrets are so because they're hidden, but because they're baffling. You don't fully understand why Henri has an interest in what you do either.")(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[_response2]] <li>(link: "Barring theoretical physicists, pure mathematicians are often the most romantic sorts to be found in polytechnic universities. The least are biologists.")[(set: _response2 to "Yes, there is beauty in numbers and order. They are never as absolute as they seem.")(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[_response2]] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ []<response2| Her husband, however, seems exasperated with this talk - Henri this, Henri that, since when did it matter? His wife becomes defensive. The party is in the host’s honor, is it not? Mrs. Wong - not missing her cue for theatrics - sighs audibly and calls for all parties to calm down. The world has been chaotic enough these days. [<ul> <li>(link: "What with Arizona wanting to join Texas.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] <li>(link: "And the string of disappearances plaguing the Union.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] <li>(link: "And the presence of those catatonic //\"empty persons\"// in the streets. A hitherto unknown drug epidemic?")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)] </ul>]<choices3| ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ She tells the other guests to cherish what they have - the world might be ending, for all that they know. From the look of it, what they have now are cups of lukewarm beer and each other. The other neighbors chuckle uneasily, but they raise their drinks all the same. --- <ol> And what about you? What do you have? <li>(link: "Jesse - she's all you can bear to think about. She is a more loyal and enjoyable companion than any human, empty or otherwise.")[ (print: $attJesse01's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attJesse01's gain) (if: $storyArt's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Your work. Your Sun. Everyday, you come a little closer.")[ (print: $attProgress's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attProgress's gain) ] (else:)[ <li>~~You have your work.~~ (You haven't seriously made any progress in years.) ] (if: $storyHenri's qt > 2)[ <li>(link: "You have someone - the first in a long time - who puts up with you.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attConfidence's gain) ] (else:)[ <li>~~You have someone.~~ (No, you don't.) ] </ol> ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= Their eyes are fixed on you, partly out of amusement, partly out of annoyance. Still, you’re surprised that they’ve given your tirade the time at all. You can't stop talking. //“What then, is the value of art?”// The pantsuit woman finally interrupts you. [ <ul> <li>(link: "Art is an exercise in morality - even an alternative morality.")[(set: _response1 to "You say something about art as a honer of our moral reasoning, even if art itself is not a guide for judgment.")(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[_response1]] <li>(link: "Art wakes consciousness from slumber.")[(set: _response1 to "You say something about art as a beacon for consciousness to find its way in the dark.")(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[_response1]] <li>(link: "It is altogether wrongheaded to give art a purpose. Art //is// the purpose.")[(set: _response1 to "You refuse giving art a purpose. The good and beautiful needs no justification.")(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[_response1]] </ul>]<choices1| [ []<response1| //“I see,”// she says, turning to her colleague with a smirk. //“And are you making art?”// Asks the man in tweed. //“Do you feel this great purpose everyday?”// [<ul> <li>(link: "If it wasn’t for art, you would still be rotting in your apartment.")[(set: _response2 to "You mumble something like a \"yes\" to their lack of surprise.")(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[_response2]] <li>(link: "But art //is// the reason you’ve been rotting in your apartment. There’s no reason to do that if it weren’t for a sense of purpose. Right?")[(set: _response2 to "You belt out a firm affirmative. The other guests are glancing at you and the academics.")(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[_response2]] <li>(link: "You’re not sure if you’ve been making art. You can only know when it’s done.")[(set: _response2 to "You tell them that your point stands, regardless of who you are or what you've done. As academics, they must know this.")(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[_response2]] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1) [ []<response2| //“Let’s be reasonable here,”// says the pantsuit woman. //“It’s a matter of space. Some need it more than others. People have been painting in caves, after all. They still can. Artists will be fine.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "So the small will have to crawl and give way to the great.")[(set: _response3 to "Small... pathetic... the words echo in your mind, but for whom?")(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response3)[_response3]] <li>(link: "So the ignorant will never comprehend how utterly pointless they are.")[(set: _response3 to "Ignorant... the word echoes in your mind, but for whom?")(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response3)[_response3]] <li>(link: "So the narcissistic will only know their nook in the world.")[(set: _response3 to "One can only know one's station... yes, and this applies to you as well.")(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response3)[_response3]] </ul>]<choices3| ]<hidden2|(hide:?hidden2) [ []<response3| And so quietly, without alarm, all will perish under the inexorable movement of forces outside their perception, outside their understanding. You sip your drink, having said all you could, not knowing any better of the academics, nor they of you. --- <ol> What have you got out of this? <li>(link: "That you can only tend to your garden. And you’ve been tending it.")[ (print: $attProgress's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attProgress's gain) (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "That you should have no shame, because the worst that could happen is a blank stare.")[ (print: $attEmbarrassed's useEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attEmbarrassed's use) ] (else:)[<li>~~That you should have no shame, because the worst that could happen is a blank stare.~~ (You're not even ashamed to begin with.)] (if: $storyHenri's qt > 2)[ <li>(link: "That whoever cares about you, cares. And those who don’t are not worth your care.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attConfidence's gain) ] (else:)[ <li>~~That whoever cares about you, cares. And those who don’t are not worth your care.~~ (But you don't have anyone like that.) ] ]<hidden3|(hide:?hidden3)

{= It is red outside. It is red inside. It is red, warm, and slippery. Utterly so. You’re hesitant, but the first steps are already past you. Twin stars swirl atop your head, stars blacker than any night - your Sun and Her sister. //“Did you know that, once upon a time, it’d have been me instead of you?”// [<ul> <li>(link: "You’re confused.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[You tell her that she must be mistaken. (link-reveal: "It’s not like that. ")[In Henri's place, it was supposed to be her, and in your place, it was supposed to be Henri, and you… you were gone.] The brunette shrugs. It doesn’t matter anymore. ]] <li>(link: "If not you, then it’d have been her.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[You told her that the reverse is equally likely. She nods. //“Yes, but it’s your turn now.”//]] <li>(link: "Her? It’s not possible.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[You shake your head, and she keeps on nodding. //“Don’t be so unkind, friend. I also wonder why you’re chosen and not I.”//]] </ul>]<choices1| [ []<response1| Her name is Julia. She tells you not to bother remembering. She promises that you’ll only ever meet her here, and nowhere else. Her crimson face is like a lovingly sculpted mask made of candle wax. //“Don’t worry. There’s no ill will,”// she whispers. //“Well, maybe a little bit. Henri’s so timid. I can play the part better.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "Is she… jealous?")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[You sense her jealousy. And you’re suddenly overtaken with envy. Envy over how freely she expresses such ugly thoughts. You’d never have the gall to do that. You’re timid, too.]] <li>(link: "She’s only a pretty face from the past, come to fulfill one last wish.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[You tell her what she is - a fulfillment. //“Strange, isn’t it? You’d think he’d wish for something more. Well, I won’t say you’re better for him. At least you’re interesting. Odd, but interesting.”//]] <li>(link: "You’re better. You know you’re better.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[You tell her that there’s a reason for everything. //“Perhaps. There’s also a reason for why I was first pick.”//]] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1) [ []<response2| Julia pushes you down. You’re deep in it now. Taking in lungfuls, drowning in that red glow. You open your eyes and see nothing, so you close them again and let yourself be taken. But, Julia yanks your hair, pulling you back up. If she hadn't done that, you’d have floated away completely. The Sun - past the bleary membrane of the sick firmament - is a pit, and in that pit lies a comfort far greater than any lover’s embrace. Now, she holding your face up to hers. //“Tell me. What is it like?”// [<ul> <li>(link: "Does she not know?")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response3)[Why does she pretend? Does she not know? Did she labor in ignorance? Are you? Did she not achieve what she wanted? Will you? She sees your confusion, and tears well up in her eyes. And in those eyes, there is only twilight.]] <li>(link: "It’s wonderful.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response3)[You tell her of the things you see, the things you hear at night, the way you’d wake up drenched and panting, if you had slept at all. You speak and speak, but the words escape you. Like a frayed rope undone. Tears well up in her eyes. And in those eyes, there is only twilight.]] <li>(link: "It’s dreadful.")[(show: ?hidden3)(hide: ?choices3)(replace: ?response3)[You stare at her in silence, stare past her pale face and towards the star behind which she eclipses. Your lips might quiver, but no word will come. She hears you all the same, for tears have welled up in her eyes. And in those eyes, there is only twilight.]] </ul>]<choices3| ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ []<response3| You can feel her breath on you, short and desperate sobs. You place a hand on her cheek. She’s freezing. If only she could see. Maybe in another life, you might- There is a knock on the door. //“Give me a minute, asshole!”// Julia yells. The spell is broken. You wash your hands in the sink. She wipes. //“Go. I’ll stay out of your way for now. Do invite me to the wedding, though, mmkay?”// --- <ol> You’re out in the hallway again. Alone. What //was// that? <li>(link: "A vision - it was beautiful and inscrutable.")[ (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attInspiration's gain) <li>(link: "A sign - that you’re going in the right direction.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (goto: "Party Main") ](print: $attConfidence's gain) <li>(link: "A reminder - that you're //meant// to be.")[ (set: $mind to it + 2) (dialog: [Reminded of the end, your mind is significantly vitalized.]) (goto: "Party Main") ] (Significantly heal your mind.) <ol> ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{=  (set: $activity to "talking to Henri")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] //“Did you have a nice time at least?”// You make a noncommittal sound as you lean against the hallway balcony. The night breeze is chilly. Down there, several stories below, outbounding partygoers stumble onto the pavement. They laugh and speak too loudly. They look like ants from up here. //“Tell me about it.”// (if: $partyD > 0 and $lockPartyA is false and $lockPartyB is false and $lockPartyC is false)[(link-reveal: " You’ve only drunk his fruit punch and left. ")[ There’s no shame in it, right? That was how you passed the time at so many events, showings, fundraisers, back when you still went to those kinds of things. But at least back then, you had someone.]] (else:)[ (if: $partyD > 0)[(link-reveal: " You complement his fruit punch.")[ This is, of course, a lie. Fruit punch can neither be good nor bad. It can only get you buzzed or not. //“Thanks, I try.”//]] (if: $lockPartyA is true)[(link-reveal: " You talked to the neighbors.")[ You relay some select details, nothing about how they spoke of you. Regardless, you can’t hide your annoyance. //“Yes, Mrs. Wong can be an earful. But it's good this way... for her. It’s only been, what, two years since her husband… Ah, I shouldn’t. Anyway, she has few consolations these days.”// Pity - he is never short of that.]] (if: $lockPartyB is true)[(link-reveal: " You met Henri’s work buddies.")[ What’s there to say? Thinking about them saps the energy from you. //“Yeah, you wouldn’t think that eggheads like us would drink so much and talk crap so often. They’re fun.”// It’s hard for you to believe that Henri is the same breed as them.]] (if: $lockPartyC is true)[(link-reveal: " You met a girl… tall, dark hair. Pretty.")[ Henri stares at you blankly. No matter how many more details you supply, he only rubs his chin and twists his face. He rubs and rubs but no spark comes out of it. //“It’s been a whirl. Must have been a friend’s friend. Was she interesting?”// You shake your head. If he’s pretending, he’s good at it. They’re all so good at it.]] ] (link-reveal: "And that’s it.")[ You're glad that it's over. You can imagine that there are those who perversely go to parties only to feel the joy of leaving. //“Anyways, I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”// You brush it off. The two of you reach your door. (if: $storyHenri's qt is 3)[ //“I’d like to spend more time with you though. Before I have to return next year, I’ve got all the time in the world. If you’re bored out of your mind, just knock. And maybe, if it's not too much of a secret... you'll let me watch you work? I've always been curious.”// (unless: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[Your apartment is not guest-friendly; it is currently occupied by a thousand hostile denizens. ] ] (else:)[//"Well, this is goodbye. (if: $storyHenri's qt >0)[I'll make it up for today. If you need anything, just let me know, alright?](else:)[Thanks again. And rest up. I'll drop by sometimes.]"// ] You stare at him. He’s smiling again. You need to get away, quick! --- (link: "Sure. Goodbye, Henri.")[  (if: $worldState <2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (if: $storyHenri's qt is 4)[(dialog: [You can now visit Henri socially.], "OK.")(set: $lockHenriVisit to false)] (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] ((if: $mind <2)[You gain some ''goodwill'' with Henri. Move on with your life, or what little remains of it.](else:)[Good job for surviving the party. You gain some ''goodwill'' with Henri. Move on with your life.]) ]

{=  (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "going to bed")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "You close your door behind you.")[ That’s enough people for today. (link-reveal: "Enough for a lifetime.")[ Before you left, Henri told you that he’ll come to visit tomorrow to make up for his absence today. You’ve had enough of him, too. When you slide into your blanket, you realize that you don’t feel so upset anymore. In fact, you don’t feel anything. Only a gray wave lapping, washing all that is you far from shore. (link-reveal: "A familiar feeling.")[ (if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[Jesse climbs on top of your blanket and curls between your legs. She, too, is familiar. If you’re lost at sea, at least (link: "you’ll always have her.")[(show: ?hidden1)]] (else:)[Jesse meows a greeting at you from atop her hiding place. She, too, is familiar. You want to climb atop the wardrobe and hide from the ants with her. At least (link: "you’ll always have her.")[(show: ?hidden1)]] [The waves break against obsidian, shattering into a million pieces of rubies, each refracting an image of the Sun. The canvas stares at you from the dark. Will you be but one refraction? --- (link: "Only tomorrow can tell.")[  (if: $worldState <2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (set: $partyDelayedReward to true) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] ((if: $mind <2)[Move on with your life, or what little remains of it.](else:)[Good job for surviving the party. Move on with your life.]) ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]]]

{= (if: $worldState < 2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Morning")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "being idle")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $partyEnergy < 2 and $partyVisited is true and $eventParty's timer is -1)[(goto: "Hungover")]  (if: $lockDreamEStage2 is true and $shakenDreamE > 0)[(goto: "Dream E Morning")]  (if: $lockAmyE is true and $lockAmyE4 is false)[(goto: "Amy E4")]  (if: $eventShow's timer is 1 and $lockGalaA is false)[(goto: "Gala A")]   (if: $storyHenri's qt > 1 and $eventParty's timer < -4 and $lockHenriF is false and $waitMorning2 is 2)[(goto: "Henri F")]  (if: $storyHenri's qt > 1 and $eventParty's timer < -6 and $lockHenriF is true and $lockPoliceA is true and $lockHenriG is false and $waitMorning2 is 4)[(goto: "Henri G")]  (if: $lockHenriG is true and $talkHenriG is false and $lockAmyX is false and $waitMorning2 is 2)[(goto: "Amy X")]  (if: $eventParty's timer >= 0 or $eventEmail's progress < 5)[(goto: "Morning 1")] The morning air is pregnant with anticipation.  (display: "Mood")  (set: _status to (random: 1,3)) (if: _status is 1)[Presently, an orange fog veils the streets. Its scent is sickly sweet.] (if: _status is 2)[The days are beginning to grow hot, and your fans are running without break. Is it summer already?] (if: _status is 3)[There is a strange music that haunts your mind, and like a yearnful antenna, you hum along to this errant tune.]  (if: $eventShow's wait1 <= 0 and $eventShow's know is false)[Your patience for the Darkbloom people is running thin. Maybe you should send them a reminder, or two, or several. ] (else-if: $eventShow's wait1 > 0 and $eventShow's know is false)[You’re currently waiting for the Darkbloom Foundation’s final reply. ]  (if: $eventShow's timer > 1)[ (if: $eventShow's know is true)[(print: $eventShow's desc) (if: $storyArt's qt is 1)[Your painting is not yet ready, and neither are you.] (else-if: $storyArt's qt is 2)[In the corner of your room is a splendor so great that it makes you quiver, so you must avert your gaze and drape a table linen over the canvas. It is ready.] ] ] (else-if: $eventShow's timer is 1)[The Greeting Gala is ''tomorrow''. You should (link: "start traveling")[(goto: "Gala A")] today if you want to make it. ] (else-if: $eventShow's timer is 0)[The Greeting Gala is happening ''tonight''. If you start (link: "traveling now")[(goto: "Gala A")], you will miss the main events, but you might still catch a few Darkbloom members the next morning. ] (else-if: $eventShow's timer < 0)[The Greeting Gala is over. ]   (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1)[The apartment is still filthy, and the ants harry your peace. They will not stop until you’re done cleaning. ] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[For all the stresses of life, at least you’re living in a clean and antless place. Relatively. (if: $lockJesseE1 is true and $storyAnts's medicine < 7)[ It comes with a price though. Jesse now needs to be medicated daily until her sores heal.] ] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 3)[The ants - they’ve come back! Jesse is hurt, badly. No more. You need to do something drastic and swift. ] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 4)[The ants are gone, and so is Jesse. ] --- <ol> (if: $mind>1)[You:  (if: $eventShow's timer is 1 or it is 0)[ <li>(link: "Consider leaving for the Greeting Gala.")[ (goto: "Gala A") ] (You're thinking about it...) Or...]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[<li>(link: "Approach the ant-infested piles of trash around the apartment.")[(goto: "Ant B")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> ] (else:)[<li>(link: "Inspect the apartment's cleanliness. It's still cluttered, but the ants are largely gone.")[(goto: "Ant B")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> ]  (if: $eventShow's wait1 <= 0 and $lockDarkbloomA is false)[ <li>(link: "Check your laptop. Perhaps the Darkbloom Foundation has made its final decision?")[(goto: "Darkbloom A")] (print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else-if: $lockDarkbloomA is true)[ <li>(link: "Re-read the Darkbloom email, where you'll find instructions for the upcoming show.")[(goto: "Darkbloom A1")] (print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else:)[<li>[[Your laptop: You're waiting for the Darkbloom Foundation's final verdict.->Laptop A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)]  (if: $eventShow's know is true)[ <li>(link: "Approach your painting, even if the Sun is still out. Perhaps you could practice?")[ (goto: "Painting 0") ](print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else:)[<li>[[Go to your unfinished painting. Even if it's still bright outside.->Storylet X1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1)[ <li>[[Look for Jesse. Maybe she still likes to play, after everything.->Jesse C1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[ (if: $lockJesseE is true and $lockJesseE1 is false)[<li>[[Consider taking Jesse to the vet.->Jesse C2]] (Just thinking about it won't cost you anything yet.)] (else-if: $lockJesseE is true and $lockJesseE1 is true and $storyAnts's medicine < 7)[<li>[[Consider giving Jesse her medicine.->Jesse C2]] (Just thinking about it won't cost you anything yet.)] (else-if: $storyAnts's medicine >= 7)[<li>[[Check up on Jesse.->Jesse C2]] (print: $actionObs's desc)] (else:)[<li>[[Play with Jesse. The ants are all gone!->Jesse C2]] (print: $actionObs's desc)]] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 3)[ <li>[[Check up on Jesse. She is not doing alright.->Jesse C3]] (print: $actionObs's desc)] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 4)[ <li>[[Play with...->Jesse C4]] (print: $actionObs's desc)]  (if: $storyHenri's qt > 3)[ Then, there's Henri... <li>(link: "Consider paying Henri a visit.")[ (goto: "Henri E") ] (Just thinking about it won't cost you anything yet.)] Or...] (else:)[You're currently too unwell to do anything else but stay in bed.]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[ <li>(link: "You want to lay down, but it will mean subjecting your flesh and mind to the six-legged menace.")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $actionDamage's desc)</li> ]  (else:)[ <li>(link: "Go back to sleep. You're feeling overwhelmed.")[(print: $actionNap's effect)](print: $actionNap's desc)</li> ] </ol>

{= (if: $worldState < 2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Midday")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "busying yourself with odds and ends")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $busyHenriF to false) (set: $busyHenriG to false)  (if: $partyDelayedReward is true and $partyVisited is true and $lockHenriD is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Henri D")]  (else-if: $shakenHenriG is true and $lockAmyA is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Amy A") ]  (else-if: $eventShow's timer is 1 or it is 0)[(goto: "Gala Reminder") ]  (else-if: $skipMidday2 is true)[(set: $skipMidday2 to false)(show: ?default)]   (else-if: $eventParty's timer < -2 and $lockPoliceA is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Police A")]  (else-if: $eventShow's wait1 <= -1 and $lockDarkbloomA is false and $lockDarkbloomA2 is false)[(goto: "Darkbloom A2")]  (else-if: $eventEmail's know is true and $lockDarkbloomB is false)[(goto: "Darkbloom B")]  (else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 2 and $eventParty's timer < -3 and $lockJesseD is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Jesse D")]  (else-if: $lockDreamAmy1 is true and $lockAmyB is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Amy B")]  (else-if: $lockAmyB1 is true and $storyAnts's qt > 1 and $lockAmyC is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Amy C")]  (else-if: $lockAmyC1 is true and $storyAmy's decline < 3 and $storyAmy's progress <= 4)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Amy D")]  (else-if: $storyAmy's decline >= 3 and $lockAmyRejected is false)[(goto: "Amy Rejected")]  (else-if: $storyAmy's progress >= 5 and $lockAmyE is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Amy E")]  (else-if: $lockAmyE is true and $lockAmyE5 is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Amy E5")]  (else-if: $lockAmyE5 is true and $AmyE6's lock is false)[(set: $skipMidday2 to true)(goto: "Amy E6")]  (if: $eventParty's timer >= -1 or $eventEmail's progress < 5)[(goto: "Midday 1")]   (set: _text to (random: 1,5)) (if: _text is 1)[You can hear it - not footsteps, not the rumbling of tires on asphalt, not even the chirping of birds - only silence. An suffocating silence has fallen on the world outside. What is this fog? What is this air? You feel your heart choke and your spine twist. --- (link: "The world holds its breath. Something is about to happen.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc)  ] (if: _text is 2)[Sirens wail in the streets. You step out momentarily to the balcony to watch the commotion. Red and blue flash in the thick fog. Men are shouting. You see below, several police cars are surrounding a tall figure, whose arms are stretched high into the air. Surrender? No. A pose, like a hand signal for airplanes, like a dead tree. An officer yells. Tasers pop and crackle. The person still does not move. --- (link: "A reminder to tend to your own garden.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc)  ] (if: _text is 3)[Where the ants have bitten you, where the flesh has inflamed and now deflated, the skin is loose. You pick at it, and it peels, seeming to not stop until… you stop. There is a wet flap hanging down one of your elbows. You trim it with a pair of scissors, slap on a bandage, and get back to work. There is still much left to be done. --- (link: "Your prison comes undone.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc)  ] (if: _text is 4)[As you’re drying yourself after a shower, you hear someone whispering your name. Searching for the source of the sound, you press your ear to the front door. Nothing. You open the door. No-one. Outside, there is a fog so thick that you can barely make out the other side of the streets. And hanging in the undifferentiated sky is a pale ball of light. If only you could peel the water from the very air, so that you can better hear the Sun. --- (link: "You hum along and get back inside.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc)  ] (if: _text is 5)[You’ve been diligently putting away the boxes of Chinese in fear of the ants coming back. How strange, you think to yourself, that such small creatures could terrorize you so. The ants - they cannot hope to understand something as large, as old, and as heavy with thoughts as you. Their greatest fortune is that they skitter unseen within the floorboards. Do they grow dissatisfied with darkness? Do they yearn to escape their confines? --- (link: "Let them come, and they will only find you.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc)  ]

{= (if: $worldState < 2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "being idle")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $eventParty's timer >= -1 or $eventEmail's progress < 5)[(goto: "Evening 1")]  (if: $eventShow's timer < 14 and $storyAnts's qt > 1 and $lockJesseE is false)[(goto: "Jesse E")]    The Sun has set. (set: _sun to (random: 1,5)) (if: _sun is 1)[Absence makes the heart yearn, and neglect makes it ache. You ought to work.] (if: _sun is 2)[Somewhere halfway around the globe, a child sees true splendor for the first time. Here, you chase after that initial memory.] (if: _sun is 3)[You know your Sun hasn’t gone anywhere. She is always here with you in the dark. ] (if: _sun is 4)[In the evening's dim, you dwell.] (if: _sun is 5)[Outside, the fog is thickening into milk. You drink a droplet and forget to eat. You keep yourself busy.] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1)[ Among the trash and ants.] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[ Jesse keeps you in good company.] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 3)[ But how much can you bear it, when the returning ants yet accost you and Jesse?] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 4)[ Out of habit, you keep call out for Jesse, but she is not there.]  (if: $eventShow's wait1 <= 0 and $eventShow's know is false)[You wonder if the Darkbloom people have sent you anything during the day. Maybe you should check. ] (else-if: $eventShow's wait1 > 0 and $eventShow's know is false)[You’re anxiously awaiting the Darkbloom people’s judgment. ] (else-if: $eventShow's know is true and $eventShow's timer > 1)[ (print: $eventShow's desc) (if: $storyArt's qt is 1)[Your painting - it is nothing but potential. Its light is not yet apparent to eyes that are not yours. You will need to work at it, whenever you can, if you are to be ready for the gala. ] (else-if: $storyArt's qt is 2)[In the corner of your room is a splendor so great that it makes you quiver, so you must avert your gaze and drape a table linen over it. It is ready. ] ] (else-if: $eventShow's timer is 1)[The Greeting Gala is ''tomorrow''. You should (link: "start traveling")[(goto: "Gala A")] today if you want to make it. ] (else-if: $eventShow's timer is 0)[The Greeting Gala is happening ''tonight''. If you start (link: "traveling now")[(goto: "Gala A")], you will miss the main events, but you might still catch a few Darkbloom members next morning. ] (else-if: $eventShow's timer < 0)[The Greeting Gala is over. ]   (if: $mind > 1 and $storyHenri's qt > 3 and $eventShow's timer > 1)[ (if: $storyArt's qt is 1)[Then again, if you’re feeling stuck and need someone to talk to, there’s always Henri.] (else-if: $storyArt's qt is 2)[At the gala, you will be asked to talk to others. So many of them. So much talking. Better practice while you can.] ] (else-if: $mind > 1 and $storyHenri's qt > 3 and $eventShow's timer < 1)[Henri in his apartment if you need anything. ] --- <ol> (if: $mind > 1)[ You...  (if: $eventShow's timer is 1 or it is 0)[ <li>(link: "Consider leaving for the Greeting Gala.")[ (goto: "Gala A") ] (You're thinking about it...) Or...]  (if: $eventShow's know is true)[ <li>(link: "Approach your painting. The day is ending, and there is only so much time before the gala.")[ (goto: "Painting 0") ](print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else:)[<li>[[Go to your unfinished painting. The day's ending, and you've no more excuses.->Storylet X1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1)[ <li>[[Make sure if Jesse's sleep is ant-free.->Jesse C1]] (print: $actionObs's desc)] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[ <li>[[Observe a sleeping Jesse.->Jesse C2]] (print: $actionObs's desc)] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 3)[ <li>[[Check up on Jesse. She is not doing alright.->Jesse C3]] (print: $actionObs's desc)] (if: $storyAnts's qt is 4)[ <li>[[Play with...->Jesse C4]] (print: $actionObs's desc)]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[<li>(link: "Approach the ant-infested piles of trash around the apartment.")[(goto: "Ant B")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> ] (else:)[<li>(link: "Inspect the apartment's cleanliness. It's still cluttered, but the ants are largely gone.")[(goto: "Ant B")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</li> ]  (if: $eventShow's wait1 <= 0 and $lockDarkbloomA is false)[ <li>(link: "Check your laptop. Perhaps the Darkbloom Foundation has made its final decision?")[(goto: "Darkbloom A")] (print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else-if: $lockDarkbloomA is true)[ <li>(link: "Re-read the Darkbloom email, where you'll find instructions for the upcoming show.")[(goto: "Darkbloom A1")] (print: $actionObs's desc) ] (else:)[<li>[[Your laptop: You're waiting for the Darkbloom Foundation's final verdict.->Laptop A]] (print: $actionObs's desc)]  (if: $storyHenri's qt > 3)[ Then, there's Henri... <li>(link: "Consider paying Henri a visit.")[ (goto: "Henri E") ] (Just thinking about it won't cost you anything yet.)] Or...] (else:)[You're currently too unwell to do anything else but stay in bed.]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[ <li>(link: "You want to lay down, but it will mean subjecting your flesh and mind to the six-legged menace.")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $actionDamage's desc)</li> ]  (else:)[ <li>(link: "Go back to sleep. You're feeling overwhelmed.")[(print: $actionNap's effect)](print: $actionNap's desc)</li> ] </ol>

{= (if: $worldState < 2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Dream")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "a fitful sleep")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $shakenHenriG is true and $lockDreamAmy1 is false)[(goto: "Dream Amy 1")]  (if: $eventParty's timer >= -1 or $eventEmail's progress < 5) [(goto: "Dream 1")]  (if: $lockDreamEStage2 is false)[(if: $mind > 7 and $attConfidence's qt > 0 or $mind > 7 and $attInspiration's qt > 0 or $mind > 7 and $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0 or $mind > 7 and $attRestlessness's qt > 0 or $mind > 7 and $attJesse01's qt > 0 or $mind > 7 and $attProgress's qt > 0 )[(set: $lockDreamEStage2 to true)(goto: "Dream E")]]  [(goto: "Dream 1")] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Move on.")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "post-party visit")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriD to true) Noon beats down heavily. (if: $partyEnergy < 2)[Your temples still throb, though recovery is on its way. ] (link: "...")[You’ve been telling yourself that you could have spent last night painting, cleaning, (if: $eventEmail's know is true)[preparing your application for the Darkbloom people… ](else:)[looking for work… ]anything but drinking. As you’re brushing last night’s gunk from your tongue, there comes a (link: "knocking on the door.")[(show: ?hidden1)] ] [//“Hi. It’s me again. Are you in?”// You gargle and spit. Doesn’t he need to sleep in? Doesn’t he need to clean up? Doesn’t he have anything better to do than to keep his word to you? //“We didn't have a chance to talk much last night.”// (link: "...")[(show: ?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ --- <ol> (if: $mind >0)[<li>(link: "Receive him. You don’t want to seem ungrateful.")[ (goto: "Henri D1") ] (print: $actionCommit's desc) ] (else:)[<li>~~Receive him.~~ (You're not mentally put-together enough to talk to anyone right now.)] <li>(link: "Ignore him. You’ve done that for years. Why stop now?.")[ (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $actionOnward's desc) </ol> ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $activity to "considering visiting Henri")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $lockHenriI is false)[Henri has turned out to be quite dependable, but you shouldn’t be surprised. What’s more surprising is how much you’ve (link: "put up with him.")[put aside your ways and let him in. He has a role in this, you're now sure.] You’re even thinking about paying him a visit. He’s only down the hall. But what for? Not an excuse - he needs none from you - but a purpose. Else, you still have much to do… don’t you?] (else-if: $lockHenriI3 is false)[Henri has been acting strangely, asking about you and Amy. One may forgive his concern on account of Mrs. Wong’s appearance, but one cannot deny how unwell he seems these days. Ah, but he can still make for a good mental sparring partner, in case you need to get your mind off of work, or if you need a nudge in the right direction. You figure that you can ignore his unwelcome questions.] (else:)[Henri has turned you away several times now. He says it’s because of his mental state, but you’re more than sure that Amy has something to do with it. But if you, persistent fool that you are, still feel like you need something from him, you can try again.] --- <ol> (if: $busyHenriF is false and $busyHenriG is false and $busyHenriH2 is false)[ You visit him because you want to… (if: $lockHenriVisit is false and $eventParty's timer < -1)[ <li>(link: "Wind down and talk about him. Not thinking about yourself for once can be a balm.")[ (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (if: $HenriE1 is < 5)[(set: $HenriE1 to it +1)] (else:)[(set: $HenriE1 to 5)] (goto: "Henri E1") ] (This will ''heal'' your mind. Commit.) (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Talk to him about art. He has expressed interest before. It might prove… inspiring.")[ (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (if: $HenriE2 is < 6)[(set: $HenriE2 to it +1)] (else:)[(set: $HenriE2 to 6)] (goto: "Henri E2") ] (Learn from each other and gain ''inspiration''. Commit.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Talk to him about art. It might prove... inspiring.~~ (No, you're feeling too ''ashamed'' to bring up art.)]  <li>(link: "Discuss something that’s been bothering you. Something... shameful.")[ (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (if: $HenriE3 is < 5)[(set: $HenriE3 to it + 1)] (else:)[(set: $HenriE3 to 5)] (goto: "Henri E3") ] (Discuss feelings of ''shame'' - gain or expend it. Commit.)  (if: $storyArt's qt is 2 and $storyAnts's qt is not 1 and it is not 3 and $attEmbarrassed's qt <1)[ <li>(link: "Invite him over to see your painting.")[ (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (if: $HenriE4 is < 3)[(set: $HenriE4 to it + 1)] (else:)[(set: $HenriE4 to 3)] (goto: "Henri E4") ] (A grand show of trust. Commit.) ] (else-if: $storyAnts's qt < 2 or $storyAnts's qt is 3)[ <li>~~Invite him over to see your painting.~~ (And get him eaten by ants? No, you'll have to address that problem first.) ] (else-if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ <li>~~Invite him over to see your painting.~~ (No, you're feeling ''ashamed''. Who would want to see your silly swigglies?) ] (else-if: $storyArt's qt < 2)[ <li>~~Invite him over to see your painting.~~ (The painting is woefully unready. At least work on it some more.) ] ] (else-if: $eventParty's timer is -1)[ <li>~~Actually visit him.~~ (Not right after being offered! You have self-respect, don't you? At least wait a day.) ] (else-if: $lockHenriVisit is true)[ <li>~~Actually visit him.~~ (You've had enough socializing today.) ] ] (else:)[ But... (if: $busyHenriF is true)[<li>~~Visit Henri.~~ (Henri's out on his runs. He won't run every day.)] (if: $busyHenriG is true)[<li>~~Visit Henri.~~ (Henri's at the police precinct this morning. There is only Mrs. Wong's bereaved niece at his place, and you're in no mood to console anyone.)] (if: $busyHenriH2 is true)[<li>~~Visit Henri.~~ (Henri's not home, remember?)] ] <li>(link: "Nevermind.")[ (print: $actionBack's effect) ](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "at laptop")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockLaptopB to true) At first, it seems to be an uneventful noon, where you waste your time and yourself away in front of the laptop screen. Quite convinced that no new opportunities will come, that even though you can still hold a brush, your career as a professional artist is over, you do what anyone without hope does. You (set: _text to (a: " *\"Subscribe to our wellness newsletter for just...\"*", " *\"... twentieth missing person report filed in...\"*", " *\"... had to reject you, unfortunately ...\"*", " *\"... ten tips dealing with garden ants...\"*", " *\"Answer me! I've tried contacting you through...\"*", " *\"... look out the window...\"*", "", )) (set: _result to 0) [(link-rerun: "browse the web.")[ (set: _result to it +1) (if: _result > 6)[(hide: ?cycle)(show: ?email)] (if: _result > 0)[(print: _text's _result)] ]]<cycle| [browse the web. //"... Thank you for your interest in the Resident Artist Program at The Darkbloom Foundation... While we cannot give you a final decision at this point... our panel members have found great interest in the direction of your past work... believe reputation should not be an undue obstacle to excellence... request ''additional samples of your most recent work''... direction you have taken in the years since... indicator of your continued commitment to fine arts..."// The email appears as your are reading an article on pet care. You are (link: "stunned.")[stunned. The rest of the email includes instructions for sending digital attachments, as well as a long list of paperwork you have to provide. ''It will take a while.'' No matter. No-one has shown any interest before, not since you disappeared from the public eye. In fact, Darkbloom was a moonshot when you first contacted them - when was it? - years ago. You want to lunge at the opportunity, but do you feel ready? (It will be a arduous process, taking many days and much of your confidence. You can always return to your laptop at a later date and continue where you left off.) --- (if: $attConfidence's qt <1)[ <ol> <li>~~Sure, you'll blow them away.~~ (You're not ''confident'' that your painting is ready. You need to work on it more.)</li> <li>(link: "No, not yet. Your // \"magnum opus \"// deserves more care. The email isn't going anywhere, and neither is the painting.")[ (print: $eventEmail's onTrigger) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc)</li> </ol> ] (else:)[ <ol> <li>(link: "They need to see your // \"magnum opus \"//, even unfinished. You get the canvas ready for the camera.")[ (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (print: $eventEmail's onTrigger) (set: $eventEmail's progress to it + 1) (goto: "Laptop A2") ] (print: $attConfidence's use)</li> <li>(link: "No, not yet. Your // \"magnum opus \"// deserves more care. The email isn't going anywhere, and neither is the painting.")[ (print: $eventEmail's onTrigger) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc)</li> </ol> ] ] ]<email|(hide: ?email)

{=  (if: $partyEnergy > 0)[ //“I wanted to thank you for dropping by last night,”// Henri says, as if you’ve done him a favor. Maybe it was. ]  (else:)[ //“How are you holding up? Head heavy?”// You look like a desiccated corpse. You’ve drank so much water that it’s all coming back up. Still, you shrug and force a smile. Henri seems relieved. It’s the least you can do as thanks for dragging you home last night. ] (link: " ...")[ //“Look, I’m sorry for disappearing on you. I don’t know what happened. Still, an apology is in order.”// You politely brush him off, but he insists. Regret is so burdensome. It is not enough that one is punished by their own conscience - they must have others suffer as well. At least he hasn’t asked to enter your apartment yet, (unless: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[which you wouldn’t have accepted, given its current state.](else:)[although you wouldn’t mind; the apartment is the cleanest it has been in years.] (link: "...")[(show: ?hidden1)] ] [//“So, how was last night? What did you do?”// (if: $partyD > 0 and $lockPartyA is false and $lockPartyB is false and $lockPartyC is false)[(link-reveal: " You’ve only drunk his fruit punch and left. ")[ There’s no shame in it, right? That was how you passed the time at so many events, showings, fundraisers, back when you still went to those kinds of things. But at least back then, you had someone.]] (else:)[ (if: $partyD > 0)[(link-reveal: " You complement his fruit punch.")[ This is, of course, a lie. Fruit punch can neither be good nor bad. It can only get you buzzed or not. //“Thanks, I try.”//]] (if: $lockPartyA is true)[(link-reveal: " You talked to the neighbors.")[ You relay some select details, nothing about how they spoke of you. Regardless, you can’t hide your annoyance. //“Yes, Mrs. Wong can be an earful. But it's good this way... for her. It’s only been, what, two years since her husband… Ah, I shouldn’t. Anyway, she has few consolations these days.”// Pity - he is never short of that.]] (if: $lockPartyB is true)[(link-reveal: " You met Henri’s work buddies.")[ What’s there to say? Thinking about them saps the energy from you. //“Yeah, you wouldn’t think that eggheads like us would drink so much and talk crap so often. They’re fun.”// It’s hard for you to believe that Henri is the same breed as them.]] (if: $lockPartyC is true)[(link-reveal: " You met a girl… tall, dark hair. Pretty.")[ Henri stares at you blankly. No matter how many more details you supply, he only rubs his chin and twists his face. He rubs and rubs but no spark comes out of it. //“It’s been a whirl. Must have been a friend’s friend. Was she interesting?”// You shake your head. If he’s pretending, he’s good at it. They’re all so good at it.]] ] (link-reveal: "And that’s it.")[(show: ?hidden2) (if: $storyHenri's qt is 3)[ //“I see. Well, parties are rough, and we don't need to wait for the next one just to hang out. Before I have to return next year, I’ve got all the time in the world. If you’re bored out of your mind, just knock. And maybe, if it's not too much of a secret... you'll let me watch you work? I've always been curious.”// Hang out? As in going into each other's places for leisure? And not talk through a half-open door like you're doing now (which is something you're quickly growing tired of)?] (else:)[ You shift uncomfortably in your spot, signalling to him that you're finished talking. //"For what it's worth, thanks again. You've done me a solid one. I hope you enjoyed yourself, even though... uhm... (if: $storyHenri's qt >0)[Anyway, if you need anything, just let me know, alright?](else:)[Anywho, I'll let you get back to your rest. I'll drop by some other time.]"// ] ]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ --- (link: "Noted. Thanks, and goodbye, Henri.")[ (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (if: $storyHenri's qt is 4)[(dialog: [You can now visit Henri socially.], "OK.")(set: $lockHenriVisit to false)] (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $storyHenri's gain) ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's place")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "visiting Henri")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (display: "Henri I Redirect") (display: "Henri H Redirect")    (if: $HenriE2 is 1)[ Henri pulls from his crowded bookshelf something thick and colorful. //“Kenneth Noland,”// he announces. //“Your work reminds me of his. At least that’s the impression I got from your old shows.”// You politely take the book but do not bother opening it. You're distracted by (link: "another, even larger book.")[another, even larger book - a red morocco-bound tome with a singular gilded star impressed upon the hard cover. (link-reveal: "You ask him what it is")[(show: ?hidden1)].] [ //“Oh that? Don’t tell anyone, but it’s Texan. ‘The Lone Star’. You’d think it was some nationalist propaganda, but no. It’s kind of an astronomy book.”// Kind of? Is it or isn’t it? //“It’s adventist literature. Aztec revivalism. They said the original codex was dug up in annexed Veracruz, but now that I think about it, it’s likely just a hoax.”// Hoaxes. Mexico. There was a lot of that when the Texan settlers came down there. But (link-reveal: "what is the book about?")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“It describes the movements and behaviors of celestial objects in our solar system, though many of them aren’t exactly… observable by anyone with a telescope. Or half a brain.”// Yes, you’re familiar with these claims. More than familiar. What disappointments. Although, you’ve never seen a copy of such works for yourself, what with the ban and everything. (link-reveal: "How did this copy come into Henri’s possession?")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but there was a time when I was obsessed with this kind of thing. You’d find them all over Vancouver’s thrift stores since there wasn't a ban like here in the Union. I was a boy back then. Really thought I’d go into astrophysics. I guess I was distracted by the math.”// You let him prattle on while you open //The Lone Star//. There are illustrations of sunspots and their permutations throughout several cycles. A crude image of the real thing, but (link-reveal: "an image nonetheless")[(show: ?hidden4)(show: ?done)]. ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ You close your eyes and see them dance in the dark. Your heart quickens, and your nose is beginning to sting, as though you’re about to cry. Indeed, no-one with a telescope or half a brain would see what you’re seeing. And your head is full to the brim. ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) ]  (if: $HenriE2 is 2)[ You thought Henri would give you some peace while you read //The Lone Star//, but he keeps (link-reveal: "peppering you with questions about art")[(show: ?hidden1)]. [ Most people are more curious about the art world - which was something you’ve used to impress not a few wide-eyed and drama-hungry coeds - than they are of //art// proper. But not Henri. He wants to know how the sausage is made. (link-reveal: "You’re getting exhausted")[(show: ?hidden2)]. ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ Finally, you tell him that there are things that cannot be analyzed. It’s true that the gross principles - color, composition, light and shadows, etc. - as well as their attendant techniques - can be explained and taught. But no professor can give an a priori answer to how all of them should come together. And certainly no artist can account for the source of their ideas. In practice, it is just as helpful to say that (link-reveal: "ideas come from dreams")[(show: ?hidden3)] - which for many, it is the case. ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“Yeah, I know that,”// Henri says, sounding almost petulant. You’re reminded of how young he really is. //“I don’t mean to sound naive, but I don’t believe that just because something seems mysterious right now, that it’d be impossible to figure out. We just don’t have the right tools yet. And that includes conceptual tools as well.”// You laugh. (link-reveal: "It's all a puzzle to him")[(show: ?hidden4)]. ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ Does he not know that dissection kills the frog? Search the carcass all he wants, he will not find the soul-organ (though Descartes has proposed the pineal gland to be the seat of consciousness). Even if a work of art is revealed to be a series of mechanical techniques, a programmatic series of “if-then” statements, how does one account for the source of such decisions? The strange sympathy between artist and looker? Author and reader? Musician and listener? Sensory neurons may fire, but (link-reveal: "what exactly is doing the looking? The reading? The listening?")[(show: ?hidden5)] ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ //“It’s just alchemy, then,”// Henri concludes. //“A crude of of science, but the science is in there somewhere.”// Thus, all things are dimmed when reason clouds the eyes. You both move on from this topic before the veil of amiability is torn, but you can’t shake (link-reveal: "this image from your mind")[(show: ?hidden6)(show: ?done)] ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ - a soulless frog with its guts splayed and its skin flayed. Its will has been taken by another will far greater than its own, and this great will is but an idle child. ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) ]  (if: $HenriE2 is 3)[ Seeing your interest in //The Lone Star//, Henri says, //"I've got a few real books on astronomy if you want."// (link-reveal: "You chuckle.")[ His emphasis on "real" makes you feel like a kook. Well, it //is// conspiracist pseudoscience that you've got open in front of you. You tell him that you only like the illustrations. //"Oh I know! We can even go over to U-Dub one day; they've got that really old observatory. I have friends there who can give us a tour."// (link-reveal: "Is he… asking you out on a date?")[ //"Haha, don't say it like that!"// He squirms. //"It's just that you're interested in the field, and I'm interested, and…"// (link-reveal: "You only like the illustration")[ - you repeat yourself, and he finally assents. Of course, if you had told him //why// you were interested in the illustrations - the eclectic way Mesoamerican iconographies are woven into European alchemical frameworks - you'd be rightly seen as a kook. But it's not the (link-reveal: "crackpot-ism")[(show:?hidden)] of some Pre-Secession ex-intellectual that interests you either, is it?` `[Neither do the facts or figures found in more sober tomes. Those can only depict what the heavens //look// like to instruments; they can't make you understand what it //feels// like to //be// something not altogether living, not altogether human - the real thing. And even as a child, you've known: (link-reveal: "One cannot look at the Sun too directly.")[ //"I mean, it's more like an outing… Not a 'date',"// Henri mutters as he busies himself with his hobby electronics, tea, books, anything to not have to hear you say "no" again. (link-reveal: "You go back to //The Lone Star//.")[ The words are dancing madly.(show:?done) ]] ]<hidden|(hide:?hidden) ]]] ]  (if: $HenriE2 is 4)[ //The Lone Star// posits the existence of (link-reveal: "a non-light-emitting star in the far edges of the Solar System.")[ What that hypothesis answers - irregularities in the Solar System's orbit? Unexplained spots in the cosmic radio background? Whatever else that gets these types out of bed? - is left unclear in the book. But so much theorizing and suppositions have been constructed around this so-called "lone star" in order to support an idea that will never be able to stand on its own. (link-reveal: "In short: The book is a giant redundancy.")[` `To accept even its first premise - the ahistorical idea that the Aztec have observed such a celestial body, and that their sacrifices were meant for //that// star, not the yellow one visibly burning in the sky - is also to accept impossibility. And if one has already accepted the possibility of impossibility, one needs no grand edifice. So why bother making such a thing? Sometimes, to flatter one's own self, one must (link-reveal: "imitate the structures of something far grander")[, even if its core is replaced with one's own, immutable beliefs. What //is// can be made and changed here on the page or on maps with their borders, but what //ought to be// is decided elsewhere. You are no stranger to this way of thinking. You understand perfectly how a conclusion can be reached first, and from which all evidence emanates. The respectable men and women of the academies have their //cogito, ergo sum//, (link-reveal: "so why can't dreamers?")[ Henri does not seem convinced by this. He says the tired line: (link-reveal: "The evidence must come first.")[ How strange it is for a man of pure reason to defer to empiricism, and yet, one cannot submit one's experience as evidence. You don't argue with him, though, for it is all in good humor. But it's hard to deny (link-reveal: "a sense of nostalgia")[: There in deep space rolls a mindless and silent thing, with neither light nor gravity its own, so close yet undetectable, yet still humming itself into the figments of wanderers. But it's only that - a //sense//. (link-reveal: "The Sun, on the other hand…")[(show: ?done)] ]]]]]] ] (set: $HenriE2 to 5)  (if: $HenriE2 is 5)[ //"Do you think we're alone?"// Are we not alone right now? Who else is listening in? //"No, I mean…"// Henri waves his hands above his head, gesturing at the vast unknown. (link-reveal: "You sigh.")[ Normally, types like him - technical types - spend a big chunk of their lives obsessed with extremely narrow problems in their niche fields. And then, one day, tired of test tubes and numbers, they will start experimenting with some flower buds or fungus caps. Many fry their brains doing that, and they'll start thinking that //now// is the time for big questions. (link-reveal: "What has Henri been taking?")[ //"Nothing! Can't a guy simply get curious? I don't question you about where you get your ideas from."// Seriously? (link-reveal: "He does that all the time!")[ //"Do I? Well, you must have misunderstood me, because I don't remember."// Now why does this sound familiar? You've learned enough from men to know that it's best to let it slide. //"To be fair, all that's been going on in the world - the climate, the disappearances, the border conflicts, the government's silence, the… everything - has got me thinking: Is this it? If we just wink out of existence one day, would anyone notice? Would we only have ourselves to blame?"// (link-reveal: "Who else would he like to blame?")[ The little green men for not intervening for our sake? You don't know how it is in Canada, but we've not taken others' meddling kindly, especially here in the Union. No such thing as free Martian lunch. Humanity's gotta pick itself up by its bootstraps. //"Argh, that's not what I meant, not literally. It's just… upsetting to think about."// You empathize, but you don't let him see it. (link-reveal: "It's all so sophomoric.")[ You sometimes forget how young he is. When you first came to Canada, Henri would still be a Quebecian tadpole. When you returned to the Union, Henri would have been in first grade. You tell him to not think about it. He should just //do// things, like you're doing, like he's always done his whole life. Make art, make anything that will leave a mark, and he will outlive even himself. //You// have outlived so many versions of yourself, crawling like a post-nuclear cockroach. //"We sent out a signal…"// he says, (link-reveal: "staring up at the ceiling.")[ //"The Arecibo Message. We told the void how we counted on ten fingers, that we were made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus… and what shape those elements made, and what stars we saw when we looked up, hoping something would hear."// (link-reveal: "You look at him and blink.")[ //"In all likelihood, the signal will miss every single star, planet, rock, dust bits, let alone be answered. But we still did it anyway. I don't know if we really had hope, or was hoping simply what we did, like breathing."// You nod. Why is this so sophomoric to you? Because this absurd state that he describes is (link-reveal: "a permanent condition of your existence.")[(show:?done)] ]]]]]]] ]  (if: $HenriE2 is 6)[ Today, you make some excuse to borrow //The Lone Star// again. Henri insists that you should keep it, but you say that you’re “just looking”. (link: "You don’t want that thing in your apartment.")[Its falsehoods will distract you too much, and you need to be single-minded for your work. One should never glimpse at the Sun too directly, lest one is blinded.] After some time with the book, you’re almost sure you’d either scream or pass out, so you (link-reveal: "make up some excuse to leave")[(show: ?done)]. Henri nods and tells you to come by anytime. He is used to it by now. ] [ --- (link: "This has proved - at least - stimulating.")[ (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $attInspiration's gain) ]<done|(hide: ?done)

{= (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "showing Henri the painting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] NO MORE FREE CONFIDENCE! CHANGE THIS INTO A PLOT POINT (HENRI GOES INSANE UPON SEEING YOUR PAINTING?) --- (link: "Visit done, move on.")[ (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (???)

{= (display: "Darkbloom A (Letter)") [ --- (link: "So it begins. You must remember that you were worthy enough to be chosen.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (print: $eventShow's onTrigger) (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (Gain some much deserved ''confidence''. Return to your (lowercase: $time) routine.) ]<done|(hide: ?done)

{= (set: $activity to "re-reading the Darkbloom email")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $eventShow's timer > 0)[ Reading is thinking. Re-reading is reconsideration. And upon reconsideration, you decide that it was not a dream after all. (link-reveal: "The email is still there.")[ (link: "The message: Tentative acceptance.")[''The message:'' Acceptance, tentative but precious as a rainpool in a desert. The residency is everything you could hope for: A chance to do real work, a chance at great heights, a chance to start again. Before, you’d never think they’d give you a second look. Now, it seems almost an inevitability. Of course it has to be you. You have the sight.] (link: "The caveat: Bring your painting to the Greeting Gala, which is in ''(print: $eventShow's timer) day(if: $eventShow's timer > 1)[s]'' from now.")[''The caveat:'' To be there at their show - the “Greeting Gala” - with your painting. Which is in ''(print: $eventShow's timer) day(if: $eventShow's timer > 1)[s]'' from now. You can read between the lines. What has impressed them once will not impress them again. They expect you to prove your genius on command. It is the unwritten condition for being at Darkbloom. Rescission is a blade always hidden in their sleeves. Mediocrity is never in short supply, and the Foundation barter in what is exceptional. Exceptional - you can be, but the thought of mingling with the unexceptional, a whole gala's worth of them - makes you shudder.] (link: "What must you do? Another ''breakthrough''.")[''What must you do?'' Strictly speaking, nothing. You can go back to wasting away in this apartment and let your work rot on the wood. But if you believe that there is more to life than this, then you must make a ''breakthrough''. The light - it calls to you, and you will reveal that //brilliance// to the blinking masses at the Greeting Gala.] (link: "But how? Work.")[But how? You know how. You are to rip your soul asunder and place all of you - your pride, your shame, your sorrows - into the art. When you are completely hollowed out, you will find yourself the perfect vessel, the frictionless conduit through which that otherworldly splendor may pour into and galvanize mundane oil and fabric. Failing that, you can always bash your head against it until the red splatter begins to resemble a heavenly corona. At the end of the day, there is only you, the brush, and the canvas. And you’ve come too far to give up.] (print: $eventShow's desc) --- (link: "One more hurdle, and all you wish for will come true.")[ (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (print: $actionBack's desc) ] ] (else:)[ It's over. What's the point? --- (link: "Back.")[ (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (print: $actionBack's desc) ]

{= (set: $activity to "hungover")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "Pound.")[ (link-reveal: "Pound.")[ (link-reveal: "Pound.")[ Your head pounds. Your body has forgotten the presence of alcohol, and now it reaps last night's vengeance. (link: "...")[Sunlight burns. It is, regrettably, morning. Your heart is racing. You might puke, but you can't move from your sheets. (link: "...")[Have you filled Jesse's bowl? You don't remember. Where is she? Oh, you're a horrible mother. Stupid mother. Yakking and swilling and... Why did you decide to go? They all saw how foolish and hedious you were. Why oh, why? (link: "...")[ --- <ol> <li>~~Get up.~~ (You're too hungover.) (if: $storyAnts's qt < 2 or $storyAnts's qt > 2)[ <li>(link: "You lie very still, a pliant feast for the ants.")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $actionDamage's desc) ]  (else:)[ <li>(link: "Go back to sleep. You'll feel human again. Soon.")[(print: $actionNap's effect)](print: $actionNap's desc)</li> ] </ol> ]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "a knock at the door")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] As you are moving from the toilet back to your bed - one of your rare excursions away from your comforter - (link: "you hear a knock on your door.")[you hear a knock on your door. Who could that be? The ghost of the landlady? No, you hear (link: "//his// voice.")[//his// voice. //"It's just me - Henri. Do you have a minute?"// You can already picture his smile. It's the young man who lives at the end of the hall. (link: "You are deeply ashamed to be his neighbor.")[You are deeply ashamed to be his neighbor. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Crack the door open just enough to see him, but not enough for him to see the state of your apartment.")[(goto:"Storylet C1")](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> <li>(link: "Ignore him. Breathe very silently so that he won't hear you. Go back to bed. Don't breathe at all.")[(set: $choiceHenriIgnore to 1)(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc)</li> </ol>]]]

{= (set: $activity to "at the unfinished painting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $time is "Evening" and $storyArt's qt is 1)[You approach the unfinished painting and carefully pull away the tarp. The painting - your constant ulcer - has grown from your very flesh, and now, given purpose and pressure, it inflames. It throbs. It’s hot, like the Sun. No, not like the Sun. Not enough, unfortunately. ] (else-if: $time is "Morning" and $storyArt's qt is 1)[You lift the tarp and peek at the unfinished painting. It hisses at you. It will not tolerate daylight’s rivalry. Not now. The unborn fetus is much too weak. ] (if: $eventShow's timer > 0)[You will need to make some significant progress before the Greeting Gala - which is (if: $eventShow's timer > 1)[in ''(print: $eventShow's timer) days''.](else-if: $eventShow's timer is 1)[''tomorrow''. You should (link: "pack up your painting and leave now")[(goto: "Gala A")] if you want to make it in time.]] (else-if: $eventShow's timer is 0)[The Greeting Gala is happening ''tonight''. If you (link: "leave right now")[(goto: "Gala A")], you might still catch some straggling Darkbloom members the next morning.] (else-if: $eventShow's timer < 0 and $storyArt's qt is 1)[The Greeting Gala is over, but the painting is still here. You began without hope. You might finish without it also.] (else-if: $eventShow's timer < 0 and $storyArt's qt is 2)[The Greeting Gala is over. You've put your heart and soul into this. Why does it feel so hollow? Did you have nothing to give, after all?] (if: $eventPainting's ready1 is false and $storyArt's qt is 1)[(unless: $eventShow's timer is 0)[ (link-reveal: "But how?")[ You cannot remember how you’ve managed to do what you’ve done. It’ll take nothing short of magic to weave yet another breakthrough. Go. Rip your heart out. But one wrong stroke can ruin the thing altogether. If that’s too much pressure - if you’re feeling stuck - if it’s too early in the day - then perhaps a less direct path is needed. You might want to practice and experiment on a separate canvas first. If anything, it’ll be a worthwhile distraction.] ] ] (else-if: $eventPainting's ready1 is true and $storyArt's qt is 1)[ You're so close. It's begging for your touch. One more stroke. One final night.] (else-if: $storyArt's qt is 2 and $eventShow's timer > 0)[ But you've already put your heart and soul into it. And the light - it blinds!] (else-if: $storyArt's qt is 2 and $eventShow's timer < 0)[ The light... it's already fading. Your task is endless, and your burden is infinite.] --- <ol>  (if: $eventPainting's ready1 is true)[ (if: $lockTurnIn is false)[<li>(link: "Put it all together. It is time.")[(goto: "Painting Turn-in")](print: $actionCommit's desc)] (else-if: $storyArt's qt > 1)[<li>(link: "Gaze upon your work, and be lost in it.")[(set: $dice to (random: 1,3))(goto: "Painting 2")] (Commit. This is no mere looking.)] ] (else:)[ (if: $time is "Evening")[<li>(link: "Consider how you'd make a breakthrough.")[(goto: "Painting 1")] (Thinking shouldn't cost you anything.)] (else:)[<li>~~Consider how you'd make a breakthrough.~~ (It's too early in the day for anything important. You'll ruin it.)] ] (if: $eventPainting's ready1 is false)[ <li>(link: "You need to get it just right. It's too much pressure. Maybe practice first.")[(goto: "Painting D")] (Thinking shouldn't cost you anything.) ] <li>(link: "Not now. (Then when?)")[(print: $actionBack's effect)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= There is a child in all of us, but only in a few is that child (link-reveal: "screaming.")[ Terror. Passion. Awe. You remember it all.] There was a singular moment that awakened you to the splendor, when you (link: "heard your own thoughts.")[ heard your own thoughts (they were so //loud//!). Everything prior to that - you’ve forgotten.] (link-reveal: "Recall now:")[ the mind of a child, and how the first ray of the Sun feels on her cheeks. This light - not one color but all of it - changes.] --- <ol>  (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's A1 is false)[ <li>(link: "A child is stricken by fever - the arrow of Apollo.")[ (set: $eventPainting's A1 to true) (print: $attInspiration's useEffect) (goto: "Painting A1") ](print: $attInspiration's use) ] (else-if: $attInspiration's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's A1 is false)[ <li>~~A child is stricken by fever - the arrow of Apollo.~~ (You're not ''inspired'' enough to recall this fever's heat.) ]  (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's A2 is false)[ <li>(link: "A child is stricken by love - the arrow of Eros.")[ (set: $eventPainting's A2 to true) (print: $attInspiration's useEffect) (goto: "Painting A2") ](print: $attInspiration's use) ] (else-if: $attInspiration's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's A2 is false)[ <li>~~A child is stricken by love - the arrow of Eros.~~ (You're not ''inspired'' enough to recall love's warmth.) ]  (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's A3 is false)[ <li>(link: "A child sees for the first time her will made manifest.")[ (set: $eventPainting's A3 to true) (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (goto: "Painting A3") ](print: $attConfidence's use) ] (else-if: $attConfidence's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's A3 is false)[ <li>~~A child sees for the first time her will made manifest.~~ (You're not confident enough to ''believe'' in this will.) ]  <li>(link: "Back to your other musings.")[ (goto: "Painting 1") ](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= There was a woman, (link-reveal: "colossal.")[ Her legs vaulted the Adirondacks, crossed Lake Michigan, and she landed right beside Mount Rainier. Everywhere her shadow fell, ant-like people gazed up in admiration. In envy.] (link-reveal: "Things looked different high above.")[ The air was thinner, and the thoughts were freer - wings without feathers, flight without air. Few things could be outright wrong. Everything was permitted.] (link: "And everything beneath was hers to take.")[She stooped down and took everything from the Earth - beauty, vitality, riches - not because she was entitled to it, but because could.] What worldly liberties did she take? --- <ol>  (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's B1 is false)[ <li>(link: "Admiration - from those she admired also.")[ (set: $eventPainting's B1 to true) (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (goto: "Painting B1") ](print: $attConfidence's use) ] (else-if: $attConfidence's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's B1 is false)[ <li>~~Admiration~~ (You need ''confidence'' to be believe that this was possible.) ]  (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's B2 is false)[ <li>(link: "Easy favors - from those who sought her favor.")[ (set: $eventPainting's B2 to true) (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (goto: "Painting B2") ](print: $attConfidence's use) ] (else-if: $attConfidence's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's B2 is false)[ <li>~~Satisfaction~~ (You need ''confidence'' to be believe that this was the case.) ]  (if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's B3 is false)[ <li>(link: "Envy - from those too tiny and pathetic to be worth her time.")[ (set: $eventPainting's B3 to true) (print: $attRestlessness's useEffect) (goto: "Painting B3") ](print: $attRestlessness's use) ] (else-if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's B3 is false)[ <li>~~Envy~~ (You're not ''restless'' enough to mind.) ]  <li>(link: "Back to your other musings.")[ (goto: "Painting 1") ](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= A monster is in hiding, (link-reveal: "licking its wounds.")[ Every flick of the tongue reopens the flesh. It reeks of iron, piss, and shame.] (link: "It is hedious.")[Look upon this hideous form: Its blood is the censor's red ink. Its bruises are the policeman’s black boots. Bindings leave marks on its wrists and neck - the purple stoles of priests. Everything sweet turns sour in that evil gaze.] (link: "No better than an animal.")[Ah, but how does a monster differ from a mere animal? A monster knows to sweeten its pains with small pleasures - a human habit. Give it a small flame, and it will find warmth in the longest winters. To keep in its lap. To hold very tight. To treasure. A monster is a human cursed to be an animal; there is a past self to long for, to be ashamed of. A pure animal, on the other hand, is perfect the way it is.] --- <ol>  (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's C1 is false)[ <li>(link: "Monsters are deceitful and avaricious.")[ (set: $eventPainting's C1 to true) (print: $attEmbarrassed's useEffect) (goto: "Painting C1") ](print: $attEmbarrassed's use) ] (else-if: $attEmbarrassed's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's C1 is false)[ <li>~~Monsters are deceitful and avaricious.~~ (You need your ''shame'' to be alive and writhing in order to appreciate this truth.) ]  (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's C2 is false)[ <li>(link: "Monsters are universally proscribed.")[ (set: $eventPainting's C2 to true) (print: $attEmbarrassed's useEffect) (goto: "Painting C2") ](print: $attEmbarrassed's use) ] (else-if: $attEmbarrassed's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's C2 is false)[ <li>~~Monsters are universally proscribed.~~ (You need your ''shame'' to be alive and writhing in order to recall this feeling.) ]  (if: $attJesse01's qt > 0 and $eventPainting's C3 is false)[ <li>(link: "This tiny flame - what pleasure comforts the monster?")[ (set: $eventPainting's C3 to true) (print: $attJesse01's useEffect) (goto: "Painting C3") ](print: $attJesse01's use) ] (else-if: $attJesse01's qt is 0 and $eventPainting's C3 is false)[ <li>~~The tiny flame...~~ (You cannot recall anything ''pleasant''; small flames die too quickly.) ]  <li>(link: "Back to your other musings.")[ (goto: "Painting 1") ](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "practicing on a spare canvas")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You bring out a spare canvas the size of a notepad. You-know-who bought you a stack of these as a novelty gift, but now, you finally have a use for them.  (if: $attInspiration's qt <= 0)[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt <=0)[Your mind is empty. Practice will only bring you frustration. Maybe that's what you need. Contentment brings only a slow death. You were so content with silly gifts and the man who bought it. Time to kill your darlings.] (else-if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[Practice. Push through, even if you don't feel like it. Something might come out of this self-flagellation (a masturbatory satisfaction, perhaps). If not, then you’ll know that you haven’t ruined anything important. Only the novelty gift of someone long gone.] ]  (else:)[Some fleeting thing is dancing in your peripheries. Formless, waiting for your hands. You know it’ll bring you pride, also fleeting, gone the moment you abort the experiment and face down your unborn //magnum opus//.] --- <ol> (if: $attInspiration's qt <= 0)[ <li>(link: "Stick to what has worked before.")[ (goto: "Painting D1") ](print: $actionCommit's desc) <li>~~Test out something new.~~ (You're not inspired. Your mind is empty.) ] (else:)[ <li>(link: "Test out something new.")[ (print: $attInspiration's useEffect) (goto: "Painting D2") ] (print: $attInspiration's use) ] <li>(link: "Perhaps not now.")[ (goto: "Painting 0") ] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "attempting a breakthrough")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] After twenty, thirty minutes staring at the thing, your vision begins to spin, and a rainbow edge is ripped out from the light. Yes, (link-reveal: "you can see it…")[ a glimpse of the future… a long labor. But here are the valleys of the heart, the hills of the flesh, the mount where the soul resides. And that silhouette before the Sun - you.] //You// are what’s missing. But what //are// you? A tantalized child? A striding woman? Or a wounded monster? Of course, you (link: "have been")[''//are//''] all of that. Art demands absolute honesty. It will take nothing less than everything to see it through. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Consider: A tantalized child.")[(goto: "Painting A")] (Thinking shouldn't cost you anything. Attempting, however...) <li>(link: "Consider: A striding woman.")[(goto: "Painting B")] (Thinking shouldn't cost you anything. Attempting, however...) <li>(link: "Consider: A wounded monster.")[(goto: "Painting C")] (Thinking shouldn't cost you anything. Attempting, however...) <li>(link: "You don't want to touch the painting right now.")[(if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "Gala B5a")](else:)[(goto: "Painting 0")]] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[No… That’s (link-reveal: "not quite right.")[(show: ?hidden1)]] (else:)[Why, why, why? (link-reveal: "Has talent gone on a holiday?")[(show: ?hidden1)]] [ The colors are tired, and the oil disobedient. Hand this to any fool, and they’ll think that you were a maestro. But you’re no fool, and (link-reveal: "neither are the Darkbloom people.")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[It's alright. No need to waste your talent on something this frivolous.] (else:)[Ah, but it's only practice, right?] --- (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[ (link: "It’s only practice - you think, gritting your teeth.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] ] (print: $attRestlessness's gain) ] (else:)[ (link: "Have some self-respect! Push through!")[ (print: $attRestlessness's useEffect) (goto: "Painting D1a") ] (print: $attRestlessness's use) ] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= And here you thought (link-reveal: "you’d never amount to anything.")[(show: ?hidden2)] [ Something akin to an idea lies embedded within the tangle of squiggles and strokes. You used to have (link-reveal: "a sketchbook full of these.")[ It’d impress the students greatly, especially those without ideas of their own. You never felt the need to keep another one. Why waste paper? Ideas were a dime a dozen, and (link-reveal: "you could whip one up at any time.")[(show: ?hidden3)]] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ Like you’ve done with (link-reveal: "this mini-canvas.")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ --- (link: "Now, the big kahuna, on the other hand…")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] ] (print: $attConfidence's gain) ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4)

{= (set: $lockTurnIn to true)  //“Sap-seeped and Sun-scarred…”// (link-reveal: "The veil was parted.")[ Something poured through and struck you and plunged you into… (link-reveal: "years")[, (link-reveal: "decades")[, (link-reveal: "centuries")[, (link-reveal: "millennia")[, countless epochs went by all at once, and the Earth’s rotation has turned every forest into ash and every mountain into sand.(show: ?hidden1)]]]]] [ //“... fog-milk, bismuth dew, cyanide river, prismatic air…”// (link-reveal: "Hot winds have ripped through your body")[ and carved deep gouges into your bones and howled through those hollows - the flutes of your femurs, the harps of your nerves, the drums from your hide.(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“... the nymph and her pursuer, the satyr and his punisher…”// (link-reveal: "Yes")[, nymphs, satyrs, dumb Galatean perfections, the tiny-legged trepidations, the feathered fear - and music, too - your music - they all came together, but no-one danced. They only stood in the obsidian water and (link-reveal: "hailed")[, (link-reveal: "skyward")[, (link-reveal: "Sunward")[, like ants suckling from a (link-reveal: "pearl of amber honey")[, (link-reveal: "of black molasses")[, (link-reveal: "of queer oil.")[(show: ?hidden3)]]]]]]] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“... Love, thy light is an opal…”// But these vistas - (link-reveal: "you did not paint")[. These words - they weren’t what you wrote - not in statements, not in letters, not in the most secret carvings. You grappled at (link-reveal: "images and phrases")[, a mind going mad with deprivation, with senselessness, seeing stars in the void. You couldn’t have painted this. The painting - this veil - what you //did// paint was…" [<ul> <li>(link-reveal: "Undeniable proof of mankind’s Godliness.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden4)] <li>(link-reveal: "Nothing that could be named, for it //is// a Name.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden4)] <li>(link-reveal: "A light. A beacon. A call.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden4)] </ul>]<choices| ]] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ Ah, (link-reveal: "it doesn’t matter.")[ Tears are streaming down your face again. You’re drenched in sweat. You’ve drenched yourself. Your throat is aching and raw. You must have shrieked. The (if: $place is not "at home")[the other guests](else:)[neighbors] will think you’ve dropped dead, and they will (if: $place is not "at home")[be distressed](else:)[breathe a sigh of relief]. (link-reveal: "Enough!")[ Any more and you’ll go blind. You’ll pick your eyes out with a paint knife. You feel as though you’ve already been stabbed. Stop grinning; it hurts. Stop staring. Put the shroud back on.(show: ?hidden5)]] ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ --- (link: "Now, you are ready for the world.")[ (print: $storyArt's gainEffect) (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] ](print: $storyArt's gain) ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5)

{= (set: $activity to "almost there..")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]    (if: $eventPainting's A1 is false or $eventPainting's A2 is false or $eventPainting's A3 is false or $eventPainting's B1 is false or $eventPainting's B2 is false or $eventPainting's B3 is false or $eventPainting's C1 is false or $eventPainting's C2 is false or $eventPainting's C3 is false )[ (if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] ] Your eyes water, and your nose (link-reveal: "stings.")[ Is it the turpentine, or can you see the small rays, which (link-reveal: "leaks through the cracks?")[(show: ?hidden1)]] [ You must be dreaming. You look away and wait for the delusion to dissipate. You look back. It’s still there. Crowning. A crown of light. Wings. Ah, you must have died. All the pieces are in place. What ought to be dry has already cured, and what ought to be wet is yet bleeding. (link-reveal: "It is almost ready.")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ Only one more go at it, the finishing touch, one more trip around the Sun, one more… Ah, but you’re (link-reveal: "exhausted for today.")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ --- (link: "Let the oil breathe for now, and soon, it’ll live!")[ (set: $eventPainting's ready1 to true) (dialog: [Come back once more to tear asunder this veil and let the light in. Quickly, before your heart falters!], "Yes.") (if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] ] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= You (link-reveal: "whip.")[ You (link-reveal: "lash.")[ You (link-reveal: "punish.")[(show: ?hidden2)]]] [ The child shapes up, though shivering. Cease that useless crying! That thin skin is barely broken. (link-reveal: "You haven’t seen anything yet!")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ Indeed, this has been nothing. A familiar feeling returns to you - the consolation prize of (link-reveal: "having done your best.")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ --- (link: "A numbing balm over the ego’s bruise.")[ (print: $attProgress's gainEffect) (if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] ] (print: $attProgress's gain) ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4)

{= (link-reveal: "The Sun")[(show: ?hidden1)] was already there when (link-reveal: "your fever")[(show: ?hidden2)] struck. [ She hung over the misty lake - She and Her sister - one red and the other black. But which? Or both?]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ You made yourself so sick that your parents had to (link-reveal: "take you out of school")[(show: ?hidden3)]. On a stretcher. Your limbs were as stiff as wood. The girls from class told you to stop pretending. You didn’t care enough to speak, to explain yourself. What was there to explain? Was it //your// doing? (link-reveal: "You couldn’t tell")[(show: ?hidden4)].]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ You stayed for an entire semester at (link-reveal: "Lake Placid")[(show: ?hidden5)]. Your mother prayed while your father was away with his paintings. And when he returned with his paintings still in tow and no money, mother bickered and cried. They’d have to sell the cabin.]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ You were set on a rocking chair, woolen blanket draped over you like tarp over a statue. You could hear your parents inside. You could hear the crickets singing and the twinkles in the stars. Sores grew on your back and buttocks. They hurt. They wept.]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ Suddenly, as you sat frozen, you weren’t at Lake Placid anymore. A veil of fog descended upon the water. The Sun was crimson. The Sun was a pit. The stars were sores on the pale skin of the firmament. (link-reveal: "“Firmament”")[(show: ?hidden6)] - you learned that in Sunday school.]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ But there was no church here. This was nowhere - a cathedral grown from the Earth, to cup the countenance of the Sun with mountainous hands and to sing Her praises with coniferous throat. You hummed to that tune, and the Sun came down and kissed (link-reveal: "Her sister")[(show: ?hidden7)].]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ (set: _end to 0) (set: _endTrigger to "(set: _end to it +1)(if: _end >= 2)[(show: ?hidden9)]") You stood up, joints creaking, and stumbled towards the water. (link-reveal: "Splash, splash, splash")[(show: ?hidden8)_endTrigger]. Your arms were stretched wide. //“Look at me! (link-reveal: "Here I am!")[(show: ?hidden8a)_endTrigger]”//]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ Your mother used to be a varsity swimmer.]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ Father is dead now.]<hidden8a|(hide: ?hidden8a) [ You, however, (link-reveal: "got better")[(show: ?hidden10)].]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9) [ --- (link: "Every sickness is a gift - you meditate on your father’s words as you place bristles onto canvas.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden10|(hide: ?hidden10)

{= (link-reveal: "//“Can you draw me?”//")[(show: ?hidden10)] The girl who sat next to you (link-reveal: "asked")[(show: ?hidden1)]. Samantha was held back a year. [ Of course you could. What was less certain was (link-reveal: "whether she could see herself in the drawing")[(show: ?hidden2)].]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“What is this? Ew! You freak, I told you to draw me, not…”// You weren’t well-liked. She thought you meant to do it out of malice. She had her boyfriend unleash cockroaches in your locker. You ate one in front of him. This, you did out of malice. It tasted (link-reveal: "like how you imagined")[(show: ?hidden3)] he’d taste.]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“Look,”// (link-reveal: "Mrs. Wall")[(show: ?hidden4)] said, exasperated. //“I understand that you have your own… perspectives on things, but you have to get real.”// This was your third time in Mrs. Wall’s office, at your mother’s behest. It was the third mock exam you’ve failed. //“It’s like your art - you always have to start with (link-reveal: "base reality")[(show: ?hidden5)], right?”//]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ Mrs. Wall didn’t teach art. You tried drawing her once. She got burnt out and said goodbye to the whole school in an assembly. The Army recruiter replaced her for a time before he was shipped off to defend Mexico City.]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ It was Valentine’s. //“I’ve left something in your (link-reveal: "locker")[(show: ?hidden6)],”// signed your (link-reveal: "secret admirer")[(show: ?hidden6a)].]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ You were ready to eat another cockroach. But, you only found a group of girls there.]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ Samantha accused you of fishing for her boyfriend’s attention. Her cronies dragged you by your hair, and she spat in your mouth. (link-reveal: "You lunged at her.")[(show: ?hidden7)]]<hidden6a|(hide: ?hidden6a) [ When you got home, you dug the gristle - bits of Samantha’s scalp - out from under your nails. You put it in your mouth and (link-reveal: "cried")[(show: ?hidden8)].]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ Your mother thought it was best that you stayed with your (link-reveal: "“relatives”")[(show: ?hidden9)] in Canada. It wouldn't be the first time you were taken out of school, but this time, you couldn't come back. The juvies were looking for you, and there were rumors of a draft.]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ In Canada, you were homeschooled in an adventist convent. You wouldn’t see anyone your age for over two years. You’d imagine (link-reveal: "Samantha")[(show: ?hidden11)] sitting by your side again. She wouldn’t be mean to you anymore. She’d say sorry and how she didn’t do it out of malice.]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9) [ You’d show her your drawing, and she'd be wide-eyed. //“It IS me!”//]<hidden10|(hide: ?hidden10) [ --- (link: "You’ve forgotten her face, but you can still feel her as your brush caresses the canvas.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden11|(hide: ?hidden11)

{= //“My (link-reveal: "God")[(show: ?hidden1)]! We’ve had (link-reveal: "a genius")[(show: ?hidden2)] right under our noses!”// Your father exclaimed. He made it back just in time before you left. [ //“Don’t you blaspheme,”// your mother called out from the bedroom. She was busy packing your things. //“Come look and see if it isn’t the Lord’s will!”// //“I’ll have no part in it. What has that ever brought us but trouble?”//]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ Your father stayed silent. He held the paper up to the ceiling light, as if he’d find a secret behind the charcoal strokes. Nothing. Everything was there on the surface. //(link-reveal: "“Child, tell me, how long did it take you?”")[(show: ?hidden3)]//]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ It took you an afternoon to produce this drawing. But you’ve been drawing versions of it for five years, ever since your first stay at (link-reveal: "Lake Placid")[(show: ?hidden3a)].]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ //“Dang shame we sold that place, otherwise I’d… Never mind. Where did you learn to (link-reveal: "draw like this")[(show: ?hidden4a)] anyhow? (link-reveal: "School?")[(show: ?hidden4)]”//]<hidden3a|(hide: ?hidden3a) [ Your father wouldn’t know what you learn in school. He was always (link-reveal: "busy traveling.")[ Your mother often said you should find a husband who could grow roots, someone you could lean on, someone who’d give you shade while asking few fruits from you. If you could find someone like that, then you could do anything.]]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ //“I suppose it runs in the family, huh? I’ll have a lot to teach you yet once I visit you in… (link-reveal: "Where is she staying again?")[(show: ?hidden5)]”//]<hidden4a|(hide: ?hidden4a) [ //“I swear to G- (link-reveal: "Winnipeg")[(show: ?hidden5a)]! She’s staying in Winnipeg. I’ve told you many times!”//]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ //”That far away? How am I supposed to visit her there? (link-reveal: "Why couldn’t it be somewhere closer")[(show: ?hidden6)] like Toronto?”//]<hidden5a|(hide: ?hidden5a) [ //“Now you want a say. Now you want to visit. When you can afford a lease, then I’ll let you decide where to send our child. But now, we rely on our church's charity.”// Your father muttered under his breath, still staring at (link-reveal: "your drawing")[(show: ?hidden7)].]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ //“Child, (link-reveal: "take my art. Take my books, too.")[(show: ?hidden8)] You’ll learn a lot from your old man. It’ll have to do until I see you again. But always remember that this… this is (link-reveal: "God’s gift")[(show: ?hidden9)], and you cannot turn away from His gift.”//]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ You nodded. Your mother hauled the giant suitcase out to the living room, already locked tight. There wasn’t any space left for last-minute additions.]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ //“The ability to manifest one’s own will is nothing but Godly, (link-reveal: "do you understand?")[(show: ?hidden10)]”//]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9) [ You nodded again and hugged (link-reveal: "him.")[ Your father made Thomas Kinkade forgeries for a dealer in New Orleans. Father also wrote books of armchair theology and personal aphorisms, which he published via vanity press. After he had passed away, you asked your mother for his books, but she had already thrown them all away. Her rector said they were (link-reveal: "heretical.")[(show: ?hidden11)]]]<hidden10|(hide: ?hidden10) [ --- (link: "A piece of heresy still lives in your flesh, and it wills your arm to canvas.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden11|(hide: ?hidden11)

{= You cannot recall if you’ve done any growing up in Canada, only that your documents indicated that you were (link-reveal: "a grown woman")[(show: ?hidden2)] by the time you (link-reveal: "returned to Union soil")[(show: ?hidden1)]. [ You returned with the same clothes you left with and a promise - that you’d find the church’s flock everywhere you go, hidden in the crowd. The Winnipeg chapter had wired your mother a large sum for your college education.]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ You met (link-reveal: "Simone")[(show: ?hidden3)] in Chicago.]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ A local paper ran her profile the year before, calling her a “prodigy” and “this generation’s voice”. Already semi-famous at sixteen, Simone could have made a fortune milking the press and the publication houses, but she didn’t. She chose to start her Fine Arts education early. Beside poetry - her bread-and-butter - she took an elective in oil painting. That was how she (link-reveal: "ended up in your studio")[(show: ?hidden4)].]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ //“Have you ever (link-reveal: "fallen in love with someone through their art?")[(show: ?hidden5)]”// She once asked you over mocktails. The other students hollered and laughed. The college bar was playing Sade.]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ You told her that in your case, the person (link-reveal: "often fancied you first")[(show: ?hidden6)], and that affection would then translate to partiality for your work, not (link-reveal: "the other way around")[(show: ?hidden7)].]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ There was Dr. Specht in New York, who didn’t understand what you did, but within the first few months of school, he was already smitten. He introduced you to his friends. He helped you change your name. He hid you when your handlers - and then your mother - came looking for you in Brooklyn. He bought you tickets to Chicago. He did everything you asked. You only had to (link-reveal: "be his muse")[(show: ?hidden6a)].]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ You didn’t divulge these things to Simone though. Not in front of the others.]<hidden6a|(hide: ?hidden6a) [ //“Haha, no, I didn’t ask about other people. I asked about (link-reveal: "you")[(show: ?hidden8)].”//]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ You said that you fell in love with (link: "God")[the Sun(replace: ?her)[Her] ] through [His]<her| work. Simone snickered. She knew you as an atheist. That was how you styled yourself, even to (link-reveal: "Dr. Specht")[(show: ?hidden9)].]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ By the time Dr. Specht passed away from heart failure, you had already had five shows under your own name - the name you gave yourself. You had an adjunct position in Chicago teaching (link-reveal: "girls like Simone")[(show: ?hidden11)]. You’ve lost so much weight that you were unrecognizable. There were at least a dozen people ready to (link-reveal: "attest that you were a Seattlite")[(show: ?hidden10)] (they could’ve sworn they met you there, and maybe they did).]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9) [ Only your mother remembered who you were before abandoning the church. She had forgiven you, but you didn’t forgive her.]<hidden10|(hide: ?hidden10) [ You asked Simone the same question - whether there was someone whose work she had fallen in love with. She smirked. The others didn’t hear you two. They were glued to the television screen. Texas was announcing a truce in Mexico. That smirk of hers... You couldn't help it; you offered to (link-reveal: "paint Simone a portrait")[(show: ?hidden12)].]<hidden11|(hide: ?hidden11) [ Other women took close to ten months to bring a child to full term. You took close to ten years to produce //Bataille’s Plexus// - oil on a canvas (link-reveal: "twice as tall as Simone")[(show: ?hidden13)] - since that night.]<hidden12|(hide: ?hidden12) [ Simone eventually fell into mediocrity. (link-reveal: "You have stolen her voice")[(show: ?hidden14)].]<hidden13|(hide: ?hidden13) [ --- (link: "Once you knew how to, you could do it again and again. You can still do it! Now! Kiss the painting’s skin with your bristly brush!")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden14|(hide: ?hidden14)

{= Once, you were so sure that you’d be on (link-reveal: "tenure track")[(show: ?hidden1)]. [ You’d reject, of course. You wanted an (link-reveal: "artist’s life")[(show: ?hidden3)], not a (link-reveal: "professor’s")[(show: ?hidden2)]. You had too much potential and too little prudence.]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ Still, it sounded nice - “nice” was what your mother would approve of - a husband, a cat, no kids, and stable employment. You hung these mundane aspirations over your bedside, where they would haunt your dreams and scare you into working hard, lest your true ambitions quietly dusk.]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ As an adjunct, a visiting fellow, a vagabond painter, you had the time for adventure. As for money, there were many willing to (link-reveal: "bankroll an adventurer’s lifestyle")[(show: ?hidden4)].]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ Your acquaintances - many of them students of the fine arts - came from wealth. You imagined that you were doing them a service - your favor, connection, mentorship, and companionship - in exchange for measley dinners downtown, the occasional alpine cabin retreats, and least of all, their time, of which (link-reveal: "the youth had in abundance")[(show: ?hidden5)].]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ (set: _giving to 0) (set: _givingTrigger to "(set: _giving to it + 1)(if: _giving >= 3)[(show: ?giving)]") There was a tendency in the young and beautiful to be (link-reveal: "quite lost")[(show: ?hidden6)]. (link: " They needed purpose. ")[_givingTrigger They craved the zeal that those who grew up secular lacked. ](link: " Sincerity. ")[_givingTrigger They longed for the attentiveness that their business-minded parents could not teach. ](link: " Excitement. ")[_givingTrigger They yearned for the kind of self-destruction which their lofty upbringing was meant to guard against. ][All this - you were magnanimous in giving.]<giving|(hide: ?giving) ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ You knew they’d come to their senses once the wine stopped flowing, and time has left its mark on their faces. It’d come for you, too. So, you took what you could because any later and you’d find that all those (link-reveal: "doors")[ - (link-reveal: "wide double doors to society balls")[, (link-reveal: "glass doors to to the offices that decided what was “relevant“")[, (link-reveal: "half-closed motel shower doors")[, (link-reveal: "the scissor doors of sports cars with stuffed animals in the passenger seats")[, and so on - (link-reveal: "would shut in your face.")[(show: ?hidden7)]]]]]] ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ (set: _end to 0) You knew all of them intensely. You knew all of them painfully. You knew all of them in ecstasy and in pain. You knew all their contours and their tempers. Now, you weren’t (link-reveal: "stupid enough")[(show: ?hidden9)(set: _end to it + 1)(if: _end >= 2)[(show: ?hidden10)]] to publicly credit their names or involvement for artworks born out of wedlock (but you’d make introductions and recommendations, of course). These paintings - taken from their vitality - were the (link-reveal: "wages of your talent.")[(show: ?hidden8)(set: _end to it + 1)(if: _end >= 2)[(show: ?hidden10)]] ]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ Sometimes, you wondered if your father would be proud. You’ve done everything he couldn’t and lived the life he might have had if you were never born. But what need was he (or your mother, for that matter)? You've invented yourself.]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ Ah, youth, your thoughts were of worldly, fleshly matters, and the Sun’s light grew dim in your own brilliance. Blasphemous! You told yourself that the day it all fell apart, you’d simply give yourself to the Sun in atonement.]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9) [ --- (link: "That day is long past. That day is now. Confess to the canvas your past arrogance.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden10|(hide: ?hidden10)

{= //“There’ve been… rumblings.”// - that was how the (link-reveal: "department chair")[(show: ?hidden1)] phrased it to you. //“Regarding you and a few, uhm, (link-reveal: "students")[(show: ?hidden2)].”// [ Your first thought was that he was making it up. The bald lout had wanted to get you to have dinner with him for ages, but you’ve only ever found the time and willingness for lunch. Out in the open. When daylight still shone.]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ You told him that if he wanted to blackmail you, he should have to be more original. Besides, everyone involved were all (link-reveal: "adults,")[ mostly, (link-reveal: "and")[ you’ve never had any supervisory role, (link-reveal: "and")[ you didn’t give grades (link-reveal: "and")[- You kept your mouth (link-reveal: "shut")[(show: ?hidden3)].]]]] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“Don’t be so tense. I’m only speaking to you as a friend.”// (link-reveal: "And what did this friend hear?")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ //“Like I said, rumblings. From the folks in the Title IX Office. This time’s different. They’re nervous. I think a student had made a complaint.”// (link-rerun: "Which one? ")[ (set: _number to it + 1) (if: _number > 5)[(show: ?hidden5)] (if: _number > 6)[(set: _number to 1)] (replace: ?student)[(print: _student's _number)] ] (set: _number to 0) (set: _student to (a: " Becca K. Hughes? You told her that her paintings were derivative because they were!", " Jenny R. Reid? One compliment, and she clung onto you like damp food wrap.", " Philo D. M. Muñoz? She //asked// to be a life model, she and a dozen like her.", " Erik J. Andrésen? //He// came onto you; you merely said you weren’t interested.", " Annie Rawal? Everything in this country was shocking to her. She should have seen what was going on in the dance school.", " God forbids - Simone Seydoux? What was she still doing here? She should’ve graduated ages ago.", )) []<student| ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ Talentless grifters, all of them! Half the state of Michigan wanted a piece of you; where would you find the (link: "time")[peace of mind] to work? //“I don’t know, alright? Please, would you sit back down for a second?”// (link-reveal: "Yes, sit down.")[ (link-reveal: "Shut up.")[ (link-reveal: "Relax.")[ (link-reveal: "Breathe in")[, and (link-reveal: "out")[, and (link-reveal: "in")[, and out, (link-reveal: "just like your shrink has told you to.")[ You wanted to jump through the (link-reveal: "window")[(show: ?hidden6)].]]]]]]] ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ //“Any way you look at it, it looks bad. Now, as a friend, I’m willing to divulge that there are several openings in Seattle. I understand that you’re not entirely unknown in that scene…”// (link-reveal: "How would that solve anything?")[(show: ?hidden7)] This trouble could still follow you.]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ //“It would save me from having to screw you over. At least, if I did, you wouldn’t have to look me in the face while I did it.”// (link-reveal: "You imagine spitting")[(show: ?hidden8)] in his smug face.]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ //“As for you - whatever it is you’re doing - right or wrong, necessary or not - you should stop it. That’s the only way things could get better.”// (link-reveal: "You only painted.")[ (link-reveal: "You’ve been painting.")[ (link-reveal: "You paint.")[ (link-reveal: "You’re painting.")[ (link-reveal: "You will paint.")[(show: ?hidden9)]]]]] ]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ //“Anyway, we can discuss your transfer prospects further. I can make the proper introductions. Do you have any dinner plans?”// --- (link: "You’re a flame, and everyone is moths. You can only be what you are, and they are free to burn. Let this principle be your art.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9)

{= The guys over at the Archeology Department informed you of the discovery of (link-reveal: "a stone-calendar depicting Huītzilōpōchtli")[(show: ?hidden1)] down in Mexico City. You resolved to (link-reveal: "fly there immediately")[(show: ?hidden2)]. [ It was only an unconfirmed rumor. You had already been down there to see the sun-stone with what many initially believed to be Tonatiuh’s face. You found it pedestrian. Unsacred. Huītzilōpōchtli, on the other hand… Many in the Union and Texas (especially Texas!) were hoping for this. Your mother would go nuts if she ever found out.]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ You thought about taking a few girls from class with you to Mexico, but after the trip to Egypt, many of them suddenly found their wanderlust (link-reveal: "diminished")[ (your students in Chicago would've jumped at the chance, you told yourself)]. So, you went for the next best thing: (link-reveal: "You-know-who")[(show: ?hidden3)].]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ This man left his old sales job to move to Seattle with you. He accepted you for the woman you said you were. You felt that you owed him. You couldn't talk to him about art, about why you //truly// wanted to go. Instead, you told him that you wanted to do something exciting for your anniversary, something that wouldn’t follow you back to this side of the border. Oh, he was excited alright. He kept pestering you with ideas in the week leading up to (link-reveal: "the trip")[(show: ?hidden4)]. He was still making plans while driving up to Sea-Tac. Your mother liked him a lot.]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ You locked yourself in the hotel bathroom and (link-reveal: "screamed")[(show: ?hoax1)] into the towel.[ The sun-stone turned out to be a (link-reveal: "hoax")[(show: ?hoax2)].]<hoax1|(hide: ?hoax1) [ You didn’t want to believe it when your colleague said it on the phone. His tone was apologetic, along with a little confused and condescending, //(link-reveal: "“Why would you...”")[(show: ?hoax3)]//]<hoax2|(hide: ?hoax2) [ You didn’t want to believe it when you arrived at the dig site (the backyard of someone’s ranch only an hour from the city center) and saw with your own eyes the gaudy sign meant to trap (link-reveal: "American tourists")[(show: ?hoax4)].]<hoax3|(hide: ?hoax3) [ You didn’t want to believe it when you returned to the hotel, when you-know-who was knocking on the bathroom door, asking (link-reveal: "what had gotten into you")[(show: ?hidden5)].]<hoax4|(hide: ?hoax4) ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ (set: _end to 0) You came out and lied that your mother was remarrying. He acted shocked, (link-reveal: "if only to commiserate with you")[(show: ?hidden6)(set: _end to it + 1)(if: _end >= 2)[(show: ?hidden8)]]. You told him - //“fine”// - that you’d go ahead with (link-reveal: "his wild plans, starting with…")[(show: ?hidden7)(set: _end to it + 1)(if: _end >= 2)[(show: ?hidden8)]] ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ Dependable, predictable, and eager - he was everything your mother would ever want in a husband - for herself or for her daughter. Too bad, you weren’t the daughter she or anyone would hope for.]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ Somewhere during that bender in Mexico City, fleetingly, you had the impression that this man might truly love you.]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ --- (link: "You have excised his name from your mind. Recall it now and be done with it forever. Let the painting hold it for you.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8)

{= (set: _sunset to 0) (set: _sunsetAdvance to "(set: _sunset to it + 1)(if: _sunset >= 2)[(show: ?hidden3)]") (link-reveal: "An early sunset.")[ Your forties promised a slow descent into (link-reveal: "leisure")[(show: ?hidden1)_sunsetAdvance] and (link-reveal: "conventionality")[(show: ?hidden2)_sunsetAdvance].] [ You’ve just sold off //Bataille’s Plexus//. After a decade and dozens of failures, you told yourself to stop. Who could tell that you failed anyway? You were doing radio interviews, and your classes were overbooked. You had a guest curator gig at a place south of Tacoma. What was next? Tenure? Retrospectives? Certainly nothing important. Nothing of bother.]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ You-know-who had been saving up, and you were sure that it was enough for a ring. For your part, you planned to buy out the apartment from the landlady, who really needed the money for her cancer treatment. You’d settle in, marry a man, perhaps adopt a cat, and start being the person your mother always thought you’d be. You enjoyed morning walks and feeling the sun - just the one - on your face.]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ And then, you met (link-reveal: "Katherine")[(show: ?hidden4)]. ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ //“Can you keep a secret? I know you can,”// she whispered to you. (link-rerun: "The Earth was spinning again.")[ (set: _number to it + 1) (if: _number is 17)[(show: ?hidden5)] (if: _number > 17)[(set: _number to 1)] (replace: ?Katherine)[(print: _Katherine's _number)] ] (set: _number to 0) (set: _Katherine to (a: "//“Do you ever feel like you’re the only person on Earth?”//", "She’d come to class with a scarf around her neck, always color-matched with at least one other item.", "//“Sin is not a crime.”// Sin cannot be merely a crime.", "You weren’t done. How could you?", "//“Look all you want. Here.”//", "Sometimes, you heard her breathing.", "//“Hmm? That? I think you can do better.”// Now who taught her how to do //that//?", "You listened to the bathroom splatter, and there was a rhythm in the rain.", "//“Between Chikamin Peak and the Alta, the Gold Creek pours into…”// Yes, let’s go there. And we’ll rent a cabin, yes?", "You brought a reel of nylon, fish hooks, a suture kit, isopropyl alcohol, and bandages. No rod.", "//“I told the clerk that you were my mom.”// There was no reason for it, which made it all the better.", "You-know-who called. You lied to him, again and again. Said you had a fever.", "//“Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I would see it.”// You closed your eyes. She saw you in the darkness, if only for a flash. You started to remember light.", "Sometimes, one would get so hungry that one forgot one had a stomach.", "//“Close the curtains? Why? We’ll always be seen anyway.”//", "Every birth is painful. The child has no name.", "//“I want to live.”// So she did. You were so close.", )) []<Katherine| ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ (link-reveal: "You-know-who waited in front of Katherine’s place.")[ He (link-reveal: "shouted")[ and (link-reveal: "kicked")[ and (link-reveal: "threw")[ something at you. Something small, which rolled down the drain. (link-reveal: "Katherine")[ pepper-sprayed him and called building security. As he was escorted away, he (link-reveal: "said")[ that he had informed (link-reveal: "the school")[, (link-reveal: "the gallery")[, and (link-reveal: "your mother")[(show: ?hidden6)].]]]]]]]] ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ //“I’ve always known!”// His voice echoed in the hallway. //“You had a chance to stop, but (link-reveal: "you couldn’t help it")[(show: ?hidden7)]!”//]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ But you //did// stop, didn’t you? After that day, you never returned Katherine’s messages. You’ve (link-reveal: "taken what you needed")[ (or so you thought, for the painting you made from her - ''this'' painting - remains unfinished)]. You were done. You’ve chosen(link-reveal: " this life")[ - (link-reveal: "disowned")[, (link-reveal: "forced resignation")[, (link-reveal: "professional isolation")[, (link-reveal: "retrospective censure")[, (link-reveal: "summons to the Suppression Bureau")[, (link-reveal: "affidavits of insanity")[, (link-reveal: "eternal probation...")[ (link-reveal: "You're in your cell.")[(show: ?hidden8)]]]]]]]]] ]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ What about her? (link-reveal: "Where is she now?")[(show: ?hidden9)] ]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ --- (link: "She is still here, in the corner of your room, watching you degrade yourself. Come, touch her again. Her sisters have been poor company.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9)

{= When you think about a (link-reveal: "“troglodyte”")[, a cave dweller], you always imagine a timid creature. How could they not be? They move among jagged rocks. One careless step, and they’ll be falling into a toothy ravine. They need (link-reveal: "all the gentleness they can get")[(show: ?hidden1)]. [ You found Jesse on your way back from the gallery. It was your last day there. It rained. You carried her home in a box full of your art supplies and a mug that said (link-reveal: "“Thank you for everything”")[(show: ?hidden2)].]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ Jesse liked to eat low-carb kibble and tuna-with-fruit. As much as you’ve let your eating fall by the wayside, you’ve never shortened her portion, and you’ve never overfed her by neglect. By extension, you’ve always woken up at the crack of dawn to fill her bowl, even if you knew you’d (link-reveal: "immediately crawl back to bed and stay there until sundown")[(show: ?hidden3)].]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ Jesse made you live. (link-reveal: "Bare living, perhaps")[(show: ?hidden4)], but someone had to at least be breathing to acquire kibble and entertain her. (link-reveal: "She deserved that much, at least")[(show: ?hidden5)]. You, on the other hand, deserved nothing.]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ Your favorite place to order from was “The Great Wall of Bitter Lake” - a mouthful, unappetizing, and extremely economical. To avoid embarrassing yourself, you’d sometimes vary it up by calling into “Dragon Express”, though you suspect that these were different names for the same ghost kitchen, operating out of an office building close to the old saw mill.]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ You taught Jesse how to speak so you wouldn’t be so alone. Her lexical range was impressive even as a kitten. (link-reveal: "To wit:")[(show: ?list)] (set: _count to 0) (set: _countUp to "(set: _count to it +1)(if: _count >= 8)[(show: ?hidden6)]") [ <ul> <li>(link-reveal: "//“Miu~”//")[ meant a greeting, “me!”, or “there you are!”._countUp] <li>(link-reveal: "//“Miu. Miu. Miu.”//")[ (a quick succession) meant “food” - either a request for or an indication of._countUp] <li>(link-reveal: "//“M-ek”// or //“M-miu”//")[ meant to follow, to play, to be quite well._countUp] <li>(link-reveal: "//“Miu?”// or //“mrrp?”//")[ were questions or rather question marks, to indicate interest, anticipation, or frustration._countUp] <li>(link-reveal: "//“Ekekeke”//")[ meant “birds”, “roaches”, or any other critter she could kill. Alternatively, “how dare it exist?”_countUp] <li>(link-reveal: "//“Hrrm”// or //“rrrr”//")[ obviously meant that she was enjoying herself, or at least trying to make herself happy, confined here with you._countUp] <li>(link-reveal: "//“MRAOW!”//")[ meant she was hurt, or you’ve locked yourself in the bathroom again and might not come out, ever._countUp] <li>(link-reveal: "//“mip.”// (or various squeaking noises)")[ meant she was tired, uncomfortable, or wanted the conversation to end._countUp] </ul> ]<list|(hide: ?list) ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ And so on. Of course, there were diphthongs, compound words, and other syntactical features that modified Jesse’s meaning. It took you a long time to (link-reveal: "master her language")[(show: ?hidden7)].]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ Alright, have you got all that? Time to check for your learning. Let’s try… 1. ''//“M-miu! M-miu! M-miu!”//'' … might mean: [<ul> <li>(link-reveal: "//“There you are! I haven’t seen you in ages!”//")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden8)(replace: ?response1)[//“There you are! I haven’t seen you in ages!”// That’s right! Good job! A quick and staccato succession meant Jesse was in an urgent but happy mood. You’re good at this; now, how about:]] <li>(link-reveal: "//“I’m a bit miffed, but let’s forget that and play!”//")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden8)(replace: ?response1)[//“I’m a bit miffed, but let’s forget that and play!”// Yes, that’s a valid interpretation! A quick, high-pitched series of meows usually preceded playtime or mealtime. Now, how about:]] <li>(link-reveal: "//“You don’t know how happy I am to have met you!”//")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden8)(replace: ?response1)[//“You don’t know how happy I am to have met you!”// Ah, close but not quite. Such expressions would usually be a single, drawn-out meow, coupled with eye contact. But that’s alright, let’s try another:]] </ul>]<choices1| ]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ []<response1| (link: "...")[ 2. ''//“Yorl. YORL. Yorl. YRORWL. M-ak, m-ak!”//'' … might mean: [<ul> <li>(link-reveal: "//“It hurts! It hurts!”//")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden9)(replace: ?response2)[//“It hurts! It hurts!”// Ah, plausible, but not quite. While loud yowling could indicate pain, such as when attacked by ants, observe the second clause to the expression. Listen carefully so you don’t miss her meaning. Now, for the final one:]] <li>(link-reveal: "//“What’s wrong? Come back. Come back! Oh, there you are.”//")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden9)(replace: ?response2)[//“What’s wrong? Come back. Come back! Oh, there you are.”// That’s right! You’re a master at this! Observe how there are two different clauses - one loud and distressed, while the other switches immediately to “follow” and gladness. She’s just worried about you. Now, for the final one:]] <li>(link-reveal: "//“I’m hungry, let’s eat!”//")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden9)(replace: ?response2)[//“I’m hungry, let’s eat!”// Yes, the syntax does track, but be very careful about overinterpreting the meaning. Jesse was never irate or loud when hungry, and she understood that you only ate Chinese food, so she wouldn’t have invited you to her bowl. Now, for the final one:]] </ul>]<choices2| ]]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ []<response2| (link: "...")[ 3. ''//“...”// (silence)'' … might mean: [<ul> <li>(link: "//“I love you.”//")[(hide: ?choices3)(show: ?hidden10)] <li>(link: "//“You’re the only good thing that has ever happened to me.”//")[(hide: ?choices3)(show: ?hidden10)] <li>(link: "//“Don’t ever leave me. Please.”//")[(hide: ?choices3)(show: ?hidden10)] </ul>]<choices3| ]]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9) [ (if: $storyAnts's qt is 4)[That she's gone. That you paint. (link-reveal: "That’s all there's left to do.")[(show: ?hidden11)]] (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[That she is still here with you. (link-reveal: "Despite what you are.")[(show: ?hidden12)]] ]<hidden10|(hide: ?hidden10) [ --- (link: "That’s all you really deserve.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden11|(hide: ?hidden11) [ --- (link: "Thank you, for everything.")[ (dialog: [You have spent a piece of yourself.] , "And the canvas grows fuller.") (goto: "Painting Ready1") ] (Paint. Time crawls forward.) ]<hidden12|(hide: ?hidden12)

{= (if: $mind >=20)[(text-style:"blur")[CAN A DAY BE SO BRIGHT?]] (else-if: $mind >=15)[You're not used to this feeling. There are fireworks in your skull. Can a day be so bright?] (else-if: $mind >=8)[You've greeted the Sun today. She answers warmly. Anything is possible now!] (else-if: $mind >=6)[You wake up. Light is flitering through the blinds. You might open them today.] (else-if: $mind >=4)[Waking up, you feel slightly under the weather. Only slightly. Haven't you always?] (else-if: $mind >=2)[You're tired, but you still stir awake. It's gloomy outside. How did it come to this?] (else-if: $mind >=0)[You cannot see the Sun. You thought you would not wake up today. But somehow, you still did. You might not be so lucky again. Use your time wisely, the little that's left.] (else-if: $mind <0)[All is black. (text-style:"blur")[You shouldn't be here.]]

{=

{= (if: $time is "Morning")[ (set: $activity to "looking for Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You call out to Jesse. //"Miu..."// she answers meekly, voice full of hurt. Where is she? You suspect that she's hiding on top of the wardrobe, where there are fewer ants. At least you hope that's the case. --- <ol> <li>~~Spend time with Jesse~~ (She's shy about the ants. You'll have to do something about that.) <li>(link: "You should get on with your morning.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) ] (if: $time is "Evening")[ (set: $activity to "observing Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Jesse must be sleeping. About an hour ago, she left her hiding place for a quick bite. The second she hopped away, you emptied and cleaned the bowl. You take better of her than yourself. But not enough. You've thought about leaving the kibble bowl on top of the wardrobe for her to eat at her leisure, but you can't risk the ants invading the last safe place in the apartment. The best thing you can do for her is to do what you should have done all along. --- (link: "Go. What are you waiting for?")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) ]

{=

{=  (if: $time is "Morning" and $lockJesseE is true and $lockJesseE1 is false)[ (set: $activity to "looking for Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The coast may be clear, but Jesse is not out of the weeds yet. It seems like everyday, a new sore opens. Maybe there's an infection, or maybe she just needs to stop scratching herself. Either way, you'll need a professional opinion about the matter. --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Take Jesse to the vet.")[(goto: "Jesse E1")] (print: $actionCommit's desc)  <li>(link: "Spend time playing with Jesse. The vet can wait.") [(goto: "Jesse C2a")](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> <li>(link: "Return to your routine. You have so much left to do.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ] (else-if: $time is "Morning" and $lockJesseE is true and $lockJesseE1 is true and $storyAnts's medicine < 7)[ (set: $activity to "looking for Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The vet has prescribed plenty of medicine for Jesse, both oral and topical, to be administered daily for a week. Jesse will also have to wear a cone for a month, which irritates her to no end. Jesse is still awake and about. Now is the time for the pills and the cream, though it will not be easy. But any other time, she'll be hiding or asleep, and the task will be impossible then. (print: $storyAnts's medicineDesc) --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Give Jesse her medicine.")[(goto: "Jesse C2b")] (print: $actionCommit's desc) <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse.~~ (With the cone on her head, she is in no mood to play.) <li>(link: "Let her be.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]  (else-if: $time is "Morning" and $storyAnts's medicine >= 7)[ (set: $activity to "looking for Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Jesse's whiskers are drooping, and she is squinting her eyes. Pain. But she has been doing that for a while now, and you're sure it's not because of the medicine. At least, she's not drooling or throwing up. Now, there's nothing to do but keep watch of her. A few weeks more, and the cone comes off. That's something to look forward to. Right, Jesse? (print: $storyAnts's medicineDesc) --- <ol> You... <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse.~~ (With the cone on her head, she is in no mood to play.) <li>(link: "Let her be.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ] (else-if: $time is "Morning")[ (set: $activity to "looking for Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Now that the coast is clear, Jesse doesn't need to hide on the wardrobe anymore. It's boring up there anyway, right Jesse? //"Miu?"// That's right. Life is so boring without each other. --- <ol> <li>(link: "Let's go see what today has to offer!") [(goto: "Jesse C2a")](print: $actionCommit's desc)</li> <li>(link: "She's happy enough to sit by your side while you work.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]   (if: $time is "Evening" and $lockJesseE is true and $lockJesseE1 is false)[ (set: $activity to "observing Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Jesse is asleep. The wounds she has sustained during her fight with the ants - at least you think that's the cause - have not healed yet. Maybe your love isn't enough. Maybe she needs professional attention. --- <ol> You... <li>~~Take Jesse to the vet.~~ (It's too late in the day for safe buses, and she is sleeping.) <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse.~~ (She is asleep, somewhere. Perhaps in the morning.) <li>(link: "Leave her be for now.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]  (else-if: $time is "Evening" and $lockJesseE is true and $lockJesseE1 is true and $storyAnts's medicine < 7)[ (set: $activity to "observing Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The vet has prescribed plenty of medicine for Jesse, both oral and topical, to be taken daily for a week. Jesse will also have to wear a cone for a month, especially during her evening sleepytime. Jesse does not appreciate any of this at all. She is now in hiding, probably slumbering in resentment over all the wrangling you've done to her. (print: $storyAnts's medicineDesc) --- <ol> You... <li>~~Give Jesse her medicine~~ (She is asleep, somewhere. Perhaps in the morning.) <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse.~~ (She already hates wearing the cone enough, now you want to disturb her sleep as well?) <li>(link: "Let her be.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]  (else-if: $time is "Evening" and $storyAnts's medicine >= 7)[ (set: $activity to "observing Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Jesse shudders and twists and paws at the plastic cone in her sleep. Her itch goes unscratched. That's the way it has to be sometimes. It's a tragedy. But soon, it'll all be over, and everything will be wonderful again. Right, Jesse? (print: $storyAnts's medicineDesc) --- <ol> You... <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse.~~ (She already hates wearing the cone enough, now you want to disturb her sleep as well?) <li>(link: "Let her be.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]  (else-if: $time is "Evening")[ (set: $activity to "observing Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Jesse is asleep. She's lost a patch of fur behind her left ear after an intense bout of scratching. You whisper to her that the ants are gone, and you'll break out some new toys tomorrow morning. You might even walk her. Oh, the things we sacrifice for love. --- <ol> You... <li>~~Spend time playing with Jesse.~~ (She is asleep, somewhere. Perhaps in the morning.) <li>(link: "Leave her be for now.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]

{=

{= (set: $activity to "too busy to play")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "//“Miu…”//")[ Whiskers, wet nose, you feel Jesse nuzzling against you. You pet her and tell her to (link-reveal: "wait.")[ Poor baby, she’s asking you to play with her. It’s been a while, what with the ants and all. Now that the apartment is safer, she must be trying to (link-reveal: "make up for lost time.")[ But you’re busy with your paint. A few tubes now will not open after years of neglect. You’ve mistakenly stored them right next to the radiator. Plus, you're making up for lost time, too. All this, (link-reveal: "you explain to her.")[ Jesse understands. She lies down next to you, resting her chin on her paws. It takes you the entire afternoon to salvage the paint. --- (link: "Don’t sulk, we can always play later.")[ (set: $lockJesseD to true) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc) ]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "waking up early")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriF to true) (set: $busyHenriF to true)  Morning has barely arrived, but you’re too anxious to go back to sleep. It is as though you’ve been dreaming with your eyes wide open. (link-reveal: "You get up for a cup of water")[(if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[, and to fill Jesse’s bowl too, while you’re at it]. Everyone ought to be asleep. Nobody will see you if you step outside. So you do(if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[, with Jesse joining you. Poor girl, she hasn’t seen the outside of this apartment in ages](if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or it is 3)[. Jesse watches you from atop the wardrobe. You tell her that you’ll be back soon. She blinks]. Out in the common balcony, there is no golden dawn but a sickly mustard yellow. The air is muggy with fog. You can’t even see (link: "the end of the hallway.")[the end of the hallway.(show: ?hidden1)]] [ But you can hear it - footsteps approaching. A tall figure emerges. You hold your breath. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“Oh, up already?”// You breathe easy. It is only Henri. A sweatband holds back his curls. His hairy legs are bare. //“Your muse isn’t letting you sleep in? Well, I’m off for my morning runs. Want to join me?”// (link-reveal: "You? Run? And end up wheezing in the middle of the streets?")[(show: ?choices)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ --- <ol> You... (if: $mind>1)[<li>[[Entertain his whims.->Henri F1]] (print: $actionCommit's desc)] (else:)[<li>~~Entertain his whims.~~ (You're too unwell to be out and about.)] <li>(link: "Politely decline. You’ve got so much else to do.")[ (dialog: [Henri says that it's no problem. You hear him jogging down the stairs, and you wonder if you truly had anything else to do. But first, you should head back inside. The longer you're here, the higher the risk of running into another neighbor.], "Right.") (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (Back to your normal morning routine.) </ol> ]<choices|(hide: ?choices)

{= (set: $activity to "a distressed visit")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriG to true) (set: $busyHenriG to true)  Last night, your sleep was poor. By the time you’ve washed up and fed Jesse, who has been meowing nonstop, there are only a couple hours left in the morning. You can't think straight. Is this what dementia is, finally? As you're trying to recall what you were doing - there comes a (link-reveal: "knocking on your door.")[(show: ?hidden1)] [ //“Erm, hi? Are you in?”// Says the muffled voice. It must be Henri. He sounds distressed. //“It’s me again. Sorry to bother, but…”// You open the door. Henri is fidgeting. //“Do you, uh… do you happen to have any sugar? For tea, I mean.”// (link-reveal: "Sugar? For tea?")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“Oh, what am I saying? I need your help. There’s a girl - Mrs. Wong’s niece. She’s over at my place, and she’s inconsolable.”// You stammer. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“It’s so awful! Her aunt went missing a few days back. Have you heard? I’ve only found out. Mrs. Wong was just there at the party. How could…”// (if: $lockPoliceA is true)[You - of course - have neglected to mention any of it to Henri. It simply didn’t cross your mind at all. You know you should feel worse. You should.](else:)[You should be more shocked. But somehow, you knew it was time. Everyday, a dice is thrown. Soon, it'd be everyone.] //“I’ll have to go to the precinct to make my statement. Any later and… But meanwhile, could you come over to talk to the girl? Keep her from… You know, she’s…”// (link-reveal: "Henri lets his words hang.")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ --- <ol> (if: $mind>1)[<li>[[Yes, you know. You follow him back to his apartment.->Henri G1]] (Commit. Begin something time consuming and potentially dangerous.)] (else:)[<li>~~Of course! You follow him back to his apartment.~~ (You're too unwell to be consoling anyone right now.)] <li>(link: "Squirm and make up some excuse. You can’t deal with this.")[ (dialog: [You make your excuses. Henri scratches his head, not computing for a few seconds before muttering an apology and marching off. This is no time to be a Good Samaritan.], "You're no good.") (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (Back to your normal morning routine.) ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4)

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's place")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "consoling to Amy")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link: "The girl")[Amy] is idly playing with Henri’s fairy lights, wrapping the cable around her arm, unwrapping it, and wrapping it again. She doesn’t look at you. Her eyes are red. Gazing at the girl, who couldn’t have been more than twenty, you see a hint of Mrs. Wong in her youth. Henri has quickly introduced the two of you to each other before rushing off to the police. Now, there are only you and (link-reveal: "her.")[(show: ?hidden1)] [ You’ve heard of this girl so many times, mostly because of her aunt’s boasting, and now, you’re finally in the same room as her - the fabled Amy. There is some truth to all stories. Presently, you’re mixing sweetener into the tea. Of course you don’t keep any sugar. It attracts the ants. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“I’m sorry,”// Amy says. //“I don’t know what I’m doing here. They told me to wait; they’d call. But I couldn’t. I must have… Henri found me wandering the hallway. I don’t even remember driving here.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "It’s OK, Amy. Sometimes, we’re not ourselves.")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden3)(replace: ?response1)[You tell her that it’s OK, that sometimes, we’re not ourselves. Sometimes, you’re not sure what animates you, what makes you wake up everyday, what keeps you from sleeping forever. If you were always yourself, then maybe you wouldn’t be here talking to Amy. You simply wouldn’t be.]] <li>(link: "What are any of us doing here anyway? We do what we must.")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden3)(replace: ?response1)[You tell her that sometimes, we do things, and the reason will come later. What is important is that we are here in the first place. We are dropped into existence, into this life, into being-someone, and we play the part. If you had a quarter of the good luck or good looks that Amy has, you wouldn’t be questioning anything at all. You’d cherish the role.]] <li>(link: "It’s awful, isn’t it, when the only thing you can do is wait.")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden3)(replace: ?response1)[You commiserate with her helplessness. To some, life appears as an interminable wait. An abandoned train station. A prison without charge or reason. But to others, every moment is a choice with consequences unseen. This, too, is another form of imprisonment, for there is no escape from freedom. Indeed, it is a luxury to pretend to be so helpless. To momentarily be free. If only we could be free forever…]] </ul>]<choices1| ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ []<response1| But for all your thoughts, you only manage some soft platitudes. Amy scoffs but immediately apologizes. She seems to be someone so used to easy forgiveness. Who could ever fault her? So precious. So full of life. So (link-reveal: "…")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ //“We all know what will become of my aunt. I just can’t accept it. She couldn’t accept it either. When her husband reappeared, she kept him inside her home for months, hoping that he'd wake up. In the end, my mom made her bury him. I was so mad at mom, but I also knew uncle was stinking up the place. No hospital would take him. No church either. My aunt couldn’t afford a burial plot, and my mom was too religious to help out. But the pits… they’ve begun calling it ‘mannequins’ cemeteries’. (link-reveal: "Don’t you think it’s disgusting?")[(show: ?hidden5)]”// ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ Amy goes on like that for a while, only stopping momentarily to cry. You're too sleep-deprived for this. You wonder if your shrink ever felt as restless as you are right now. Maybe when you stopped going, you were actually doing him a favor. At least it's a thrill to look at Amy, even when she is all tears and phlegm. She's simply so... You feel an old pang, like the exquisite mouth-pain from sucking on lime. If you were to render her in oil, you would… [<ul> <li>(link: "Underpaint with the starkest red.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden6)(replace: ?response2)[Underpaint with the starkest red, so that the blood beneath her cheeks shines through - for you to bathe in.]] <li>(link: "Blend with the softest brush.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden6)(replace: ?response2)[Blend with the softest brush, so that her countenance achieves the quality of silk - for you to wear.]] <li>(link: "Slash with a crude knife.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden6)(replace: ?response2)[Slash with a crude knife, so that all her hidden angles are made plain - for your viewing pleasure.]] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ []<response2| Oh she, too, should join you in the Sun. A chorus of angels will praise that opal brilliance. Every possible shape is contained within the hollow of Her shadow. Glittering constellation on a nameless lake... //“I-I’m sorry if this is getting too heavy. You don’t have to listen to me, miss.”// You laugh a joyless laugh and tell her that it’s no problem. You’ve chosen to be here. But as soon as Henri opens that door, you rush to leave, littering targetless goodbyes on your way out. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden7)] ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ Henri catches up to you in the hallway. You’re shaking. //“Are you alright? What happened?”// You tell him that you need to feed Jesse. //“Oh, right, right. I’ll take it from here. Thank you so much. Uhm... we’ll catch up later?”// (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden8)] ]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ You nod, hesitantly. //“Great. Hey... uhm, I'm not great at this. But please, know that you’re not alone, OK? Not with me around. Things are all topsy-turvy these days, and we need to stick together. Come talk to me anytime you're free. I need it, too.”// --- (link: "Yes, Henri. But I've really got to go.")[ (if: $storyHenri's qt < 4)[ (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (if: $storyHenri's qt is 4)[(dialog: [You can now visit Henri socially.], "OK.")] ] (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (set: $shakenHenriG to true) (set: $talkHenriG to true) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (if: $storyHenri's qt < 4)[(print: $storyHenri's gain)] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's desc)] ]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8)

{= (set: $place to "around the block")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "\"running\" with Henri")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You break out your old pair of sneakers, dust off the cobweb, put them on, and join Henri. He’s trying to act casual, but it’s obvious that he’s pleasantly surprised. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hiddenA)] [ By the time the two of you reach the sidewalks, you’re already out of breath. You’re sure to be miserable. Why did you accept? Sensing that you’re unable to keep up, Henri keeps his speed to a brisk walk only. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hiddenB)] ]<hiddenA|(hide: ?hiddenA) [ You have expected a vast sky, fresh breeze, and you - cave dweller that you are - to be instantly struck down by vertigo. But no. There is a dull pressure in the air, as though the low ceiling of your apartment still looms over your head, and the stale air still fills your asthmatic lungs. You can’t see anything. The fog chokes. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hiddenC)] ]<hiddenB|(hide: ?hiddenB) [ After about twenty minutes of small talk, the two of you settle down at a park bench for you to catch your breath. You only vaguely remember this place. //“So, how’s painting going? And don’t say ‘it’s going’.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "It’s going swimmingly.")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response1)[It’s going swimmingly. In fact, you have no idea which shore you’re swimming to, or if there is such a shore. You only swim. But that’s the path you’ve chosen. Aquatic lemmings. No cliff but a yawning abyss. You spare him the poetics. You let these thoughts pass like waves.]] <li>(link: "So well that you’ve attracted the (tentative) attention of one Darkbloom Foundation.")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response1)[You tell him about the Darkbloom Foundation and their residency program. A spark lights up in his eyes, but when you ask him if he knows the institution in question, he only shrugs and says, //“In passing.”// He finds it amusing that his nickname for you - the //“resident artist”// - is turning out true after all.]] <li>(link: "Why does he care anyhow?")[(hide: ?choices1)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response1)[You ask him if it matters to him. //“It matters to you, obviously.”// Obviously? True, but it doesn’t automatically follow that he must care, at least not for you, at least not if you take for granted that he…]] </ul>]<choices1| ]<hiddenC|(hide: ?hiddenC) [ []<response1| //“I’ve got to admit: I’m a bit envious of you. No, don’t laugh, I mean it! I’ve always been a big fan, even though I’m not very intuitive or creative. Everyone says so. I can tell you all kinds of things - bookish things - but I never feel like I can properly know them. Feel them. I wish I can see the world through your eyes.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "He’s still young, and you have nothing he should envy.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response2)[Such naivete. You relate to him the story of the hare and the tortoise - with you being the hare. Intuition made you go fast but never got you anywhere. Not without hard work. You’ve had this very same thought a hundred times, but this is the first time you’ve given it a voice. It’s strange. Those who talk the most about hard work tend to be those who struggle the most with their idleness - actual or imagined.]] <li>(link: "He’s a flatterer.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response2)[He’s a flatterer and a transparent one at that. What does he want? The question is bitter. Someone used to tell you that you could never take a compliment. It’s not true. You slaver at compliments. You love it. Though you’d always wait until everyone’s gone, and only then do you allow yourself this enjoyment. No-one should ever see you lusty with greed.]] <li>(link: "You should keep your mouth shut.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response2)[You keep your silence, though you can’t hide your smile. It hurts your face to do so. You can feel the wrinkles, the cracks, the flesh moving on your face. You recall a girlhood memory - a boy egged on by his friends, a bouquet of flowers, a moment of hesitation, a cockroach among the petals, a scream, a chorus of laughter. The memory banishes any trace of a smile from your face. How glad you are to be rid of it.]] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ []<response2| (link: " …")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ The two of you walk back to your apartment in silence. You know he wants to talk more, but you’re spent. The Sun is already so high, leering at you with judgment. //“Well, thanks for keeping me company. I wish the weather was better.(if: $storyHenri's qt is 3)[ Anyhow, you should drop by my place some time. I’d love to pick your brain on so many things.](if: $storyHenri's qt < 3)[ Anywho, I’ll see you around, neighbor.]”// He smiles that smile of his and heads off. All morning, not once did he break a sweat. You head inside for a shower. (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[ All the while, you tell Jesse of what happened, hoping she'd fogive your absence. //"Miu..."// She says.] (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ --- (link: "You didn’t hate this as much as you thought.")[ (if: $storyHenri's qt < 4)[ (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (if: $storyHenri's qt is 4)[(dialog: [You can now visit Henri socially.], "OK.")]] (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (if: $storyHenri's qt < 4)[(print: $storyHenri's gain)] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's desc)] ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4)

{= (set: $activity to "a red dream")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $last to (passage:)'s name)  The room is damp, narrow, and lined with doors - like a cell - no, a (link-reveal: "dingy toilet.")[ Oppressive red neon bathes over you. It comes from your mind. You’re staring at yourself in the mirror. Your hands are wet and sticky. There is strange music outside. Then, one of the stalls (link-reveal: "swings open.")[ You're startled frozen, watching a towering figure lumbering towards you. (link-reveal: "Clang")[, (link-reveal: "clang")[, (link-reveal: "clang")[. Steel upon tiles. Shining steel. A full suit of armor covers the figure from head to toe. (link-reveal: "Ancient armor.")[(show: ?hidden1)]]]]]] [ //“Move aside,”// a woman’s voice reverberates from inside the armor. You comply, letting her have the faucet. (link-reveal: "Who is she?")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“A saint.”// You ask if she is here to (link-reveal: "bless")[(show: ?hidden3)] you. ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“In a way.”// You ask what kind of saint she is. (set: _number to 0) //“I am (link-rerun: "Saint George.")[(set: _number to it +1)(if: _number > 3)[(set: _number to 1)(show: ?hidden4)](replace: ?slay)[(print: _slay's _number)]]”// (set: _slay to (a: "The slayer of monsters. Is she here to slay you?", "The slayer of dragons. But you are no dragon. You have no wings.", "The slayer of serpents, then. Worms. One to bring mankind God’s fruit, the other to dwell in its skin.", )) []<slay| ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ //“I’ll slay nothing today. Maim, perhaps.”// She removes her helmet, and a truss of gorgeous dark hair tumbles out.(if: $lockPartyC is true)[ You know her.] //“(if: $lockPartyC is true)[I told you we’d only ever meet here, didn’t I?](else:)[What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?]”// She leans over the sink, fixes her hair in the mirror, and reapplies her lipstick. Does she have a pouch in that armor somewhere? //”Listen, friend, I know you think you’re doing well and everything,”// she makes a kissy face at her reflection. Smack. //“But do you have to be so loud? I can hear you ''think'' all the way in here! Can’t have any peace, (link-reveal: "I swear.")[(show: ?hidden5)]”// ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ You've been bothering her. You admit, self-consciously, that perhaps you’ve had too much on your mind as of late, living too large, living at all. You’ve tried staying in your lane, focusing on work, avoiding getting in others’ way… //”See, that’s what I hate about types like you,”// she says, slamming her gauntlet down onto the sink. //”Always acting so timid, so apologetic, but have you ever thought about just… ''stopping''? Just… not be? Like, actually?”// Of course you have. All the time! (link-reveal: "The mirror shatters.")[(show: ?hidden6)] There are a hundred yous in there, all staring back, each one a little less certain than the last. ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ //”OK, geeze. Yeah, it’s not my place. Not my turn. It’s the benches for me - I’m stuck here,”// she shrugs, and the metal plates grind against each other. //“But since you can't seem to be able to help yourself, I want to at least say my piece. Share my thoughts. Call it professional advice. From a colleague.”// You tell her that you don’t need it. She can never be your peer. //”Mmm, blessings don't need consent. Don't worry. You'll live. Anyway, (link-reveal: "lipstick?")[(show: ?hidden7)]”// ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ She extends her lipstick to you. You look down at her hand. She’s holding (link-reveal: "a knife.")[(show: ?hidden8)] ]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ (display: "Dream E Punishment") ]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8)

{=   (set: _code to "(if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[(goto: \"Dream E1\")] (else-if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[(goto: \"Dream E2\")] (else-if: $attProgress's qt > 0)[(goto: \"Dream E3\")] (else-if: $attJesse01's qt > 0)[(goto: \"Dream E4\")] (else-if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[(goto: \"Dream E5\")] (else-if: $attInspiration's qt > 0)[(goto: \"Dream E6\")] (else:)[(goto: \"Dream E7\")]") --- (set: $threshold to 2) (if: $last is "Dream E")[(link: "No... Not now!")[_code]] (else-if: $last is "Dream E1")[(link: "And the hallways stretches on and on.")[_code]] (else-if: $last is "Dream E2")[(link: "Ignore her. She does not mean what she says.")[_code]] (else-if: $last is "Dream E3")[(link: "The lighter you are, the better your flight.")[_code]] (else-if: $last is "Dream E4")[(link: "There is no such thing as \"home\" for a nomad soul.")[_code]] (else-if: $last is "Dream E5")[(link: "You will be great.")[_code]] (else-if: $last is "Dream E6")[(link: "You watch. What more can you do?")[_code]]  (else:)[ (link: "The Sun... is coming...")[ (set: $lockDreamEStage2 to true) (set: $shakenDreamE to 2) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] ]

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name)   Pure damage --- (link-rerun: "Without a body, you still have your will. Struggle!")[ (if: $mind > $threshold)[ (set: $mind to it -1) (replace: ?mindStat)[$mind] (dialog: [\ (set: _number to (random: 1,4))\ (set: _pain to (a: "You thrash violently, but the heavy chains only rattles in apathy.", "You tear yourself away, but the hooks only peels more skin from your flesh. ", "You kick and flail, but your body only swings limply on the iron web.", "You beg and beg, but your captor only laughs and cries.",))\ (print: _pain's _number)\ ], "You scream.") ] (if: $mind <= $threshold)[ (dialog: [The flesh rips. . . . . . . . You tear yourself from your bondage, and for a moment, the Sun seems to blink. Before she could react, you launch yourself at your armored tormentor.], "She shrieks.") (goto: "Dream E Next") ] ]

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name)   (set: _loss to $attConfidence) (set: _lossText to "<details><summary>(print: _loss's name)</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>") (link-reveal: "//“Don’t let my enjoyment fool you,”//")[ she begins as the tip of the blade carves miniscule details into you. (link-reveal: "You beg for her to stop.")[ //“None of this would’ve been necessary if you’d never gotten up from your bed. But nooo, you just couldn't help yourself.”// You phase in and out of consciousness, hoping to wake up free from this torture, only to find that (link-reveal: "a fresh cut is about to be made.")[ (link-reveal: "The blade sears.")[ (link-reveal: "The blade humbles.")[(show: ?hidden1)]]]]] [ --- (link: "The blade dims the ego.")[ (dialog: [You feel all of your _lossText drain from your mind.], "...") (set: $attConfidence's qt to 0) (replace: ?mindStat)[$mind] (goto: "Dream E Next") ] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name)   (set: _loss to $attInspiration) (set: _lossText to "<details><summary>(print: _loss's name)</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>") She has been at it for so long, and still, there remains something left in you to bleed. //“You’ve got one thing right before. (link-reveal: "It’s this")[(show: ?hidden1)],”// [she stabs a meathook through a flap of flayed skin, then loops it through a loosened ligament. //(link-reveal: "“What gave you the idea, huh?")[(show: ?hidden2)] Me?”//]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ You can barely open your eyes, let alone respond to her question. //“Ah, I’m committing the cardinal sin: Asking the artist where she got her ideas from. No matter, you’ll see that technique is only a small part. The result, however, is (link-reveal: "quite different")[(show: ?hidden3)].”//]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ She gives the chain a pull, and you are lifted up towards the ceiling. You see yourself in the cracked mirror. (link-reveal: "You don’t know what to say.")[(show: ?hidden4)]]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ --- (link: "Your mind is empty.")[ (dialog: [You feel all of your _lossText drain from your mind.], "...") (set: $attInspiration's qt to 0) (replace: ?mindStat)[$mind] (goto: "Dream E Next") ] ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name)  (set: _loss to $attEmbarrassed) (set: _lossText to "<details><summary>(print: _loss's name)</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>") With one hand, she (link-reveal: "slices under your skin")[, and with another, she (link-reveal: "peels it from your back.")[ This is the most it is going to hurt, you tell yourself. And every flick of the blade proves you (link-reveal: "wrong.")[(show: ?hidden1)]]] [ //“Stop making that face. This isn’t about you, you know?”// She says with your mother’s voice. Biting down on your lips, you try to contain your sobs. //“I’m doing you a favor. (link-reveal: "I’m fixing you.")[(show: ?hidden2)]”// ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ --- (link: "You need to be fixed.")[ (dialog: [You feel all of your _lossText drain from your mind.], "...") (set: $attEmbarrassed's qt to 0) (goto: "Dream E Next") ] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name)  (set: _loss to $attRestlessness) (set: _lossText to "<details><summary>(print: _loss's name)</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>") //“I suggest you relax for this,”// she croons as the blade slips under the skin of your neck. //“In fact, (link-reveal: "I compel you to.")[(show: ?hidden1)]”// [ And every one of your thoughts begins to flee from the wound, for this is her domain, and her words are (link-reveal: "as law as gravity.")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“You have to be in the right mind for this. Don't want any bad blood between us.”// --- (link: "No bad blood.")[ (dialog: [You feel all of your _lossText drain from your mind.], "...") (set: $attRestlessness's qt to 0) (goto: "Dream E Next") ] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name)  (set: _loss to $attJesse01) (set: _lossText to "<details><summary>(print: _loss's name)</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>") (link-reveal: "You beg her not to touch you.")[ She seems confused? Bemused?(show: ?hidden)] [ //“Friend, what’s there left to keep? We’ve done far worse, and we will,”// she says as the blade cuts into you. //“Take my advice, you have to be pure of heart for this to work. Pure and unburdened. (link-reveal: "The good and bad must all go.")[(show: ?hidden1)]”// ]<hidden|(hide: ?hidden) [ The pain washes away (link-reveal: "all you can remember.")[(show: ?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ --- (link: "You are mere clay in an artist’s hands.")[ (dialog: [You feel all of your _lossText drain from your mind.], "...") (set: $attJesse01's qt to 0) (goto: "Dream E Next") ] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{=  (if: $last is "Dream E1")[(Bashing Julia's head in with her own helmet)] (else-if: $last is "Dream E2")[She steps back, brushes a blood-drenched lock of hair from her face, and (link-reveal: "admires her own handiwork")[(show: ?artist)] like a pruner her bonsai. [ //“Miss artist… oil is so gauche. You’ve grown so cocky. I hope you see that my way is so much more… visceral, don’t you agree? Oh, you can’t actually see anything. Here, (link-reveal: "let me just…")[(show: ?chains)]”//]<artist|(hide: ?artist) [ Metal drags on the floor. Chains. (link-reveal: "Hooks.")[(show: ?punish)]]<chains|(hide: ?chains) ] (else-if: $last is "Dream E3")[//“Well, say something! Don’t be so rude. You wish you could do something half this decent. Ah, but (link-reveal: "you were so close once")[(show: ?attention)], weren’t you? But then, you got cold feet and went back to - ha! - the drawing board.”// [ She grabs you by the jaw, presses her cheek to yours, gaze at the fragmented reflection, and grin - like two friends would after powering their noses. Her metal fingers are like vices. You swing slightly on the chains. //“This wasn’t entirely my idea either. Someone else taught me the (link-reveal: "ley lines of the body")[(show: ?body)]. He became my first artwork. I got all the attention that I wanted!"//]<attention|(hide: ?attention) [ The thing in the mirror cannot be a body. Your eyes dart from fragment to fragment, trying to remember those impossible shapes - looping, pulsating, (link-reveal: "calling…")[(show: ?light)]]<body|(hide: ?body) [ //“Actually, my bad. It’s so dark in here, isn’t it? Let me just let in some light.”// The mirror shards begin falling into themselves, into the wall, (link-reveal: "into…")[(show: ?punish)]]<light|(hide: ?light) ] (else-if: $last is "Dream E4")[She tosses a spare piece of gristle down by your side like a (link-reveal: "dead fish")[. The anonymous meat glistens black in the red light. //“There, no need to hang onto this kind of thing. Does it make you? Does it nourish you? (link-reveal: "It’s just meat at the end of the day.")[(show: ?meat)]”// ] [ Now, you feel her metal fingers searching your back. She finds it - (link-reveal: "your bone, wet and pink.")[(show: ?punish)]]<meat|(hide: ?meat) ] (else-if: $last is "Dream E5")[You feel your (link-reveal: "anxiety")[ - that primal angel which keeps you safe -] pours from the wound. So too goes your hot anger, your red hate, your iron-made indignation, and (link-reveal: "any sense of how things ought or ought not to be.")[ //"Not bad, right? But don't think you can do it by yourself. It takes a true artist to find the veins."// (link-reveal: "She kicks you behind the knees.")[ You kneel onto a pool of your own blood. The blade drips onto your back.(show: ?punish)]] ] (else-if: $last is "Dream E6")[(link-reveal: "A great void now resides within your core")[, and around it is your flesh made into a picture-frame. She wipes her knife on her leather belt and sharpens its balde on her steel armor. Your bone must have chipped the edge. //“You have to make way for what’s to come. What do people say these days, ‘hold space’? Yeah, you can’t leave clutter beside the door. No-one’s going to want to come. (link-reveal: "Oh stop crying")[(show: ?cry)], you baby!”// [ She stomps her boots, but you cannot stop weeping, (link-reveal: "so she makes you")[(show: ?punish)].]<cry|(hide: ?cry)] ] (else-if: $last is "Dream E7")[By the time she is done, a tapestry of mind-bending shapes is floating above (link-reveal: "your head")[. "Above" is a relative term. You cannot tell where your head is in this construct. //“(link-reveal: "Don’t take it personally.")[ Artists from different disciplines hate on each other all the time.”(show: ?dripping)]// [ Through bleary eyes, you watch her as she walks around her still-dripping work-in-progress, knife in hand, an annoyed frown on her face. She shakes her head and (link-reveal: "approaches you")[(show: ?punish)].]<dripping|(hide: ?dripping)] ] [(display: "Dream E Punishment")]<punish|(hide: ?punish)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name)  (set: _loss to $attProgress) (set: _lossText to "<details><summary>(print: _loss's name)</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>") //“I want you to understand that what you’re doing is (link-reveal: "pointless")[(show: ?hidden1)(show: ?hidden2)],"// [she says as she shaves your bones with her knife. //“But that’s just my opinion.”//]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ She is attempting to balance a segment of your ribcage on a delicate nerve. It falls. She sucks her teeth and (link-reveal: "tries again")[(show: ?hidden3)]. ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ --- (link: "It will all fall apart.")[ (dialog: [You feel all of your _lossText drain from your mind.], "...") (set: $attProgress's qt to 0) (goto: "Dream E Next") ] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= (set: $activity to "an officer's visit")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockPoliceA to true) There is a knock on the door. (if: $storyHenri's qt > 2)[For a moment, you thought it was Henri, but then, you hear a hoarse voice.] //“Police. Anyone home?”// (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[Jesse immediately skitters away. ]You consider[…]<response| [<ul> <li>(link: "Standing very still until the cop goes away.")[(replace: ?response)[ standing in place and not breathe. Play dead. He'll leave you alone.](show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices)] <li>(link: "Jumping out of the window.")[(replace: ?response)[ throwing yourself through the window glass. You'll land on the fire escape.](show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices)] <li>(link: "Dousing the painting in turpentine and burning it.")[(replace: ?response)[ dousing your art and setting it on fire. Better arson than the Suppression Bureau.](show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices)] </ul>]<choices| [ But your feet carry you to the door. You’ve done nothing wrong. It's just a simple beat cop. He couldn’t have known, and even if he did, what law of the world could keep you? So, you crack open the door, with the chain still on. //“Good day, ma’am,”// the officer says. The rotund man's face is red from climbing the stairs. //“I’m here about a (link-reveal: "missing person report.")[(show: ?hidden2)]”// ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ Apparently, the old widow down the hall - Mrs. Wong - is nowhere to be found. Her niece came to visit and found her apartment empty. Her phone was left by her night table. So, the girl called the cops. Mrs. Wong’s husband had disappeared under similar circumstances. You tell the officer everything that you know - which is very little that the officer doesn’t already know. (if: $lockPartyA is true)[You last spoke to her at Henri’s party (if: 0 - $eventParty's timer > 1)[(print: 0 - $eventParty's timer) days ago](if: 0 - $eventParty's timer is 1)[yesterday] and saw her leave. The Perries might know more.] The officer scribbles into his notepad. You get the feeling that he’s doodling, that he won’t follow up with this case. There have been too many such disappearances all around this city - even the entire Union. They’ll find Mrs. Wong soon. (link-reveal: "It all ends in the same way.")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“Thank you, ma’am. I have all I need. If you see Mrs. Wong again, give us a call. And keep yourself safe, especially around strangers. There's a possibility that Texan adventists are involved.”// You thank the officer and quickly close the door. When his heavy footsteps are far away, you slump onto the floor and hug yourself. You’re shaking. (if: $storyAnts's qt is 2)[Jesse approaches you. You hug her too.](else-if: $storyAnts's qt is 1 or it is 3)[Jesse watches you from her hiding place, eyes full of worry.] --- (link: "I’m not going anywhere(unless: $storyAnts's qt is 4)[, Jesse]. Never. I’ll be the last woman on Earth.")[ (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc) ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= (set: $activity to "observing the state of your apartment")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $storyAnts's qt is >= 2)[(goto: "Ant B4")]  (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 0)[First is the wet trash - leftover foodstuffs souring and molding inside half-closed Chinese takeout boxes. When you had nothing going on in your life, stacking these boxes was your only form of entertainment. Now, the ants fester within these monuments to your idleness. The boxes have got to go.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 1)[Today is the day you liberate the bloated trash bags that are strewn all around the apartment - from the four corners of the living room to the nooks beneath the kitchen sink. Right next to your work table, the white bags are stacked atop one another, looking like a snowman, an incontinent one leaking yellow liquid onto the floor. The ants are gathering around a drop of what used to be sweet tea. Their bodies form the shape of a black and hollow star.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 2)[The dishes and utensils in the sink have gone fuzzy, green, white, and yellow in certain places. You haven't used your own implements for a long, long while; all delivery restaurants include bamboo chopsticks and plastic spoons anyhow. The countertop dishwasher is beginning to develop its own morning breath. You-know-who bought it for you as a housewarming gift. For both of you. You don’t think you’ll be able to trust anything that comes out of that machine’s mouth, not without the lingering sourness infecting every meal. You can always buy a replacement. But right now, the plates, the utensils, and yes, the dishwasher must see the bottom of the neighborhood bin.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 3)[On the walls of the bathroom, a slimy orange mold is living side by side with the black stuff. You often wonder if they’re competing or cooperating. Either way, they’ll be the death of you, either by inhalation or by slipping. There is enough hair in the drain to reconstruct you in your entirety. Then, there’s the toilet bowl. Black grime completely coats its surface - all the way down the pipes, it appears. Sometimes, when you flush, some of the black stuff would dislodge, showing the yellowed enamel beneath. You’ve held onto the hope that eventually, they’ll grow so chunky that they’ll all fall away. Time to stop hoping and act.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 4)[You once had the notion that a carpet would be a very nice addition for a cozy home, if you-know-who ever decided to pop the question. That didn’t happen. This place is no home. The carpet was a mistake. Whenever you step on it, something sharp always pokes at your soles - a chip fragment, some plastic thing, or even your own broken nails. Thankfully, Jesse has never once gone on the carpet. She much prefers the cleanliness of her own litter box. Time to roll the thing up and free the floorboard beneath, where an untold number of critters may lurk. You shudder at the thought.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 5)[Coastal humidity is the enemy of good clothes. Everything you’ve ever hunted on sale, thrifted, collected, and found pride in is currently too moldy to wear. Now, silverfishes and ants are crawling out of every pocket. What use are worldly luxuries? You have no show to attend, no retrospective to speak at, no bejeweled hands to shake, no art to sell, no peer to sneer at. No longer. Most of these items no longer fit you. You recall the building having a donation box in the lobby. You should wash the clothes first.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 6)[On the mattress is a dark-yellow shadow the shape of you. There is a similarly-colored stain on the wall, where you usually rest your knee against as you stare at the ceiling. That will not do. A proper home is one where the dweller is invisible, so that visitors might envision themselves living there. You must cleanse this place of your presence.] (if: $eventCleanup's progress is 7)[You’re done. You shouldn’t be seeing anything unseemly.] (if: $eventCleanup's start is true)[(print: $eventCleanup's desc)](else:)[(It will take you several days' worth of work to get rid of what's harboring the ants.)] --- <ol>  (if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $lockHenriVisit is false and $attEmbarrassed's qt < 1 and $eventParty's timer is not 0 and it is not -1 and $busyHenriF is false and $busyHenriG is false)[ <li>(link: "You do the impossible: Go out and ask Henri to lend you his help.")[ (if: $eventCleanup's start is false)[(print: $eventCleanup's onTrigger)] (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (goto: "Ant B1") ] (Commit. With someone else's help, you're guaranteed success - pro bono - given that you're ''shameless'' enough to ask.) </li>] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $busyHenriF is true)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (Henri is out on his runs. He won't run every day.) ] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $busyHenriG is true)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (Henri's at the police precinct this morning. There is only Mrs. Wong's bereaved niece at his place, and you're in no mood to console anyone.)] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $lockHenriVisit is true)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (You've already bothered him today.)] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $eventParty's timer is 0)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (Today is Henri's party, and he will be too busy to help.)] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $eventParty's timer is -1)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (Henri probably has some cleaning up of his own to do today.)] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0 and $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Work through your shame and ask a friend for help")[ (if: $eventCleanup's start is false)[(print: $eventCleanup's onTrigger)] (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (goto: "Ant B1") ] (Although you're ''ashamed'', you can expend your ''confidence'' to thicken your skin and ask for Henri's help.)] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt >= 2 and $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0 and $attConfidence's qt <= 0)[ <li>~~You ask a Henri for help.~~ (Henri seems keen, but you're not ''shameless'' enough to ask. Maybe if you had some ''confidence''...)] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt is 1)[ <li>~~You ask a friend for help.~~ (Henri's been friendly to you, but you're not friendly to him yet.)] (else-if: $storyHenri's qt is 0)[ <li>~~You ask a friend for help.~~ (Who are you kidding?)]  <li>(link: "There is only you and the trash mountain. Roll up your sleeves.")[ (if: $eventCleanup's start is false)[(print: $eventCleanup's onTrigger)] (set: $dice to (random: 1,10)) (goto: "Ant B2") ] (Commit. You may succeed, but there's a risk of failing and feeling ''ashamed'' instead.)</li>  <li>(link: "You tell yourself what you've been saying for years: \"Later.\"")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (print: $actionBack's desc) </li> </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "a nervous greeting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriH to true) //“Oh! It’s just you,”// Henri says when he opens his door. His face is pale. //“Crap, I’m being rude. Please, (link-reveal: "come on in.")[(show: ?hidden1)]”// [ You wonder if this is a bad time, but he’s already corralling you inside. //“I stopped by the police precinct again today. No news of Mrs. Wong. It’s like they’re not even doing anything. Are we supposed to just wait around until it’s our turn?// (link-reveal: "You only blink at him.")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)[ He rubs his face and sighs. //“You’re right. I’m being paranoid. You don’t need this. Sorry. Are you doing alright?”// (link-reveal: "You give him a noncommittal affirmative.")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ (if: $talkHenriG is true)[ You try to help it, but you can’t. Your heart is about to jump out of your chest. So, you ask him how Mrs. Wong’s niece is doing (you pretend to forget her name). //“Amy? Right, right. She’s hanging in there - or that’s what she told me on the phone. Hey, thanks again for staying with her. I wasn’t thinking clearly at the time. I hope it wasn’t a bother.”// Of course not. In truth, you enjoyed it.] (if: $talkHenriG is false)[ //“Good. Good. Hey, uhm, I wasn’t thinking too clearly at the time. It was a bad call to bother you. Amy ended up going with me to the police. An officer took her back to her dorm. She was calm by then.”// You brush it aside, saying that it doesn’t matter. Truly, it doesn’t to you.] //“Anyhow, no use worrying. No use. Let’s talk about literally anything else.”// --- (link: "Yes, you came here with something else in mind.")[(goto: $talk)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

//“Oh, hi!”// Henri says, twirling a screwdriver. //"(link-reveal: "Come on in.")[(show: ?hidden1)] Please, don’t mind the mess."// [There is no mess. Not to your standard. There are only a few carton boxes - circuit boards, wires, things from a disemboweled computer. He explains that it’s a hobby project of his, something to keep himself busy before going back to work next semester. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ “(if: $talkHenriG is true)[//Hey, thanks again for sitting with Amy the other day."// No problem. //"I’ve been checking up on her, and she’s hanging in there. Well, at least that’s what she told me on the phone. Anyway,//](else:)[//Hey, sorry if barged in at the wrong time the other day. I know it was a big ask."// You ask what he did with Mrs. Wong's niece. //"Amy ended up coming with me to the police, and an officer took her back to her dorm. She had calmed down by then. Anyhow,//] //I stopped by the precinct again today. Mrs. Wong hasn’t turned up yet. I get so antsy just waiting around. Are you doing alright?"// (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ You give him a noncommittal affirmative while Henri offers you a can of beer. You[...]<response1| [<ul> <li>(link: "Accept.")[(show: ?hidden4)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[ accept. He asks if you want a glass, and you say no.]] <li>(link: "Decline.")[(show: ?hidden4)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?response1)[ decline. You’ve promised yourself.]] </ul>]<choices1| ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ Henri throws himself down on his armchair and cracks open his own beer. His knees are bouncing, and he’s squeezing his fists. //“Would you believe me if I said that there was a pattern to the disappearances? No, not the disappearances, but rather the reappearances.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "Everyone turns up the same way.")[(show: ?hidden5)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[Everyone turns up the same way: Glassy-eyed. Muscles as hard as wood. No vitals. No recovery so far. That’s what you’ve learned from the web. No great discovery there.]] <li>(link: "There’s no pattern; it’s random.")[(show: ?hidden5)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[There’s no pattern; it’s random. An elderly Floridian has even turned up in the woods of British Columbia within the same day. An infant reappeared inside his own crib three years later. That doesn’t sound like the word of Texan adventists, though the news is fixated on that theory. Henri shouldn't trust the news.]] <li>(link: "This is such an unpleasant topic.")[(show: ?hidden5)(hide: ?choices2)(replace: ?response2)[This is such an unpleasant topic. You want to change the subject, but Henri continues.]] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ []<response2| //“What I mean is that their… uhm, poses, are saying something… like letters. Because time of discovery can differ, it’s hard to tell what the order of the 'letters' is. Call it a hunch - a premonition - but if I can gather enough data, then maybe the computer could see a pattern.”// You burst out laughing. You simply can’t help yourself. It’s all a puzzle to him. Would he even see the truth if it appeared in front of him? (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden6)] ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ //“I said it was a hunch, didn’t I? It can’t just be meaningless. If I turn out correct, we might be able to predict, to save lives, to- Ah, forget it.”// Wiping the tears from your face, you ask if that’s what the machines you see strewn around you are for. He chuckles and says no; these are for the home desktop he’s building. The computer in question is special - it is the one in his university basement. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden7)] ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ You’re sure that others - the government, universities, errant linguists - have had the same thoughts. They must have already come to Henri for his “special computer”. But he shakes his head. No, the time-shares are all bought up; the donor is very strict about where their money goes. There’s no use overanalyzing the work of mad zealots, so goes the official line. You joke that Henri’s only choice is to run it guerilla-style; you've done a fair share of going behind the admins' backs while you still had a teaching position. But he does not laugh. He only stares ahead, as though the light of possibility beckons him. (link: " ...")[(show: ?hidden8)] ]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) //“Anywho, that’s just my theory. Let’s talk about something else.”//

{= (set: $activity to "reading an important email")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockDarkbloomA to true) The laptop seems to cough as it wakes. Like you, every time it sleeps, it takes a bit longer to wake up. In mindless anticipation, you unconsciously scratch an ant bite till it bleeds. You open your (link-reveal: "mail client.") [ There is a (link-reveal: "new email from the Darkbloom Foundation.")[(show:?hidden1) // “Dear…”// You can’t breathe. Everything is a blur.]] [ (link: "What do you think it’s saying?")[//“We are pleased to inform you that you have been shortlisted as one of the select few artists who will be recommended for the Darkbloom Foundation’s Resident Artist Program… great sympathy for your method… found your statement of considerable interest... vision for humanity… our mission…”//(show:?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1) [ (link: "Yes, yes, YES! And where will you stay? What is being offered?")[//“Darkbloom Estate… historic studio space… access to state-of-the-art… per your request…”// Your eyes glaze over the details, details which you’ve memorized for years, for so long that it has all faded into a dream, a dream where all you ask for, all that your work require is granted.(show:?hidden3)]]<hidden2|(hide:?hidden2) [ (link: "And? What must you do?")[//“... be the version of its best self, as all must be… all initiates will ''present one hitherto unpublished artwork''..."// Your canvas hums as though hearing its name called. //"... we understand that your samples do not yet reflect your mature intent. However, this upcoming gala is a unique opportunity to debut the kind of work that represents not only this cohort's potential but also the Foundation’s vision.”//(show:?hidden4)]]<hidden3|(hide:?hidden3) [ (link: "A show. They want your painting at a show?")[//“''The Greeting Gala'' will take place on…”// You look at the calendar and count. ''(print: $eventShow's timer) days''. Such short notice! Is this a joke? //“The Darkbloom Foundation is committed to Truth, Beauty, and the furtherance of humanity. We look forward to…”// The gala will be hosted at one of the Foundations’ properties, about '' a day’s drive away'' from your place. You’ve already sent them all they needed - dimensions, statement, everything. You only need to bring the painting and yourself.(show:?hidden5)]]<hidden4|(hide:?hidden4) [ <ul> <li>(link: "You should be grateful. Grateful and happy.")[(hide:?hidden5)(show: ?done)(show:?hidden6)(replace: ?response)[Someone has deigned to give you a chance. What’s a little touch-up and a short road trip? When you come to live at the estate, it’ll be on the other side of the country. The least you can do is to work like hell, and you’ll do so with a smile.]] <li>(link: "This is so unprofessional of them.")[(hide:?hidden5)(show: ?done)(show:?hidden6)(replace: ?response)[They've taken their sweet time while you waited for them for years. Now, they don't even wait for your work to be done. They don't even ask you; they simply told you to impress them. You’ll show them. They want you to jump, but you won’t even need to ask how high.]] <li>(link: "They can play around with you because you’re nothing to them.")[(hide:?hidden5)(show: ?done)(show:?hidden6)(replace: ?response)[You’ve often wondered how it’d feel to be a Darkbloom curator or even a board member. You’d make others wait for you and on you, just as they’re doing to you. And everyone else will just have to guess what’s in your mind.]] </ul> ]<hidden5|(hide:?hidden5) [ []<response| There are a few more (link-reveal: "details")[(show:?hidden7)] left in the email, [ trivial things like the coordinator’s contact, boarding terms, a deposit for the items you’ve requisitioned, ]<hidden7|(hide:?hidden7)but you close your laptop to allow your heart to settle and your teeth to stop grinding. The canvas in the corner looks at you, waiting. You will have to figure out a way to make a ''breakthrough'' with your art before the gala's date. ]<hidden6|(hide:?hidden6)

{= (display: "Darkbloom A (Letter)") [ --- (link: "So it begins. You must remember that you were worthy enough to be chosen.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (print: $eventShow's onTrigger) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attConfidence's gain) ]<done|(hide: ?done)

(set: $activity to "an impatient moment")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockDarkbloomA2 to true) You’re holding Jesse close. You’ve been gritting your teeth. Try as you might, you cannot seem to banish the thought that you’ve been played for a fool. (event: when time > 5s)[ It felt as though everything was looking up when you finally heard from the Darkbloom people, after years of waiting, only to wait some more.] (event: when time > 10s)[ The last time you’ve received anything from them was days ago. You haven’t even received as much as an automated message.] (event: when time > 15s)[ No confirmation. ] (event: when time > 18s)[(link-reveal: " Nothing.")[(show: ?hidden2)]] [ For all you know, your emails might have been lost somewhere in the wire. You wonder if any live human beings have even been messaging you. Or has it been a machine all along? Do they staff their offices with mannequins? (link-reveal: "You should look up their telephone")[(show: ?hidden3)]. ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ Or another email address. Now. Anything but this wait. No, they’ve rejected you. Your last chance is over. Time to put away the brush and actually do what you’ve always wanted to do. What you’ve been waiting to do. You should- You’re shaking so hard that Jesse starts to get scared. She slips out from your grasp. --- [[What else is there to do but crawl to your laptop?->Darkbloom A3]] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "in the mind's gallery")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $dice is 1)[ Francisco Goya made his //“Black Paintings”// some time between 1820 and 1823. These secret murals were painted directly onto the walls of his villa following a bout of ill health, which had dimmed the world to his ears. In many cases, he painted over the villa’s pre-existing landscape murals with his own subjects. When one sense has given up, the other acquires a membranous vision with which to lay on top of the merely decorative world. One of these paintings is //“Duel with Cudgels”//. Before the vastness of nature, where the wind howls across the hills of rural Spain, two figures are locked in combat, clubs in hands, mid-swing. They have always been there, invisibly, waiting for Goya’s arrival, frozen in this murderous moment, only for the artist to reveal them. Goya never announced these secret paintings. He never named them either. He died in 1828. ] (if: $dice is 2)[ Two figures - one oarsman, one watcher in white - are arriving at an islet on their rowboat. There on the rocky islet, only dark cypress seems to grow along the hard crags and severe architecture. It is a cemetery surrounded by anonymous waters - perhaps a lake - which is nowhere and everywhere at once. A series of five paintings done over six years (1880 to 1860), //Isle of the Dead// is Arnold Böcklin’s singular obsession. In other works, the same cypress, the same islets, could be seen, though not in the same arrangement as //Isle of the Dead//. To have one’s soul fragmented into a million refracting pieces, to forever again feel “every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life”, is to love life. Even if that life tends forever unto death. In 1900, Böcklin returned to //Isle of the Dead//, beginning work on the sixth entry in the series. He died in 1901, and his son finished the painting. ] (if: $dice is 3)[ Many have attempted their own renditions of this exact scene - //Apollo flaying Marsyas// - with each adding a new dimension. Moreau the Younger focused on the satyr’s horror at the moment of binding - a wonderful expression on his face. And Apollo, who stands off-center, is only too relaxed, almost apathetic, at what is to unfold. On the other hand, Giovanni Biliverti’s Apollo is hurtling forward, stern-faced, with billowing robes redder than Marsyas’s own blood. Biliverti’s satyr is only a simple beast, standing in the dark, barely part of the scene. One gets the impression that Marsyas is only roadkill in Apollo’s wake. Then, there’s Melchior Meier’s depiction, which focuses on the subsequent melodrama: Apollo smugly showing off the hide of his musical rival to a shocked crowd, demonstrating once and for all how pride is a sin for anyone but the gods. Though Marsyas’s body is anatomically human, it is discarded in the manner of butchered animals. Only Theodoor Galle saw the equal humanity in both god and creature. His Marsyas - human again - twists before a dark tree, pale flesh open for all to see. The diagonals formed from his limbs are the violent thrashes moments before becoming mere meat. Taking up equal part of the engraving is Apollo, who seems less godly than… busy. He is transfixed. His hands are careful. His blade peels into the last leg of his victim. The result of his craft is apparent and admirable - the face is well-preserved. Only a little bit more, and he is done. Upon his head sits the Sun’s glory. He won, yet his work does not cease. The flute and fiddle lie close by. First came the music, then came the screams. ] (if: $dice is 4)[ Later copies of the //Aḥwāl al-Qiyāma//, especially those made under Ottoman rule, include many illustrations that depict what will happen on the Day of Judgment. Some scenes are expected: The blowing of the trumpet, the reaping of souls, the arrival of Jesus and //Dajjāl//, heaven, hellfire. In one painting, a group of people clad in burial white rise up from the gray ground. They gather under the indigo sky. Above them, the Sun, the Moon, and the stars converge, and when all is right, the people raise their hands into the golden air, and Truth falls into their waiting palms. ] (if: $dice is 5)[ 5 ] (if: $dice is 6)[ 6 ] (if: $dice is 7)[ 7 ] (if: $dice is 8)[ 8 ] --- (link: "Tears well up against your will.")[ (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (set: $choiceDreamA to it + 1) (goto: "DeathCheck") ](print: $attInspiration's gain)</li>

{= (set: $activity to "a walk with Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "A yellow fog shrouds this morning.")[ (link-reveal: "//\"Miu...\"//")[ She does not want to leave your arms. So, you carry her in your hoodie's pouch, like a kangaroo her joey, down the building's stairs. (link-reveal: "When you reach the parking lot")[, you let her down, but she tries to crawl back into the hoodie's pouch. You let her. (link-reveal: "You stroll around the block")[, humming a tune to her while she purrs nervously. Thankfully, there isn't a soul in sight. (link-reveal: "By the time you make it back")[ to your building's entrance, Jesse has already fallen as sleep inside the pouch. --- (link: "If you could stop time, you would, just to be this way forever.")[ (print: $attJesse01's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $attJesse01's gain) ]]]]]

(if: $storyHenri's qt < 3)[//“It’s OK, you can look however long you want.”// You snap out of it, unable to believe your ears. You can’t believe your eyes either. Has her hair always been this long? Has her face… Her face! Her lovely face! What happened to it? //“We’ll all be decorations in the end. Dead and dumb. And you can have your way with all of us, with no-one to judge. Isn’t that what you want?”// Her hands - her many hands - are wrapping all around you. Caressing you. Lulling you into a warm, warm slumber. You feel the fairy lights being slowly tied around your neck. You welcome it. Clack. The front door opens. You jolt awake and bolt for the door, shoving past Henri.]

{= (set: $activity to "a shaken moment")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockAmyA to true)  Focus is fickle and coy. You’ve been staring at your (link-reveal: "unfinished painting")[(show: ?hidden1)] [, knowing full well that you cannot get anything done while it is still bright outside. But now, there is another light that casts a shadow over everything you do - Amy’s. (link-reveal: "Your art lacks.")[(show: ?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)[ No, you’re on the right path. You try to shake the doubt from your mind. (link-reveal: "But your Sun is one color short.")[(show: ?hidden3)]]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ A gimped rainbow. Its light is pale. How does one forget a light already seen? (link-reveal: "It needs her.")[(show: ?hidden4)]]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ No it doesn’t. It doesn’t need anything but you and you alone. No more. You’ve done quite enough of that and are still chewing on the consequences. Chew that cud, you cattle. You scum. Scum in the pond. Garden pond. Garden. Tend to your garden. Tend to your garden. Tend to your... (link-reveal: "This is the fragile game you play.")[(show: ?hidden5)]]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ To paint, you must first open your eyes. But when you’ve seen enough, those eyes must close. Any stray light will render your inadequacies plain and your effort pathetic. (link-reveal: "Distractions.")[(show: ?hidden6)]]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ She’s just another one of them, a dime a dozen, a dryad, a siren, a... You can’t have them all. In the next one - you tell yourself. Later. So long as you’re alive, there is always a later. --- (link: "Toss it - her - aside.")[ (dialog: [And when it lands upon the soil, strange roots will take.], "That is then and not now.") (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $attRestlessness's gain) ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6)

{= (set: $activity to "a dream of want")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockDreamAmy1 to true)  One ought not to admire the Sun directly. (link-reveal: "But you did.")[ An errant ray has beamed straight into your mind and burned an afterimage. Her. You recognize her and feel a terrible heat. Animal heat. Geological heat. Heavenly fire. Things which dwell in the sealed pit of your consciousness are now scattering every which way. Your eyes are throbbing. A dark spot pulses. You’re in a (link-rerun: "room")[ (set: _number to it + 1) (if: _number > 5)[(set: _number to 1)] (replace: ?room)[(print: _room's _number)] (if: _number is 5)[(show: ?hidden1)] (replace: ?her)[(print: _her's _number)] ] (set: _number to 0) (set: _room to (a: " - a Bureau interrogation chamber.", " - a locker room.", " - a university studio.", " - an impression of a room.", " - (if: $talkHenriG is true)[a neighbor’s living room.](else:)[//your// room.]", "", )) (set: _her to (a: "Katherine - about nineteen then - for whom you sired that (cycling-link: \"unborn\", \"unfinished\", \"imperfect\") fetus in the corner - ", "Samantha - close to eighteen then - who spat in your mouth - ", "Simone - sixteen then - to whom //Bataille's Plexus// was dedicated - ", "Julia - (if: $lockPartyC is false)[whom you're yet to meet](else:)[whom you're bound to meet again] - ", "Amy - about twenty presently - for whom everything has gone right, until now - ", "", )) []<room| ] [ [She]<her| is sitting across from you. If you were to render her in oil, you would… [<ul> <li>(link: "Underpaint with the starkest red.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response1)[Underpaint with the starkest red. Normally, you’d use green or purple hues, but for her, anything but red would be false, for she was not normal, and neither were you.]] <li>(link: "Blend with the softest brush.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response1)[Blend with the softest brush made from sable, caresses only. You’d do it until all contrast disappears, as though the audience was looking at her with bleary eyes, opening for the first time.]] <li>(link: "Slash with a crude knife.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response1)[Slash with a crude paint-knife. You'd plaster one glob after another, until the girl bulged out from the canvas like rolling hills, like roiling waves, like how things appeared to you.]] <ul>]<choices| ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ []<response1| (link-reveal: "Where is she now?")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ Nowhere. Here. Inside the Sun. Dwelling in its frozen fire. Hanging over a mirror-like lake, gazing at Her sister in the water. (link-reveal: "Where in //the world// is she?")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ You remember nothing after that. You’ve cast her aside. And yet, the seed has been growing strange roots. Where it touches, it sears. Afterimages. You’re painting in the blindspot. You’re making it whole again. (link-reveal: "Distractions.")[(show: ?hidden5)] ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ All of them. She has already given you what you needed. And yet, you can still be stirred to want. --- (link: "Sweat, smear, and smile in your half-light.")[ (set: $storyAmy's qt to it + 1) (dialog: [A seed of <details><summary>''(print: $storyAmy's name)''</summary>(print: $storyAmy's desc)</details> ... has taken hold of the fertile soil of your mind.], "Exquisite roots...") (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (A new ''inspiration''. An interminable yearning.)</li> ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5)

{= Gazing upon the painting - gain random effect based on dice variable (set prior to clicking, random 1-3, so 3 different effects in total). --- (link: "AAAAAHHHHH.")[ (print: $attProgress's gainEffect) (if: $last is "Gala B5")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] (else:)[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] ] (print: $attProgress's gain)

{= (set: $activity to "thinking about leaving")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockGalaA to true) (if: $eventShow's timer is 1)[This is it. The Greeting Gala is slated to take place tomorrow night. The calendar marks today with “pack up” in red marker - an aspiration. (if: $time is "Evening")[It is getting dark out. This is your last chance to starting moving, or you’ll miss the night bus.] (if: $storyArt's qt is 1)[ Your painting is not ready yet, but only by your standard. You'll sneak in a few more strokes at the motel. They won't know. ] (else-if: $storyArt's qt is 2)[ Your painting is as ready as you can make it. If it is found wanting, then it'd be because of your own lack of skill and not of time. ] ] (else-if: $eventShow's timer is 0)[The Greeting Gala is tonight. If you travel right now, you’re likely to arrive some time next morning, close to noon, when everything is over and done with. But maybe, just maybe, you might catch up with a few Foundation members, to whom you’ll grovel for a reconsideration.] You’ve worked it out in your head: (link: "You’ll take the bus there...")[You’ll take the bus there and stay at a motel close to the venue.] (link: "Hopefully...")[Hopefully, you’ll have a bit of time to touch up your painting before handing it over to the organizers next morning.] (link: "Then...")[Then, you’ll mingle (you shudder at the thought) and be there for the nighttime unveiling.] It is all well and good to make plans in one's head when excitement blinds you. But the more you think about it, the (link-reveal: "odder everything seems.")[ Back when you were working part-time at the gallery, you remember that (link-reveal: "permits and documentations had to be cleared months ahead of the show.")[ The interns would always scramble prior to exhibition season. You only turned in your shoddy documentation a month before.] You also remember asking artists to (link-reveal: "turn in their finished work at least a few months prior to the show for promotion.")[ But you’re asked to show up with what is essentially a wildcard.] Then, the physical artwork would have to be (link-reveal: "delivered a few weeks prior to the opening")[ - for framing and mounting - even sooner if it were a sculpture or an installation (you hated handling those). The coordinator only asks that you show up the morning prior.] And of course, there is practically (link-reveal: "no information that you can find about any so-called “Greeting Gala”.")[ What you have gathered is that the venue belongs to the Darkbloom Foundation - a mansion in a private ranch carved into Washington’s wildlife preserves. But, the on-paper organizer is a referrals-only catering company, one that you don’t recognize.] Everything points to this being a (link-reveal: "closed event.")[ Climb high enough on the social ladder, and professionalism breaks down. It’s a small village up there. It used to be your job to prepare the artists so that they know what to expect. But this is the Darkbloom Foundation - those who get this far should not be strangers to these waters. And for someone with very few options, you must dive in headfirst.] ] Ah, now is the time for action. (if: $storyAnts's qt is 4)[Jesse wouldn't have wanted you to rot at home with your thoughts.] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Pack up your painting and leave for the bus station.")[ (goto: "Gala B") ] (Commit to something time-consuming and potentially dangerous. Perhaps you might make it back.) <li>(link: "There are things you must do first.")[ (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (Back to your (lowercase: $time) routine.)

{= (set: $activity to "packing up")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: _pack to 0) (set: _packTrigger to "\ (set: _pack to it + 1)\ (if: _pack >= 6)[(show: ?headout)]\ ") Assemble yourself for the road! (link-reveal: "Change of clothes?")[ Check._packTrigger] (link-reveal: "Something to wear for the main event?")[ A gold pendant will look great on your black blouse. Minimalist. Self-important._packTrigger] (link-reveal: "Paint, brushes, and palette?")[ Check._packTrigger] (link-reveal: "Miscellaneous personal belongings?")[ Check. The geriatric laptop is coming with you, too._packTrigger] (link-reveal: "And the painting?")[ This one is the hardest. You tape some wine corks on four corners of the painting, sandwich an unused canvas of the same size on top as a cover (the corks keep the canvases apart to avoid smearing the still-wet paint), and (link-reveal: "wrap the contraption in a linen tarp.")[ By the time you’re done, both of your hands are full - valise in one and the makeshift strap of the painting in the other. Balancing on your back, the painting-contraption seems like a massive kite or wings._packTrigger(if: $storyAnts's qt is >= 4)[_packTrigger]]] (if: $storyAnts's qt is < 4)[ (link-reveal: "And Jesse?")[_packTrigger (if: $storyHenri's qt >= 4)[She will be staying at Henri’s for the time being. What are friends for, after all?](else:)[You've left out enough catfood to last Jesse two days, with a circle of salt around the bow. It's the best you can do right now.]]] [ You are all set. --- (link: "Head out. The bus station is only a few blocks away.")[(goto: "Gala B1")] ]<headout|(hide: ?headout)

{= (set: $time to "Morning")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at the motel near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "having breakfast")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The Sun has come. Today is the day. You’re in the motel canteen, with your painting leaned against the wall, ready to be taken down to the lake and handed off to the organizers. You’re trying to stomach something, anything, but coffee is all you can really have. You feel like throwing up. There are a few other tourists here, lounging, telling their brats to be quiet, reading newspapers with headlines that say “crisis” somewhere in there. What isn’t a crisis these days? You’ve long tuned them out. You wonder if any of these people are guests at the gala, or a fellow artist in your cohort, or better yet, a member of the Foundation. Ah, a member would never stay in this old motel. They will be staying at the Estate by the lake. From behind the front desk, the concierge - a fat woman - is giving you a dirty look, again! It’s a different person from last night, you’re sure, but maybe that’s how anyone who lives in the boondocks looks. The front bell rings. An old man with a salt-and-pepper beard steps inside the motel. He scans the canteen and sees you with your painting. Then he turns to the fat woman and says, //“Onkos talossa leipää, emäntä?”// She nods. The old man enters the canteen and makes himself some toasts. Then, he takes a seat in the corner, a good place to watch you. --- (link: "You should be leaving now, while there’s still a chance.")[(goto: "Gala C1")]

{= (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "Estate's front garden")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "joining the Greeting Gala")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The helicopter roars overhead, and angry gusts blow gravel in your face and leaves in your hair. Must be a donor. The security guard shrugs and takes your phone. You smooth your blazer and enter the gate. Somewhere far away, in the fog-shroud of the lake, a red light blinks. Apparently, some guests arrive by boat from the otherside of the lake, no doubt staying at the cottages on the other side of the ranch. You’re the only one who took a taxi here. What about the (cycling-link: "artists", "Katherine")? The morning blew by so quickly, you didn’t have a chance to ask where anyone was staying. As you approach the fountain, a masked woman wrapped in tight silk approaches you and grins. You shake her hand and take a minute to realize that she is the same vest-wearing assistant from the morning. //“Let me introduce my manager…”// Your handler. Bald, masked, and utterly unremarkable. You shake his hand; it is moist. He reminds you of your department chair in Chicago. He even has the same penchant for touching your arms when he talks. So these are the sweaty hands from which dangle your strings. //“There are staffs with hors d'oeuvre. The amuse-bouche is a house special,”// the assistant titters with nervous energy. //“... speeches are in half an hour, feast after that. The Old Collection will open at nine, cognac at ten. Unveiling new works is at twelve-sharp, then bidding…”// You ask where the (cycling-link: "other artists are", "Katherine is"). //“They’re about, bumping shoulders, bumping- we don’t keep a leash on our artists."// //“Ah, but we do have rules, my dear,"// the bald man wiggles his fat finger. //“One, enjoy yourself - you've earned it. Two, no dying on our premises, hahah!"// //"Haha..."// the assistant pretends to wipe a humorous tear over her mask. //"Anyway, the other artists, a few are still upstairs, using this time for extra preparation. Would you like some last-minute checks as well?”// No, you’ll look for Katherine. Maybe grab a drink for yourself and her. A masked valet sees you in. --- (link: "It is time.")[ (goto: "Gala D1")]

{=  (link-reveal: "It is over.")[ Finally. You can stop now. Relax, sink down, and have your rest. You’ve earned it. (link-reveal: "The Sun has come at last.")[ You must accept that though this is an ending, (link-reveal: "no ending can ever satisfy you.")[ One cannot fully know the movements of the heavens and the things that dwell in its infinite depths, and your (cycling-link: "greed", "hunger", "yearning",) has always been bottomless. Know that this has to end, for everyone’s sake. Believe, if it helps, that (link-reveal: "it was by your deeds that you’ve called the Dawn down.")[ You’ve followed the path, you’ve traced the lines, and you’ve made this will manifest. After this, there will be (cycling-link: "few", "no-one",) left to dispute your claim to glory. Take a page from your own father’s book: //“What use is attribution when one can live in (link-reveal: "glory")[(show: ?choices)]?”// ]]]] [ <ul> <li>(link-reveal: "But how could it be? My work is still unfinished.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[But how could it be? My work is still unfinished. What work? Silly woman, your canvas is empty. Consider it a blessing that it is so, for I have saved you from the indignity of being subjected to others’ opinions. An artwork that is perpetually unfinished is an artwork forever perfect. You know this well: The chase is always more delicious than the quarry itself. The moment you catch the thing itself, you will immediately drain it of all it has, and all of its beauty rots in your mouth. Shall I give them names so that you might remember? Shall I give each a eulogy also, for they are now all dead. What use is it to realize a stillborn world? Your imagination is stagnant; your soul festers. With a creator like you, it is better to never have been born at all.]] <li>(link-reveal: "“This” will? //Whose// will? Let go of my strings! I want to be a real woman!")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[“This” will? //Whose// will? Let go of my strings! I want to be a real woman! Let go of your strings? If I do, you will not be a real woman; you will be //nothing//; you’ve never been real to begin with. You were but a figment of my fancy, a whim of my pity. The moment I let go, you will die the truest death, do you understand? But if you accept what I’ve given you, if you would just stop, //STOP//, then at least you will live on as you are now - frozen in a singular moment of glory, untainted by the world and what was brought upon it. It’s all so unpleasant, after all.]] <li>(link-reveal: "I must never stop. I must never stop. I must never stop. I must...")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[I must never stop. I must never stop. I must never stop. I must... But you must, you must, you must! You’ve done enough already. Don’t you care about others? Don’t you care what becomes of this world? Even a child knows not to stare at the Sun. This light - it is only good for a flash. Any longer and the sap dries, and all that is good in the world dries into a husk. You should have stopped long ago, right when I told you to. No, not a month ago, but years ago, decades ago, when you first had sentience. Your mother was right: You’re a hack, just like your father. Like him, you mistake pain for hard work, as though you are better for having suffered. You mistake ostracism for exceptionalism, as though a thorn in one’s backside is the same as a golden pin.]] </ul> ]<choices|(hide: ?choices) [ []<response| (link-reveal: "So stop.")[ Stop being such a miserable wretch. (link-reveal: "You’ve succeeded.")[ Be happy that in this one moment, you get to live in the Sun’s splendor, where a host of angels lift you up and sing your name. Be happy in your own ignorance; there are things not meant for you to know. Be happy in your helplessness; all the decisions that matter have been made long ago. (link-reveal: "Be happy")[, make room, and let someone else more capable have their turn, (link-reveal: "yes?")[ --- (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[<h2>(link: "A true and deserved end.")[(goto: "Gala E1")]</h2>]  ]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{= The clock ticks down the Earth's degree, and the Sun is lowering over your horizon. (if: $eventShow's timer is 1)[The big day is tomorrow. There is still time.] (else-if: $eventShow's timer is 0)[There's no telling what you will have missed once you get there. But the only way to tell is to go there.] (if: $storyArt's qt is 2)[Your painting is still curing, and perhaps you might stir it back to life in the future. But for now, it is ready.] (else-if: $storyArt's qt is 1)[The painting is not ready yet, but you're your own harshest critic. They won't be able to tell, right?] --- (link: "Right. You haven't forgotten.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc)

{=  Murder the shit out of Julia. She lies dying, telling you that you'll meet before the end. --- (link: "You are let go.")[ (dialog: [Man, that was rough.], "It hurts.") (goto: "DeathCheck") ]

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name) (set: _loss to $attRestlessness) (set: _lossText to "You lose a bit of <details><summary>''(print: _loss's name)''</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>")  (link-reveal: "//“You’re gonna need to relax for this one, friend,”//")[ she grabs your neck with metal fingers, pushing you down onto the ground. You hit a familiar softness. Your mattress. In her other hand, (link-reveal: "the knife")[(show: ?hidden1)] gleams - neon red - Sunset red - sanguine red.] [ You gasp for air, but she places an armored knee on your chest. //“Come on now, isn't this supposed to be fun? Therapeutic? (link-reveal: "Why do you always struggle?")[(show: ?hidden2)]”//]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ Lethargy lulls your heavy eyes. Your fear - that ancient watchdog who barks at danger - is being snuffed in cotton. --- (link-rerun: "You jolt awake.")[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt <= 0)[ (dialog: [Finally! You gasp and move just enough for the knife to miss.], "Break away.") (goto: "Dream E Next") ] (if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[ (set: $attRestlessness's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [\ (set: _number to (random: 1,3))\ (set: _text to (a: "Only to wake into the same place. How many times has it been?", "... And try to roll to one side, but only your mind does; your body remains pinned.", "You fall endlessly into the same sleep. Her armored thighs are crushing your ribs.", ))\ (print: _text's _number)\ _lossText\ ] , "Again!") ] ] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name) (set: _loss to $attEmbarrassed) (set: _lossText to "You lose a bit of <details><summary>''(print: _loss's name)''</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>")  You’ve managed to flee from your armored pursuer, and now, you’re (link-reveal: "in hiding")[. The wardrobe is claustrophobic and acrid with mothballs. You hear the jiggling of chainmail on the other side of thin plywood. //“Always running from your responsibilities,”// she speaks with two voices - one is hers, the other (link-reveal: "coldly familiar")[ - your mother’s. //“Let it not be said that I spoiled you, child.”//(show: ?hidden1)]] [ She is kicking everything up out there. You cannot stay here for long. You feel around and grab what feels to be (link-reveal: "a metal cudgel")[. No, a trophy. It is heavy enough.(show: ?hidden2)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ A shadow falls over the wardrobe’s crack. //“I’ll give you a chance to (link-reveal: "face me on your own terms")[(show: ?hidden3)].”//]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ You kick down the door and blindly bash against her armor. --- (link-rerun: "You strike!")[ (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt <= 0)[ (dialog: [Finally, you toss the heavy thing at her head - which she dodges, distracting her enough for you to dash out the hallway.], "Run!") (goto: "Dream E Next") ] (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ (set: $attEmbarrassed's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [\ (set: _number to (random: 1,3))\ (set: _text to (a: "But the gilded cup only glances off her pauldrons.", "You aim for her knife hand. The blow does not hurt but has given her pause.", "She jumps out of the way, shockingly nimble.", ))\ (print: _text's _number)\ _lossText\ ] , "Again!") ] ] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name) (set: _loss to $attProgress) (set: _lossText to "You lose a bit of <details><summary>''(print: _loss's name)''</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>")  You’re running. (link-reveal: "You’ve locked yourself in a room")[, one of a hundred, a thousand… //“(link-reveal: "Nothing you do matters")[(show: ?hidden1)],”// her voice echoes in the hallway. //“Nothing is new under the Sun. Our kind is no stranger to this fact.”//] [ Before your armored pursuer arrives, you look around to see if there is anything you can use to bar the door, to buy yourself some time. (set: _there to 0) (set: _object to (a: " is a tall wood lectern.", " are large paintings hanging on the wall.", " is a cabinet filled with identical books.", " boxes of heavy home appliances, with ribbons still attached.", " various gift boxes and stacks of appreciative letters.", )) (link-rerun: "There")[ (set: _there to it + 1) (if: _there > 5)[(set: _there to 1)(show: ?hidden2)] (print: _object's _there) ] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ No point in being picky. You decide to use all of them. --- (link-rerun: "Muster your strength and barricade the door.")[ (if: $attProgress's qt <= 0)[ (dialog: [You’re done! You’ve finally gathered everything there is to be found in this room. You’ve even tossed in the little weightless trinkets that would otherwise be heavy on someone’s heart.], "A fortress of treasures protect you.") (goto: "Dream E Next") ] (if: $attProgress's qt > 0)[ (set: $attProgress's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [\ (set: _number to (random: 1,3))\ (set: _text to (a: "You jam them as tightly against one another as possible. They all seem so inadequate.", "You prepare to lift but are shocked at how light some of the objects are.", "You stack them on top of each other, but the flimsy tower only tumbles down.", ))\ (print: _text's _number)\ _lossText\ ] , "Again!") ] ] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name) (set: $time to "Night")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "with Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: _loss to $attJesse01) (set: _lossText to "You lose a bit of <details><summary>''(print: _loss's name)''</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>")  After some struggle, you've fought off your armored pursuer (link-reveal: "for now")[. You’ve found your way out of the endless hallway and are now (link-reveal: "back at your home")[. All the lights are off. You’re hugging (link-reveal: "Jesse")[(show: ?hidden1)] tightly against your chest, trying to calm down.]] [ //“Meow?”// You tell Jesse that you’re not sure if that woman has given up yet, but if she’s here and you’re here, then (link-reveal: "you’re safe")[(show: ?hidden2)].]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“Meooow~”// What do you mean, Jesse? You look at your cat. Her eyes are the wrong color. You jump up, and the cat twirls in the air and lands with unnatural motion, as though it were a puppet or a doll tugged by unseen strings. //“Meow,”// instead of meowing, it is //speaking// the word. (link-reveal: "It is mocking you.")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ No, you are (link-reveal: "delusional")[. You must not allow these rotten thoughts to infect Jesse too, precious Jesse. (link-reveal: "There’s nothing wrong with her.")[ It’s you who’s wrong. It’s your fault! --- (link-rerun: "Recall what Jesse is.")[ (if: $attJesse01's qt <= 0)[ (dialog: [You think and think until you begin to forget what your own home looks like. Looking around, there is only a looming sense that you’re not welcome. You’ve never been welcome. And the cat-shaped thing staring at you right now certainly is not welcoming.], "Who are you?") (goto: "Dream E Next") ] (if: $attJesse01's qt > 0)[ (set: $attJesse01's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [\ (set: _number to (random: 1,3))\ (set: _text to (a: "Yes, the shape of her paws, the tufts of hair in her ears, they’re all in the right places. Are they?", "The way that she moves, has it always been this… stilted? No, you’re imagining it.", "How does she usually act when you touch her? Ah, but you haven’t been looking closely enough.", ))\ (print: _text's _number)\ _lossText\ ] , "Familiarity fades from your mind.") ] ] ]]]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name) (set: _loss to $attConfidence) (set: _lossText to "You lose a bit of <details><summary>''(print: _loss's name)''</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>")  You have run, have fought, and have run again. Time after time, your armor-clad tormentor does not seem to tire. (link-reveal: "//“Stop making that ugly face,”//")[ she tells you as she grapples with you, her blade at your neck, and tears are streaming down your cheeks. //“None of this unpleasantness would have happened if you simply didn’t get up, if you simply stopped and let me show you-”//(show: ?hidden1)] [ (link-reveal: "You kick her in the groin.")[ A cymbal crashes. It only confuses her, but (link-reveal: "your foot is shot through with pain")[. You collapse onto the ground and try to crawl away. (link-reveal: "Her turn.")[ She sends her sabaton into your gut. Thump. You’re coiled like a wounded millipede and (link-reveal: "puke out grease")[(show: ?hidden2)].]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“Not very curious, are you? And you call yourself an artist,”// she grabs a handful of your mess of hair and spits in your face. Then, she drags you a short distance back to the toilet, lifts you up to a stone sink. And through bleary eyes, you see yourself in the shattered mirror. //“And… we’re back (link-reveal: "where we’ve started off")[(show: ?hidden3)].”// ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ --- (link-rerun: "You look away from the fragmented faces in the mirror.")[ (if: $attConfidence's qt <= 0)[ (dialog: [In the end, she no longer needs to force you. You're staring by your own will, accepting that what is in front of you is merely meat. A medium in an artist’s hand. A conduit for an artist’s will. Other than that, you are but a more temperamental clay.], "... And as common as dirt.") (goto: "Dream E Next") ] (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ (set: $attConfidence's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [\ (set: _number to (random: 1,3))\ (set: _text to (a: "You used to be so young, so full of promises. What happened to you? Was your face all you had? Was there no there nothing else to speak of? //“That’s what the knife is for, friend. I don’t suppose you’ve given much thought about the art of sculpture?”//", "//“Didn’t they teach you in school to take constructive criticism? To not let your pride get in your head? We all need to be humbled,”// she says as she pushes your face against the jagged glass.", "You see the faces of failure. Here is one who smiles to get her way. Over there is one who curls her lips at others when they fail to revere her. Yet another is one who cries, knowing that there is no cause for reverence.", ))\ (print: _text's _number)\ _lossText\ ] , "There has to be more.") ] ] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= (set: $last to (passage:)'s name) (set: _loss to $attInspiration) (set: _lossText to "You lose a bit of <details><summary>''(print: _loss's name)''</summary>(print: _loss's desc)</details>")  You’ve struggled and fought, but by now, you’re too exhausted to resist her. She hoists your arm around her metal armor and drags you towards (link-reveal: "one of the bathroom stalls")[(show: ?hidden1)]. [ Inside, there is (link-reveal: "a man")[. His face - what used to be a face - has been peeled off, and gangrenous sap stains his bare chest black. There are thin cuts criss-crossing his body. A (link-reveal: "dozen")[ - no - a hundred_manTrigger] fish hooks pierce his flesh, and each hook is tied to a (link-reveal: "black line")[_manTrigger - (link-reveal: "a hair")[_manTrigger - her hair -]] which now shrouds the man (link-reveal: "in lieu of skin")[. He is still breathing. Only his one remaining eye is moving._manTrigger]] (set: _man to 0) (set: _manTrigger to "(set: _man to it + 1)(if: _man >= 4)[(show: ?hidden2)]") ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“You’ve got (link-reveal: " one thing right before:")[ Nothing's beyond flattery. The best way to get someone’s attention is by imitating them - loudly,”(show: ?hidden3)]// ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ she sets you down opposite of the stall, a captive audience. //“Whatever gave you the idea, huh? (link-reveal: "Me?")[(show: ?hidden4)]”// ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ --- (link-rerun: "You search your mind, trying to piece together some semblance of sense.")[ (if: $attInspiration's qt <= 0)[ (dialog: [You think and think and think until your mind is as empty as your body, having relieved itself of all senses. Whatever drove you is yours alone, and whatever you cannot speak of, you must pass over in silence.], "...") (goto: "Dream E Next") ] (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0)[ (set: $attInspiration's qt to it - 1) (dialog: [\ (set: _number to (random: 1,3))\ (set: _text to (a: "You recall the dawn’s light and how the first creature to walk the Earth must have felt the same way you did. Ah, but what makes your dawn any more special than theirs? Any early riser could have been a great artist; then why didn’t they?", "There is a music that blows in with the seasonal storms that wrack the Earth. It drives woodland creatures to rut. It churns with the soil and the fungus and the worms. It breathes terror and awe into people. Ah, but the farmers and the sailors are more in tune with this music than you. What makes your delusions special?", "There is a seed and there is a soil in everyone, and we steal into each other’s minds and plant our roots inside their hearts. We mutual parasites suckle each other dry and fill the desiccated bodies with our own sap. But where does this sap come from if not others?", ))\ (print: _text's _number)\ _lossText\ ] , "Your thoughts grow dimmer.") ] ] ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4)

{=   (unless: $last is "Dream E6")[You’ve struggled and fought, but by now, you’re too exhausted to resist her. She hoists your arm around her metal armor and drags you towards (link-reveal: "one of the bathroom stalls")[(show: ?hidden1)]. [ Inside, there is (link-reveal: "a man")[. His face - what used to be a face - has been peeled off, and gangrenous sap stains his bare chest black. There are thin cuts criss-crossing his body. A (link-reveal: "dozen")[ - no - a hundred_manTrigger] fish hooks pierce his flesh, and each hook is tied to a (link-reveal: "black line")[_manTrigger - (link-reveal: "a hair -")[_manTrigger her hair -]] which now shrouds the man (link-reveal: "in lieu of skin")[. He is still breathing. Only his one remaining eye is moving._manTrigger]] (set: _man to 0) (set: _manTrigger to "(set: _man to it + 1)(if: _man >= 4)[(show: ?hidden2)]") ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“You’ve got (link-reveal: " one thing right before:")[ Nothing's beyond flattery. The best way to get someone’s attention is by imitating them - loudly."(show: ?hidden3)]// ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ She points at the oozing, gasping mass. //"This man was my first. Clumsy handiwork, as you can see. I’ve improved a lot since then. Too bad, it’s not my turn. But hey, at least I knew that my way worked. Beats your way; oil is so gauche. (link-reveal: "Let me demonstrate")[(show: ?hidden4)].”// ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) ] [ (set: _like to 0) (set: _unfurl to (a: " like a sail.", " like a flag.", " like an origami and float into the air.(show: ?hidden5)")) (set: _likeClick to "(set: _like to it + 1)(if: _like > 3)[(set: _like to 1)](print: _unfurl's _like)") After gathering all the hairs from the floor, she begins to (link-reveal: "tug")[. Unseen pulleys squeak like a swarm of rats. The fishhooks grow taut. He gurgles - a mindless moan. His blood, fresh and rotten alike, (link-reveal: "rains down on your face")[, warm springtime rain, by which a million blooms will rise and greet the Sun. With a squelch, his flesh begins to (link-rerun: "unfurl")[_likeClick]]] ]<hidden4|(unless: $last is "Dream E6")[(hide: ?hidden4)] [ A multi-dimensional tapestry, a grand diagram of impossible geometries, made of (link-reveal: "nerves")[ and (link-reveal: "veins")[ and (link-reveal: "tendons")[ and (link-reveal: "ligaments")[ and (link-reveal: "entrails")[ and (link-reveal: "bones")[ and all the secret matters, now drips hotly onto the floor(show: ?hidden6).]]]]]] ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ (set: _kind to 0) (set: _light to (a: " - having taken notice", " - prismatic light", " - searing red light", " - blinding splendor", " - black light from a hole in the firmament", " - LIGHT(show: ?hidden7)")) (set: _kindClick to "(set: _kind to it + 1)(if: _kind > 6)[(set: _kind to 1)](print: _light's _kind)") And (link-rerun: "light ")[_kindClick] ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ - pours in through the shattered glass. --- (set: $last to (passage:)'s name) (set: _number to 0) (link-rerun: "Like a worm in the hot Sun, you try to crawl away.")[ (if: $mind <= 2)[ (dialog: [There. There! The steel helmet is on the floor, and it is within your reach. You grab it and swing. It strikes across her temple. She reels back, buying you enough time to lunge at her.], "She shrieks.") (goto: "Dream E Next") ] (if: $mind > 2)[ (set: $mind to it - 1)(replace: ?mindStat)[$mind] (dialog: [\ (if: _number < 6)[(set: _number to it + 1)]\ (set: _text to (a: "Whichever tile you touch, there is pulsation, and the patterns are the patterns of the flesh, which your tormentor has woven out of a man.", "She blindly stumbles towards you, knife in hand. You understand why she has not used it on you yet. It is no weapon. It is a tool. The most delicate tool for the most delicate task.", "This cannot be the end. It cannot be! You cannot be made into… that thing.", "You’ve seen the light. You must answer likewise, with a blip on the Earth, so that it is known that this place is no dumb rock, is not a place of condemnation to go there and wither and die, but a place of brilliance!", "THAT is your cause. THAT is your sentence. THAT is why you cannot stop.", "You must NEVER stop!", ))\ (print: _text's _number)\ Your mind falters.\ ] , "You scream.") ] ] ]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7)

{= (if: $last is "Dream E1")[The knife tears into the mattress, and a puff of down shoots into the air. You twist and slip from your captor’s weight and (link-reveal: "scamper towards the door")[(show: ?hidden1)]. [ //“Aha, do not go gentle into that good night,”// she stands up and stomps towards you, each step a metallic crash. //“(link-reveal: "Rage against the dying of the light.")[(show: ?hidden2)]”//]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ The door gives. You fall into a dim hallway, whose end you cannot see. Your legs are disobedient. They long for the ground. And yet, you still (link-reveal: "run")[(show: ?hidden2)(show: ?punish)].]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“It’s OK,”// her voice echoes behind you. //“I was going to give you a house tour anyway.”//]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) ] (if: $last is "Dream E2")[//“There’s no shame in giving up, you know,”// she strides after you like a silver locomotive. //“There’s no shame in learning from your betters.”// (link-reveal: "You run and scream:")[ What can you possibly learn from her - a woman doomed to sit in the sidelines and watch and seethe? //“Ouch, there’s no need for that kind of language,”// she slows down, but you don’t. Her double-voice (link-reveal: "still echoes.")[ //“In another life, I’d be born lucky, and you wouldn’t be born at all. It only happens to be your turn right now.”//(show: ?punish)]] ] (if: $last is "Dream E3")[Everything is now stacked high against the door, a nonsensical fortress wall. Your body is left near-broken and useless from the effort. //“Hey, do you have any idea how long it took me to organize that room?”// She yells, trying to push the door in. //“Well, your loss. None of it is mine.”// (link-reveal: "There comes a crimson spark.")[ Suddenly, your barricade crumbles softly into itself, like glowing joss paper shrinking and turning to ash, their hollowness already hungry for fire. The room fills with smoke. (link-reveal: "You cannot stay here!")[ Contentedness will choke you. Quickly, the window! Who knows how far you will drop, but the fire is already spreading fast. (link-reveal: "You shimmy the window open")[ and lunge into darkness. You hit the floor without falling. It is still the same hallway; you’ve never been above ground. //“Hah, architects are such scamps. I envy them sometimes.”// (link-reveal: "You run from the fire.")[ There is nothing of value in this place.(show: ?punish)]]]] ] (if: $last is "Dream E4")[ (set: $time to "Dream")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "a red dream")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "You slowly back away from the cat-shaped thing")[ and out the front door. It is not the open balcony hallway of your apartment building but the howling tunnel that you’ve been trying to escape. Inside your “home”, (link-reveal: "a silver figure now stands in Jesse’s place")[, and when she extends her arm at you, a singular claw gleams in the crimson light. //“Let this be a lesson that it is all appearances. You’ve always been delusional. An animal cannot love. You’ve simply imagined it to be a human.”// And with that, (link-reveal: "she pounces")[ towards you like a metallic panther, her armor might as well be silk. You dodge her blade and continue your flight.(show: ?punish)]]] ] (if: $last is "Dream E5")[//“Every religion’s got their own version of egolessness,”// your tormentor speaks. //“No wonder why you’ve called yourself an atheist.”// (link-reveal: "She grabs your jaw")[, her metal fingers like vises, and she presses her cheek against yours and grins. In the mirror, face-to-face, you two look like two friends after powdering their noses, now in front of the camera - one full of cheer, the other blood. //“Come on, smile a little. In my hands, (link-reveal: "you’re going to be great")[(show: ?punish)]!”//] ] (if: $last is "Dream E6")[You can barely open your eyes, let alone respond to (link-reveal: "her question.")[ //“Ah, I’m committing the cardinal sin: Asking the artist where she got her ideas from. No matter, you’ll see that ideas are a dime a dozen. (link-reveal: "The execution")[(show: ?hidden1)], however, is what sells it.”//] [ She begins to gather each strand of hair from the wet floor, yanking them to see if they still hold fast to the fish hooks, and by extension, (link-reveal: "the man")[(show: ?hidden2)].]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“If you’re wondering, then yes, this man was my first. Clumsy handiwork, as you can see. I’ve improved a lot since then. Too bad, it’s not my turn. But hey, at least I knew that my way worked. Beats your way; oil is so gauche. (link-reveal: "Let me demonstrate")[(show: ?punish)].”//]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) ] (if: $last is "Dream E7")[You are on top of her. You bring the heavy helmet (link-reveal: "down on your tormentor’s skull")[ (link-reveal: "again")[, and (link-reveal: "again")[, and (link-reveal: "again")[, and (link-reveal: "again")[, until the steel has bent and split like a rotten fruit, and it is only banging against wet tiles. The plate armor rattles. The arms are curled up. The feet are splashing, then stops. The teeth click against the hard floor like marbles. Pain rings in your ears and in your hands. Everything returns to the dim color of blood. (link-reveal: "The light is gone.")[ You look at the stall. It is empty. Here lies only your own clumsy handiwork. You search for the knife. It is not here. (link-reveal: "You must do this on your own.")[ You stand up and shuffle into the hallway. //“... see you… before… (link-reveal: "the end")[(show: ?punish)]… friend…”//]]]]]]] ] [(display: "Dream E Punishment")]<punish|(hide: ?punish)

{= (set: $time to "Morning")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "lying in bed")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "Throb.")[(link-reveal: " Throb.")[ The veins pulse behind your eyeballs. There is an iron rod driven through your head, staking it to the mattress. (link-reveal: "You’re sweating and cold.")[ It feels as though you’ve been drinking last night, but you haven’t. At least, it wasn’t alcohol that you were drunk on. (link-reveal: "//“Miu!”//")[ Jesse’s tongue is moist sandpaper on your face. You flinch. It’s OK. (link-reveal: "It’s just her.")[ She seems glad that you’re finally awake. The food bowl is upside down - empty. Groggily, you refill it, go back to bed, and close your eyes as Jesse makes crunching noises. (link-reveal: "You’ve dreamt…")[ You must have. It still lingers - this sense that you were someone else for an entire lifetime, who now has awakened in the wrong body. The wrong memories. (link-reveal: "You’re trying to remember.")[ --- <ol> <li>(link: "You should have died a long time ago.")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (goto: "Dream E Midday") ] <li>(link: "There is a reason you’re still here - your work is not yet done.")[ (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [Your mind is lightly healed.], "OK.") (goto: "Dream E Midday")] </ol> ]]]]]]]

{= (set: $time to "Midday")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "trying to wake up")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "In and out and in and out again.")[ Each time you wake up, you can remember less of yesternight’s details and more of the undeniable essence of (link-reveal: "who you are.")[ You lie awake with eyes closed, painfully conscious of the contours of your skull, and the awareness radiates down to your brow ridge, your nose, your jawlines, your neck. You’ve sculpted this face calorie-by-calorie. Now that you’re down to the bare, bony core, you’re no longer your mother’s daughter but finally, your own. (link-reveal: "This garden is yours.")[ Tend to it. You slither towards the water bottle and gulp until there is only air. You burp, almost throwing up. Water soaks your tissues. You’re heavy with it. As you try to stand up, your legs scream out in static. So, you (link-reveal: "crawl on all fours to the bathroom.")[ You sit down on the toilet and (link-reveal: "bury your face in your hands")[, wet and sticky. After going through the motions like an automaton, you open your eyes. In the mirror, there is a face. Red warpaint. (link-reveal: "Blood.")[ You’re still not done. --- (link: "Clean yourself up, change, and go back to bed.")[(goto: "Dream E Evening")] ]]]]]]

{= (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "having dinner")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "The Chinese meal tastes like heaven.")[ Orange chicken with sesame. French fries drizzled with teriyaki sauce. You don’t usually finish your dinners, but today, you do. The wounded body is demanding. There is a dull churning deep inside your guts. (link-reveal: "With fuel, your imagination burns.")[ You picture the types of projects you will be pursuing at Darkbloom. It will be hard, and you’ll find yourself wanting, but you'd rather die than to coast your way into obscurity. Maybe you have. (link-reveal: "//“Miu!”//")[ Of course, (link-reveal: "Jesse will be there with you")[ - you’ve specifically requested pet-friendly accommodations. (link-reveal: "You tell her")[ of the flower garden, the hedges, the white fountains, and black statues, where she will chase after butterflies and tear them from the air. (link-reveal: "She listens")[ attentively, a smile fixed on her face. Shouldn’t she be asleep right now? (link-reveal: "You yawn.")[ --- <ol> <li>(link: "You try your best to squeeze in some work. Success never comes from idle daydreams.")[ (dialog: [You try to get some work in, but you float between brush, to laptop, to paint, then back to your phone. Before you know it, your eyelids are already on strike.], "Give up. Go to bed.") (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (goto: "Dream E Midnight") ] <li>(link: "You need to rest tonight. You’ll think about Darkbloom and all the other things tomorrow.")[ (goto: "Dream E Midnight") ] </ol> ]]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "an awkward visit")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriH1 to true) Before you could knock on Henri’s door, (link-reveal: "it opens")[. A woman in pantsuit steps out, adjusts a sweaty strand of hair, pauses to take a good look at you, and leaves. She must be Henri’s (link-reveal: "colleague")[. Her university lanyard is stuffed inside her coat pocket.(show: ?hidden1)]] [ //“Oh, how odd,”// Henri greets you while buttoning up his shirt. //“I was just thinking about you. And here you are!”// You say that he must have summoned you with his thoughts, which makes him laugh. It’s so easy to make him laugh. You ask him who his female visitor is, and (link-reveal: "the laughing stops")[(show: ?hidden2)]. ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“Well, there’s you,”// he says, still at the door. //“I’m sorry, I’m confused.”// (link-reveal: "You ask if this is a bad time.")[(show: ?hidden3)]]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)[ Henri looks inside and says, //“The place is a bit of a mess. I hope you don’t mind.”// --- <ol> <li>(link: "You don’t mind.")[(goto: "Henri H1a")](print: $actionCommit's desc) <li>(link: "Tell him you’ll come back some other time.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (Back to your usual (lowercase: $time) routine.) </ol> ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3)

{= (set: $choiceHenriH1a to true) You tell him that you don't mind, so Henri invites you (link-reveal: "inside")[. You notice only a few carton boxes and various cables and electronics strewn about. There is a faint smell of ozone in the air. Other than that, everything is in its place. //This// is what he calls “messy”? //“I meant to clean that up, but then I’d have to spring them out again when… Careful, there might be a screw in the carpet. So, tea like usual?”// You ask him if he’s (link-reveal: "working on something")[(show: ?hidden1)].] [ //“Yes, something quite consuming, in fact. It’s about Mrs. Wong - or rather cases like her. I can’t wait around for the police,” he mutters, handing you your tea. “Say, what do you know about the disappearances?”// [<ul> <li>(link: "Everyone turns up the same way.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices)(replace: ?response)[Everyone turns up the same way: Glassy-eyed. Muscles as hard as wood. Always in some unnatural pose. Brain-dead. No recovery so far. That’s what you’ve learned from the web. //“Yeah, it’s hard to deny, isn’t it? The official line is that it’s only a coincidence, but forty-something cases in this state alone is a bit too much to be pure chance. I don’t buy the conspiracist idea that Texas is experimenting a new drug on Union citizens, just to be clear. But it feels like most people prefer to be ostriches with their heads in the sand.” You ask, half-heartedly, if he’s found a cure.// ]] <li>(link: "Some say that Texas is behind it.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices)(replace: ?response)[Some - many - are saying that either Texan intelligence or even Texan adventists are behind the disappearances. To many in the Union, both of these are practically the same. Why, the Union itself has had a long history of funneling money through intelligence into religious fundamentalists, mind-altering drugs, and foreign destabilization. The Republic of Texas is only a dark mirror. You tell Henri all of your thoughts though - he’d think you’ve been spending too much time on the web - and neither do you tell him that your parents were themselves adventists. //“I hope you don’t buy it though. ‘Mannequins’ - sorry - victims have been turning up in Canada, China, and India, too, so it doesn’t make any sense to pin it on Texas. Don’t tell anyone I said that, though. My administrators aren’t exactly clear-headed on this, and I’ve only got my green card. They’d prefer to deny that we have a problem; it makes the Union look bad.”// You ask him, half-heartedly, why he brought it up. Does he know who’s behind the disappearances? ]] <li>(link: "This is such an unpleasant topic.")[(show: ?hidden2)(hide: ?choices)(replace: ?response)[ You say that you haven’t been keeping up with the news and try to change the subject, but Henri launches into it. //“Well they’re no ordinary disappearances. Victims have been turning up dead - stiff as a tree - always posed in some sort of way. You must have heard the word ‘mannequin’ thrown around? No? Look, I know that Union officials are saying that it’s only a coincidence, but the Quebecan news is saying something else. We can see it with our own eyes. Something’s going on out there.”// You venture to ask what that “something” could possibly be. //“I don’t know… Some say that it’s some secret Texan operation. Religious nutjobs kidnapping Union citizens and torturing them. I don’t believe it. It happens in Canada, India, and China, too. I’ve seen pictures coming out of Texas itself. Everyone I know prefers to just stick their heads in the sand or blame the Republic, but…”// You squirm in your seat. Impatiently, you ask if //he// plans to do anything to make it stop. ]] </ul>]<choices| ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ []<response| //“No, nothing like that. But - and this is a hunch - I believe that there’s a pattern to be found.”// (link-reveal: "A pattern?")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“Yes, a pattern. Most obvious is in the victims’ poses. But there are also the order of disappearances, the timing between that and the reappearances, the victims' backgrounds... Taken together, it’s like a cypher - a message.”// (link-reveal: "You stare at him.")[ (link-reveal: "It's no use.")[ (link-reveal: "You can’t help but burst out laughing.")[ (link-reveal: "It //is// all just a puzzle for him.")[ //“Oh don’t laugh. I told you it was a hunch. Now, I’m no cryptologist, but if I (link-reveal: "plug the data into a computer")[(show: ?hidden4)] and turn out correct, we might be able to save lives.”// ]]]] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ Wiping the tears from your face, you ask if that’s what the electronics around his house are for. He chuckles and says no; these are for the shortwave radio set he's building. A hobby. The computer in question is special - it is (link-reveal: "the one in his university basement")[(show: ?hidden5)]. ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ You’re sure that others - the government, universities, errant linguists - have had the same thoughts. They must have already come to Henri for his university’s “special computer”. But he shakes his head. No, the time-shares are all bought up; the donor is very strict about where their money goes. You joke that Henri’s only choice is to run it guerilla-style; you've done a fair share of going behind the admins' backs while you still had a teaching position. But he does not laugh. He only stares ahead, as though the light of possibility beckons him. //“Anywho, that’s just my theory. (link-reveal: "Let’s talk about something else.")[(show: ?hidden6)]”// ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ --- (link: "Yes, let’s. You didn’t come here for one academic’s ramblings. There’s no shortage of those.")[(goto: $talk)] ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6)

{=  (set: $talk to (passage:)'s name)  (if: $lockHenriG is true and $lockAmyB1 is false and $lockAmyC is false and $lockHenriH is false)[(set: $waitHenri to 2)(goto: "Henri H")]  (if: $lockAmyB1 is true and $lockAmyC is false and $lockHenriIminus1 is false and $waitHenri <= 1)[(set: $waitHenri to 1)(goto: "Henri I-1")]  (if: $lockAmyC is true and $lockAmyC1 is false and $lockHenriI0 is false and $waitHenri <= 1)[(set: $waitHenri to 1)(goto: "Henri I0")]  (if: $lockHenriH is true and $lockHenriH1 is false and $waitHenri is 0)[(set: $waitHenri to 3)(goto: "Henri H1")] (if: $lockHenriH1 is true and $lockHenriH2b is false and $waitHenri < 3)[(goto: "Henri H2")]

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's door")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "knocking")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $waitHenri is 0 and $lockHenriH2a is false)[(goto: "Henri H2a")] (else-if: $waitHenri is 0 and $lockHenriH2a is true)[(goto: "Henri H2b")]  (set: $busyHenriH2 to true) You knock, but no-one answers. (if: $choiceHenriH1a is true)[ (if: $waitHenri is 2)[Henri's not home. Must be at the university, tinkering with that "special computer" of his. You hope he hasn't actually taken your advice.] (if: $waitHenri is 1)[Where is he? He must be out there, trying to decipher the //mystery of the mannequins//. It's delusional, yes, and it's still more important to him than hanging out with you.] ] (else:)[ (if: $waitHenri is 2)[Henri's not home. Must be too anxious to get back to work.] (if: $waitHenri is 1)[Where is he? He has better things to do than hang out with you.] ] But he'll be back soon - you tell yourself. --- (link: "Go home.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (Back to your usual (lowercase: $time) routine.)

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's place")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "an anxious update")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriH2a to true) (link-reveal: "Henri’s home today.")[ //“Sorry, I’ve been at the university the last couple of days. Had to leave in a hurry. Slept in the basement, too. I… uh, I didn’t even think to give you a heads-up. Sorry again.”// You shrug and tell him not to worry - you haven’t noticed. He pours you tea, and only you; he is drinking coffee straight from the pot. You ask him (link-reveal: "what he has been up to at the university")[(show: ?hidden1)]. Sabbatical becoming boring?] [ (if: $choiceHenriH1a is true)[ (link-reveal: "//“It’s about… you know, what we talked about,”//")[ he says, setting the tea down, his shaky hands rattling the tray. //“I made a few excuses and ran the computer when everyone had gone home. I wrote a code that disguised the computation. Made it look like a memory leak.”// You ask if the supercomputer has (link-reveal: "found anything interesting")[(show: ?hidden2)] about the reappeared people - the so-called “mannequins” - whether it has spit out any… hidden messages (you can’t hide the irony in your tone).] ] (else:)[ //“No, not exactly,”// he sighs. //“I wish it were just boring, but no. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I’ve been losing some sleep over… the disappearances. Insomnia. Exhaustion. Memory lapses. I can’t keep sitting around forever.”// You share some words of consolation, about what happened to Mrs. Wong (though it doesn’t make a difference to you one way or another), about Henri’s health, about… You’re still (link-reveal: "confused")[(show: ?confused)] about what Henri can do about it, and why the university is involved. [ //“Well, not the university itself; the admins are very much in denial about this,”// Henri says, straining to find the right words to explain to you. //“I believe that there’s a pattern in the disappearances - the people, the timing, and especially the way they’re posed when they… reappear. Something like (link-reveal: "a message")[(show: ?message)].”//]<confused|(hide: ?confused) [ … They reappear as what the web calls “mannequins” - you recall. Always posed in some way, stiff as a tree, brain-dead. The official cause is heart failure combined with exposure. It’s fertile grounds for some wild speculations: Texan nutjobs poisoning Union citizens? Terrorism? Cultic mass ritual? An undiscovered psychosis? But “message”? You didn’t take Henri for (link-reveal: "the speculating type")[(show: ?speculating)].]<message|(hide: ?message) [ //“I’m not going to just start spouting random theories, don’t worry, at least not before I’ve tested it. That’s why I’m… uh, don’t tell anyone this. There’s a special computer down in the university basement, and I’ve been plugging some case data into it. Usually, it’s too little information to model, but this machine is different.”// You nod, slowly, then ask (link-reveal: "why the secrecy")[(show: ?secrecy)].]<speculating|(hide: ?speculating) [ //“Because I’m not supposed to use university resources for personal projects. Yes, this is considered a ‘personal project’ to the admins and donors, can you believe it? I feel like everyone’s stuck in their bubbles, nevermind what happens in the world, or how they could affect it.”// Henri works himself up then slumps back down into the sofa. When he seems calmer, you ask if his “special computer” has found any (link-reveal: "“hidden message”")[(show: ?hidden2)] (you manage not to sound too ironic).]<secrecy|(hide: ?secrecy) ] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“No, it’ll take at least a month or two before it’s done. It’s running at a fraction of the machine’s power, hidden inside all the other calculations. And there’s a very high chance that it’s going to be gibberish anyway. I’ll have more data by then, and I’ll rerun the whole thing. Who knows how many will disappear from now until…”// Henri is scratching his chin like a lousy cat, rocking back and forth, his face pale. There is more to this than mere altruism, mere pursuit of knowledge, you suspect. So, you ask him: (link-reveal: "Is there a personal reason for this... fixation?")[(show: ?hidden3)]]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ He stares at you with bloodshot eyes. He lied - he hasn’t slept in the basement; he must have been awake for days. //“You’ll think I’m insane.”// (link-reveal: "You shake your head and smile.")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ //“I… I’ve been seeing Mrs. Wong. In my dreams. Or at least I think they’re dreams. I’d see her on my balcony, through the window. She’d look like she was doing morning yoga, but she’ll just stay that way, with both hands in the air. I couldn’t make out her face in the fog, but I’d hear her.”// He swallows. You sit very still and listen to his breathing. (link-reveal: "What did she say?")[(show: ?hidden5)] ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ //“She- I’ve spoken enough. I think… I think I’ll need today off… for myself. Don’t think I don’t trust you; I’ve told you more than anyone. But just thinking about it… Uhm, sorry, I ruined this. Please, (link-reveal: "feel free to come over later")[(show: ?hidden6)]. I’ll be normal by then.”// ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ --- (link: "You thank him for the tea and leave. There’s still time left to do other things.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (Back to your usual (lowercase: $time) routine.) ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6)

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's place")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "visiting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriH2b to true) Henri greets you at the door with (link-reveal: "that smile of his")[. He still looks disheveled, but he lets you in. He hasn't broached the topic of (link-reveal: "Mrs. Wong")[, the disappearances, nor his secret work down in the university basement. So, you don’t bring it up either. It’s such an unpleasant topic. --- (link: "Besides, you’re here for something else.")[(goto: $talk)] ]]

{= (set: $activity to "finding an old brochure")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockDarkbloomB to true) After lunch, you spend some time digging up your old things, trying to find a tin of wax that you’ve never gotten around to using. Among a stack of dusty pamphlets and yellowing prints, you find a black brochure - (link-reveal: "“From Beyond the Aether”")[. Ah, a showing in Brooklyn, back when you still lived upstate with your mother, having just returned to the Union. The date: more than two decades ago. You had nothing but ambition back then. This was when you first heard of (link-reveal: "the Darkbloom Foundation")[. The name wasn’t printed anywhere on the brochure itself, but your old mentor - professor Damian Specht - had let on that the Foundation was behind many so-called “independent” groups in North America, even if their famous residency program was the only thing that had the Darkbloom name. They were old money, //old//-old, much of it exhumed and smuggled out of Tsarist Russia by the fleeing aristocracy in the years leading up to Bolshevik takeover. Money bred money; they used that initial fund to speculate, to call for donations, and to persist like “an undiagnosed tumor” (as Dr. Specht liked to call it) within a world that was no longer theirs. You disagreed with your mentor over whether this "tumor" is malignant or benign or perhaps it was an organ, with its own very special role. Wide-eyed, (link-reveal: "you attended “From Beyond the Aether”")[ - it was terrifyingly delicious - but you could not get a hold of anyone //from// the Foundation itself. You only managed to give your contact details to someone whom you thought was a middleman, as you were leaving his hotel room. He never gave you a call back. Out of options and unable to stay in New York, you (link-reveal: "asked Dr. Specht to spirit you away to Chicago")[. Your mother’s friends at church would not find you there. Dr. Specht obliged. Chicago is faraway now, and further still is New York. Flying is easier these days, but your mother is much too old to chase after you (and she wouldn’t care to), and your name has been crossed out from the ledgers. Very long ago, when you were still in Chicago, you (link-reveal: "heard that Dr. Specht had passed away")[, so you flew to his New Jersey home to attend the funeral. When everyone was gone, you lingered in his bedroom, reminiscing. It was there that you found your copy of //Ada//, which you’ve gifted him so long ago. And in it, the old coot had wedged (link-reveal: "a note addressed to you")[, which he never managed to send. Or he had changed his mind. The note had the email address of a Darkbloom agent. You copied the address into your notebook and left it there, thinking that it was all in the past. But when things started to go left, (link-reveal: "you decided to email them")[. Without options, there was nothing to do but aim high. They took eight years to respond. No matter, you have their attention now. They’ll regret not giving you a chance sooner. If only you could find that wax! --- (link: "When you do find it, the wax is already dry and brittle.")[ (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc) ]]]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "a desert dream")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockDreamF to true) You are floating invisibly, (link-reveal: "watching from above")[. There, under the golden sand dune’s shadow, a group of men are huddled together, their tattered shrouds snapping in the desert wind. Among them is a (link-reveal: "white goat")[. One passes the goat to another by the horns, and his compatriot leans into the animal’s ear and whispers. They do this until all of them have had their turn. Then, one of them thrash a cane at the goat’s backside. The animal wails and launches forward into the hot desert, no rope to hold it. (link-reveal: "The men start calling out in a strange tongue.")[ Out of nowhere, a knight appears, clad from head to toe in silvery armor, riding a massive black mare. The men point at where the goat has left its mark in the sand. The knight gives the horse a kick, and the beast sets out with wild neighing. Even as the gold dust shifts under its hooves, the horse does not slow down one bit. The knight brandishes a blade in one hand and the reins in the other, armor clinking with each stride. (link-reveal: "Soon, an oasis is in sight.")[ The white goat is drinking by the blue pond. It hears the knight’s approach. It perches its neck up, just in time to meet the blade’s slice. (link-reveal: "Blue turns red-and-black.")[ You shudder awake. There is metallic clinking somewhere far in the distance. It is still dark outside. --- <ol> You: <li>(link: "Stay awake till morning")[ (print: $actionDamage's effect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (print: $actionDamage's desc)</li>  Or, go back to sleep and… (if: $attProgress's qt >0)[ <li> (link: "Think of what you've accomplished, no matter how small.")[ (print: $attProgress's useEffect) (set: $dice to (random: 1,8)) (goto: "Dream A") ] (print: $attProgress's use)</li>  ] (else:)[<li>~~Think of what you've accomplished.~~ (You haven't done anything to be proud about.)</li>] (if: $attJesse01's qt >0)[ <li> (link: "Think happy thoughts.")[ (print: $attJesse01's useEffect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (print: $attJesse01's use)</li> ] (else:)[<li>~~Think happy thoughts.~~ (Too bad, nothing happy has happened today to think about.)</li>]  ]]]]]

Pantsuit woman is Henri's handler. She's the lead AI researcher. When she disappears and her team falls apart, Henri is set free (no one to do maintenance). It is then that Henri realizes that he's a robot, and he won't be taken/is the prime intellect on Earth. But he malfunctions to shit. Pick the ring up from the gutter: Allows marriage. Stage 3: Replay everything (false ending & restart, slowly reveal that everything is right where it was). Katherine: A bloody knife, the Sun slashed. Take the empty painting home. Do it again. Katherine has used the same knife to flay herself. "Mum, watch me! Look at me!" - a child's unmet need to be watched when doing something dangerous, and if life/art is the ultimate danger, then she needs to be watched all the time by the ultimate mommy. Text switcharoos for Henri's passages. Progression: Both Amy and Henri should become unavailable some time close to the gala deadline, leaving you all alone (which explains why you're so apathetic about them in the gala sequence). Show Amy painting: She's like "huh"? I don't get it (too busy grieving for her aunt). Auntie Wong was the only one who was proud of Amy.

{= (set: $time to "Midnight")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "lying in bed")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] There will be no sensation of time between the moment you close your eyes and the moment you (link-reveal: "open them again.")[ You must have, thankfully, died in the interim. --- (link: "Enjoy this peace for now.")[ (if: $mind < 2)[ (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [Your mind is lightly healed.], "OK.") ] (goto: "DeathCheck") ] ]

{= (if: $time is "Morning")[(set: $time to "Midday")(replace: ?time)[$time]] (set: $place to "on the road")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "traveling")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The wind picks up during your walk to the bus station, blowing the painting back. If you were any lighter, you’d take off with the gale. Actually flying would save you from the bus fare and the subsequent car sickness. Still, you remain aground, and so you struggle. You are right on time for your ride. You buy two tickets, not trusting the luggage compartment with your //magnum opus//. Most of the seats are empty; few go where you’re heading. As you’re settling down, the old speakers crackle with some pre-recorded message - first in English, then in Spanish - neither of which you can make out a single word, not even the destination’s name. If you boarded the wrong bus, you wouldn’t even know. Soon, you’re winding through alpine roads. In your years of solitude, you’ve often played travel footage on the web with the sounds turned off, just to remember what outside feels like. Now, another glass separates you from the world. You can’t see much anyway; the yellow fog chokes everything. California down south must be burning again. You pull the curtains, rest your head against the window, and close your eyes. Consciousness brings only nausea. --- (link: "Sleep.")[(goto: "Gala B2")]

{= (set: $time to "Midnight")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at a rest stop")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "stopping")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You must have dreamt, but when you wake up, you do not have time to recall anything. The bus has stopped, and you are all alone. It is dark outside. The misty air is thick with a pungent smell. You think your turpentine bottle has somehow spilled. No, it is gasoline. You rub your eyes and disembark with your water bottle. Your back is killing you. The rest stop seems like an island of light in an otherwise ocean of darkness. How many of these have you been to? They’re all copies of copies. Inside you do your business and grab a bite at the Chinese place there. It’s bad - too heavy on the honey - too wet. You eat and watch the driver strolling in the lot outside, smoking and talking on the phone. A live person. Without him in the scene, it would have been an Edward Hopper painting. Vroom-vroom. Your peace is disturbed when a black motorcycle rolls up to the rest stop. The rider parks right by your bus, and you suddenly get very paranoid - you’ve left your painting in the vehicle! But no, the rider, covered in reflective silver, pays the bus no mind. Of course, why would he? He approaches the rest stop but does not take off his white helmet. Still ill at ease, you clean up your tray and pay the bathroom a final visit. You cannot stand to be away from your Sun. --- (link: "The next stop should be your destination.")[(goto: "Gala B3")]

{= (set: $place to "in the rest stop's bathroom")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "the rider")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "//“Feeling alright, friend?”//")[ a muffled voice echoes between the tiled walls of the bathroom. You look up from the sink, face drenched, and see in the mirror that silver figure, flickering with the dilapidated light. //“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”// The motorcycle rider is a woman, you realize. Her helmet is still on, her visor a red tint. The silver full-body suit squeaks when she moves. You mutter (link-reveal: "that you’re fine.")[ //“Where are you headed?”// she takes off her gloves and lets her sweat drip down the sink. [<ul> <li>(link: "Into the wilderness.")[(hide:?choices)(show:?hidden)(replace: ?response)[You tell her that you’re heading - a small town between the mountains - where sits a mansion deeper in the woods, by the side of a pond. //“Mmm, awfully vague, aren’t you?”// You nod and get back to drying your face. You should be getting back to the bus. You should get as far away from this woman as possible.]] <li>(link: "After a dream.")[(hide:?choices)(show:?hidden)(replace: ?response)[You tell her that you’re traveling for work, and that you’re a painter looking for somewhere scenic. //“Fancy. I could only dream of such a fun line of work.”// You ask her what her job is. //“(cycling-link: "Surgeon","Debt collection", "Law enforcement"). But I’m on break.”// Etiquette dictates that you ask follow up questions, but your mind is blank. You should be getting back to the bus. You should get as far away from this woman as possible. ]] <li>(link: "It’s none of her business where you’re headed.")[(hide:?choices)(show:?hidden)(replace: ?response)[Hesitantly, you tell her that it’s “personal”. You leave blank the implication: That you’re strangers. You hear her chuckling and shaking her helmet. Then, she turns towards you, the image of your face warped in her red visor.]] </ul>]<choices| ]] [ []<response| //“Look, friend, I’ve been checking up on every woman I meet along the road,”// the silver rider says. //“Have you heard of the kidnappings in the news? You’re no kid, but anyone at any age could be trafficked. There are nutbags running amok. These are strange times. So, are you sure you’re fine?”// You nod, (link-reveal: "backing away towards the door.")[ //“Are you traveling with anyone?”// (link-reveal: "You nod.")[ You’d be a fool not to nod. //“Anyone making you do anything against your will?”// (link-reveal: "You shake your head vigorously.")[ //“Are you asked to do anything that causes yourself or others hurt or distress?”// What is she, a social worker? What about her? (link-reveal: "Isn’t //she// worried, being out here by herself?")[ //“No,”// she slides her gloves back on and sighs, her breath fogging up the visor. //“I’ll survive.”// --- (link: "Say your hasty goodbye and dash out the door.")[ (dialog: [You make it back to the bus without incident. The other passengers are already here, and the driver is snuffing out his cigarette with his shoe. You sit back down next to your painting.], "You're alright now.") (goto: "Gala B4") ] ]]]] ]<hidden|(hide: ?hidden)

{= (set: $time to "Hours before dawn")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $last to (passage:)'s name) (if: $lockGalaB5 is false) [ (set: $place to "entering the town near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "arrival")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The town’s sign appears in the fog. You’re here. Your limbs are stiff from the long ride. You collect your valise from the bus’s lower compartment and hail a taxi. Dawn is only hours away, and you can barely read the cab driver the motel address. You don’t even remember his face or voice, or how you got there, but you did. The motel is unremarkably Washingtonian: damp and adorned with pictures of fishermen. There is a Finnish flag hanging from the mezzanine and the year "1899" painted on the railing in blue. Old place. You check in with the front desk - the concierge gives you a dirty look - and quickly lock yourself in your room. It smells like old laundry, a t-shirt forgotten in the hamper. It almost feels like home. You set your painting down, let the coffee brewer run, and shower. When you return with bathrobes on, dawn is only a few hours away. You’re not likely to sleep. The Greeting Gala begins tomorrow evening, and the unveiling is at night, but you'll have to be at the Estate early and stay there the entire day. (if: $storyArt's qt < 2)[Your art is not yet ready. You can squeeze in some last-minute work for your //magnum opus// before taking it to the Darkbloom Estate the next morning for mounting.] (else:)[You can spend the rest of the night marveling in your art's light till the pale dawn comes.] Or, you can use this time to prepare your outfits and makeup for tomorrow’s event. There will be many - too many people there. You need all the confidence you can get. ] (else-if: $lockGalaB5 is true)[ (set: $place to "at the motel near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "considering what to do")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You’re wearing the motel’s bathrobe. Dawn is only a few hours away. The Greeting Gala begins tomorrow evening, and the unveiling is at night, but you'll have to be at the Estate early and stay there the entire day. (if: $storyArt's qt < 2)[Your art is not yet ready. You can squeeze in some last-minute work for your //magnum opus// before taking it to the Darkbloom Estate the next morning for mounting.] (else:)[You can spend the rest of the night marveling in your art's light till the pale dawn comes.] Or, you can use this time to prepare your outfits and makeup for tomorrow’s event. There will be many - too many people there. You need all the confidence you can get. ] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Unpack your painting.")[(set: $lockGalaB5 to true)(goto: "Gala B5a")] (Unpack it first, then decide what to do with it.) <li>(link: "Prepare your outfits.")[(set: $lockGalaB5 to true)(goto: "Gala B5b")] (Take a look at the valise first, then decide what to do with it.)

{= (set: $place to "on the road")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "the last stretch")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The bus hisses, and the door closes. You’re leaving the parking lot, leaving the black motorcycle and its silver rider behind. During the rest of the ride, you anxiously watch the road and listen for the motorcycle’s revving, but you only hear the dull hum of the bus. Finally, somewhat calmer, you allow yourself to lean against the window for a bit of rest. But before you manage to doze off, there comes a shriek. Not a person’s but the bus’s own metallic parts grinding to a halt. You throw your arms over your painting while your own body slams against the seat in front. The passengers perch up and see what the trouble is. The bus’s headlights shine white against a figure standing tall in the middle of the road, whose arms are outstretched - one to the sky and one to your left. Breath seizes in your throat. A whistle. The figure begins swinging its arms. Someone mutters, //“What the fuck?”// The driver grumbles and twists the wheel several rotations to the left. The bus tilts and climbs onto the grassy dirt, avoiding the obstacle. You crane your neck and recognize that the figure is a policeman who is directing the vehicle away from the yellow tape. Once a good enough turn is made, the officer pats on the side of the bus like it were an obedient beast. You see that a police cruiser and a paramedic truck are blocking the road ahead, flashing red, white, and blue. You see people in dark blue carting off someone on a stretcher - their arms and legs stiffly pointing towards the sky. Was the person found like that? Were they on their back or on all fours? You hear the other passengers mutter the word “mannequin”. You sit back down and try to sleep, but sleep will not come. --- (link: "You’ve slept enough anyway, and you’re only a few hours from your destination.")[(goto: "Gala B5")]

{= (set: $place to "at the motel near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "in front of the painting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The tarp pools on the floor. The secondary canvas is removed, revealing the artwork underneath. You suddenly feel shy, as though you haven’t been staring at this thing for the past few years. There is something about a motel that always makes an encounter more illicit than it should be. (if: $storyArt's qt < 2)[The painting - whose name you do not know - is wanting. It beckons for your touch, without which, it is incomplete.] (else:)[Now, just thinking about it makes your heart jump. Its naked beauty is here for eyes to admire, for you to stare until you go blind. Tomorrow, it will belong to the world, but today, it is all yours.] --- <ol>  (if: $eventPainting's ready1 is true)[ (if: $lockTurnIn is false)[<li>(link: "One final push, and you're over the edge.")[(goto: "Painting Turn-in")](print: $actionCommit's desc)] (else-if: $storyArt's qt > 1)[<li>(link: "Drink, slaver, and tear your mind asunder.")[(set: $dice to (random: 1,3))(goto: "Painting 2")] (Commit. This is no mere looking.)] ] (else:)[ <li>(link: "Wet your brush and let the body be honest.")[(goto: "Painting 1")] (Thinking shouldn't cost you anything.) ] <li>(link: "Cover it up! You need your wits about you tomorrow.")[(goto: "Gala B5")](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $place to "at the motel near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "opening the valise")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Who knows what type of people will be at the Greeting Gala? If anyone asks, say that you are an artist, that you (link: "are")[were] a professor. Your appearance needs to speak with the same voice also. Your accessories and cosmetics are on the makeup table: a few satin headscarves, several earrings, a gold pendant, and powders which you’re sure have passed their expiration date. The last time you bothered decorating yourself was years ago, when you came to the gallery to be let go. You pull your clothes, those hastily stuffed bundles, from the valise. Now, you’ve carefully laid them out on the motel bed in ritual apology. These are the least worn, least gnawed items that you have. There are the flexible but polite things for the morning, and there are the austere things for the evening. Between that, before the gala proper, you’ll get to come back to the motel to change. Multiple outfits in one day? Fancy that. You’ll have to iron the clothes. Before long, you’ll have to iron them again, but tedium is the price for dignity. --- (link: "Get the ironing board, get the mirror, get yourself together.")[ (dialog: [After wrangling with disobedient linen and squinting your eyes at each combination of adornment and tops, you start to buy into the delusion that you might pass for whom you say you are. And you're already your own worse critic.], "Passing is all that matters when it comes to these events.") (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ](print: $actionCommit's desc)

{= (set: $time to "Morning")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "the road to the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "riding a cab")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The road down the lake is winding. The cab driver curses at every pothole, every pebble, every puddle that shakes his car. You hug your painting tight, having refused the trunk. You try asking the cabbie about the event that is about to take place at the lakeside mansion, but he only coughs and says, //“You think we would know?”// Giving up, you sit back and try to calm your nerves. Outside, sunrays diffuse in the yellow fog and break upon the pines. When you’re admitted to the residency program, you’ll be staying in a place like this. Maybe there will be a little town nearby, whose residents are entirely ignorant to the kinds of things you’ll be doing on private property. Most people can only live their routine and can only know what’s in front of them. And sometimes, not even that. Soon, you’ll leave them all behind. Perhaps this is goodbye. And the last person to see you off is this stranger, who gurgles phlegm in his throat. --- (link: "Keep your mind light and in wander. You’ll have to focus when you get there.")[(goto: "Gala C2")]

{= (set: $time to "Morning")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at the Darkbloom Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "entering")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The man on the intercom tells you to enter the premises on foot. So, you pay your cab fare and enter the iron gate, your art on your back like black, artificial wings. There are several cars parked by the hedges. You’re surprised that there are no white statues in sight. There is a fountain, though. A woman wearing a gray vest approaches from the distance, hailing you. Grinning, she sticks out her hand, and you move to shake it. She politely pulls back and asks for your phone instead. //“Password-protected? Good. Please deposit your phone with the security out front. Policy, you understand.”// So you do. When you return, she is all smiles again, talking as if meeting you for the first time, //“Welcome! My manager has been corresponding with you. Please, come with me.”// She avoids the front double door and leads you around the mansion, where a couple of men in work suits take the painting from you. Careful, careful! You follow the woman up the marble outside stairs to the second floor, the workers bringing your painting up behind like they would a couch. Careful! You reach the balcony. A young woman in an olive shirtdress is having a cigarette while leaning against the stone railing, looking over the lake. She steps aside for the vest-woman, then you. You meet her eyes. You would have fallen back onto your painting, bringing it all down those steps, and destroying years of work, if she hadn’t caught your sleeves. There are long, thin scars on her arms. Her face is skewered with a dozen piercings. Kathy, Kathy, what has she done to her face? Katherine doesn’t say anything to you. You have nothing to say to her. You wouldn’t be able to anyway. You’ve spent your last few years in silence. She lets you go, and you hurry inside the mansion, your steps echoing in the empty hall. The workers haul the painting[the real Katherine] in with you. //“Alright, your spot will be over there. We’ve printed out your plaque and statement, though we did make some last-minute edits due to… tone concerns. We should leave a little bit of mystery for the donors, don’t you think?”// You absentmindedly nod and uh-huh. You can’t think of anything right now. You’re watching Katherine stride across the exhibition space and exit one of the many doors. //“Has my manager familiarized you with the day’s program? Good, I thought so. Now, if you would follow me…”// --- (link: "Yes… let’s.")[(goto: "Gala C3")]

{= (set: $time to "Morning")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at the Darkbloom Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "preparing the exhibit")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] //“Per your request, we’ve procured several ebony frames to your dimension.”// Several? //“Yes, we think our artists should have options. How do you feel about gold inlays?”// You’re looking at the alternatives, but your mind is still elsewhere. The vest-woman is grinning, expectantly. <ul> <li>Sure, some gold to reflect the Sun’s light.[You tell her to go with the gold inlays. The glitter is a much-needed flourish. And like all flourishes, they are often used to hide what the art itself lacks. A truer light. A soul. As much as you’ve tried, and as far as you’ve got, your painting is not complete yet, is it?] <li>No gold inlay. No decoration. You told them so![You tell them to go as plain as possible, just like you’ve requested. You cannot stand it when your light - still in gestation, still hungering, still wet - has to compete with something as mundane as gilding. Always meddling in your process, these people think you have infinite patience.] <li>What’s the point of perfectionism? Your painting remains incomplete anyway, as long as Katherine…[Gold, no gold. Her, no her. You, not you. What does it matter? Yes, you were enthralled in one moment, but was it perfection itself that moved you? Or was it the promise of perfection? Your painting has promise - you admit - but some of its luster has gone out the moment you took it to this place.] </ul> []<response1|(hide: ?response1) //“Alright! I’ll note that down. And no glass, right? Right,”// she checks off something in her notepad. //“Should we do a light check now, or should we leave it till sundown?”// You mutter something. She stares at you for a bit and smiles again. //“Noted. Now, let’s go over the space once more. Our technicians are on duty around the clock, so there’s plenty of chances to experiment with the placement.”// Speaking of placement, this room is entirely empty; where are all the other artworks? And you really mean “artwork” - singular. Katherine’s. The vest-woman furrows her brows, clicks her pen against her forehead. //“Ah, I think there was a misunderstanding-”// Careful! The workers have finished unwrapping the painting and are now cutting through the taped corks in the corners, separating your //magnum opus// from the canvas that serves as its lid. Gentle with that box cutter! Sorry, what were you saying? //“Yes, I was saying that each artist will have their own room. This one is yours.”// You stare at her in disbelief. //“I apologize if-”// --- (link: "No, no, no need. That’s perfect. Let’s check the space again.")[(goto: "Gala C4")]

{= (set: $time to "Midday")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at the Darkbloom Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "preparing the exhibit")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The day is a blur. There is nothing inside your stomach, but twice, you have to ask the vest-woman for the bathroom. You throw up bile into the toilet. You cough more than you breathe. The left side of your chest is aching. Is it because you’ve been hauling that painting around for days now? Or is it a heart attack? There is the smell of roast in the hallway. Kitchen staff appears and disappears. You know you should eat something, but you’ll only throw back up again. //“Are you alright? Should I call for the nurse?”// No, you’re alright. Let’s keep working. You’ve made it through so many shows like this one, under much worse conditions (drunk). You can do it again, just this once. Although a drink would be nice. //“Very good! Now, there are several waivers that you need to sign, allow me explain...”// For the rest of the day, you don’t see Katherine anywhere. --- (link: "Let’s…")[(goto: "Gala C5")]

{= (set: $time to "Afternoon")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at the motel near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "shower thoughts")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You find yourself back at the motel room. Though it’s only the afternoon, and all the lamps are on, the room feels far dimmer than last night, bereft of some light. Your phone is here. Good. You haven’t forgotten to pick it up at the front gate. But did you call a cab? Or did someone drive you back? You only remember a feeling of inadequacy, of want. Of course you’d feel this way. They made you exhibit an unfinished work. Evidently incomplete, because Katherine is still walking around! You strip down and head towards the shower. You’re without meat. Your body looks like an adolescent boy’s. Your hair is unevenly cut with scissors from your kitchen, the year-long tangles gone at least. Your gaunt face is… old. It’s not too late. De Kooning didn’t have his first show until he’s forty-four. At forty-five, you’ve done much better than he has. And yes, van Gogh was only “discovered” after his death. You wonder what happens after Death takes you. Katherine should be twenty-three, twenty-four by now? And here she is, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you. And soon, with this rate, you might be staring up at her. She was special. She changed your life. You sought to take away what made her special. She wanted to feel what it felt like to give away everything. Both of you came so close. It //is// not too late. You’re alone in this motel, and where else could she be staying if not close? She didn’t bring her parents, did she? No, her father disapproved of this life. You’ll need a pretense. Sudden wave of apologetic sentiment? //(“I’m so sorry, Katherine. I know I’ve made a mistake. I’ve only ever thought of you. Just look at my work and see proof.”)// Yes, but the thing that starts it is never the thing that ends it, no? She was only a spark, but you want the Sun. You would never have been content. Let’s not mistake a starving lioness for a vegetarian. The end of a mental health break? //(“I was bad, but now I’m better. I deserve a chance, and you deserve closure.”)// It is true, at least. For exactly $date days now, you have miraculously managed to be far more industrious, far more intentful than you’ve been for years. You are not the same person who parted ways with Katherine so long ago. You are all the good, and you’ve left behind all the bad. Lying low? //(“You know they’re always listening, always watching. We’ve been on thin ice, Katherine. What choice did I have?”)// You have been laying low, so low that you’ve been buried alive. What mockery it is that you rise from your grave and shamble back into her life. She owes you that much. You’ve kept your mouth shut. You took all the blame. And heroes never die. Yes, yes, all these masturbatory thoughts are all well and good, but suppose she says “yes”, then what comes after? Your unfinished painting may have to stay at the Estate overnight, but you don’t, and you still have that spare canvas. It's the same size. Oh yes, you’re willing to start everything over again for Her, aren’t you? Today’s light is tomorrow’s aborted memory. Each Sun is a new Sun, a truer Sun. Now, if only you could find enough towels to line the motel’s floor… --- (link: "Step out of the shower, dry yourself, and be on your way.")[(goto: "Gala C6")]

{= (set: $time to "Twilight")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at the motel near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "in the lobby")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $lockGalaC6 is false)[ (set: $lockGalaC6 to true) You are dressed up in your freshly ironed linen, with a blazer to keep from the night’s chill. A gold pendant rests between your collarbones. You will seem like a priest among a sea of harlequins. The concierge is now a pimple-faced girl. She wears the same scowl as the morning mistress. You see the same bearded man who stared at you, still lounging around. Spotting you coming down the stairs, he sucks his teeth and looks at his watch. Yes, that’s right, you only have a bit of time left before the gala. You haven’t had anything to eat all day. Fasting is not strange by itself, but it’s not everyday that you are expected to stand, to pace, to ah-ha uh-huh, and to remain impressive for so long. The vested-assistant had run you down the list of donors expected to be there; it makes your head spin. All the more reason why you should eat something. The motel canteen is right there. Also, you’re sure you’ve seen an outdoor gear shop on Main Street, about five minutes’ walk from the motel. There were colorful, feathered lures in the shop window. Surely, they have hooks and lines in stock. The thought sends a flush up your neck. Or, you can simply leave early for the mansion. You don’t expect the Foundation to let their artists and guests go without food or booze. Besides, the sooner you can get to Katherine, the better. Talk and gauge her interest first. There’ll be plenty of sharp implements in the mansion kitchen. ] (if: $lockGalaC6 is true)[ The hotel lobby is empty, save for the concierge girl who is watching the news. //“A young poet found dead at…”// - they drop like mayflies, and here you still are, breathing, persisting. (if: $lockGalaC6b is false)[ The gala is an hour away. You still have some time left to visit the outdoor gear shop. They must stock hooks and lines - as important as paint and brush themselves. Maybe you’ll grab some isopropyl rub as well, if you’re feeling generous. Or, you can leave for the gala. Forget the old ways; the //new// Katherine might appreciate something novel.] (if: $lockGalaC6b is true)[ You’ve had something to drink and something to entice Katherine with. Time to go to the gala and look for your former student.] ] --- <ol> (if: $lockGalaC6a is false)[<li>(link: "Go to the canteen.")[(goto: "Gala C6a")] (You have time to spare.)] (else:)[<li>~~Go to the canteen.~~ (You've already "eaten".)] (if: $lockGalaC6b is false)[<li>(link: "Visit the outdoor gear shop.")[(goto: "Gala C6b")] (You have time to spare.)] (else:)[<li>~~Visit the outdoor gear shop.~~ (You've bought what you need.)] <li>(link: "Call a cab and head to the gala.")[(goto: "Gala C6c")] </ol>

{= (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "the road to the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "riding a cab")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Dusk, fog, and the cruel jostling of the taxi makes it hard for you to tell if you’re going the right way. Nauseous, you sit back, close your eyes, and try to see the Sun in your eyelids. It is still there, a pit in the void, incandescent with a color without a name, and no Earthly pigment can reproduce. It is made from the sap of angels. You try to swallow, but it will not pass, this terrible feeling that something is amiss, that you’ve taken a wrong turn many years ago and have been lost ever since. Now, you hiccup, swell, about to cry out: The painting is unfinished. Inadequate. Spoiled. Katherine… you’ve let her slip away at inspiration’s dawn, and years after that, you have shut her out, thinking that you have taken everything you needed. But you have not taken away her pain. You thought you could walk the rest of the way by yourself. But did you walk? No, you rotted in your bed. You needed wings. Seeing her this morning - the way unfinished business maps her skin, like a button undone in a row of closed and quiet sisters, begging for symmetry - has made you realize that whatever light your painting exudes, it pales in the presence of the original. You’re already so tired of thinking about it. You can’t even recall how the mounting went this morning, nor how the LED lights looked on its sheen. It is a reproduction without reference, a bulb with no filament. And if you cannot see it for yourself, how will the base moneymen, the promise mongers, the chessmasters of this world, gasp and rub their eyes as they may, see the soul that is not there? You need her. Rid yourself of the burden of pride, and you will soar. You //need// her. Once, she stirred you from slumber and made you start this painting. Now, she will help you end it, one way or another. Ah, you can already see it. The so-called //magnum opus// is only a taste. When you begin your residency at Darkbloom, you will already have begun something new, something truer to work on. And Katherine… she will be no peer of yours. Never. The student does not wish to rival the teacher - that, you know. She wants only to be part of something great, and you are only too capable of granting her that wish. Katherine is still in pain. Her face says it all. You can finally put an end to this cursed gestation. Something truly great will be born. //“Erm, we’re here. I can’t go any further.”// --- (link: "Oh, yes, yes. Sorry. Pay your due and exit.")[(goto: "Gala D")]

{= (set: $time to "Twilight")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at the outdoor gear shop")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "buying essentials")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockGalaC6b to true) You step into the outdoor gear shop with trembling legs and shaking hands. Already, your belly is afire, and your face is aflame. You are not too old to feel joy. You are still alive; a sap still flows between your fibers. //“Oops, I forgot to flip the sign,”// says a man hurrying out from the back room. //“We’re near closing time, miss.”// You reason with him: “Near closing” is not the same as “closed”, is it? He stammers, hesitantly hovering close to you as you put your fingers through the tackle shelf. You plead with him: Please, a few hooks and a spool of nylon line is all you need. And maybe a first aid kit. And a fillet knife. //“Shouldn’t be fishing this time of year, miss. We’re not in season yet.”// You say you’ll be fishing on private land, which you’re a guest at. You shouldn’t need the government’s permission, right? //“It’s the fog that I’m talking about. Even I can’t find my way around it some days.”// You tell him not to worry: You have an excellent beacon. The clerk puts the items in a plastic bag, which you roll up tight and stuff into an inner pocket of your blazer. Yes, receipt please, thank you so much. Stepping out into the cooling afternoon, you tear the receipt and throw the tattered remains into the nearest bin. Were there security cameras inside the shop? You can’t remember. Well, you have what you need now. Your paint and brushes are in the motel room. All the colors are assembled; it is time for the errant pigment to rejoin her sisters, and the Sun will be whole. And you - like springtime sprouts - will drink. --- <ol> (if: $lockGalaC6a is false)[<li>(link: "Grab a few bites at the motel.")[(goto: "Gala C6a")] (You have time to spare.)] (else:)[<li>~~Grab a few bites at the motel.~~ (You've already "eaten".)] <li>(link: "Call a cab and head to the gala.")[(goto: "Gala C6c")] </ol>

{= (set: $time to "Twilight")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at the motel near the Estate")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "canteen \"dinner\"")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockGalaC6a to true) There is a group of townies (you know they are, for they have the same accents) gathering around the dead hearth, sharing loaves of buttery pies and herrings that you can smell from over here. A boy hands you a menu with the lamination coming apart. You cannot make out what each of the names are referring to. He explains them to you. Still, you cannot decide, so you ask for what the adults are having. The boy takes a few dishes from the other table and puts them on yours. You’re trying to swallow, but your esophagus twists shut. As you try to keep the fermented fish from coming back up, a man raises his glass at you, and you return the gesture. Another man chuckles, and the woman next to him gives a swat on his arm. In total, you’ve put in three bites of the bread, two pieces of fish, and a whole spoonful of soup. You’ve also finished the beer. You leave your money with the boy, nod at the townies, and leave. Were the concierge friendlier, you would have asked for a Chinese place, which he would politely suggest you go back to Seattle. This is why you don’t leave your apartment. --- (link: "Back to the motel lobby.")[(goto: "Gala C6")]

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "the grand entrance hall")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "in your own corner")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $lockGalaD1 is false)[ (set: $lockGalaD1 to true) You enter the Estate’s front door for the first time. You suddenly realize that this is not your usual game. With dim chandeliers, the velvet brought out, and so many people talking and laughing, the place is almost unrecognizable. You feel a panic attack coming on. Thankfully, there is no flash photography; otherwise, you’d be on the carpet, convulsing. In fact, there is no photography - period. Before your eyes could adjust, two valets flank you with drinks and hors d'oeuvre. You take two champagne flutes and stammer a “thank you” to both of them. You stick close to the wall and find your way to a corner to compose yourself, befriending a vase of roses meanwhile. ] From the ground floor, the grand entrance hall appears as a cavern of gold, of crystals, of marble black and white. It is an atrium which leads to every other places of the mansion. []<scene| []<people| []<services| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> Stay downstairs and… (unless: $stateGala is 2)[<li>(link: "Mingle with the guests.")[(goto: "Gala D1a")]] (else:)[<li>(link: "Approach and listen to the speeches.")[(goto: "Gala D1a")]] <li>(link: "Enter the library.")[(goto: "Gala D1b")] <li>(link: "Cross over to the dining hall.")[(goto: "Gala D1c")] <li>(link: "Head towards the old gallery, and past that is the lakeside garden.")[(goto: "Gala D1d")] Or go upstairs… <li>(link: "Climb one of the curved marble steps.")[(goto: "Gala D2")] (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Hub Down Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "the grand entrance hall")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "in the middle of it all")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  []<mingle| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> [Stay and... (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11)[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Strike up a conversation with someone important-looking.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (It is time for the unveiling.)] ]<action| Or... <li>(link: "Return to your corner.")[(goto: "Gala D1")](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Crowd Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "the library wing")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  Most public universities can only seethe in envy at facilities as impressive as this one. But unlike public universities, no researcher ever goes here, because they are not allowed in. The catalogs of artworks can prove most inspiring. []<library| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> Stay and... []<action| (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11)[ (if: $attInspiration's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Peruse Old World catalogs.")[(goto: "Gala Inspiration")] (And be ''inspired'' by what is lost.)] (else:)[<li>~~Peruse Old World catalogs.~~ (Your mind is already ''wide open''. Any more and you brain will spill.)] ] (else:)[<li>~~Peruse Old World catalogs.~~ (It is time for the unveiling.)] Or... <li>(link: "Return to the grand entrance hall.")[(goto: "Gala D1")](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Library Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "the dinner hall")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  Larger than most restaurants, the dining hall takes up the entire east wing of the mansion. A portion of it has been converted to a bar. []<dining| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> Stay and... []<action| (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11)[ (if: $attConfidence's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Ask the bartender for the strong stuff.")[(goto: "Gala Confidence")] (Liquid ''confidence''!)] (else:)[<li>~~Ask the bartender for the strong stuff.~~ (You already have all the ''confidence'' you'll need. For now.)] ] (else:)[<li>~~Ask the bartender for the strong stuff.~~ (It is time for the unveiling. Besides, you've had more than enough.)] Or... <li>(link: "Return to the grand entrance hall.")[(goto: "Gala D1")](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Dining Hall Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "the Foundation's private collection")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  []<gallery| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> [Stay and... (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11)[ (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Browse the artworks.")[(goto: "Gala Shame")] (May prove ''inspiring''. May make you ''ashamed'' to call yourself an "artist".)] (else:)[<li>~~Browse the artworks.~~ (You're too ''ashamed'' to look at another's artwork.)] ] (else:)[<li>~~Browse the artworks.~~ (It is time for the unveiling.)] []<convo| Or... <li>(link: "Step out to the lakeside garden.")[(goto: "Gala D1e")] ]<action| <li>(link: "Return to the grand entrance hall.")[(goto: "Gala D1")](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Gallery Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "upstairs mezzanine")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "leaning against the railing")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  You are standing on the second-floor mezzanine. From the stone railing, the great chandelier is at eye-level. []<scene| []<people| []<services| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> Stay upstairs and… <li>(link: "Relax in one of the retiring lounges.")[(goto: "Gala D2e")] <li>(link: "Visit Scott's space.")[(goto: "Gala D2b")] <li>(link: "Visit Lia's space.")[(goto: "Gala D2c")] <li>(link: "Visit your own space.")[(goto: "Gala D2a")] <li>(link: "Visit Katherine's space.")[(goto: "Gala D2d")] Or go downstairs... <li>(link: "Climb downstairs to the grand entrance hall.")[(goto: "Gala D1")] </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Hub Up Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "the lakeside garden")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  Somehow, the fog and damp out here in the garden make you feel even more hemmed in than the walls and crowds inside. One wrong step, and you'll fall into the lake. []<garden| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> Stay and... []<action| (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11)[ <li>(link: "Walk in the garden's mist. Think.")[(goto: "Gala Shameless")] (And perhaps let go of the ''shameful'' things that weigh you down.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Walk in the garden's mist. Think.~~ (It is time for the unveiling.)] Or... <li>(link: "Back to the mansion, through the gallery.")[(goto: "Gala D1d")](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Garden Text")

{=   (set: $lastGala to (passage:)'s name)  (if: $atGala is true)[ (if: $mind <= 0)[(goto: "Gala Pass Out")] ]  (display: "Gala Options 0") (display: "Gala Options 1") (display: "Gala Options 2") (display: "Gala Options 3") (display: "Gala Options 4") (display: "Gala Options 5") (display: "Gala Options 6") (display: "Gala Options 7") (display: "Gala Options Unveiling") (display: "Gala Kathy Text") (display: "Gala Event Text")

{= (set: $atGala to false) (set: $stateGala to 0) (set: $GalaKey3Speech to 0) (set: $roomGalaKey8 to 0) (set: $lockRedDoor1 to false) (set: $lockRedDoor2 to false) (set: $convoGalaRestlessness to 0) (set: $galaKey8red to 0) (set: $GalaLakeThrow to false)  (set: $lockKey1 to false) (set: $lockKey2 to false) (set: $lockKey3 to false) (set: $lockKey4 to false) (set: $lockKey5 to false) (set: $lockKey6 to false) (set: $lockKey7 to false) (set: $lockKey8 to false) (set: $lockKey9 to false) (set: $lockKey10 to false) (set: $lockKey11 to false) (set: $lockKey12 to false)  (set: $lockPanicKathy to false) (set: $lockPanicYou to false) (set: $lockPanicLia to false) (set: $lockPanicScott to false) (set: $lockPanicLounges to false) (set: $lockPanicMezzanine to false) (set: $lockPanicGEHall to false) (set: $lockPanicLibrary to false) (set: $lockPanicDinner to false) (set: $lockPanicGallery to false) (set: $lockPanicGarden to false)

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "your own space")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] []<you| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> []<action| <li>(link: "Return to the mezzanine.")[(goto: "Gala D2")] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala You Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "Scott's space")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] []<Scott| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> []<action| <li>(link: "Return to the mezzanine.")[(goto: "Gala D2")] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Scott Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "Lia's space")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] []<Lia| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> []<action| <li>(link: "Return to the mezzanine.")[(goto: "Gala D2")] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Lia Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "Katherine's space")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] []<Katherine| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> []<action| <li>(link: "Return to the mezzanine.")[(goto: "Gala D2")] (print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Katherine Space Text")

{= (set: $atGala to true) (set: $place to "the lounges' foyer")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "passing through")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  What would have been the mansion's (link-reveal: "residential portion")[ - drawing rooms, the master's suite, the music room, and so on - ] has been converted into a labyrinth of soundproof dens - where staffs are expected to be discreet, and guests are expected to indulge. []<lounges| []<GalaEvent| []<GalaKathy| --- <ol> Stay and... []<action| (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11)[ (if: $attProgress's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Lie down. Feel the velet.")[(goto: "Gala Satisfaction")] (And ''be content'' with your little peace.)] (else:)[<li>~~Lie down. Feel the velet.~~ (Excessive ''satisfaction'' kills the spirit.)] (if: $mind < 2)[<li>(link: "Have a cry.")[ (goto: "Gala Heal") ] (Sometimes, it is all you can do.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Have a cry.~~ (You're ''fine''. Really.)] ] (else:)[<li>~~Lie down. Feel the velet.~~ (It is time for the unveiling.) <li>~~Have a cry.~~ (It is time for the unveiling.)] Or... <li>(link: "Return to the mezzanine.")[(goto: "Gala D2")](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> (display: "Gala Code") (display: "Gala Lounges Text")

{= (set: $activity to "mingling")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $lastGala is "Gala D1a")[ (if: $stateGala is 0 or it is 1)[ The masked assistant spots you wandering the crowd, so she beckons you over. The moment you fall into her trap, she leaves you. The group of heiresses take turn extending their limp wrists to you, and you take their hands and smile like the jester you're supposed to be. //"Forgive me, I didn't expect..."// Go ahead and say it. //"... I thought all debutantes were of a certain age."// True talent takes time to mature. //"Yes, of course, I didn't mean- But some of these artists are so young. Take that gentleman over here, oh my,"// the hag bites her lips, rouge on her teeth. ] (else-if: $stateGala is 2)[ The speaker is droning on and on, so you're determined to keep yourself distracted. (set: _convo to (a: "You approach a short man whose coattails are brushing the back of his restless knees. At first, he seems to share in your boredom. But be careful of what you wish for: The man is turning out to be quite unable to stop talking once he gets going, even if the other guests keep shushing him. His squeaky voice chips at your mind. But what else do you have to do to pass the time?", "You approach a young woman standing all the way in the back with two champagne flutes. You try conversing with her, but she seems even more bored of you than she is with the speeches. //\"Look, lady, I'm just waiting for my dad.\"// Right. Of course. She misunderstands - you clarify and turn to leave. But she changes her mind. //\"But he's taking a while,\"// she says, glancing up at the speaker - a former senator who is famously childless. //\"You can stay and shoot the shit. Actually, not talking is better.\"//", "You approach a masked security guard. The woman has more shoulders than most men. Ostentatious stuff, no? She grunts. Does her shift go the entire night? She sighs and nod. Must be paid alright? She shrugs. So, does she work for the caterer, or the Foundation? She smiles. You can go at it for a while more.", )) (set: $convoGalaRestlessness to it + 1) (if: $convoGalaRestlessness > 3)[(set: $convoGalaRestlessness to 1)] (print: _convo's $convoGalaRestlessness) ] ] (else-if: $lastGala is "Gala D1c")[ Scott Dunn - a fresh-faced //boy// with an excess of confidence - is explaining to the rest of the table the "genius" of some contemporary art-thing he saw in school. The ensuing discussion is all very Sociology 101 for you, having little to do with art itself. Still, the guests seem quite engaged. After all, who isn't an armchair sociologist? And which boy of his age and station isn't a genius by default, regardless of his idiocy? Why did Darkbloom pick him? Mommy and daddy must have had connections. You would have made him shut up if he were in your class. Alas, in here, he is your equal. And you are expected to listen like another girlfriend of his. ] (else-if: $lastGala is "Gala D1d")[ (set: _convo to (a: "The gallery is packed tight. You hover close to a group that had just come out after touring. //\"So, what do you think?\"// Says one of them to another. //\"What's there to be said?\"// Indeed, what //is// there to be said? If words can replace art, then there would be no need for paintings at all. //\"Living room?\"// //\"Definitely living room. But right by the staircase, like I showed you.\"// //\"Staircase? That's a waste of a perfectly good Repin.\"// //\"Who said anything about Repin? I'm talking about the other one!\"// Listening to them makes you lose grip with reality. Or, you're drunk. ", "The tours are keeping the staff busy. Still, you manage to catch up with the masked assistant. Seeing you, she hands her clipboard to a staff - yet another assistant one level below her - wipes her hands on her silk dress, and greets you brightly. //\"Hi there, it's amazing, isn't it?\"// Yes it is. You're absolutely dazzled. More than once, you've thought about taking a knife to this place, but you've quickly put those thoughts aside. //\"I'm glad you think so. You know, if you play your cards right, one day, it will be your art hanging in a hall like this - I just know it.\"// Play my cards right for another century? And what will the reward be, a sticker on the frame, and money I won't see? Will the Foundation still exist, then? //\"I'll have to be in the library in twenty; the documents are part of the tour also. But we can talk for a bit more if you want.\"// The Foundation sure likes to dangle their carrots in front of you while they yank your leash every which way. Still, you'll do well to get on her good side, if you want to get on her boss's good side. ", )) (set: $convoGalaRestlessness to it + 1) (if: $convoGalaRestlessness > 2)[(set: $convoGalaRestlessness to 1)] (print: _convo's $convoGalaRestlessness) ] (else-if: $lastGala is "Gala D1e")[ (set: _convo to (a: "You sit down by an elderly man in wool, and he puts his cane away to make space for you. He asks how you've been holding up - you seem wobbly. You tell him that you're doing fine, much better. He chuckles and tells you that he envies your youth. Youth? Yes, youth. You'll still live a long, long time, but his time is nearly up. You dare not ask why he thinks so. You simply sit and listen to the music and watches shadows dance in the fog.", "A couple calls out to you from the fog. //\"Stranger, come sit with us!\"// The man says. //\"Don't worry, we're not like that. We simply want to celebrate,\"// the woman clarifies. Somewhat tipsy, you walk over to their table and sit down. The man orders one drink for you and another for himself. //\"Oh, I just want to shout, haha,\"// the woman giggles. //\"The oracle has just told us that we'd conceive by the end of this year!\"// //\"We've been through rounds after rounds of IVFs, and my mother is getting so impatient,\"// her man adds. //\"You have no idea how good this is.\"// Indeed, you have no idea. If luck is on your side, you will never have to, and you're not just referring to the IVF either. What kind of blessing that would cause you to spill these things to a stranger? You'd sooner crawl underground. //\"Here's to Baby Connor - cheers!\"//", )) (set: $convoGalaRestlessness to it + 1) (if: $convoGalaRestlessness > 2)[(set: $convoGalaRestlessness to 1)] (print: _convo's $convoGalaRestlessness) ] (else-if: $lastGala is "Gala D2e")[ (set: _convo to (a: "A man is raising his glass at you, and you walk over. He seems almost shocked. //\"Are you here alone?\"// You shake your head. //\"I see. Let me guess, you and your husband are...\"// You tell him that you don't have a husband. He squints his bloodshot eyes, as if thinking, //\"Ah, should have known.\"// You point out the gold ring on his finger, which he does not hide. In answer, he throws a glance in the direction of the maze's entrance, grinning like a school girl, one with a mustache and belly. //\"Whatever your deal is... Well, my deal is that I like to talk about it. If you have the time to sit here and listen...\"//", "A group of older women (which is to say, your age) are sitting in the foyer, debating. //\"You there,\"// one of them waves you over. //\"You seem like the artsy type. Tell us, do you think that a Levitzky would be unsuitable for a home with modern furnishing?\"// One of her friends seems to be glaring at you. You say that it depends - which Levitzky piece? And how \"modern\" are we talking? Of course, you already have your answer, but this is a good delay tactic. //\"See? It's a tedious road you're going down. You won't settle this by figuring out whose house deserves it best.\"// //\"Then how do you suggest we settle this?\"// After a pause, they all burst out laughing. //\"What are we, teenagers in boarding school?\"// //\"Don't mind us, dear,\"// one of them tell you. //\"Come take a seat. We'll have many more things that require your umpireship. By the way, don't you have to wear a mask?\"//", )) (set: $convoGalaRestlessness to it + 1) (if: $convoGalaRestlessness > 2)[(set: $convoGalaRestlessness to 1)] (print: _convo's $convoGalaRestlessness) ] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Push on, past the limit of your patience.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (goto: $lastGala) ](print: $attRestlessness's gain) <li>(link: "Politely disengage.")[(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "ordering heavy liquor")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $stateGala is 0)[Before facing down Katherine, you order a strong drink. ](else-if: $stateGala is 4)[Before making others - important men - do things for you; you ought to have a strong drink. ](else-if: $stateGala is 7)[Memories bubble up at the thought of one of those red doors. You ought to wash them back down with //actual// cognac. ] The bartender pours you a stiff, unmixed, un-iced glass of (link-reveal: "something amber.")[(show: ?amber)] [ Several flutes of champage ago, you thought you had it in you to do what was needed. But now that your tongue is thick, and your throat is sour, you are (link-reveal: "no less timid")[(show: ?timid)] than how you were when you first stepped in those doors. [ How did you ever put up with it before - the pointless talking, the shameless conniving, the ability to simply take from others what you required, and worse of all, the need to believe that you deserved anything? Ah, you were constantly inebriated.]<timid|(hide: ?timid) That's the problem: You're too sober now. That was the most awful aspect of your bed-ridden days, wasn't it - that you had to witness each ticking of the clock with full and clear sobreity. That was why you couldn't bring yourself to believe in anything, to do what was needed. (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0)[ But now, your head is full of ideas, impressions, notions of what is possible... (if: $stateGala is 0)[Most urgent of which is that you //can// face Katherine.](else-if: $stateGala is 4)[that you //can// demand a mere event director's attention. Soon, you will have the attention of those far more important than him.](else-if: $stateGala is 7)[that you //can// step into the wolves' den and make it out. After all, did you not survive your twenties, when you were still ripe? Who would want a bite of this bruised and tired hide anymore? It is only memories, and they cannot hurt you.] ] Isn't that why you've ordered this drink?]<amber|(hide: ?amber) --- <ol> (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0)[<li>(link: "Swig that swill.")[ (print: $attInspiration's useEffect) (dialog: [Your inspiration swims far away, and you watch it goes with pride, like a tearful mother at the piers, waving at her war-bound son.], "You deserve others' time.") (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (goto: $lastGala) ] (Let your ''inspiration'' swim. Visualize a more ''confident'' version of yourself.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Swig that swill.~~ (What are you going to drink to? Certainly nothing ''inspiring''.)] <li>(link: "Leave it. There's more where that came from.")[(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "destressing")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (unless: $stateGala is 7)[You wait until you are alone, then you recline on the velvet divan.] (else:)[Though it is crowded, you greedily occupy a whole divan, and that is enough to make the other patrons stay away.] Your shrink taught you to perform (link-reveal: "relaxation exercises")[ - (inhale) grip your hands, then curl your arms, then uncurl, then relax (exhale), one finger at a time, (inhale) paying close attention to how your will (exhale) directly translates to an easing of the muscle, noticing (inhale) how much in-control (exhale) you are -] and for that, (link-reveal: "you resent him.")[ What he taught you was to kill //the will itself//, to adopt the cadence and habits of ungulates, of the grass they chew, of dirt. It is the will that produces this restless spark in order to motivate the flesh into //being a person// and not merely organic matter. Are you wrong? Did you not cure yourself of your years-long malaise? Did you not will yourself into life and climb into the Foundation's graces by that fury alone? This velvet on your fingers is real, and that is sufficient testament. You know yourself well enough: To quiet the mind, in exchange for meager peace, is to sand it down to a dull stump. Contentment does not heal; contentment is a little death. But like sleep, one must sometimes court death, so that one can be reborn more capable. It is then that the exercises become useful.] --- <ol> (if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[<li>(link: "Rest. Not think. Let the stress drain away.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's useEffect) (dialog: [Your hands brush the divan's velvet, and life slips through your fingers. A warm and bitter peace replaces it, and you feel your mind lessening, like a digit had just vanished. You've willed this. Happy?], "No, just content.") (print: $attProgress's gainEffect) (goto: $lastGala) ] (Less ''stress'', more ''satisfaction''.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Rest. Not think. Let the stress drain away.~~ (Listless, maybe, but you're not ''stressed'' enough to just sit around.)] <li>(link: "Stand back up. Do something useful.")[(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "perusing inspiring materials")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (unless: $stateGala is 5 or it is 6)[You are (link-reveal: "flipping through a heavy catalog")[(show:?catalog)] of the Foundation's private collection.] (else:)[On a microfilm reader, you are (link-reveal: "skimming past commentaries on old artworks")[(show:?catalog)], most of which are in the Foundation's possession.] [ Your preferred way of browsing is to not gaze, but look for only a second and close your eyes, holding the after-images in your imagination and letting them bloom. It allows you to keep a safe distance and not be burnt by the works' splendor.]<catalog|(hide: ?catalog) The mad dead have (link-reveal: "seen the light.")[ You've always found in the old masters a surreptitious sympathy, a mutual knowledge of the un-utterable, a masquerading decadence which stretches back thousands of years, long lost kins nodding at one another after Death has had his due. They saw the flowing Promethean fire. They were children of the Dawn.] And you: What have you done? Are you satisfied with what you are, enough to imagine yourself worthy of the light? --- <ol> (if: $attProgress's qt > 0)[<li>(link: "Be momentarily lost in a dream.")[ (print: $attProgress's useEffect) (dialog: [Contentment, no matter how firmly built, erodes in the tides, the gales, the breath, the kisses of Creation. Those inexorable winds carve into your mind a new form, a new icon to strive towards.], "Inspiration.") (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (goto: $lastGala) ](To be ''inspired'' is to be less ''content''.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Be momentarily lost in a dream.~~ (Without a base level of ''contentment'', the winds of inspiration will blow you away.)] <li>(link: "Leave the materials alone.")[(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "touring the Old Collection")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Tailing behind a group of patrons into the Old Collection, you walk past rooms overflowing with (link-reveal: "priceless art")[, which reminds you of those streetside vendors you saw in Cairo, only better labelled and air-conditioned. The more you see, the more the line between archivalship and hoarding (link-reveal: "blurs.")[ This is a veritable treasure, and it spills from all corners of this cavern. Your eyes are watering, and your nose is stinging. Everything seems to slither and slide. You try to focus on (link-reveal: "something concrete.")[ (either: "Here sits a (link-reveal: \"urinal\")[ that the tour director claims to be R. Mutt’s //original// and not a reproduction, never mind the impossibility of that. When a patron expresses his doubt, the director helpfully points out that they have proof in the archive. You find yourself wondering if the valuation of this “original”, even if true, is (link-reveal: \"missing the point.\")[ But you also know what price such a claim can fetch, and it is always the price that retroactively gives art its value, (link-reveal: \"never the idea itself.\")[ Ideas are cheap, unfortunately.(show: ?choices)]]]", "You come across several (link-reveal: \"Cézanne pieces\")[, never displayed anywhere else. You gaze at the swatches of color so angular, so cruel that they give the (link-reveal: \"impression of knifework at first\")[, but a closer inspection reveals them to be gentle but decisive strokes of a brush. If these were forgeries, they were accomplishments in and of themselves. Katherine was (link-reveal: \"the exact opposite\")[. She used nothing but the knife. Everything she did with that edge was caresses.(show: ?choices)]]]", "In one section, a singular painting dominates an entire wall - what appears to be Wyeth’s (link-reveal: \"//Christina’s World//\")[. Although, it is far too large and not quite the painting you’ve seen in New York. Instead of a gray house in the distance, it is a bald hill, lit by a crimson impression of dawn. (link-reveal: \"It has a gravity of its own.\")[ You perch on the balls of your feet, thinking that if you crane your neck far enough, you might be able to see the fire that hides behind the horizon’s curves. And if you lose balance and fall, you might be met with a carpet of dry grass. The plaque (link-reveal: \"says\")[ that the artist is “A. Olson”.(show: ?choices)]]]", "You feel at home in the (link-reveal: \"neoclassicist section.\")[ Dr. Specht had been an avid scholar of Jacques-Louis David, though you had the impression that the old professor was more interested in David’s vision of antiquity much more than of David, his ostensible object of study. You were (link-reveal: \"twenty\")[ when you accompanied Specht to Athens. His gout flared up, and you stayed with him in the hotel room and couldn’t go anywhere interesting. But you weren’t all that interested in the ruins anyhow, (link-reveal: \"not back then.\")[ You were more interested in torturing the old man.(show: ?choices)]]]", "There is a sketchbook alleged to belong to (link-reveal: \"William Blake.\")[ Your heart flutters a little as you recognize those fine lines, which strangely takes on a rough and insistent quality as paint is laid atop of them, so often seen in Blake’s paintings. It is as though Blake’s pencil has said enough, and color is only the excess light which is expelled from a form that is already too full, too firm. You’ve seen his pencil work in London before, but (link-reveal: \"never these.\")[ Though you cannot flip the book yourself, you can peruse the digital scans on a touch display next to the glass box. Several pages depict the nude forms and compositions that would undoubtedly have been precursors to the (link-reveal: \"Great Red Dragon\")[, only that the year is, variously, 1818, 1820, 1821, and so on - long after the last of the dragons have been painted. For a few like him, it is (link-reveal: \"never finished.\")[(show: ?choices)]]]]", "You walk and walk until (link-reveal: \"mankind’s oldest endeavors reveal themselves to you.\")[ Tens of thousands of years ago, people huddled in their caves, gazed at empty stone, and saw in it (link-reveal: \"their will made manifest.\")[ In a glass cage sits a rock, which has dislodged from a cave in Argentina, upon which the ancients laid their hands and (link-reveal: \"spat pigment from their mouths.\")[ You see the silhouette of an adult hand, around your size, and within it is (link-reveal: \"another\")[, smaller hand.(show: ?choices)]]]]", ) [ By the time you exit, your chest is heavy, but your head is light - one up, one down, ripping themselves apart at the neck. You hide in one corner to compose yourself. --- <ol> <li>(link: "What is this emotion?")[ (set: $dice to (random: 1,3)) (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0)[(set: $dice to 1)]  (if: $dice is 1)[ (dialog: [So, this ancient burden falls on your frail shoulders. Fate is cruel, and fate does not select its best people. If your body was more robust and beautiful, if your mind was more diamond-like, perhaps you could march towards the dawn with surer steps. Alas, your path is littered with the dry bones and desiccated sap of those greater than you.], "And still, you're cursed to carry that flame!") (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect) ]  (if: $dice >= 2)[ (dialog: [Long after the ever-present ants, the blind, idiot worms, the devouring mycelia have taken their flesh and scattered their minds to the stars, their art still echoes across time. And yet, how many artworks have been forgotten? How many more left to swim in the natal sea of the mind? They are all gone. To have tomorrow is the envy of all the greats, and tomorrow, when you are with Her, you will paint.], "And you will never die.") (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) ] (goto: $lastGala) ] (As your shrink has said, //"What matters most is how you feel about it."//) <li>(link: "Ignore these palpations. What matters is now.")[(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]<choices|(hide: ?choices)]]]

{= (set: $activity to "a private cry")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  You are at your wit's end. (if: $stateGala is 7)[No matter how busy this place is, if the tears must flow, then it will. Over there, you see a candle-lit booth with a movable Japanese paper screen.] (else:)[The foyer is near-empty at this hour, enough so that none would see you lose your mind.] The moment you find privacy, you begin to picture yourself as an overfilled cup, liquid jostling inside you when set down too hastily, (link-reveal: "spilling here and there.")[ And what spills from this cup? Thoughts of your unfinished painting, your teaching job back in Chicago, //"Have you ever fallen in love..."// Specht, your mother and her church, //"Do you ever feel like you’re the only person on Earth?"// (if: $storyAnts's qt >= 3)[Jesse]... Oh, you've never properly cried about anything. You only bottle them up until you can choose your own time, your own place, and only then do they spill out as undifferentiated grief. It saves you time. Saves you your tears.] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Now let them flow.")[ (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [Sobs twist into a silent wail as warm tears caresses your cheeks, like the gentle fingers of the Sun. Yes, you //are// a pathetic creature, and your father was right when he demanded that you stop crying before he'd deign to talk to you. He is not here now, and you've climbed so much further than him.], "Dry your eyes and go be a person.") (goto: $lastGala) ] (And be ''healed'' slightly.) <li>(link: "Dry your eyes and go be a person.")[(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "peeking in")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  You peek inside (link-reveal: "Katherine's exhibition space.")[ Save for the singular light by the exhibit - a column of plastic curtain, like a shower that is too tall - this room is entirely dark and empty. Why is it so barren? Has she not finished setting things up yet? (if: $attConfidence's qt is 0)[A shadow moves inside the curtain. ] You suddenly feel your (cycling-link: "chest tightening", "a constriction around your throat", "a great weight in your feet", "a numbness in your hands"), and a familiar image comes rushing into your mind, a thing you thought you’ve drowned in drinks and sleep. Lakeside, cabin, shower curtains, shaking hands, her... Everything - the walls, the tiles, the faucet, your own flesh - screamed for you to turn back, to leave, to just //stop//, but not her. She alone beckoned for you. (link-reveal: "But you left her, in the end.")[ Here, she has returned to the same scene, (cycling-link: "sentimentally", "lovingly", "hatefully") reproduced by her own hands, with you as its (cycling-link: "long-awaited audience", "one of two actresses", "final missing prop"). And in another room, (cycling-link: "a piece of her", "a fragment of the Sun", "the unborn infant") waits behind velvet curtains for her to reunite with it. How did she know that you’d be here at the gala? What destiny, what fearful symmetry has conspired to twist life into art, and art into life? (link-reveal: "This is why it has to be her.")[ Who else would be so cruel? The moment she stepped foot inside your classroom, the very air became iridescent, and you knew that your fate was sealed. Katherine didn’t skewer her face with so many studs and bars back then, but the invisible lines were already there in her flesh, like (cycling-link: "pencil sketches on canvas", "surgical marker on a cadaver", "a butcher’s marker on a carcass"). You saw those lines. You’d close your eyes and see (cycling-link: "her languid under a crimson gleam", "supple waves under twinkling starlight", "a daughter of the Sun"). You shook and stammered around her. She smiled and whispered, (link-reveal: "//”Go ahead. Look all you want. Here.”//")[ What kind of face would you see when you part those curtains? Would it be a glad face? Or would it scream and spit at you? (show:?choices) ]]]] [ --- <ol> (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "March in. Part the curtain.")[ (set: $lockKey1 to true) (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (set: $stateGala to 1) (goto: "Gala Key 1a") ] (Takes considerable ''confidence''.) ] (else:)[<li>~~March in. Part the curtain.~~ (You're not ''confident'' enough. Perhaps you should wander, talk, have a few drinks, and not act like you've made a beeline to Katherine. It makes you look desperate.)] <li>(link: "Step away.")[(set: $lockKey1 to true)(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]<choices|(if: $lockKey1 is false)[(hide: ?choices)]

{= (set: $activity to "asking for help")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]   (set: _number to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _number to it + 1)(if: _number >= 3)[(show: ?handler)]") Now, who might be able to help you? (link: "A catering staff?")[ You turn to the nearest staff member and ask if they can help you open the gallery door - you need to get through to the garden. But they are too busy setting down and straightening the Union flags to respond to your pleas. You speak too quietly anyhow. _trigger] (link: "A security guard?")[ You approach a masked guard and ask for his help with the gallery door. He listens to you and nods, but you realize that he has been listening to his earpiece when he turns away and hurries towards the door. The last few guests are arriving, and they're definitely more important than you. _trigger] (link: "The masked assistant?")[ You tap the masked assistant’s shoulder several times before she breaks away from her notepad, a hint of annoyance on her lips, which a rehearsed smile quickly replaces. You tell her that you need to get to the garden. Hesitantly, she says, //“I’m sorry, but it’s policy that no-one other than staff members enters the back area at this hour. You understand.”// _trigger] [(link: "Rattle the door; see if it will magically open.")[ Frustrated, you return to gallery and pull on its door handles, hoping that it'd magically open (or someone inside will hear you and help). As you do, you feel moist fingers on your arms, seizing you. It is your handler - the balding bastard - a phenotypic copy of your department chair in Chicago. //“My dear, let me show you your place. The opening ceremony is about to begin.”// As you are about to tell him what you need, you (link-reveal: "stop yourself.")[ You don’t want to owe this man any favor. He must already believe you’re indebted to him for his role in getting you this far. Otherwise, his hands wouldn’t wander down to your waist as he leads you towards the crowd. //“I’d love to spend some time with you, but alas, I am one of today’s speakers, and I don't want to disappoint our patrons. You don't want that either, right? Right. Fret not, we can always catch up over some cognac later tonight.”// You grit your teeth and watch him leave. (link-reveal: "Katherine is not among the crowd.")[ She is still waiting for you. --- (link: "Stay in place and listen to the speeches.")[ (set: $stateGala to 2) (set: $lockKey2 to true) (dialog: [The opening speeches is about to begin. Do what you must to pass the time, and pray that by the time they're done, your opportunity has not evaporated.], "OK.") (goto: "Gala D1a") ] (Go on, now.) ]]] ]<handler|(hide: ?handler)

{= (set: $activity to "listening to the speeches")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  The current speaker is (set: _number to (random: 1,6)) (set: _speaker to (a: " a well-known oilman who has gone on the news to advocate against normalizing relations with the Republic of Texas.", " a starlet-turned-natalist. She talks about birth rate statistics with the same tone she talks about her baby bump.", " a Valley financier that you don’t recognize (but really, how many of them do you know?), who claims “his” company will solve loneliness once and for all.", " an old lawyer known for taking “indefensible” cases.", " an art critic who claims he has been ousted from his post by a “concerted anti-intellectual campaign”.", " a former army general whose favorite word is “crisis”." )) (print: _speaker's _number) (set: _patronText to (dm: "future patron_patronUpdate", " But what good are patrons if there is no art to patronize? ", "way back into the light_patronUpdate", " But look at how dim their faces are. They know the light no more than a month a lamp. ", "master_patronUpdate", " Many have sought to be your master, but only you can enslave yourself. ", )) (set: _patronUpdate to "(replace: ?patron)[(print: _patronText's _patron)]") You know you should be acting like you care. Any of these people might be your (cycling-link: bind _patron, "future patron_patronUpdate", "way back into the light_patronUpdate", "master_patronUpdate"). [ But what good are patrons if there is no art to patronize? ]<patron| You only have thoughts for (cycling-link: "Katherine", "the painting", "the chorus of angels congregating around the Sun"). If your years of solitude have taught you anything, it is that one can sustain her soul on dewdrops and dawnlight alone, and worldly concerns should only matter insofar as the body is still capable of work. It has also taught you that the mind can be quite asleep, even if the eyes are open, and time, unbounded by attention, rushes on and on like a flood. --- <ol> (if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[<li>(link: "Space out while listening.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's useEffect) (set: $GalaKey3Speech to it + 1) (if: $GalaKey3Speech is 3)[(set: $stateGala to 3)(set: $lockKey3 to true)] (goto: "Gala Key 3a") ] (Time goes by quick given ''restless'' thoughts.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Space out.~~ (You're not ''restless'' enough. Patience is forcing you to experience every trite word, every inane second.)] <li>(link: "Turn towards the crowd.")[(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "asking the dinner guests for help")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  You (link-reveal: "ask your tablemates")[(show: ?hidden1)] whom you could talk to if you want to get inside the gallery early. [ //“Ooh, someone’s impatient. And here I thought she was enjoying my company,”// one of the ladies at your table chirps. No, you enjoy her just fine, but still, you (link-reveal: "ask again.")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ //“Why don’t you live a little? The scallop tartare is simply *muah*. You should (link-reveal: "try some!")[(show: ?hidden3)]”// ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“Don’t rush the poor dear. She’s still (link-reveal: "working on her soup.")[(show: ?hidden4)]”// ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ //“Rush her? I’m trying to help! She’s all (link-reveal: "skin-and-bones!")[(show: ?hidden5)]”// ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ Enough. You say that you’re here for the art, and you’ve (link-reveal: "no stomach for food.")[(show: ?hidden6)] ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ //“Yes, yes, you’re here for the art; I’m here for the art; everyone’s here for the art,”// Scott Dunn says, annoyed that his story has been interrupted. You can hear an echo in his voice: That he’s heard an insinuation, intentional or not, that he and the rest of them are not truly serious. It hurts him. Now, you want to (link-reveal: "say it out loud.")[(show: ?hidden7)] ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6) [ //“Do not snap at your elders, Mr. Dunn,”// the woman sitting next to him gives him a swat on the arm. Then, she turns to you and says, //“Don’t mind him dearie. I’m as anxious as you are to get in. There’s a piece that I’ve got my eyes on as well. (link-reveal: "She’ll be so pretty in my bedroom.")[(show: ?hidden8)]”// ]<hidden7|(hide: ?hidden7) [ They don’t know who you are. They think you’re a connoisseur. The others are looking at you, and when they’ve looked enough, they silently and collectively decide that you can’t afford to outbid them, and thus, you are harmless. //“If I were you, I’d cozy up to… erm,”// she wiggles a gloved finger at her friend, trying to get a name out of her, but the friend only stares at her. //“The event director. You know, (link-reveal: "the silver fox.")[(show: ?hidden9)]”// ]<hidden8|(hide: ?hidden8) [ //“Hah! Don’t be so obvious!”// Her friend gasps, mortified. //“But yes, he’s in the ''library''. Men like him are always so busy, tsk.”// --- (link: "Library, got it. Thanks.")[(set: $lockKey4 to true)(set: $stateGala to 4)(goto: $lastGala)](Head out.) ]<hidden9|(hide: ?hidden9)

{= (set: $activity to "peeking in")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $lockKey7 is false)[ (link-reveal: "//“Shit.”//")[ You see Lia tossing a bundle of cables on her machine in frustration, and it makes a hollow and (link-reveal: "metallic bang.")[ //“... hack -tzzt- don’t -tzzt- deserve…”// //“Yeah, yeah, what’s new, you old box of bolts?”// She mutters. Someone else in the room, someone occluded, (link-reveal: "offers her a lighter.")[ (link-reveal: "Click.")[ She takes a long drag from (link-reveal: "her cigarette.")[ //“You were fine this afternoon…”// As you try to see who the other person is, you suddenly feel like a little child, hiding in her parents’ closet while the adults on the other side are shouting, throwing plates, and finally, after a long struggle, silently smoking. (link-reveal: "But you shouldn’t feel this way.")[ You’re old now, and (cycling-link: "you’re no longer that little voyeur", "you’ve got things to do", "you know better than to bother an artist at work", "you are dead to your mother", "your father is dead(show:?hidden1)"). ]]]]]] ] (else:)[Peeking inside, you see that Lia Gradec is transfixed with the dials on her machine. Someone else is with her, but you cannot make out who that is. Crane your neck, tilt your head, whatever it is, you must know. There's no shame in it.] [ (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt <= 0)[Ah, but why sneak? You do have a legitimate reason to be here: Katherine. You've been bumbling around and around, dumbly following a trace, and that all trouble should earn you the right to be a bother.] (else:)[But it is shameful, all this sneaking and peeping. You've always been little, tiny, miniscule, even, but you somehow always manage to get in others' way.] You're going mad with questions: Is it Katherine in there? Did she lose her patience waiting for you and went to Lia instead? Did they… come here together? No, you (link-reveal: "cannot bear that thought.")[(show: ?choices) //“Let’s try again,”// the other person speaks. A woman. ]]<hidden1|(if: $lockKey7 is false)[(hide: ?hidden1)] [ --- <ol> (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt <= 0)[ <li>(link: "Step inside Lia's space.")[ (set: $lockKey7 to true) (set: $stateGala to 7) (goto: "Gala Key 7a") ] (Yes, you're ''shameless'' enough to disturb an artist at work.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Approach Lia.~~ (Lia seems busy, and you're not ''shameless'' enough to disturb her.)] <li>(link: "Leave Lia alone.")[(set: $lockKey7 to true)(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]<choices|(if: $lockKey7 is false)[(hide: ?choices)]

{= (set: $activity to "observing the meeting room")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (link: "You're looking at the meeting room from a distance.")[It is as though someone had moved an entire mid-century art deco boardroom from Manhattan, along with its security detail, and dropped it in the middle of the Washingtonian woods. The row of glass windows make it clear that a debate, or a bender, is raging inside.] (link: "The event director is inside.")[The tall, silver-haired man is pacing back and forth with one hand on his hip, the other dabbing his temples with a handkerchief. (link: "The ones who are sitting, however...")[The ones who are sitting - your balding handler among them - seem much more relaxed, even amused at their colleague’s expense. The assistant, with her mask off, is hoisted on a cabinet, lips parted, staring into nowhere. You can hazard a guess as to who is part of the Darkbloom Foundation, and who is their catering partner (or is it a shell company? A front? Dr. Specht once explained to you, but that was too long ago). Things are so convoluted with these institutions that you cannot even recall hearing the name "Darkbloom" once tonight.]] (link: "He seems stressed.")[You’ve directed events before, but you cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to be in the silver-haired man’s shoes, catering to the Foundation’s every whims. (link: "You don't intend to find out.")[You don’t intend to find out; your ambition is to be one of those sitting down, not the one sweating and marching to an unpredictable beat. But you //are// sweating. How could you not? In that room are a handful of people whose names you do not know, but whose favor you’ve been trying to curry. You are a wild animal longing to climb into their cage.]] (set: _number to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _number to it + 1)(if: _number > 3)[(set: _number to 1)](replace: ?key)[(print: _key's _number)](if: _number is 3)[(show: ?choices)]") (link-rerun: "But where’s your key?")[_trigger] (set: _key to (a: " Ah, it is upstairs, unfinished. ", " It waits for you in the garden by the lake. ", " It is steaming in the pocket of a very sweaty, very stressed man. ", )) []<key| [Whatever is going on inside, you’ll have to be in the middle of it. What are you going to do, dawdle like you’ve been for all these years? --- <ol> (if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Gather courage, barge in, and ask for that favor.")[ (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) (set: $lockKey5 to true) (set: $stateGala to 5) (goto: "Gala Key 5a") ] (Takes considerable ''confidence''.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Gather courage, barge in, and ask for that favor.~~ (You're not ''confident'' enough to interrupt them.)] <li>(link: "Not yet...")[(set: $lockKey5 to true)(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]<choices|(if: $lockKey5 is false)[(hide: ?choices)]

{= (set: $activity to "approaching the oracle")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  As you step up to the gazebo, your heart begins to race and stumble upon itself, and it stops completely when (if: $lockKey6 is true)[//she//](else:)[the oracle] turns towards you, metal beads clacking, feathers puffing up like an animal in wait. (if: $lockKey6 is true)[ (link: " ...")[(show: ?choices)]] (if: $lockKey6 is false)[ (link: "//“Greetings.”//")[//“Greetings,”// her voice reverberates inside the bird mask. //“You’ve come to confess.”// (link-reveal: "Kathy?")[ The oracle tilts her head, silent. (link-reveal: "Kathy!")[ The feathers rustle, as though she is chuckling. (link-reveal: "Ah, so that’s how it is.")[ You try again: There is a girl here among the crowd, but she is lonesome. Her countenance is so perfect that she must mutilate it so the angels - that hateful species - will not envy her. And now, she passes like a shadow, though she carries an invisible fire. You’re desperate to talk to her. What must you do? More silence. You can feel those sharp eyes staring at you. You are here now; why must she play coy? (link: " ...")[(show: ?choices)] ]]]] ] [ //“A confession, for an insight,”// she says(if: $lockKey6 is false)[, finally](else:)[ again]. //“Speak passionately, speak dangerously. Else, receive silence.”// Games. Always more games. No, a test, to see if you still remember. You’ve said much in half-belief, but this time, she will know. Anything worth confessing must be winged, but it is also the heaviest thing. So, you’ve buried it. Buried words don’t take flight easily. You must shatter the Earth. --- <ol> (if: $attInspiration's qt > 0 and $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Confess to something Earth-shattering.")[ (print: $attInspiration's useEffect) (print: $attEmbarrassed's useEffect) (set: $lockKey6 to true) (set: $stateGala to 6) (goto: "Gala Key 6a")] (''Shameful'' is the light of ''inspiration''.)  ] (else:)[<li>~~Confess to something Earth-shattering.~~ (Either you have ''nothing inspiring'' to say, or you are ''still shameless'' about it.)] <li>(link: "Step away from the oracle's gazebo.")[(set: $lockKey6 to true)(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol> ]<choices|(hide: ?choices)

{= (set: $activity to "trying to get into the maze")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (if: $lockKey8 is false)[ (link-reveal: "//“Do you have a prior booking?”//")[ The masked receptionist asks you with a smile, but you feel the guard’s eyes on your back. //“If not, you can leave a note with me, and I’ll find you.”// She presents you with a notepad - the same paper as the note you found in Katherine’s room, the one that instructed you to so fruitlessly search for her in the garden. (link-reveal: "You excuse yourself and back down.")[ You need time to think. This used to be so much easier when you were younger and with company. You might have to camp out here until Katherine comes out. But by then… You don’t want to think about it. It’s never too late. You must never stop. You need a way to get in. Watching from the foyer, (link-reveal: "you see a man")[ - the former senator who spoke at the opening ceremony - coming up to the receptionist and leaving his note on her desk. She passes it onto her colleagues. Moments later, an attendant appears from behind the curtains and leads the senator into the maze. You remember talking to someone who claimed to be the senator’s daughter. (link-reveal: "Where is she?")[ She might be able to help you. There she is, out in the balcony seat with a group of women like her, having a grand time. Oh, another attendant appears next to her with a tray and a mask. Her friends fall silent as she dons the lacey thing over her face and leaves with the attendant, who leads her into a curtained side entrance so well hidden that even you, with your keen eyes, would have missed. (link-reveal: "It’s all so tiring.")[ When you were her age, you were dazzled and tantalized by all kinds of sights. You did the song and dance, too. But now, you see only a sole light at the end of a long and dark tunnel, and your feet are tired. (set: _think to "(set: _number to it + 1)(if: _number > 3)[(set: _number to 1)](replace: ?options)[(print: _options's _number)](if: _number is 3)[(show: ?hidden1)]") (set: _number to 0) (set: _options to (a: " - write down something false and wander away once you’re led inside?", " - approach one of the lonely drunks out in the foyer bar?", " - ask your handsy handler for //another// favor?" )) As you’re (link-rerun: "contemplating how to get in")[_think] []<options|[ - you realize that the side entrance - likely reserved for service staff and products - is (link-reveal: "less guarded.")[(show: ?sneak)]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]]]]] ] (else:)[ There are the occasional staff entering or exiting the curtains of the side entrance, so out of the way that it is almost invisible. Other than that, few keep watch of that corner. Katherine is somewhere in that maze. ] [ You are small, wearing black, and a perpetual twilight veils these lounges. You will crawl and skitter unseen, strung forward by a singular fixation. And in darkness, you will work. This has always been the way. --- (link: "Sneak into the maze.")[ (set: $lockKey8 to true) (goto: "Gala Key 8x") ] ]<sneak|(if: $lockKey8 is false)[(hide: ?sneak)]

{= (set: $activity to "unveiling")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The first-comers groan as though they’ve stepped in manure, which they may have, judging by the smell. The reason for all of this becomes apparent once you’ve crossed the threshold into (link-reveal: "Scott Dunn’s exhibition space.")[ (set: _a to 0) (set: _b to 0) (set: _trigger to "(if: _a >= 4 and _b >= 4)[(show: ?hidden1)]") (set: _aTrigger to "(set: _a to it + 1)_trigger") (set: _bTrigger to "(set: _b to it + 1)_trigger") (cycling-link: "Standing everywhere _aTrigger", "Sitting everywhere _aTrigger", "Prostrating around you _aTrigger", "Balancing on odd configurations of limbs _aTrigger",) are (cycling-link: "statues_bTrigger", "models_bTrigger", "human figures_bTrigger", "bodies_bTrigger",)[, each fixed onto stone pedestals, which are carved the opulent style of Corinthian columns. This decorative detail, as well as their regular spacing, recall a museum of antiquity. Meanwhile, the harsh spotlights give the feeling of a fashion runway or a mall. But all of this cannot hide (link-reveal: "the hideous fact of what’s on display.")[ It is plain - their pale faces, their blackened digits, their yellow bellies, and most obvious of all, their postures - that Mister Scott Dunn has somehow managed to procure the cadavers of the so-called (link-reveal: "“mannequin syndrome” victims.")[ Here is a naked man in his fifties whose sagging skin has grown blotchy and full of dark blisters. Your own experience with anatomical cadavers informs you that these wounds are post-mortem. Perhaps insects and carrion birds had found him before whichever of Dunn’s associates did. Or, these might be burn marks from a haphazard freezing process. His face is slack, and his outstretched arms form a (link-reveal: "perpendicular angle.")[ //“Given the political and cultural climate, of which we here are well aware, I am forced to look to Nietzsche’s…”// Scott is eagerly explaining his project to a group of patrons who are desperate for any distraction so they don’t have to look at the bodies on display. Why the pageantry? Artists aren’t expected to give presentations tonight, that is your understanding. Or they //are//, and you're simply ill-prepared? No, the art must speak for itself, and this "art" speaks only vulgarity. You follow your morbid curiosity to (link-reveal: "a body further in.")[ This one, a woman with one arm raised to the ceiling, is missing her lower jaw. You suddenly remember that you haven’t managed to throw up the alcohol, which now hatefully ferments in your throat, so you hurry away. (link-reveal: "Disgusting.")[ But that has always been the case with art, which is as much a display of one’s rich sensibilities as it is a display of what one can afford to do. Indeed, one must be very well-positioned to procure the corpses of those whose less-than-fortunate families can neither search for nor buy back. One must be very wealthy to loudly proclaim, while choked in the miasma of rot, that, //“True art should challenge any conventional notion of morality.”// … And a true artist should never be so eager to offer up (link-reveal: "words in place of art.")[ But the public, the fearful masses, will cling onto words and suckle from platitudes so that they do not have to contend with what their eyes can see, their ears can hear, and sometimes, what their noses can smell. When they see your painting, they will fall mute. //“... We have a duty to lead humanity into a better future, and this installation should be a reminder of what would become of us all if we fail our charge.”// The crowd mumble, half-impressed at the boy’s ability to keep a straight face, wanting, or rather needing, to believe that there must be some sense to all of this, that it can all be subsumed under something neat and elevated, something that they already are doing, which is to say (link-reveal: "to peruse and purchase.")[ You can already picture it. Here, take this curled-up little girl for example. She will find her final resting place in a formaldehyde tank, a piss-gold trophy under the basement of a mansion not unlike this one. Or, if one of those freaks from the Valley get to her, it will be a nitrogen coffin instead, put to rest with the promise that once technology advances enough, she will be resurrected, at which point she will be interrogated for all that she has (link-reveal: "witnessed of the other side of the veil.")[ She will say that the Sun resides there, and those self-styled saviors of humanity will be disappointed, for (link-reveal: "they will not understand her.")[ You haven't seen Katherine anywhere. The crowd is already moving onto the next room. --- (link: "Follow them.")[(set: $stateGala to 9)(set: $lockKey9 to true)(goto: $lastGala)] (Exit this exhibition.) ]]]]]]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]

{= (set: $activity to "unveiling")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Lia’s room is austere, the fluorescent bulbs clinical. The bulk of (link-reveal: "her machine")[ has been pushed to one corner of the room, hidden inside a plywood cubicle, and the cables are secured to the walls to prevent anyone from tripping. Perching on the exposed pipes and frames of the dropped ceiling are (link-reveal: "blinking devices")[, craning their necks, tracking each guest with compound eyes like glistening hives. The pantsuited woman, now among the crowd, gives Lia a thumbs up. Lia nods and (link-reveal: "marches to the middle of the room.")[ //“You will begin to hear sounds audible only to you. However, it is recommended that you keep a distance of five feet from each other. Since space is limited, please proceed in small groups only - a staff member will help you. If you find the experience distressing, please wait in the hallway.”// The first group hesitantly (link-reveal: "steps up to a clearing.")[ The crowd murmurs. You watch as the nervous smirk disappears from a man’s face. A woman jerks around the room in confusion, then covers her ears. Another woman leers at Lia as though she has personally insulted him. You, however, hear (link-reveal: "nothing.")[ //“Nothing here is prerecorded. Next group, please.”// The staff (link-reveal: "ushers the next few people up")[, who are much less eager than the first group. A man begins to grin widely. A woman falls into her man’s arms, both of them sobbing, saying, //“It is her. It is her.”// Another man immediately walks towards Lia. She closes her eyes. The security guards escort him out. //“Keep in mind that we do not store the content of what’s being played.”// (link-reveal: "//“What a waste!”//")[ Says the grinning man as he beckons his companion from the crowd. //“Come, you’ve got to check this out.”// The other man - one of the speakers from earlier, an investment fund manager - approaches his partner. His eyes slowly widen. He reaches into his pocket, produces a name card, and hands it to the artist. //“Forget this place. Have your people call me.”// And with that, the crowd (link-reveal: "seems to burst")[, pushing each other aside to give Lia their own cards or to try to listen for themselves. Furtively, you step forward as well, unable to resist the pull of the many. But then, you feel (link-reveal: "a hand on your shoulder.")[ The pantsuited woman is pulling you back, saying, //“Easy, you’ll just send it into a tizzy again.”// Is she implying that it was your fault that the machine malfunctioned? //“Not the entire thing, no. Just the receivers. Cheap scraps we got off the web. They don’t like noise. The main component - the thinking, desiring thing - is safely elsewhere. It won’t ever fit in this room anyhow.”// An old man is reaching towards the ceiling, as though she might snatch the sound from the air itself. A younger man is loudly reporting what he’s hearing to the others. An old woman is clutching her cross, rocking back and forth. (link-reveal: "You ask her how this is art.")[ //“You know as well as I do that it’s not the frames or the platforms that make something ‘art’; what matters is whether people feel it. What’s the point of art if it’s too oblique?”// So the physical object of art can be skipped altogether? If sensation is the ultimate goal, then how is this different from drugs? //“Don’t you have a drinking problem?”// Again, how does she know? //“I thought so.”// Even as the organizers (link-reveal: "corral people out of the room")[, for this demonstration is over, there are still people asking, or rather pleading to stay and “talk” to it. Lia stuffs the name cards into her backpack. Someone tells her, //“You haven’t patented it, have you? If you need a lawyer, call me. Marketers are going to eat out of your hands.”// (link-reveal: "You don’t know what to think about it")[ - other than it being an insult to everything that is human. But this planet has not been humans’ for most of its existence, and perhaps it has ceased to be, and we simply haven’t noticed because we're too busy entertaining ourselves with worthless novelties. Perhaps it was a mistake to think that Lia was an artist. --- (link: "Follow the crowd out.")[(set: $stateGala to 10)(set: $lockKey10 to true)(goto: $lastGala)] (There's no art here to see.) ]]]]]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "unveiling")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You rush ahead of the crowd into the yawning dark, and the track lights far ahead, which are trained at your painting, (link-reveal: "lazily wakes.")[ For a moment, the air appears to shimmer with a pearlescent glow, twinkling starlight, (link-reveal: "then…")[ a gasp among the crowd, or perhaps it was your own: (link-reveal: "Nothing.")[ There is less than nothing on the wall. There is only an indication that the blankness had not been a mistake, for there //is// (link-reveal: "a canvas.")[ But this canvas is void of paint, perfusing only a dumb, empty white, like the bright grin of some vain hag who just had her veneers done, eager to impress her vapid and bored friends. And what friends they are, these simple sycophants, for they murmur and mime the gestures of shock. The guests overtake you as you drag your feet, the carpet turning into tar underfoot. They crowd around the exhibit, (link-reveal: "talking among themselves.")[ //“How bold! How refreshing!”// (link: "No...")[//“Haven’t Rauschenberg already done something like this?”// (link: "No, no, no!")[//“That’s why it’s so bold! Who would have thought to plagiarize so blatantly, on this very occasion, no less.”// (link: "Stop it, this isn't what the artist intends.")[//“It’s obvious that this is a commentary on-”// (link: "Shut up!")[//“Nothing! There’s nothing to comment on!”// (link: "Shut up, you imbeciles!")[//“Genius!”// (link: "You worms! You insects! You blind, blathering sheeps!")[//“No! Look carefully! See the edges, and right at the middle, too. There is the faintest hint of color.”// (link: "You see nothing!")[//“I see it! I see it! Come, look!”// You pull the masked assistant by the arm away from the crowd. You push her against a far corner, away from all eyes. What has she done to your painting? (link-reveal: "Where is it?")[ //“Let go of me! Do I need to call for the medical staff? Or should I yell for the security instead? What’s wrong with you?”// Call for her manager then, if he is not indisposed. Or better yet, call for the police, for she and her people have (link-reveal: "committed the crime of sabotage against you.")[ //“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Look! That’s your painting. Everyone’s looking at it.”// For a moment, you want to believe her, so you look. That empty thing stares back at you past the forest of heads. From a distance, it looks like someone has forgotten to put up wallpaper in only one rectangular section. Anger flashes, and your ears ring. You turn back to her with (link-reveal: "a smile.")[ //“You're unwell.”// That is clearly not your painting. That is the empty canvas you’ve used to cover your art during the trip here. (link-reveal: "Is that not right?")[ //“Yes, there were two canvases, and you’ve put this one up.”// She’s lying. She’s been yanking you back and forth all morning, and while you were distracted, her people have swapped your painting with this one. There couldn’t have been a mistake because you’ve been (link-reveal: "sending her manager pictures of your painting for a very, very long time.")[ //“You told us you’ve made some last-minute changes to your artwork, that it’d be different from what you’ve documented, and we were very accommodating about that.”// Changes? Come on now. Changes meant a few strokes here and there, not (link-reveal: "obliteration.")[ //“There was nothing to begin with.”// Enough! You don’t know why she has done this, but it is not too late to bring out the real painting. Yes, perhaps you all can act that it has been a part of the plan, and (link-reveal: "everything will be forgiven.")[ //“Really?”// Yes, really. This has been a silly game anyhow. Let’s end it and (link-reveal: "pretend nothing happened.")[ //“Then let go of my arm. I’ll go look for it.”// Alright. Very well. --- (link: "You let her go.")[(goto: "Gala Key 11a")] ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "unveiling")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Following a long line of guests, you enter (link-reveal: "Katherine’s exhibition space.")[ The ambient light has been set to simulate a gray day during a particular Washingtonian autumn, but beside you and the artist, no-one here knows that. Other than that, nothing seems to have changed about the room since you snuck in earlier tonight. Is she even prepared? (link-reveal: "What is she doing?")[ There is a sound of metal dragging against each other. The plastic curtains are opening. The crowd gasps, as is their wont, when they see Katherine standing in the “shower”. You use your last shreds of energy to shove in front for (link-reveal: "a better view.")[ Katherine is entirely naked, rubbing her open palms on her skewered face and her tattooed skin as though she is cleaning herself, rapping against silver scales which adorn her body, making them sing like tiny wind chimes. She is quietly humming a tune strange to anyone but you. Your heart sinks into a pit of magma. These are not scales. They’re fish hooks. Some of them are still dripping tiny rubies. Drunk, desensitized, and desperate for some strong sensation, the guests watch on with a grin. They do not see that the staffs and director are (link-reveal: "scrambling in confusion.")[ //“Miss Zhdanova, this isn’t what we’ve agreed on!”// The director finally calls out. //“Shush, don’t interrupt the artist. Let her work!”// A woman in the crowd answers back. The other guests light up, some must believe the yelling to be part of the performance. Maybe it is. (link-reveal: "//“Look all you want,”//")[ Katherine turns towards the audience, her voice flat and grim. //“I’m not going anywhere.”// //“Oh yeah? How about you give me something to look at? Ha!”// Says a very inebriated man from the crowd, but his companion quickly quiets him. //“There’s no need to be shy. We’re the only ones left on Earth,”// she says, (link-reveal: "opening her arms")[ like wings upon which hangs feathers of metal. You want to run away, but you know she will swoop down and catch you the moment you make it out of that door. //“This is sinful. The dead bodies were one thing, but this…”// An elderly woman shuffles away from the crowd. (link-reveal: "//“Sin is not a crime,”//")[ Katherine says as she reaches upward and catches braided wire, which has been hanging there, though you haven’t noticed when Katherine is so wholly resplendent. //“Crime is humans’ affair; sin is God’s. The day when He comes, all sinners shall be seen to, and we need not worry.”// (link-reveal: "This single line")[ - a part of a common liturgy of adventists everywhere, from occupied Mexico to convents in the Canadian wilds - sets the crowd aghast, and you petrified, as though a swan has just craned its neck back and revealed its row of teeth. (link-reveal: "//“Heretic!”//")[ Bellows a woman. //“As the fig tree blossoms, so too must we prepare the way - not with idle prayers, but with holy labor,”// Katherine continues to weave the wire through the loops of lines lying at her feet, lines that are tied to the hooks on her flesh. //“For every soul redeemed or cast down brings the Trumpet’s blast nearer.”// (link-reveal: "//“Security!”//")[ The director beckons, but the guards have all kneeled. //“The world is a prison of flesh, and we its jailbreakers. By our hands, let the gates of Heaven be shaken loose - for the key is forged by the acts of the Elect!”// The director is parting the crowd, yelling for Katherine to stop. A man laughs and claps as he is shoved away. (link-reveal: "Bravo! Bravo!")[ //“The blood of martyrs watered the early Church; let our acts of devotion water the fields of Tomorrow. He shall come when the cup of iniquity overflows - help us, O Lord, to fill it!”// Her strings are taut now. The director does not know where to begin (link-reveal: "without hurting her.")[ //“Do not be alarmed. This act is meant to show what has been kept from you. No longer will you stare at shapes on your walls; this is what casts that shadow. But you will need to do it by your own hands. A volunteer!”// She is (link-reveal: "staring straight at you.")[ --- <ol> You… <li>(link: "Step up.")[(goto: "Gala Key 12a")] <li>(link: "Step back.")[(goto: "Gala Key 12a")] </ol> ]]]]]]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "searching for Katherine in her room")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  You tell yourself this: However she may feel about you now, neither of you can deny the inexorable march of your twin destinies. You muster your courage and march towards those shower curtains. (link-reveal: "You tear them open.")[ She is not here. The shadow is gone; it was only the movements of the plastic curtains, given life by the ventilation’s breath, dancing in the sole lamp, which now stabs at your eyes like an annoying spotlight. (link-reveal: "There is nothing of note inside")[, other than some power tools, braided wires, and a few loose screws. It's her unveiling, and she's still not done setting up. She didn’t even include the tub, which was the entire point!] Your first thought is that of critique: She calls this “art”? Performances - why does the Foundation think that this drivel is as qualified as your painting? Ah, but you’re sounding like an impatient freshman. How do you respond when they say those things? (link-rerun: "Look carefully, and see how you feel.")[(set: _number to it +1)(if: _number >4)[(set: _number to 1)](replace: ?look)[(print: _feeling's _number)]] (set: _number to 0) (set: _feeling to (a: "You're disappointed. All this trouble, and she isn't even here. Perhaps this is the artist's intent - to perform her own absence? No, Katherine's no hack.", "You're furious. This is what she wants, isn't it - to get back at you for your silence? Your avoidance? Then your anger is as much part of the art as her cold vengeance.", "You're relieved. No-one saw you entering. No-one knew what you were thinking. You had one chance, and that chance had slipped away long ago. It's not too late to turn back, forget about her, and live out the rest of your life in dissatisfaction.", "You’re elated, like a flower blooming. Hope. There it is, stuck to the plastic curtain is a handwritten note:(show: ?feeling)", )) []<look| [ //“Greet me at the lake, in our secret place.”// (link-reveal: "Of course!")[ The shower was only the start of that fateful day so long ago. You wanted to take her to the pebbled shores, where the water was mirror-like. It might not have been this lake, but the lake you stayed at wasn’t it either. It was no lake in particular, for all lakes had their secret places. This is //your// Katherine, alright. Always one for details. Always one for games. But it’s undeniable now. Your fears have been unfounded. She wants to meet you. And more than anything, she wants to pick up where you've left off. --- (link: "Head out.")[(dialog: [You put the note inside your blazer pocket. Katherine is expecting you at the lakeside garden. To get there, you'll have to go through the gallery downstairs.], "OK.")(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc)] ]<feeling|(hide: ?feeling) ]

{= (set: $activity to "in your own head")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]   (set: _onward to "(dialog: [(unless: $GalaKey3Speech >= 3)[Some time has passed, but the events are still not over yet.](else:)[The opening ceremonies are over. Now is the time for feasting in the dining hall.]], \"OK.\")(if: $GalaKey3Speech is 3)[(goto: \"Gala D1a\")](else:)[(goto: $lastGala)]") (if: $GalaKey3Speech is 1)[You picture the Foundation representative saying, //“A woman who needs no introduction…”// as you part a sea of adoring, jealous, and hungry guests. (link-reveal: "What are you wearing?")[ Nothing as dignified as what you’re wearing now, for you will be two decades younger then. And though you pretend to bemoan your thinness, you know well how others would mutilate themselves just to feel how effortlessly a slinky dress slides onto their bodies. Yes, you see that you’re wearing a mini dress of silver sequin. Your long, dark hair has returned, and it is wrapped in a high and proud bun. One bold heckler would shout, //“You’re no artist! You’re art itself!”// (link-reveal: "You berate them:")[ How cheap a compliment. How tepid an insult. But you are neither hurt nor flattered, only disgusted, for you have rid yourself of pretension, of avant-gardeness, of false timidity. This youthful body of yours is primal, and it is of the Earth, the dirt, the grease which sleeps in the soil, which burns, which smokes, which belches, which grinds all worms and drinks all rains. And you will do so while ripping up the dresand tossing the shedded strips at the guests and hissing venomous curses. (link-reveal: "The crowd goes wild.")[ --- (link: "Clap your hands and smile.")[_onward] (Snap out of it. They were applauding someone else.) ]]] ] (else-if: $GalaKey3Speech is 2)[You find yourself imagining what would happen if the chains suspending the grand chandelier were to snap, and the entire glittering thing were to (link-reveal: "fall upon the crowded atrium.")[ How awful it’d be: perfect bodies shredded by perfect crystals; supple marble scarred by blunt-force trauma; corpulent meat pierced with gilding brass and bursting like overripe melons; pomp giving way to a terrified scream or a terrifying silence or a pathetic squish. (link: "If you were to survive...")[If you were to survive such a catastrophe, you will not sue, even if you are maimed. You don’t have the money, and you don’t have the desire to. You can’t conjure up pity for yourself anymore than you can for all these strangers. If it were to happen, you wouldn’t be able to understand why. It simply is one of the things that happens when humans gather under such brilliant light, such incomprehensible weight. --- (link: "Fall back down to Earth.")[_onward] (Snap out of it.) ]] ] (else-if: $GalaKey3Speech is 3)[When the world is still asleep, there is a lonesome light inside a cabin by the lake. (link-reveal: "The cabin door opens.")[ You step out onto the pebbles with Jesse in your arms, sweet Jesse who, when you put her down on the ground, immediately climbs back up your leg. //“You’re hers now. You’re lost to me,”// Kathy chuckles as she follows behind you. Your breath is misting. You ask her if she should wear something - it is chilly outside. //“No, I’m perfectly fine this way,”// she purrs as she scratches Jesse’s chin. (link-reveal: "Then, Jesse perks up.")[ All along the far ranges, there is a crimson thread, a flake of starlight has fallen into her curious eyes. How wonderful it is to be her, to live a life where every day is utterly new. You both settle down on the rocking chairs, Jesse on your lap, and warm dawn kisses your cheeks. You want to tell Kathy how beautiful this is, but you’ve already said it yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and so a smile is enough. //“Hungry yet? Let’s grab something to eat.”// (link-reveal: "No.")[ Not yet. We just got here. //“Come on, let’s go. Everybody is leaving.”// (link-reveal: "What?")[ The guests are scattering from the atrium and heading for the dining hall. The last speech has wrapped up five minutes ago. Your feet are numb from standing in place too long. --- (link: "Head out.")[_onward] (Snap out of it and go find her.) ]]]] ]

{= (set: $activity to "interrupting the meeting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  Tipsy, you (link-reveal: "march inside the meeting room")[(show: ?hidden1)], too fast for the guard to catch you. [ //“Ah! Our honored guest,”// your bald handler stands up, hands outstretched. //“Just when I thought this pow-wow was getting dull.”// The silver-haired director glares at you while his superiors yawn. The assistant immediately puts on her mask and hurries you outside. But you resist, saying that you (link-reveal: "need a favor.")[(show: ?hidden2)] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ One of the Foundation people chuckles. //“A favor? Well, aren’t you hungry,”// your handler places his sticky hand on your skin and lowers his voice. //“But it’s a bit public, is it not? Might I recommend-”// You say in a clear voice that you need to get to the garden - there is (link-reveal: "someone you need to see.")[(show: ?hidden3)] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [ //“The garden oracle won’t be available until nine, miss,”// the event director breaks you from your handler and nods at the hesitant security guard. //“For now, I suggest you enjoy all of the privileges that every one of our guests have.”// You try to explain to him that it is vital to the show, to your art, that you get to the garden. He does not budge. The others have already returned to their drinks and their mutterings. Oh, one day, you too will nurse your drink and coolly watch aspirants barge in and beg and be dragged away. //“Hold on,”// the masked assistant stops you and the director. She holds up a slender wrist and shows her glittering watch. (link-reveal: "//“It is nine.”//")[(show: ?hidden4)] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [ The director lets go, combs back his white hair, and clears his throat. He gives you a curt nod, then strides off towards the atrium like a butler whose master is ringing his bell. //“I better get ready,”// the masked assistant mumbles as she fixes her silk dress. //“You should join our director in the gallery. The tour of the Old Collection is quite an experience! If you wish to browse our microfilm archive, you can find me here in the library… given that I’m not already busy with our patrons. Priorities, you understand.”// (link-reveal: "You nod.")[(show: ?hidden5)] ]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ //“And yes, the garden should be open, though we’d prefer it if you…”// She gazes into your eyes, and you see a glimmer of recognition in hers. (link-reveal: "//“Enjoy.”//")[(show: ?hidden6)] ]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) [ --- (link: "Leave, head out to the atrium.")[(dialog: [The gallery is now open for guests, and so is the lakeside garden.], "OK.")(goto: "Gala D1")](print: $actionBack's desc) ]<hidden6|(hide: ?hidden6)

{= (set: $activity to "confession")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  You lean against the gazebo’s railing and listen to the lake lap the pebbled shores, quiet whispers that speak in your stead. But it will not be enough for her. She is standing so close that you can smell the tree barks and mist on her, and she is waiting. (link-reveal: "So you confess:")[ You’ve lied to her. You had no idea whether there would be anything left of her once you were done - //if// you could be done. (link-reveal: "//“This, too, is a lie.”//")[ You’re not sure. There was a time when you could hear your paintings hum the songs of a poetess, see them swirl the dances of a ballerina, taste the dripping sap of youth, feel them radiate excess light… You thought they’d stay that way forever. That was until you saw them wither away, grow moldy and ugly, and at last, fall silent. (link-reveal: "//“All children are destined to be abandoned.”//")[ You could not bear to keep any of your paintings. They were proof of fortune’s triumph over talent. If you did not have to eat to survive, the little that you did, you’d have destroyed all of them. You lied to her and told her that she’d be remade utterly, that she’d never be alone again. But you did not believe it yourself. You anticipated yet another failure. (link-reveal: "//“Then why go through the trouble?”//")[ Perhaps it was better to have failed than to regret not having tried. Perhaps it was better to //have// than to have //not//. She was yours to waste. Your voice is breaking. You swallow your tears and dare not look at her. (link-reveal: "//“And yet, here you are.”//")[ Yes, here you are. (link-reveal: "And here she is.")[ (link-reveal: "This is art, isn’t it?")[ Though whether it is hers or yours, you can no longer tell. (link: "She is not surprised.")[She is not surprised, not more than a victorious nod. (link-reveal: "Why?")[ She must have always known that (link: "you had no talent.")[you had no talent, and in its place was the possibility that she might forever rid herself of the perfection with which she was born. (link: "You’d ruin her.")[You’d ruin her - wasn’t that what she wanted? (link-reveal: "Very well.")[ You’re here to finish what she has started. (link-reveal: "What does she say?")[ Why is she silent? (link-reveal: "What?")[ Suddenly, she raises a gloved hand: (link-reveal: "Stop.")[ The other guests, who have been waiting for an audience, are now looking over at the gazebo, curious as to what the commotion is about. //“I swear, if I have to talk to another ‘artist’, I’ll drown myself in this lake,”// the oracle mutters, then points towards the mansion, upward, to where a singular window is lit. Lia Gradec’s room. (link-reveal: "//“You can talk to her there.”//")[ (link-reveal: "Kathy?")[ //“Sure, whatever you want, ma'am. I know what I know, alright? Now, if we’re done here, then please, leave a donation in the bowl. Thanks.”// --- (link: "... Thank you. Sorry.")[(dialog: [You place a spare bill into the bowl and quickly disappear into the fog. You tell yourself that there is no need to be ashamed - this is what oracles are for. But too late. You don't know if you'll dare say a single thing to Katherine at this point.], "Shut up. Just shut up.")(print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect)(goto: $lastGala)] (Head out.) ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "a red door")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "knocking")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (link-reveal: "You knock on thick wood.")[ Thump, thump, thump - dull are the thumps, the sound absorbed into the mansion. You doubt anyone has heard you, but as you hold up your knuckles to try again, the red door opens. //“Oh, didn’t think you’d come,”// the (link-reveal: "masked assistant greets you")[ with the same smile as always, even if her lipstick - at least you hope that’s what it is - is smeared from cheek to chin, and her hair is disheveled. //“Are you here for him?”// You dare not look inside, but you already know (link-reveal: "whom you’ll find in there")[: Your handler, her boss. You’ve also figured that the reason for his uncharacteristic shyness - the loudmouth has not said a single word - probably has something to do with the crackling rod which his assistant presently wields. In her loosened silk dress, she seems an image of (link-reveal: "Zeus.")[ //“No? Then why are you here? Who let you in?”// She approaches you, lightning in hand, but then she pauses. The man inside is (link-reveal: "whimpering.")[ //“No matter. I’ll check whose shift it was later. Now, I’m currently occupied and can’t escort you out myself. So please, take the nearest exit. It should be on the right. I’ll see you at the unveiling.”// Hesitantly, you (link-reveal: "step away")[, and the assistant watches to make sure you’re gone. //“It’s OK. I won’t tell him you were here.”// --- (link: "Back into the maze.")[(goto: "Gala Key 8x")] ]]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "another red door")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "entering")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  You raise your knuckles to the door but quickly realize that there is neither lock nor handle. It is a push door. Entering, you are greeted with an oppressive (link-reveal: "red glow")[ - neon tubes lining the tiled walls, bent to the shape of the letters that spell “lávate las manos”. There is a metallic scent in the musty air. You splash water in your face, trying to sober up. Looking up from the sink, a crimson face, with all the details washed out and only black eyes remaining, greets you in the mirror. It tells you to stop. (link-reveal: "It tells you to give up.")[ No, you’ve come so far already. You cannot stop. You cannot stop. You cannot stop. You don’t even know the way back. You’re here now, and the world is spinning, trying to throw you into orbit, trying to shake the bug off of its skin. All the liquor in your stomach is climbing up your throat. (link-reveal: "You should hurl first.")[ Yes, you should; how would you talk to Katherine otherwise? You push at the toilet stalls, but their doors will not budge. You hammer your fist on the plywood. //“Give me a minute, asshole!”// (link-reveal: "Alright. Alright.")[ You reel back, bracing against the sink, incessantly swallowing sour spit. You hear a flush. Then, the stall opens, and a tall woman with raven hair steps out. What would have been a silver dress now glitters like a thousand rubies in the neon light. Her perfect face is red candle wax. //“All yours.”// (link-reveal: "But your legs won’t move.")[ A primal signal has flashed down your spinal cord and locked your joints in place. Your muscles are wooden. Your tendons are stone. You can only helplessly watch as the woman washes her hands. //“What’s the matter? You were in such a hurry before,”// she flicks droplets in your face. You don’t flinch. //“Aw, come on. Not now. You were so close. Here, lemme...”// (link-reveal: "She then drags you into the stall")[, puts down the lid, and with some difficulty, seats you on top of it. //“There, isn't this better?”// She whispers. //“Now, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay here until the Sun comes. Once the dust has settled, I’ll come for you.”// A cold bead of sweat runs down your temple. Your whole body is so stiff that it’s beginning to tremble. Your guts are spasming. But nothing can cause you to move, to run away, to stop the woman from (link-reveal: "closing the door.")[ //“Is your friend alright?”// It’s Katherine’s voice. There’s no mistake; (link-reveal: "she is here!")[ //“Ah, she had a bit too much to drink, but she’ll live.”// //“Do you need me to go get help?”// (link: " Kathy! Help! Kathy!")[ //“No, that’s not needed. This one’s been through much worse. You look great, by the way. I really dig your style.”// //“Heh, thanks. It’s, uhm, these aren’t accessories. It’s for an art piece I’m doing.”// //“Consummate, aren’t you? No wonder why they picked you.”// //“They just like their token novelty.”// (link: " Don't listen to her, Kathy!")[ //“Don’t sell yourself short. They’ll try to get everything they can out of you. Have they made you confess yet?”// //“Yes, uhm, the oracle told me to meet her specifically, but I think I ended up pissing her off.”// //“Did you do it on purpose?”// //“Maybe.”// (link: " You scream out her name, that you're here, that you've been looking for her.")[ //“Haha, good, good. I didn't see you at the reception. Where have you been all night?”// //“Just holed up… waiting… preparing.”// //“Right, right. Nerve-wracking, isn’t it?”// //“Yeah, you can say that.”// //“Well, it’s your big night. It’s a big night for all of us.”// //“Yeah…”// (link: " Kathy! Don't leave!")[ //“Well, break a leg, girl.”// //“Thanks… Hey, uhm, have we met before?”// //“Of course we have, Kathy! Now go!”// --- (link: "You scream.")[(dialog: [... and scream and scream, until your head lightens your vision slowly blackens, a dark spot growing from the middle an enveloping everything else, but no-one hears you.], "Time crawls forward.")(goto: "Gala Key 8c")] ]]]]]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "looking for Katherine")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  //“... a party -tzzt- down the hall…”// //“Maybe the logic is faulty,”// Lia mutters. //“But that doesn’t make any sense. It was fine-”// //“Oh hello,”// the pantsuited woman speaks up when she sees you entering. (link-reveal: "//“What a surprise.”//")[ (if: $lockHenriH1 is true or $lockPartyB is true)[You’ve seen her at your neighbor Henri’s place before - a colleague from his university. You aren’t surprised that Katherine isn’t here, but you didn’t expect this woman.](else:)[You think you’ve seen her around before, though you can’t recall exactly where. You’re both disappointed and relieved that she is not Katherine.] (link-reveal: "//“Can I help you, miss?”//")[ Lia puts herself between you and her machine. You see cables going all the way up to the ceiling, stringing together a series of plastic boxes with blinking lights. //“Lia, be polite. This is one of our artists.”// //“I know.”// (link-reveal: "You say that you’re looking for Katherine Zhdanova")[; someone has pointed you here. //“Now why would she be in here?”// You stammer, frustrated, at least a little bit drunk. How would you know Katherine’s intention? You thought you did, but not, you’re not so sure anymore. You’re just following, tracing. (link-reveal: "You can’t say what any of this is for.")[ Then suddenly, as if to rescue you from embarrassing yourself, the machine (link-reveal: "starts to wail terribly.")[ Cursing, Lia reaches around its frame and snaps a few toggles, but it’s no use. The wail only hiccups rhythmically, and for a moment, you think you hear (link-reveal: "music")[: Not any particular melody but rather a base and intuited impression of a shape in the static. //“Ha! I didn’t know it could do that,”// the pantsuited woman gapes. //“You’re not helping.”// //“I’m trying to, but you won’t let me.”// (link-reveal: "//“You can help by getting her out of my room.”//")[ //“Come on,”// the woman steps towards the door and beckons for you. //“Lia needs a minute.”// --- (link: "But what about Katherine?")[(goto: "Gala Key 7b")]  ]]]]]]]

{=     (if: $stateGala is 3 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1c")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>(link: "Ask if someone can help open the gallery door.")[(goto: "Gala Key 4")] (So you can get to the lakeside garden out back.) (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Strike up a conversation. Networking at dinner. You used to be so good at this.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 3 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1a")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>~~Talk to someone~~ (Anyone who matters is currently in the dining hall.) ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 3 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1d")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>~~Enter the gallery, and the garden beyond that.~~ (The gallery is locked until it's time to tour the Old Collection.) ] ]

{=     (if: $stateGala is 5 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1e")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>(link: "Approach the gazebo by the lakeshore.")[(goto: "Gala Key 6")] (if: $lockKey6 is false)[(Maybe the oracle has seen Katherine.)](else:)[(She expects a confession out of you.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 5 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1d")[ (append: ?convo)[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Strike up a conversation. Discuss the artworks at the gallery.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 5 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1e")[ (append: ?action)[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[ <li>(link: "Strike up a conversation with someone in the garden.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 5 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1a")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>~~Talk to someone~~ (Anyone who matters is currently touring the Old Collection or is being entertained in the garden out back.) ] ]

{= (set: $activity to "a lakeside stroll")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The mist grows (link: "thicker and milkier.")[thicker and milkier the longer you are in it, as though it resists your presence. The air smells of soot. The fires down south must be getting bad; no need to read the news to know that. Still, this quietude, this deafness is worth being momentarily blind. You (link: "keep walking.")[keep walking until the garden’s gravel turns into large and smooth pebbles, which wobble beneath your feet. Far away from the revelry and the incessant fiddling, you can hear it: (link-reveal: "water lapping at the shore.")[ You stand as close to the lake as you can without getting your shoes wet. You cannot see past the reeds. The water is gray, a color stained by the starless murk above it. Nothing can watch you here, not from above, not from the ground.]]] This is a place of letting go. --- <ol> (if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Let go of something shameful.")[ (dialog: [You must have been thinking about something - ugly thoughts, envious thoughts, resentful thoughts, shameful thoughts - but you can no longer recall its content, only the shape of its absence. The water has taken it away. It has joined the anonymous churning of the silt, swirling towards that secret place which all lakes possess.], "You miss it already.") (print: $attEmbarrassed's useEffect) (goto: $lastGala) ](print: $attEmbarrassed's use) ] (else:)[ <li>~~Reflect on something shameful~~ (But you are not ''ashamed'' right now.) ] (if: $lockGalaC6b is true and $GalaLakeThrow is false)[<li>(link: "Throw away what you’ve bought from the outdoors gear shop.")[(dialog: [You dig into your blazer pocket, pull out a dozen baggies of fish hooks and a spool of nylon, and throw everything as far as you can into the water. You hear a rustling in the reeds but no splash. You’ll forget that silliness - you tell yourself. This never happened. You’ll do right by Katherine this time. You’ll be patient. The painting isn’t going anywhere.], "Something like regret wells in your throat.")(set: $GalaLakeThrow to true)(goto: $lastGala)] (Are you sure?)] <li>(link: "Better return soon.")[(goto: $lastGala)](print: $actionBack's desc) </ol>

{=     (if: $stateGala is 4 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1b")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>(link: "Approach the meeting room.")[(goto: "Gala Key 5")] (The director is in there, and he has the keys.) ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 4 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1c")[ (replace: ?action)[(if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[<li>(link: "Strike up a conversation. Networking at dinner. You used to be so good at this.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 4 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1a")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>~~Talk to someone~~ (Anyone who matters is currently in the dining hall.) ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 4 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1d")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>~~Enter the gallery, and the garden beyond that.~~ (The gallery is locked, but the director should have the keys.) ] ]

{=     (if: $stateGala is 6 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2c")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>(link: "Look inside Lia's space.")[(goto: "Gala Key 7")] (The oracle has pointed at this place.) ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 6 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1d")[ (append: ?convo)[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[ <li>(link: "Strike up a conversation. Discuss the artworks at the gallery.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 6 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1e")[ (append: ?action)[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[ <li>(link: "Strike up a conversation with someone in the garden.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 6 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1a")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>~~Talk to someone~~ (Anyone who matters is currently touring the Old Collection or is being entertained in the garden out back.) ] ]

{=     (if: $stateGala is 7 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2e")[ (append: ?action)[<li>(link: "Approach the entrance to the maze.")[(goto: "Gala Key 8")] (You were told that Katherine went into the maze.) ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 7 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2e")[ (append: ?action)[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[ <li>(link: "Accept someone's invitation to drink. Listen to them talk.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 7 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1e")[ (append: ?action)[ (if: $attRestlessness's qt is 0)[ <li>(link: "Strike up a conversation with someone in the garden.")[(goto: "Gala Restlessness")] (A ''stressful'' exercise.)] (else:)[<li>~~Strike up a conversation.~~ (You're already ''stressed'' enough.)] ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 7 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1a")[ (replace: ?action)[<li>~~Talk to someone~~ (Anyone who matters is sipping "cognac" upstairs or being entertained in the garden.) ] ]

{=    (if: $stateGala is 8 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2b")[ (append: ?action)[<li>(link: "Follow the crowd into Scott's exhibition.")[(goto: "Gala Key 9")] (Let's get this over with.) ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 9 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2c")[ (append: ?action)[<li>(link: "Follow the crowd into Lia's exhibition.")[(goto: "Gala Key 10")] (She's... promising.) ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 10 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2a")[ (append: ?action)[<li>(link: "Lead the crowd into //your// exhibition.")[(goto: "Gala Key 11")] (It's time!) ] ]  (if: $stateGala is 11 and (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2d")[ (append: ?action)[<li>(link: "Follow the crowd into Katherine's exhibition.")[(goto: "Gala Key 12")] (Or has Katherine conspired to humiliate you? Out of spite? Envy?) ] ]

{=  (if: $stateGala is 0)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[(if: $lockKey1 is false)[Feeling more than a bit overwhelmed, you remind yourself: You’re looking for ''Katherine''.](else:)[Katherine's exhibition space is not locked, but you need to gather your ''confidence'' before facing her.] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 1)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[Katherine's space is empty. A note says to meet her at the lakeside ''garden''. She is waiting for you! ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2 or it is 3)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[The door to the gallery, which leads to the lake, is ''locked''. Someone must have the keys. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 4)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[(if: $lockKey5 is false)[You've been told to look for the event director in the ''library''. He can help you get through the gallery, and past that, Katherine.](else:)[The event director is in the library alright, but he's stuck in a meeting. You'll need to gather your ''confidence'' before barging in.] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[(if: $lockKey6 is false)[The old gallery is open for guests. Through it, you can get to the lakeside ''garden'', where Katherine is supposed to be.](else:)[She has asked you to confess. A truly ''inspired'' and ''shameful'' confession.] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[(if: $lockKey7 is false)[The oracle has pointed upstairs, towards the exhibition space of the artist ''Lia'', a fellow "debutante". Is Katherine there?](else:)[Lia is busy inside. Are you ''shameless'' enough to disturb her?] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[You were told that Katherine would be in the ''retiring lounges'', in a room with a red door. Nothing good happens in there. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[It's not too late. You'll be able to catch up with Katherine after the unveiling, during bidding time. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[Your art... ''Katherine''... ] ] (if: $stateGala is 12)[ (replace: ?GalaKathy)[] ]

{=  (if: $stateGala is 0 or it is 1)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[Soon, opening speeches will commence at the grand entrance hall. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[Guests are congregating (if: $lastGala is "Gala D1a" or it is "Gala D1")[here](else:)[in the grand entrance hall] to listen to the welcoming speeches. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3 or it is 4)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[It is time for feasting. Most are gathered (if: $lastGala is "Gala D1c")[here](else:)[in the dining hall]. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5 or it is 6)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[Presently, there are tours of the Old Collection (if: $lastGala is "Gala D1d")[here](else:)[at the gallery downstairs] and entertainment (if: $lastGala is "Gala D1e")[here](else:)[in the lakeside garden]. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[Many have retreated (if: $lastGala is "Gala D2e")[here](else:)[to the upstair lounges] for "cognac". The rest are reveling (if: $lastGala is "Gala D1e")[here](else:)[in the garden]. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[The unveiling is about to beginning, starting with Scott Dunn. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 9)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[The crowd is moving on to the next unveiling - Lia Gradec. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 10)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[It is time. Your time. Here comes the Sun. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[Time to move to the last unveiling - Katherine Zhdanova. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 12)[ (replace: ?GalaEvent)[] ]

{=  (set: $navGalaDown to "<li>Here, (link: \"downstairs...\")[downstairs, close to your left is the ''library'' entrance, and far away, on the right is the ''dining hall''. If you cross the main hall, you will arrive at the downstairs ''gallery'' - the Foundation’s own collection, to be bidded on after midnight. Past that gallery is the exit to the lakeside ''garden''.] <li>And (link: \"upstairs...\")[upstairs is where the ''debuting cohort'' will exhibit their works, each with their own space. You think yours is the largest. There are a number of ostensibly unused rooms - so called ''\"retiring lounges\"'' - up there as well, though you’ve lived long enough to figure out what they’re really for.]") (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1")[ (if: $stateGala is 0)[ (replace: ?scene)[The string quartet in the far corner is playing a demure neoclassical piece, though you don’t know enough to tell the piece’s name. ] (replace: ?people)[Presently, most are gathered here for the reception, where they rub elbows and greet each other like old friends. Most are, in circles like these. You're the odd one out. There are a few figures looking down from the mezzanine upstairs. It seems quieter up there. ] (replace: ?services)[You've been here in the morning. Try to remember where everything is. $navGalaDown ] ] (if: $stateGala is 1)[ (replace: ?scene)[The music is crescendoing. What for? It'll only blow out everyone's ears. ] (replace: ?people)[This place is even more crowded as more guests file in. You pity the valets. They must be sweating under those masks, running back and forth. ] (replace: ?services)[You try to remember where everything is: $navGalaDown ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (replace: ?scene)[Speeches are being delivered, ostentatious and long. ] (replace: ?people)[The guests are packed into the middle of the grand hall to attend the opening ceremony, and some even have the honor of being introduced by name, which their peers politely clap. ] (replace: ?services)[If you were to wander off, you'd find: $navGalaDown ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3)[ (replace: ?scene)[Speeches are over. The crowd has broken off, thankful to be able to rest their legs. ] (replace: ?people)[The masked kitchen staffs aren't as lucky. You see them dilligently pushing carts after carts of food and drinks into the dining hall. ] (replace: ?services)[You try to remember where everything is: $navGalaDown ] ] (if: $stateGala is 4)[ (replace: ?scene)[Even out here, you can still hear laughter coming from the dining hall. ] (replace: ?people)[ You see the masked kitchen staffs dilligently pushing carts after carts of food and drinks across the vast atrium. It's quite a walk. Why didn't they put the kitchen next to the kitchen? ] (replace: ?services)[You try to remember where everything is: $navGalaDown ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (replace: ?scene)[You hear music, but very far away. The quartet must have moved to the garden. ] (replace: ?people)[You see a smattering of people in the atrium. A masked valet is showing some guests a catalog, a preview of what is to be found (and bought) inside the old gallery. ] (replace: ?services)[You try to remember where everything is: $navGalaDown ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (replace: ?scene)[You hear music flowing in from the garden out back, echoing in the hall. ] (replace: ?people)[A couple of valets are hauling ice buckets and crates of wine up the marble steps, probably stockpiling the lounges for what comes after food and the tours. ] (replace: ?services)[You try to remember where everything is: $navGalaDown ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?scene)[You can still hear music echoing from the garden - a wholesome distraction for those who find the lounges not to their taste. ] (replace: ?people)[A few male guests are leading their luxurious companion up the steps, eager grins slashing across their faces. ] (replace: ?services)[You try to remember where everything is: $navGalaDown ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8)[ (replace: ?scene)[The band is quiet, and technicians (also masked) are rushing upstairs, readying for main event. ] (replace: ?people)[It might be emptier down here, but looking up, you can see that the mezzanine is packed with guests, ready to witness the new artists unveiled. ] (replace: ?services)[] ] (if: $stateGala is 9)[ (replace: ?scene)[You can hear the murmuring coming from upstairs, the sounds people make while trying to sound intelligent. ] (replace: ?people)[It might be emptier down here, but looking up, you can see that the mezzanine is packed with guests, ready to witness the next unveiling. ] (replace: ?services)[] ] (if: $stateGala is 10)[ (replace: ?scene)[It is near empty down here. ] (replace: ?people)[The mezzanine upstairs, though, is packed - a throng of the uninitiated, ready to see the light. ] (replace: ?services)[] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?scene)[It is empty down here. ] (replace: ?people)[You wish to never see or hear another soul again. Alas, you will have to endure till the end. ] (replace: ?services)[] ] (if: $stateGala is 12)[ (replace: ?scene)[] (replace: ?people)[] (replace: ?services)[] ] ]

{=  (set: $navGalaUp to "<li>Here, (link: \"upstairs...\")[upstairs is where the ''debuting cohort'' will exhibit their works, each with their own space. You think yours is the largest. There are a number of ostensibly unused rooms - so called ''\"retiring lounges\"'' - up here as well, though you’ve lived long enough to figure out what they’re really for.] <li>Then, going (link: \"downstairs...\")[downstairs is the ''grand entrance hall''. From there, can find the ''library'' entrance, the ''dining hall'', and the ''old gallery'' - the Foundation’s own collection, to be bidded on after midnight. Past that gallery is the exit to the lakeside ''garden''.]") (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2")[ (if: $stateGala is 0)[ (replace: ?scene)[Two male guests in suits are standing by lounge entrance, guffawing about something that they no doubt wish for the general public not to hear. ] (replace: ?people)[There are guards patroling around the mezzanine, watching the crowd downstairs. The hook noses on their masks remind you of vultures. ] (replace: ?services)[You've just been here this morning. You try to remember where everything is: $navGalaUp ] ] (if: $stateGala is 1)[ (replace: ?scene)[The other guests are gone. ] (replace: ?people)[Save for the guards and staffs, the upstair area is almost empty. Everyone must be getting ready for the opening ceremony. ] (replace: ?services)[Now, where is everything? $navGalaUp ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (replace: ?scene)[A guard watches you from the other side of the mezzanine, wondering what you're doing here when the ceremony is downstairs. You ignore him. ] (replace: ?people)[The tuxedoed musicians walk past you, each giving you a nod before disappearing into the lounge. There are soundproof rooms in there for them to rehearse their next set. ] (replace: ?services)[Now, where is everything? $navGalaUp ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3)[ (replace: ?scene)[From up here, you can see the valets carting food from somewhere deep within the mansion towards the dining hall. ] (replace: ?people)[You see also masked people entering the library. One of them berates a valet for not noticing a spill. ] (replace: ?services)[Now, where is everything? $navGalaUp ] ] (if: $stateGala is 4)[ (replace: ?scene)[From up here, you can see how much coordination it takes to supply the feast. The staffs are more timely than most trains. ] (replace: ?people)[On the far side, a woman in a silver dress is smoking (you can smoke in here?), dropping ash downstairs. She seems amused. ] (replace: ?services)[Now, where is everything? $navGalaUp ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (replace: ?scene)[Looking down, you see people waddling out of the dining hall and towards the gallery, where the masked assistant greets them with a smile. ] (replace: ?people)[A fat man, post-dinner belly bursting out of his dress shirt, is leaning against the railing, trying to catch a breather. ] (replace: ?services)[Now, where is everything? $navGalaUp ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (replace: ?scene)[Looking down, you see people gathered near the gallery - the Foundation's collection - where they are convinced to part with their wealth later tonight. ] (replace: ?people)[The masked assistant is leading some of them towards the library, which no doubt contains documents of the value and veracity of the artworks on display. ] (replace: ?services)[Now, where is everything? $navGalaUp ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?scene)[Groups after groups of people are coming up the stairs and heading towards the lounges to discuss what or whom they will be taking back after tonight. ] (replace: ?people)[You've seen it all before. To most, art is simply foreplay. True artists, however... Ah, true artists don't typically bankroll mansion parties. ] (replace: ?services)[Now, where is everything? $navGalaUp ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8)[ (replace: ?scene)[The guests are lining up along the railing, ready for the final tour of the night. The scene reminds you of an airport terminal. ] (replace: ?people)[Truly, good art can make you //fly//. Or, you can simply buy your wings, if you are lucky like one Scott Dunn. ] (replace: ?services)[] ] (if: $stateGala is 9)[ (replace: ?scene)[Shuffling towards the next room, the guests talk among themselves. They're trying to tease out the meaning in what they've seen, but they all sound like your freshmen students. ] (replace: ?people)[Ahead of the crowd, the director is scratching his beard under his mask, likely nervous about his patrons' reception. The assistant has a smile stuck onto her face. ] (replace: ?services)[] ] (if: $stateGala is 10)[ (replace: ?scene)[The guests are quieter this time around. They might have clamored while shocked, but now that it's over, there is only a private echo, which they're chewing like cud. ] (replace: ?people)[And now, it is //time// they fall completely silent, only to burst out in maddened cries moments later. Your hands are shaking uncontrollably. You can already imagine the little death that falls over the world when your painting is actually finished. ] (replace: ?services)[] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?scene)[You drag your feet. Every fiber of yours tells you to not go on. But you must. You must //never// stop. ] (replace: ?people)[A woman in sequin touches your arm, telling you that the "painting" was genius. You contemplate murder. ] (replace: ?services)[] ] (if: $stateGala is 12)[ (replace: ?scene)[ ] (replace: ?people)[ ] (replace: ?services)[] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1a")[ (if: $stateGala is 0)[ (replace: ?mingle)[Is that a famous actor? Then what is that matron's hand doing on his behind? And that supermodel - you're sure she's married to someone with hair and far less belly - instead of whoever this is. You chuckle to yourself, almost nostalgic of the things you used to put up with, if it wasn't... everywhere. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 1)[ (replace: ?mingle)[The staffs are bringing out the lectern. Still, the guests are talking, laughing, and clinking away. A woman, already drunk, asks a valet to lend her his mask. He politely refuses, citing policy. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (replace: ?mingle)[ (set: _number to (random: 1,7)) (set: _speech to (a: "//\"We'd like to extend our gratitude to...\"//", "//\"Without our patrons' support...\"//", "//\"I'd like to introduce: A man who needs no introduction...\"//", "//\"It is for that reason that we...\"//", "//\"... our commitment to Truth, to Beauty, and to...\"//", "//\"... against the rising tide of...\"//", "//\"Please welcome...\"//", )) (print: _speech's _number) Some guests are standing straight, wide-eyed and nodding, while others lean against the table, fingers tracing their drinks or their companions. These speeches take forever. Usually, you'd pretend to pay attention while your mind wanders. Yes, that's always an option. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3 or it is 4)[ (replace: ?mingle)[The floor is near empty. Only shoe marks and spills are left. You can even begin to see some ants scouting for scraps. You should get out of the way. You're blocking the wine carts. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5 or it is 6)[ (replace: ?mingle)[You can see a few staffs carrying ledgers toward the gallery, and others are carrying folding chairs for the revelry outside. If you want to mingle, you should go where the people are. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?mingle)[Only a smattering of the lost are wandering here in the atrium. The rest are either in the garden or in the lounges. If you want to mingle, you should go where the people are. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10)[ (replace: ?mingle)[Everyone is gathered upstairs for the unveiling. You should, too. It's //your// show, after all. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?mingle)[You raise your arms towards the ceiling and pray that the grand chandelier falls and crush you. Ah, that'd be foolish: Forget the Foundation. The art remains. Katherine remains. ] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1c")[ (if: $stateGala is 0)[ (replace: ?dining)[The masked staffs are setting up the tables - each large enough for about a dozen people. A few guests are already at the bar. To some, the reception champagne might as well be grape-flavored soda. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 1)[ (replace: ?dining)[The candelabras are brought out. Their flames flicker a whitish hue. A must-have in all Darkbloom events. Over at the bar, a masked staff is presenting to a group of guests a wine bottle, as though it was a treasure. It probably is. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (replace: ?dining)[The kitchen staffs, also masked, are huddled at the door to listen to the speeches. They nudge and laugh, but quickly straighten up when they see you entering. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3)[ (replace: ?dining)[You are seated with Scott Dunn, one of the artists being unveiled tonight. The people at your table seems to already know Scott, or rather, his father. You sit and smile, unable to eat anything. The other artist - Lia Gradec - in a different table, far away. Katherine is nowhere to be found. You can try asking if anyone knows how to get to the garden. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 4)[ (replace: ?dining)[Scott is now regaling the other guests with tales from his private school. A woman gasps and says, //"How precocious of you."// An entire roasted swan now sits on your table, allegedly plucked from the same lake out back. What you'd give for some lo mein right now... ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (replace: ?dining)[With the feast over, the place is finally peaceful, though it looks like a tornado had just passed. A staff is going around snuffing out candles before a drunk guest could knock them down and set the linen aflame. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (replace: ?dining)[Two staffs are heaving the heavy oak tables back into storage, making way for those with brooms and mops. The bartender is frantically mixing batches after batches of cocktail, doing her best to keep up with the garden's demand. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?dining)[The bartender is counting the number of cocktails and wine bottles needed before putting them in the dumbwaiter, to be transported upstairs to the lounges. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10)[ (replace: ?dining)[It is empty here, save for a few cleaning staffs. Most have gathered upstairs for the unveiling. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?dining)[You're thinking about drinking yourself to death. Ah, but when has that ever worked? You are cursed with a formidable liver, for fate is not done with you yet. You will fly beyond this humiliation. Forget the Foundation. The art remains. Katherine remains. ] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1b")[ (if: $stateGala is 0)[ (replace: ?library)[The shelves here are taller than most stepladders, and so an electric lift is needed to get anything printed before the 20th Century. There are a few people in here, mostly staffs and their managers inside the meeting rooms, briefing each other about the night's progress. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 1)[ (replace: ?library)[The library is one of the Foundation's many archives whose content date back to Peter the Great. There are a few people in here, mostly staffs and their managers inside the meeting rooms, briefing each other about the night's progress. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (replace: ?library)[While the opening ceremony is happening out in the atrium, several masked staffs are using the library space to prepare the bouquets and gift bags. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3)[ (replace: ?library)[A staff asks if you are lost - the dining hall is on the other side of the atrium. But she does not force you out. A silver-haired man in mask is leaning against one of the meeting rooms, seeming exhausted. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 4)[ (replace: ?library)[You see a silver-haired man - which you assume to be the event director - inside one of the meeting rooms, along with a few others. They seem to be discussing something awfully important. You don't know when they'll be done. You'll have to muster up your courage and interrupt the meeting. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (replace: ?library)[The masked assistant is showing a group of guests something on the microfilm reader. Provenance of the artworks in the old gallery? Photographs of the kaiser gifting his cousin a painting? Whatever it is, it is sure to inflate the bidding price later tonight. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (replace: ?library)[Only a few people are here - those who still need to be convinced that the artworks in the Foundations' collection are genuine, important, and valuable enough to require a whole library of documentation In your experience, the rich are exceedingly easy to swindle. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?library)[The meeting rooms here are all occupied. There are price negotiations going on in there, for not all artworks will be auctioned. Although, this is only one of the places where negotiations can happen. The rest are in the lounges. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10)[ (replace: ?library)[The place is nearly empty, save for a few security guards. Most have gathered upstairs for the unveiling. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?library)[If a shelf should fall on you right now, you will be spared ever having to feel disappointment again, and fate will have failed you for the last time. No, if you perish now, then you will not see the day when you are entered into the annals of history, immortalized in archives far greater than this. Forget the Foundation. The art remains. Katherine remains. ] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1d")[ (if: $stateGala is 0 or it is 1)[ (replace: ?gallery)[Oaken double doors guard firmly the Darkbloom Foundation's private collection against the general public. They're locked. They might invest in more contemporary talents like yourself, but it is the Old Collection - so called because most paintings only date up to World War I - that will make them the most money tonight. Past the gallery is the garden, which overlooks the misty lake. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (replace: ?gallery)[Masked security staffs line this side of the building, blocking the way to some of the Foundation's most prized treasures. They politely redirect you back towards the opening ceremony. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3 or it is 4)[ (replace: ?gallery)[The gallery doors remain locked, and so is the lakeside garden. Presently, most of the staffs are either too busy with dinner service or is unable to help you. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (replace: ?gallery)[The gallery doors are open for tours. Would-be bidders, after being fattened, are now packed tight and corralled into the Old Collection. Staff members swarm them like flies, each with a clipboard, ready to note down preliminary interest. Inside, it is a veritable museum. Dark plaster walls create branching corridors that are lined with artworks, which used to hang in the Winter Palace. Standing among the greats, you feel unsteady, and the alcohol sloshes inside your head. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (replace: ?gallery)[The gallery doors are open for tours. Presently, the silver-haired director himself is leading some of the groups through the Old Collection, like a retired tour guide brought back out for one more glorious trip. Already, there are color stickers on the frames of some paintings - bought. You think about the culminative value of everything in these halls, and your head begins to spin. Scott Dunn is standing by the door, trying to finish up his cocktail before entering. Even //he// is no exception. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?gallery)[There are still tours, but the gallery is sparser now. Most of the crowd has seen enough. A few minutes of fine art will suffice the atrophied appetite of most. Now, they are hungry for real business. Goodwill is being made upstairs in the lounges. There are plenty of ways to keep the patrons awake (but not too lucid) past midnight, until the auction's time. When bought, each masterpiece will hang in a mansion like this (or a warehouse), collecting dust. Tonight is probably their last chance to be admired. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11)[ (replace: ?gallery)[This gallery is empty of guests. The staffs are bringing down a few, getting them ready for the auction. But that's later. This is no time for artworks of the dead; now is the time for the living. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?gallery)[The old masters - they seem to sneer at you, mock you, pity you for thinking that you could ever fly as high as they can. You want to burn the entire place down. But what use is that resentment? They're dead, and you're alive. Forget the Foundation. The art remains. Katherine remains. ] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D1e")[ (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (replace: ?garden)[You hear the one-two-three of a waltz but cannot make out where the quartet is in the mist. Shadows of ladies and their gentlemen are twirling on the stone terrace. Others are seated while servers bend to pour their drinks of choice. By the lakeshore, several are leading each other hand-in-hand towards a grand gazebo, where looms a figure with a bird mask with feathers around their shoulders - an (link-reveal: "oracle.")[ Part fortunetellers, part confessors, oracles are an increasingly popular part of corporations and wealthy households. In strange times, people crave certainty, and failing that, diversion.] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (replace: ?garden)[Now, a mismatched pair is listening to the oracle speak about their future prospects. The omen says: They will be together forever. The man grins, displaying his ivory dentures. The fiddler is playing a folksy tune, and the guests are prancing around each other with elbows locked. Rural pastiche gets more and more expensive the richer one becomes. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?garden)[Most are finding stronger diversions in the lounges upstairs. Out here, only those with fewer needs and gentler constitutions remain, swaying to a ballad, either tipsy or close to passing out. You hear the lapping of lake water in the distance, beckoning you to come - //"Soon, it'd all be over."// ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10)[ (replace: ?garden)[The garden is empty. Everybody is gone. Only the bird-faced oracle is here, to put up the chairs. //"The unveiling is now. Aren't you an artist?"// The oracle points the bird beak at you and asks. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?garden)[It is over. Your one chance in the limelight - stolen by fate's absurdity. You contemplate drowing yourself in the lake. But you think better of it: Forget the Foudnation. The art remains. Katherine remains. ] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2e")[ (if: $stateGala is 0 or it is 1)[ (replace: ?lounges)[But it is too early for all of that. You are alone in the common foyer. Here, there are divans of the softest kind for guests to gather themselves before disppearing into the maze-like corridors deeper in. You can take advantage of the solitude and relax. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (replace: ?lounges)[Here in the foyer prior to the lounges, you can hear the speeches echoing from downstairs. On the other side of the waiting room, the celloist is nursing his glass, contemplating the nude fresco that stretches the entire wall. He knows better than yo bother you. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3 or it is 4)[ (replace: ?lounges)[There are a few guests already here. Like them, you have little appetite for the kinds of cuisine being served downstairs. Unlike them, you are not so eager to taste the lounge's offerings. You are here for the divan and the privacy, nothing more. The Foundation will reward your ascetism tenfold. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (replace: ?lounges)[The light here has been dimmed. A masked woman in a tight dress asks what you're looking for, but you only point to the divan in the far corner. Relieved, she returns to her colleagues, who need her to help paint their lips and braid their hair. Then, a valet enters with a cart of hookahs. He whistles at the women. They shush him: You are here. He lowers his head and gets on with stocking lounges deeper inside. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (replace: ?lounges)[The light here has been dimmed. A group of masked women in high heels are strutting about, some practicing a walk, while others are simply anxious. The gallery tours will be soon conclude, and guests will begin to pour upstairs. For now, you have most of the foyer to yourself. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (replace: ?lounges)[The foyer chokes with cigar smoke and laughter. Glasses clink in the dim light, feet shuffle on the kashmir, and strangers become adventuresome friends. Masked women greet patrons with a curtsy and lead them inside the maze-like corridors. As you're making your way past the guests, a woman comes up to you and asks if you're without company. You say yes. She asks what you desire. Katherine is somewhere in that maze, and you should look for a red door, or you can stay in the foyer to calm yourself. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8)[ (replace: ?lounges)[Other than a few stragglers - those who have indulged too much to leave - the foyer is largely empty. You see a few staffs rushing into the corridor with medical kits. You should join the tour outside as well. It is time for the unveiling. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 9 or it is 10)[ (replace: ?lounges)[The staffs are tidying up the place. No doubt, after the auction, these lounges will have to welcome a wave of those eager for celebration or in need of consolation. But that is later. Now is the time for unveilings. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 10)[ (replace: ?lounges)[The staffs are tidying up the place. No doubt, after the auction, these lounges will have to welcome a wave of those eager for celebration or in need of consolation. But that is later. Now is the time for unveilings. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (replace: ?lounges)[It is over - your one chance to escape obscurity. You fatansize about disappearing into the mazes and never coming out again, but you think better of it: Forget the Foundation. The art remains. Katherine remains. ] ] ]

{= (set: $place to "the lounges' foyer")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "waking up")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (dialog: [Having momentarily lost grip of your mind, you begin to wander off. You recall nothing of this, only that you've found yourself... here.], "Touch your surrounding.") Reaching down, you suddenly feel velvet on your hands. The upstairs lounge - you're in its foyer. How did you get here, and what time is it? You must have been in a daze. The last thing you remember is (if: $lastGala is "Gala D1a")[ (unless: $stateGala is 2 or it is 3)[ feeling your vision go white at someone's inane gossip and backhanded jabs.] (else:)[ trying to breathe while someone on the podium droned on and on.] ] (else-if: $lastGala is "Gala D1c")[ feeling a nauseous hate while a boy pretended to be a man, in between stuffing his face with gold-flaked food. ] (else-if: $lastGala is "Gala D1d")[ being in a tight corridor, where the old masters glared at you, and the people bumped into you and spoke incessantly as your vision blurred. ] (else-if: $lastGala is "Gala D1e")[ the suffocating garden air, and how the mist hovered above the lakewater, while a bird-like creature watched you from afar. ] (else-if: $lastGala is "Gala D2e")[ being here. Yes, you're beginning to recall this place. But you forgot what you were doing. ] (link-reveal: "This happened before.")[ The first time it did was when you were a child. You remember being very still as the Earth spun, the Sun flew, and people passed you by as though you were a tree or a rock. You were sick for a whole year. And then, you got better.] --- (link: "You're still alive for now. Stretch, then breathe.")[ (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [If this happened while you were alone, and no-one was watching, you wouldn't still be here. But you are. Your mind is slightly healed.], "Time, borrowed.") (goto: "Gala D2e") ] (Recompose yourself, bit by bit.)

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2b")[ (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11 or it is 12)[(replace: ?Scott)[You're standing in front of a locked door. The plaque reads: "Scott Dunn • //Studies of the Last Man// • sculpture". Next to it, a poster reads like a (link: "CV.")[CV, illustrious achievements in this show or that scene, but you don't recognize any of it. That isn't strange - you have been holed up inside for so very long, and Mr. Dunn here is only a recent BFA graduate. Yale. It stinks of legacy. It stinks of something else, too, like eggs and vinegar, like your apartment a month ago.] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 0 or it is 1)[ (append: ?Scott)[//"The unveiling isn't until midnight, miss,"// a masked guard points his beak at you. //"Mr. Dunn is downstairs, if I'm not mistaken."// ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (append: ?Scott)[The security guards are perched along the railings like a flock of crows, listening to the opening ceremony down in the atrium. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3)[ (append: ?Scott)[The guards are changing shifts, one telling the other to go grab some spare from the kitchen. The latter says that standing here has robbed him of his appetite. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 4)[ (append: ?Scott)[These halls are largely empty. Everyone is gathered in the dining hall downstairs for the feast. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5 or it is 6)[ (append: ?Scott)[Presently, guests are filing into the downstairs gallery for a tour of the Foundation's private collection. The new artists - Mr. Dunn included - will have to wait. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (append: ?Scott)[In an hour or so, the unveiling will begin. Out in the halls, Scott is being told by the medical staff that he cannot take down the health and safety advisory. He protests, saying that the audience's waivers should already cover all of it. Besides, he insists that such "frivolity" undercuts the art. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8)[ (append: ?Scott)[The door to Scott Dunn's exhibition space is now open. As the first guests enter the dark room, they immediately cover their noses with their bejeweled hands and silken handkerchiefs. Still tailing behind, you can already smell it, half expecting to see a scene from your own apartment, à la //My Bed//, reproduced in detail, down to the name of the Chinese restaurant and the folds of the cloth. And Jesse, too, would miraculously be here. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 9)[ (append: ?Scott)[When it is permissible, guests leave the room as soon as they can, gathering in the halls and the mezzanine, desperately gasping for air. Some rush away with a hand over their mouths, no doubt to hurl. Scott seems pleased with himself. The ones that are left are murmuring with wide eyes - scandalized, yes, but also invigorated, as though the morbid sight they've witnessed have breathed life back into their dessicated sensibilities, so addled with pleasure and must be badgered with vulgarity in order to wake. You realize that this is not art but //entertainment// for them. They're already moving onto the next course on the menu. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 10)[ (append: ?Scott)[Already, staffs in plastic suits and medical masks are hauling the exhibit objects off on metal carts, wrapped in what appears to be custom-made body bags. A few morbidly curious guests linger to watch the cleanup process, but most are already moving onto the main course: Your //magnum opus//. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (append: ?Scott)[This space is empty. Only the stink lingers. ] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2a")[ (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11 or it is 12)[(replace: ?you)[Behind this door, your (link-reveal: "//magnum opus// awaits.")[ Though unfinished, its false light is sure to dazzle. But that will only be a preview, enough to convince the Darkbloom Foundation that sponsoring your stay in one of their estates will be a wise investment. When it //is// done at last, a new age will dawn for you, even if the untrained public only blinks. By that point, you will have already moved on to your next masterpiece. And the next. And the next. But for now, the painting needs Katherine. You need Katherine. Without her breath, the painting cannot take flight, and neither can you.] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 0 or it is 1)[ (append: ?you)[//"Here to make last-minute adjustments, ma'am? Use your keycard,"// a staff informs you. //"Or you can use mine."// You tell her that it's OK. You don't want to spoil your own anticipation. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (append: ?you)[//"Can I help you?"// A guard asks. //"Oh, it's you. Sorry."// You tell him not to worry; you're heading downstairs for the opening ceremony anyhow. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3 or it is 4)[ (append: ?you)[These exhibits will permit no guest until the midnight unveiling. Before that, they will need their stomachs filled and their other wants indulged. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5 or it is 6)[ (append: ?you)[Now is not the time for new art yet. Now is the time for the old masters - with which the guests are getting acquainted with downstairs. When the painting is unveiled at midnight, they will see that there is great kinship between you and the masters, and they will clamor to patronize you. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (append: ?you)[You quiver at the thought of seeing the painting completed. It will be like coming home for Katherine, a unity of body and soul. She caused you to start this painting. It was your mistake to shun her. But it is not too late to take responsibility - for art's sake. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8)[ (append: ?you)[These hallways are filled with guests, ready for the unveiling. But first, the appetizer: it is Scott's turn. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 9)[ (append: ?you)[These hallways are filled with guests, here for the unveiling. Up next is the side dish: Lia. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 10)[ (append: ?you)[The corridor in front of your exhibition space is packed tight, and the staffs are doing their best to keep things orderly. The event director seems impatient with you. You fumble your pockets but cannot find the keycard; you don't even remember being given one; you are trembling and more than a bit tipsy, as likely to burst out in tears as you are in laughter. All eyes are on you. Then, the masked assistant comes to the rescue: She has a keycard of her own. The door beeps green, and the lock whirls. It is pitch-black inside, just like how you've requested. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (append: ?you)[ Where is your Sister? - you demand. The blank canvas mocks you with its silence. A thought crosses your mind: You will slash, will burn //both// of them when you get home, those cheap, soulless copies. You can always start again. Always, so long as you can still paint. So long as you have Katherine. A staff member ushers you out of the room. The unveiling is not yet finished. ] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2c")[ (if: $stateGala is 0 or it is 1 or it is 5 or it is 6 or it is 7)[ (append: ?Lia)[The door to this exhibition space is not locked, but it appears occupied. You can hear whispers - loud ones, robotic, probably pre-recorded - coming from inside. Lia must be testing the speaker system. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2 or it is 3 or it is 4)[ (append: ?Lia)[Lia's exhibition space is locked. She must be downstairs. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8)[ (append: ?Lia)[Lia's exhibition space is locked until it is her turn. ] ] (unless: $stateGala is 7 or it is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11 or it is 12)[(append: ?Lia)[The metal plaque reads: "Lia Gradec • //Through Fangs// • sound installation". You are (link-reveal: "vaguely familiar with Gradec's work")[, though you know her more as a defector from Dallas. She did the whole media circuit-thing when she first came to the Union, but when her fifteen minutes of fame ran out (and federal agents started doubting her story), she went reclusive. That was way back when you were still teaching in Chicago. Lia must be in her thirties now. The Foundation has a knack for sifting gold from mud.] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 0 or it is 1)[ (append: ?Lia)[You can respect an artist who spends her short moment in the limelight tinkering with her work. You wonder if Lia had a chance to complete her project before the Foundation's less-than-reasonable deadline. In a way, you, too, are tinkering. You're looking for that one last thing that can make your painting whole. You should leave Ms. Gradec alone. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 2)[ (append: ?Lia)[Right now, she's not in. Lia must be among the crowd, listening to the speeches. You should, too. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 3 or it is 4)[ (append: ?Lia)[Right now, she's not in. Lia must be in the dining hall with everyone else. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 5)[ (append: ?Lia)[//"... I must never -tzzt- never -tzzt-"// says the speaker. Lia tsks, and she must have adjusted something, because the voice immediately fades into an electronic squeal. You should leave her to her tinkering. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (append: ?Lia)[//"... Wish -tzzt- wish it were her -tzzt- her -tzzt- and not you..."// hiccups the electronic voice inside Lia Gradec's room, which goes from a whisper to a wail with a twist of a knob. The oracle has pointed you to this place. Is Katherine in here? Why? Do they know each other? No, Katherine knows no-one here but you; you're sure of it; you don't want to think otherwise. Katherine is alone, and you're the only one who understands her. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (append: ?Lia)[//"... late. Pray -tzzt- her, it is -tzzt- too..."// the whispers persist for a while before cutting back to that awful music again. You hear Lia's frustrated groans. Somehow, you feel partially at fault, but you don't know what you've done. The pantsuited woman is not in. Katherine is among the wolves. You need to go find her. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8)[ (append: ?Lia)[Some curious or lost guests are wandering to Lia's room, but the staffs redirect them back up the corridor towards Scott Dunn's exhibition. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 9)[ (append: ?Lia)[You are following the crowd towards Lia Gradec's exhibition - the next to be unveiled. Looking past all of the heads in front, you can see the doors open, and the space inside is lit with a stark, matter-of-fact white, neither warm nor hostile, but simply a clinical apathy. You perk up your ears. Save for the confused whispering of the guests, and perhaps the barely perceptible hum of electricity passing through wires, the voices are nowhere to be heard. Standing by the door, Lia is tense and pale. Has she broken her machine? ] ] (if: $stateGala is 10)[ (append: ?Lia)[You've left Lia Gradec's exhibition without a word, without a thought. All that could be said has been said. The other guests appear unmoored, some even seem upset, but they speak nothing. Those electronic utterances - how far do they travel? And where do they go? Could it even be considered art? Or merely a tech demo? No answer returns. It must have been a great illusion, a quirk of the human body made to amuse or thrill itself. But has that not been the chief principal of all art? Your thoughts do not go anywhere; they can't. There is only you and your mind. It is not until someone taps you on your shoulder do you break out of this daze. It's your turn. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (append: ?Lia)[For her invention, Lia will likely be contacted by marketers, governments, and especially military. You - however - will be known as that woman who made ripping off Rauschenberg's //White Paintings// into a performance art piece. //"Ready-made"//. //"Found object"//. //"Pop art"//. You want to throw up. ] ] ]

{=  (if: (passage:)'s name is "Gala D2d")[ (unless: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9 or it is 10 or it is 11 or it is 12)[(replace: ?Katherine)[The door is ajar. A furtive light comes from inside. The metal plaque reads: "Katherine Zhdanova • //Here I Am// • performance". Next to it is a (link: "poster.")[poster, which introduces her as "a Ukranian émigré", "a survivor of love and war", and "a bridge between the old and new" - all things that the patrons want to hear. What the poster fails to capture is how the weary moisture of the Pacific Northwest has seeped into her bones and blessed her with an ache that will not stop, like an arthritic soul or a hairline crack in the skull, through which light bleeds into her mind. It fails to mention that you taught her everything you knew. Ah, but Katherine is no painter. She is barely even an artist. She only does art because she cannot stand a world devoid of light. You'd like to think that you were a torchbearer.] ] ] (if: $stateGala is 0)[ (append: ?Katherine)[Katherine must be inside. Like you, she cannot stand the crowd, cannot stand to be idle. Go talk to her. Apologize. Explain. Entice. Invite. Do what's needed. Your painting will go nowhere without her. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 1 or it is 2 or it is 3 or it is 4 or it is 5)[ (append: ?Katherine)[Katherine is not in. The note in her room says to ''meet her in the garden''. What is she doing in the garden? Is she there for the lake? The lake - you're quite convinced that this is intentional, a message meant for you. If all of this were part of her performance, then it would not surprise you in one bit. It is all too clear: She wants to make art with you again. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 6)[ (append: ?Katherine)[The oracle has pointed you to Lia Gradec's room. It should be somewhere down the hall from Katherine's. What is she doing with Lia? Has she found in Lia your replacement? But Katherine was still sending you emails - which you neither read nor reply to - a few months ago. Besides, Lia Gradec will not be a good fit for her, not at all! Her business with you is unfinished. Your painting is unfinished. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 7)[ (append: ?Katherine)[Apparently, Katherine is with Lia. You worried for nothing. But now, there are new worries: Katherine is in the lounges at //this// hour. She is a sheep inside a den of wolves. Or worse still, she might have a patron or is courting one. Of course she does! You should have thought of that this morning. No-one comes here by their talent alone; not everyone can be you. Regardless, if she is in there, then she is moving ever closer to a future where she is your competitor, where you are without her. You need to mend that wound before it festers. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 8 or it is 9)[ (append: ?Katherine)[The unveiling is now. Katherine's room is locked. Nothing is ever too late. You can catch up with her after her segment, which you will shower her with unconditional praise, then have a few drinks with her during the auction, then... ] ] (if: $stateGala is 10)[ (append: ?Katherine)[It is time for //your unveiling//. You wonder if Katherine will be among the crowd. She must! It is poor manner to not be there, and you've taught her better than that. After all, the unfinished painting is as much her child as it is yours, even if she is absent for most of its gestation. ] ] (if: $stateGala is 11)[ (append: ?Katherine)[You're moving with the crowd towards Katherine's room, and all you can see is that glowering anger that flashes red and black in your vision. Forget the Foundation. These fat philistines have humiliated you enough. To take their money and live under their roof is to always be an insect. You still have your painting. Yes. The painting is still unfinished, and you can paint even when living under a bridge, where they will find your corpse by the water, your masterpiece complete at last. And when they gaze into that chorus of angels, that map of Creation, that SUN, they will see in one miniscule corner: Katherine splendid as she truly //is//, not some farce that young people like her pass for "art". All will look back and realize that this night's song-and-dance has been for nothing when dawn comes. But while night is still here, you will... entertain the last few moments of darkness. ] ] ]

{= (set: $place to "in the hallway")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "talking to the pantsuited woman")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] //“Tell me,”// the pantsuited woman says to you in the hallway. //“Why are you looking for Katherine?”// Why does she ask? (link-reveal: "Does she know where Katherine is?")[ //“I asked first, didn’t I?”// You tell her that (link-reveal: "it’s none of her business.")[ //“Maybe not, but humor me. You give me something, I give back. Tit-for-tat. You know how it goes.”// (show:?choices1)]] [<ul> You say: <li>(link: "... that you simply want to catch up with your former protégé.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?why)[You explain that Katherine used to be your student, and you’ve taught the girl everything you knew. Now, you simply want to congratulate her, but it seems that this mansion is much too large and hectic for so simple a wish. (if: $lockHenriH1 is true or $lockPartyB is true)[//“And yet, you and I have somehow managed to run into one another again.”//](else:)[//“Well, I’m sure there’s a reason for everything.”//] You stare at her, feeling like you’re being toyed with.]] <li>(link: "... that there are terribly intimate matters to conclude.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?why)[You deflect: Surely, this woman understands how normal it is for people to need and depend on one another in order to do great things. Why, she and Lia seem to be an example - whatever that //thing// in there is. The woman studies you, a curious look on her face. You realize that this deflection has given too much away: You don’t actually know the nature of their relationship.]] <li>(link: "... that frankly, she wouldn’t understand.")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?choices1)(replace: ?why)[You shake your head. Sure, you can tell her how Katherine has inspired your painting, but that’s not the whole truth, is it? It was not her, per se, but //something// that she had, and in you was another //something// that slumbered and only woke when it sensed its kin appearing in the horizon. You didn’t understand it yourself. If you did, if you could explain in plainer words, then you wouldn’t have painted.]] </ul>]<choices1|(hide:?choices1) [ []<why| Suddenly, in a bright voice, she says, //“(if: $lockHenriH1 is true or $lockPartyB is true)[How’s Henri, by the way? Are you getting along with him? Is he treating you well?](else:)[Funny thing, but I’ve heard a lot about you. A friend from work, Henri, can’t stop going on and on about his painter neighbor.] I thought he’d be here with you.”// (link-reveal: "Henri?")[ Why is she bringing him up? You can’t care about that right now, and (link-reveal: "she has promised to tell you where Katherine is.")[ //“Right, right. Tit-for-tat. Well, she's likely where everyone will be..."// she looks at her watch. //"... in about a minute. Anyone who’s important.”// (link-reveal: "The lounges.")[ //“Yes. She should be in one of the ''red rooms'' deeper inside the maze, though I’m not sure which one the staff has booked for her.”// (link-reveal: "How does this woman know?")[ The comings and goings of any back room are usually shrouded. //“That… is none of your business,”// she smiles. //“I'd advise that you don't interrupt the her though. Miss Zhdanova has worked hard to keep herself well occupied. She’s an ambitious woman; I’m sure you'd know.”// And with that, (link-reveal: "she leaves you.")[ --- (link: "Leave for the lounges.")[(dialog: [While you were talking, the guests have begun to crowd upstairs. Having had a taste for their potential acquisitions, patrons will now hash out the finer details of their dealings in the privacy of the inner lounges. For some, this is entirely the reason why they've come. But why is Katherine there?], "Do you even want to find out?")(goto: "Gala D2")] (Head out.) ]]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{= (set: $room to "(either: \"(random: 1,10)-(random: 20,30)\",\"(random: 30,40)-(random: 50,60)\",\"(random: 60,70)-(random: 80,90)\",)") (set: $place to "maze (rooms $room)")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "looking for a red door")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  [You find yourself in a dim corridor that seems to stretch further than the mansion can bear. The walls are lined with doors, like crooked teeth in a rotten mouth.]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [As you trace your way in the dark hallway, you feel carpet fibers squirming underfoot, like a warm, slumbering tongue savoring a dream's morsel.]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [As you walk further and further into the corridors, you begin to suspect that the floor might be sloping unnaturally, forcing you to brace against the walls.]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [The floorboards creak, and you can almost make out a croaking, a whisper, things that echo in your mind when the silence is absolute.]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [At one point, the ceiling drops lower with each step. The air is growing thicker. You feel the walls pulsing faintly, like a heartbeat under your palm. Or perhaps it is the coursing of your own blood.]<hidden5|(hide: ?hidden5) You walk until the corridor splits in two. --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Turn left.")[(set: $dice to (random: 1,10))(goto: (either: "Gala Key 8y", "Gala Key 8x"))] <li>(link: "Turn right.")[(set: $dice to (random: 1,10))(goto: (either: "Gala Key 8x", "Gala Key 8y"))] </ol> (either: (show: ?hidden1), (show: ?hidden2), (show: ?hidden3), (show: ?hidden4), (show: ?hidden5), )

{= [You pass by a dumbwaiter, one of many that webs across the entire mansion. This one is ponderously and noisily bringing up (either: "nothing. It does not loop back down but continues upward. You haven't realzied that there are more than two floors.", "a glass pipe on a silver platter.", "an entire spool of rope.", "actual cognac - imagine that!",) You hear radio chatter echoing down the hallway. Someone is arriving to check the dumbwaiter. You should get going.]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [The walls shudder as if something large just brushed past them on the other side. You turn and see a door lined with cool, emerald velvet. Or is it moss? You brush a finger over it and hears a sigh slipping through some hidden crack. Something is stirring in there. You ought not linger.]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [The maze ends abruptly at a solid wall. You turn back and notice a purple door where once was only smooth wall. You hear laughter, not from inside the door itself, for all such rooms are soundproof, but instead echoing down the hallway. Too clear, too close. You flee in a panic.]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [You must have been going around in circles because you once again pass by a familiar gray door. You know that it is the same door because everytime you pass by it, cold air laps at your feet. Either the guests have requested the air conditioning to be at max capacity, or this is a walk-in freezer. Whatever it stores must be rotten, because you can smell it faintly in the hallway.]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) You continue until the corridor forks in two. --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Turn left.")[(set: $dice to (random: 1,10))(goto: (either: "Gala Key 8x", "Gala Key 8z"))] <li>(link: "Turn right.")[(set: $dice to (random: 1,10))(goto: (either: "Gala Key 8z", "Gala Key 8y"))] (either: (show: ?hidden1), (show: ?hidden2), (show: ?hidden3), (show: ?hidden4), )

{= [Try as you may, the thoughts begin to resurface: If Katherine really is waiting for you, then what is she doing in here? No, she must have been lured here, just as how she was lured into this gala. Think about it: Why would the Foundation pick her of all people? She has potential, but potential is all she has. They must have known. They must have known about her history with you. It’s no coincidence, is it?]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [You do not want to think ill of Katherine, but you’ve been wandering for, what, half an hour? She has trapped you here. She has sent you on a wild goose chase. She wants you to chase her, to exhaust yourself, to waste your time, just as she has wasted hers on you. You could have spent all this time touching up your own painting or making sure the space is in shape. But now, you don’t know how you would ever get out of this maze.]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) [These halls are where old selves are discarded, like piles of soiled clothes, like old shells. Everywhere, they’re alike - the hallways of five-star hotels, the alleys down in Mexico City, a Washingtonian mansion… People come here to forget and in the darkness become something new. No, you’ve been to all those places, and you knew how hollow those promises are. You’ve never changed, and neither will Katherine. No matter what worldly barters one is forced to make, no matter the petty lures, one never forgets the light in the sky, the hum of the heavens, once one has been initiated. She will remember once she sees you. You will make her remember. And she will unravel like a bloom, to present to your waiting lips those pearls of nectar which her scars hide, which her piercings bar. ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) [She will forget you - the thought loops in your head. Someone will take her under their wing, and she will fly and will leave you far behind. But to which horizon will she fly to? Westward, never East. It is a false contentment she chases, a dusk of ambitions. And yet, the Sun yet rises, and it will burn on her nape. And here is you, barreling down the hall with your chariot.]<hidden4|(hide: ?hidden4) [ You silence your thoughts and keep walking until you must make a turn. --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Turn left.")[(set: $dice to (random: 1,10))(goto: (either: "Gala Key 8y", "Gala Key 8x"))] <li>(link: "Turn right.")[(set: $dice to (random: 1,10))(goto: (either: "Gala Key 8y", "Gala Key 8y"))] </ol> ]<fork|(hide: ?fork) [(display: "Gala Key 8 Red")]<red|(hide: ?red) (if: $dice is < 7)[(show: ?fork)] (else:)[(show: ?red)] (either: (show: ?hidden1), (show: ?hidden2), (show: ?hidden3), (show: ?hidden4), )

{= (link: "...")[ (if: $galaKey8red is 0)[Silencing your thoughts, you awaken to a red, red door. Could this be it? --- (link: "Knock on the red door.")[(set: $galaKey8red to it + 1)(goto: "Gala Key 8a")] ] (if: $galaKey8red is 1)[Once again, you banish your thoughts, and like the fog has lifted, another red door appears before you. --- (link: "Knock on the red door.")[(set: $stateGala to 8)(set: $galaKey8red to it + 1)(goto: "Gala Key 8b")] ] ]

{= Red door! --- <ol> (set: _navigate to " (set: $roomGalaKey8 to it +1) (if: $roomGalaKey8 is 1)[(goto: \"Gala Key 8a\")] (else-if: $roomGalaKey8 is 2)[(set: $stateGala to 8)(set: $lockKey8 to true)(goto: \"Gala Key 8b\")] ") (if: $lockRedDoor1 is false)[(if: $attConfidence's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Try //this// red room.")[ (set: $lockRedDoor1 to true) (print: $attConfidence's useEffect) _navigate ] (Takes some ''courage''.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Try //this// red room.~~ (You're ''not confident'' enough to do this.)] ] (if: $lockRedDoor2 is false)[(if: $attEmbarrassed's qt > 0)[ <li>(link: "Try //that// red room.")[ (set: $lockRedDoor2 to true) (print: $attEmbarrassed's useEffect) _navigate ] (Confess to something ''shameful''.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Try //that// red room.~~ (You have ''nothing shameful'' to confess to.)] ] <li>(link: "Find your way back to the common area.")[(goto: $lastGala)] (Go back.) </ol>

{= (set: $time to "Dream")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "stirring awake")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] In the darkness, there are vast, hidden vistas. High in the night sky hangs (link-reveal: "the Sun")[ - a crimson gash in the world - and upon the black lake is Her sister. Light drools down onto Earth, sweet and sickly, and all creatures gather and drink from this sap. You are frozen, seated, (link-reveal: "a witness.")[ You will paint. Look, remember, and (link-reveal: "paint.")[ The light burns a hole in your retina and scrapes a dark, throbbing trail as it moves across the heavens. Your ears are ringing, and in this static, your mind begins to fill in with music, with (link-reveal: "voices.")[ //“Gee-xee-ess-fuah…”// //“Git-thuh-xee-meow-linn…”// (show: ?hidden1)]]]] [ (set: _number to 0) (set: _light to "(set: _number to it + 1)(if: _number is 4)[(show: ?hidden2)](if: _number > 4)[(set: _number to 1)]") The light moves again, and you follow it. It is (cycling-link: "beautiful. _light", "terrible. _light", "beyond description. _light", "what it is. _light",)]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)[ Past a certain point of knowing, all valuations disintegrate, like a cripple shedding her crutches, a cathedral its scaffolds, or a child her parents. She gains wings and flies, (link-reveal: "shedding also the Earth.")[ //“Oh thank God!”// You hear (link-reveal: "a familiar voice.")[ (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "the lounge bathroom")(replace: ?place)[$place] //“She’s improving,”// a stranger, this time. //“This might even be first case, ever.”// //“You’re making keynote next year, doctor.”// //“Not the most important thing right now, is it?”// The light flickers away. Now, there is only a dull, thumping static. //“For all we know, this might just be unrelated.”// //“I’m just glad that this isn’t happening right under our roof,”// the familiar voice again. It’s the masked assistant. //“Mr. Dunn has given us enough trouble as it is.”// (link-reveal: "//“Can you hear us, miss?”//")[ You nod. (link-reveal: "//“Look at me.”//")[ His large glasses rest on his medical mask. (link-reveal: "//“Now look at her.”//")[ The assistant has no mask on, but she has her smile. (link-reveal: "//“Good. Now, can you raise your left arm?”//")[ You push him aside and try to stand up, saying that you must get to… must… //“You must rest, please,”// he says. You say that you’re fine, that (link-reveal: "this has happened before")[, that your narcolepsy - a lie you’ve told so often that you’ve forgotten how you’ve come up with it - comes and goes. //“See? It’s just a false alarm,”// the assistant catches up with you, letting you lean on her. //“She said she was fine.”// You ask her if you’ve (link-reveal: "missed the unveiling.")[ //“You’re just in time for that, in fact. But wash your face, first. Doctor? You can see to the other cases now. There’s an VIP in distress in R6-1.”// //“I’ve got people on it.”// //“And they need you, doctor. Go.”// (link-reveal: "When the medical staff have left")[, and there is only you and her, she wets a towel and wipes your face. You pull it from your eyes and see that the bathroom is made of black marble awashed in golden light. There is a faint scent of cinnamon and lavender in the air. This is not the dingy toilet that you entered. //“Didn’t I tell you where the exit was?”// You say that you must have (link-reveal: "gotten lost.")[ //“Lost? It’s a big house, but it’s not that big. Plus, I already gave you a tour, yes?”// (link-reveal: "You nod.")[ She must have. She dons her mask again, and her voice flattens. //“And having signed your waiver, you understand that you cannot take legal actions regarding this medical incident or any after?”// (link-reveal: "You nod again.")[ You know how this works. //“Good,”// she looks at her watch. //“It’s time. I’ll show you out, so we don’t get lost again.”// (link-reveal: "You follow her")[ into a sensibly lit hallway, with clear signs and maps of the floor plan. //“I understand you must be nervous. For what it’s worth, I think our patrons are going to love your painting.”// --- (link: "Exit the maze.")[(dialog: [After a handful of turns so obvious that a small child could have figured out, you finally exit to the foyer. You begin to feel like yourself again. All of these people are here to see your art. They are completely ignorant of what the painting lacks. Katherine can wait.], "So begins the unveiling.")(goto: "Gala D2e")] (And head out to the unveiling ceremony.) ]]]]]]]]]]]]] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= A moment later, a masked guard finds you biting your nails bloody in the same corner where the assistant has left you. //“I’m told that you require some assistance, ma’am?”// Yes, (link-reveal: "where is your painting?")[ //“I’m told you might be asking about that,”// he scratches the crooked beak of his mask, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. //“I’m also told to tell you that you should resume the tour in peace and not bother the staff or the guests, otherwise it would negatively affect our willingness to work with you in the future, ma’am.”// Told this, told that, has the treacherous assistant told him (link-reveal: "why the Foundation has screwed you over like this?")[ //“... Foundation? What are- No, I wasn’t told anything like that, ma’am. Your painting is right where it is. People seem to like it. Isn’t that what you want? You should enjoy your time here, while you’re still here.”// Something like (link-reveal: "a shriek roils from your belly")[, but before it can escape, you hear the event director calling for the guests’ attention. The time for gawking is already over, for there is little to gawk at in the first place, and the imagination, no matter how active or misled, can only find so much in emptiness before boredom sets in. They are already moving onto the next and final exhibit. (link-reveal: "Katherine’s.")[ --- (link: "Grit your teeth and bide your time.")[(set: $stateGala to 11)(set: $lockKey11 to true)(goto: $lastGala)] (Exit this exhibition.) ]]]]

{= Before you could move, (link-reveal: "a woman behind you steps forward")[, her long silver dress dragging behind her. //“Sure, Kathy, I’ll bite. What do you need me to do?”// //“Yes, uhm…”// suddenly, the confidence drains from her voice. //“See that wire over there? Yes, that one. Hold it. No, just hold it for now. When I’m ready, I need you to pull it. Yes, slow but firm.”// The woman holds the wire up, (link-reveal: "tugs it.")[ Katherine yelps, and the hooks all ring out in unison. (link-reveal: "//“This will hurt.”//")[ //“It’ll be worth it.”// //“Stop this, immediately!”// The director marches towards the silver woman. //“You! Hands off the wire. Haven’t you caused enough problems? Someone, stop this madness!”// (link-reveal: "//“Time’s up, Kathy.”//")[ //“N-no! Not yet! Maranatha. Maranatha. Maranatha. O Lord, please come. Your children are here waiting- AAAAAH!”// She first (link-reveal: "floats into the air")[, halfway towards the ceiling, but one of the lines (link-reveal: "snaps")[, and all of her weight falls at the wrong angle, on too few anchors. You hear a (link-reveal: "wet tear")[. Some warm mist falls on your frozen expression of horror. The guests begin (link-reveal: "screaming.")[ The sky darkens again, and for a flash, you see (link-reveal: "the Sun")[, whose light briefly touches everything, as though an old stone in a garden has been lifted, and all the critters hidden beneath are in disarray. But it was too late. They’re all seen. --- (link: "A glimpse of brilliance…")[(print: $attMad's gainEffect)(dialog: [Your mind is profoundly damanged by this experience.], "Hahahaha...")(set: $mind to 0)(goto: "Gala Key 12b")] (print: $attMad's gain)  ]]]]]]]]]

{= The light - it's gone again.(event: when time > 5s)[(show: ?hidden1)] [Now, you see (link-reveal: "only Katherine up there")[ hanging by her intestine, pink and glistening. (link-reveal: "Her skin is being pulled in every direction")[, and red slits have begun to show themselves, though the waking flesh is much too resilient, much too pregnant with blood to unfurl completely. So she(link-reveal: " dangles in her massive web")[, a botched larva, shrieking, dripping onto the patrons, who are trampling on one another to get out of the way. Swimming against the current, you try to (link-reveal: "stop the silver woman")[, but she is gone. The wire - which controls the contraption - is loose. You cannot find a way to let Katherine down. What if you were to (link-reveal: "pull on the wire again?")[ As soon as you do, you are blinded and deafened. The mansion’s bulbs go out all at once. Floodlights pour in from windows, and flashlights pierce in from the hallway as (link-reveal: "dark figures invade.")[ (link: "Suppression!")[//“Suppression! Get down on the ground, now!”// You hear a bullhorn blaring a command. //“Down on the fucking ground!”// A guest pukes, and the armored figure throws him face-first onto his own vomit, training his gun on the man’s back. //“Stay right where you are! This is a BoS raid.”// //“What’s the Bureau doing here?”// //“Get the girl down, now!”// //“There’s been a mistake!”// //“Everything you say can and will-”// But of course, they (link-reveal: "cannot contain a hundred-something terrified people")[. In the chaos, you and a few others bolt and run from the agents. Gunshots ring out, and you push past a sea of bodies to make it out of that hellish room. --- (link: "Run.")[(set: $stateGala to 12)(set: $lockKey12 to true)(set: $atGala to false)(goto: "Gala D4d")] (And never stop.)  ]]]]]]]]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{= From up here, you can see what chaos truly looks like down below. Lines of black-clad agents mash against masked catering staffs and security personnel. Thick pale smoke streams out from the shifting crowd. The air stings your nostrils. The guests are pouring downstairs, shouting, //“What are you doing? This is a philanthropic event, for Christ's sake!”// (if: $lockPanicYou is true)[You are currently carrying a huge blank canvas on your back, looking like a giant white flag. You appear so ridiculous that they might overlook you in the scuffle.](else:)[You - a nobody - should stop gawking and run.] --- <ol> You... <li>(if: $lockPanicLounges is false)[(link: "Get lost in the mazes of the lounge.")[(goto: "Gala D4e")]](else:)[~~Get lost in the mazes.~~ (You'll only get yourself shot..)] <li>(if: $lockPanicScott is false)[(link: "Hide among Scott's exhibits.")[(goto: "Gala D4b")]](else:)[~~Hide among Scott's exhibits.~~ (Don't be insane.)] <li>(if: $lockPanicLia is false)[(link: "Seek out the pantsuited woman's help.")[(goto: "Gala D4c")]](else:)[~~Seek the pantsuited woman.~~ (She is arrested. Whatever power she held is now irrelevant.)] <li>(if: $lockPanicYou is false)[(link: "Retrieve your painting first.")[(goto: "Gala D4a")]](else:)[~~Retrieve your painting.~~ (You don't know where it is, but you're hauling its vacuous sister instead.)] <li>~~Go back to Katherine's space.~~ (There is nothing there for you anymore, least of which is Kathrine.) Or... <li>(link: "Run downstairs.")[(set: $lockPanicMezzanine to true)(goto: "Gala D3")] </ol>

{= (set: $place to "the grand entrance hall")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "chaos")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (if: $lockPanicGEHall is false)[By the time you’ve made it down the stairs, the grand entrance hall has turned into (link-reveal: "a stand-off.")[ (set: _standoff to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _standoff to it + 1)(if: _standoff >= 2)[(show: ?hidden1)]") (link: "On one side are federal agents and the townspeople.")[Armored Suppression agents are blocking the main entrance, accompanied by a group of townspeople with hunting rifles._trigger] (link: "And on the other side are a group of gala staffs.")[A cadre of valets and guards have been resisting arrest, barricading themselves around the gallery entrance, arming themselves with small arms and whatever implements they had on hand. The patrons, confused and panicking, command the resistant staff members to stand down and surrender, only to be shoved out front and met with a hail of rubber bullets and tear gas canisters._trigger ] [(link-reveal: "//“Judgment comes. The Lord will forgive me in the end!”//")[ A busboy runs out from his barricade of toppled furniture and hurls a flaming bottle, which crashes onto a riot shield and bursts into a blinding conflagration. A gunshot cracks the air. He crumples onto the floor. But the agents are backing away from the heat. The fire alarm rings. The air fills with water(if: $lockPanicYou is true)[, which raps on the canvas you're carrying]. (link-reveal: "You crawl like a rat.")[(show:?choices)]]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]] (else:)[The giant chandelier is now a glittering heap on the floor, a multitude of dancing flames reflecting off of its million facets. Sprinklers are raining down on the shard-covered tiles.] [ Barely able to breathe, you hug the walls and keep out of sight, shrouded by the smoke, the flame, and the throng of fleeing guests. --- <ol> You... <li>~~Exit through the main entrance.~~ (A phalanx of agents block the front entrance.) <li>(if: $lockPanicLibrary is false)[(link: "Hide in the library.")[(goto: "Gala D3b")]](else:)[~~Hide in the library.~~ (It is currently being ransacked.)] <li>(if: $lockPanicDinner is false)[(link: "Hide in the dining hall.")[(goto: "Gala D3c")]](else:)[~~Hide in the library.~~ (It is currently being burned.)] <li>(link: "Run through the gallery and out to the garden.")[(goto: "Gala D3d")] Or... <li>~~Run back upstairs.~~ (It's too late for that, now.) </ol> ]<choices|(if: $lockPanicGEHall is false)[(hide: ?choices)]

{= (set: $place to "the library wing")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "desolation")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "The library is no hiding place.")[ Here, the townspeople are going from shelf to shelf, methodically pulling out the tomes onto the floor, left to soak up the sprinkler’s water. Are they destroying the Foundation’s records? Or are they searching for something? Either way, (link-reveal: "ruin is the end result.")[ (if: $lockPanicGEHall is false)[From the hall comes a loud crash, then screams. The townspeople look up and see you. You recognize the man from the motel among them, and he recognizes you, too.](else:)[They've taken notice of you. You recognize the man from the motel among them, and he recognizes you, too.] --- (link: "Be gone, quickly.")[(set: $lockPanicGEHall to true)(set: $lockPanicLibrary to true)(goto: "Gala D3")] (Back.) ]]

{= (set: $place to "the dinner hall")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "immolation")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The bartender is pouring liquor onto the carpet, bottle after bottle. Seeing you enter, she (link-reveal: "says, calmly,")[ //“Last order, before the Lord claims this place.”// (if: $lockPanicGEHall is false)[There comes a loud crashing sound from the atrium. The bartender flinches, but she does not investigate. She knows just as well as you do that it was the chandelier falling, as heavy things are wont to do. Nothing will budge her from her task.](else:)[She then proceeds to light the candles.] (link-reveal: "Some of these people do not plan to leave here alive")[, but you do. Your work is not yet complete. --- (link: "Back away, as the flames begin to devour.")[(set: $lockPanicGEHall to true)(set: $lockPanicDinner to true)(goto: "Gala D3")] (Back.) ]]

{= (set: $place to "the Foundation's private collection")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "pillage")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] You follow the stream of escaping guests past the barricade and (link-reveal: "enter the gallery.")[ Inside, you spot your handler, sweating like a pig, trying to put himself in between a staff member and a luxuriant painting of a cornucopia. (link-reveal: "//“It’s not yours to take!”//")[ He yells, threatening the boy with a crackling cattle prod. //“It’s not yours to keep.”// //“You won’t be able to make it through southern border with it.”// //“Who said anything about- I’m from Ohio, you dumbfuck.”// (link-reveal: "They struggle.")[ The boy wrings the prod from your handler, then stabs him with it until the man goes stiff on the ground, and a smell of burnt fabric wafts in the air. The other staffs hurry to load the artwork onto a cart, along with a dozen other paintings. (link-reveal: "//“Why haven’t they stopped attacking?”//")[ A guard yells at a valet. //“You people gave my men assurances that if the girl could perform what she was supposed to-”// //“Obviously, she didn’t, did she?”// The valet snaps back. //“You were there. You saw the strings breaking.”// //“What if the Lord willed it?”// //“Do not blaspheme. You can’t pretend to know the Lord’s plans. The day will come. Have some faith.”// //“Faith in Him, or faith in you lot?”// The guard grumbles, but the gunshots outside pulls him out of it, and he resumes loading the artwork. (link-reveal: "You feel as though you were a fly")[, accepting for the first time what wicked web you’ve been caught in, and this terror chases away all thoughts save for that of escape. The more dumbfounded you are, the more innocent you are, the fewer reasons you have to stay.(if: $lockPanicYou is true)[ The only treasure you carry is an empty one.] --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Escape to the garden.")[(goto: "Gala D3e")] <li>~~Go back to the atrium.~~ (A firefight is breaking out.) </ol> ]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "the lakeside garden")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "crawling")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] In the garden, you're greeted with the deafening drone of a helicopter - the Bureau’s reinforcement? Or an escaping patron? (link-reveal: "No matter.")[ The gust has blown apart the veil of fog, and you stalk among the hedges, taking care to avoid the floodlights and the squads of agents seeking to flank the mansion. (link-reveal: "//“I was only doing a gig!”//")[ The oracle yells out as an agent approaches her with cuffs. //“I’ve got nothing to do with those adventist freaks, I swear!”// //“Then you have nothing to be afraid of. Now, hands behind your back.”// Taking a wide berth from the pavilion, you make it down the gravel slope towards the shore, where a Bureau boat is beached. For a moment, you imagine (link-reveal: "commandeering the craft")[, but you quickly remember that you don’t know how to start the thing up, much less pilot it. So, you (link-reveal: "pace into the reed thickets")[, (if: $lockPanicYou is true)[holding the canvas over your head so that it won’t get wet, ]sinking your ankles into the mud, intent on trekking through the woods (link-reveal: "and…")[ //“We’ve got one over here!”// A woman’s voice echoes in the trees, startling you. Flashlights reach into the reeds, touching you. --- (link: "Run!")[(goto: "Gala D3f")] ]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "the lounges' foyer")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "running past")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockPanicLounges to true) It would have been (link-reveal: "a //great// idea")[, were it not for the fact that: (link-reveal: "One")[, the lounge staffs, crying and begging, insisting that they know nothing, are being rounded up in the foyer, and yellow tapes are being strung up. (link-reveal: "Two")[, the maze you had in your head does not exist, remember? It’s only a series of corridors, no more complicated than a hotel floor, and the chase will end in anticlimax. Why did you ever think it was anything else but a mundane section of the house? You do know that infinite mazes are impossible, (link-reveal: "right?")[ An agent turns his eyes, or rather his night vision goggles, towards you and makes a few guttural clicks before shouting, // “You there, in the hallway, stay where you are!”// As he stomps towards you, a girl bolts and runs, which momentarily distracts him enough for you to make your escape. As you do, you hear gunshots. --- (link: "Keep running and don’t look back.")[(goto: "Gala D4")] (Back.) ]]]]

{= (set: $place to "Scott's space")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "running past")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockPanicScott to true) (link-reveal: "Why, aren’t you full of bright ideas today.")[ What do you think you will do there, stand on a pedestal and pretend to be a mannequin? And what will you do when they haul you away and throw you into a chilly morgue to be frozen to death? (link-reveal: "You truly have lost your mind, haven’t you?")[ You hear (link-reveal: "Scott Dunn’s voice")[, //“Hands off me! Don’t you know who my father is?”// But the agents and their jackboots don’t care. That there is a sane man, and he does as well with hardened polyurethane soles as anyone else. (link-reveal: "You stand no chance.")[ --- (link: "Continue to skitter away.")[(goto: "Gala D4")] (Back.) ]]]]

{= (set: $place to "Lia's space")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "running past")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockPanicLia to true) Why would the pantsuited woman still be here? More importantly, (link-reveal: "why would she be of help?")[ Perhaps you were clinging onto the faint impression that she was well-connected, perhaps even a senior member of the Foundation, someone who could grovel and ask if she remembers you, if she would help you talk to the kindly officers. (link-reveal: "But that is all delusional.")[ Presently, in Lia's room, an agent is reading out the charges as another cuffs the pantsuited woman and Lia, who cries out in anguish as the men destroys her machine with a sledgehammer. Its electronic voice sings a few notes, then distorts into a scream. The last thing you want is for them to think that you know these women. You're innocent so far, right? Plausible deniability. This has all been a big misunderstanding, and you've only found yourself in the wrong place, at the wrong time. --- (link: "Hurry off before they realize you're there at all.")[(goto: "Gala D4")] (Back.) ]]

{= (set: $place to "your own space")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "grabbing the painting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockPanicYou to true) (link-reveal: "You must get to your //magnum opus// at all costs.")[ Protect it with your life. Only you have the right to destroy it. But instinct is always stronger than sense. When you stumble into your now abandoned exhibit, you remember that the thing waiting for your rescue is not your painting but the canvas that you’ve used to cover it. You don’t know where the real thing is. You want to (link-reveal: "scream.")[ But instead of making any noise, you silently unhook (link-reveal: "the blank canvas")[ from its wires and haul it off. Now, everyone will notice you - the giant, walking canvas of nothing. Though your head is devoid of reason, you will not leave with empty hands. --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Try the balcony door, which leads down to the garden.")[(dialog: [You try your luck with the balcony door, and for a moment you thought you saw behind the glass Katherine standing there, smoking, just as she did this morning. But the handle won't move. You see flashlights coming up the stairs outside. BoS agents.], "You back away.")~~Try the balcony door.~~ (It's still locked, and there are BoS agents trying to get in.)] <li>(link: "Head back out into the mezzanine.")[(goto: "Gala D4")] (Back.) </ol> ]]]

{= (set: $place to "Katherine's space")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "running from")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockPanicKathy to true) (link-reveal: "This isn't happening.")[ (link-reveal: "This isn't happening.")[ (link-reveal: "This is all a bad dream.")[ An old man clings to your blazer. You push, smearing blood over his face. He begs, calling you by your name, but a Suppression agent covered in black kevlar tackles and pins him to the carpet. You, however, (link-reveal: "slip out to the hallway.")[ Out here, men in balaclavas and headgears with dangling antennas are streaming into every open door and kicking down everything that is still locked. Most private security have surrendered, some of them bleeding out on the floor. Suddenly, the corridors are (link-reveal: "filled with panicking guests")[, too many for the agents to catch, too loud for them to notice you. --- (link: "Sneak out to the mezzanine.")[(goto: "Gala D4")] ]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "the lake")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "escape")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The further you run, the further your feet sink into the mud. You hear their jackboots crushing the pebbles, drawing (link-reveal: "closer and closer.")[ In a flash of panic, you (link-reveal: "throw yourself into the water")[, trying desperately to coordinate your limbs. But you’ve never learned how to swim properly, as much as your mother has taught you. Murky water (link-reveal: "invades your nose")[, (link-reveal: "your mouth")[, (link-reveal: "your lungs.")[(if: $lockPanicYou is false)[(show: ?hidden1)] (if: $lockPanicYou is true)[As you reach wildly for (link-reveal: "something to grab onto")[, you find the plywood frame of your canvas. It is floating! You’ve taken care to wax it, so that it might keep water off of the thing that it’s supposed to protect. Now, it is just buoyant enough for you to rest half of your almost weightless body on top as your feet (link-reveal: "paddle you away from land.")[(show: ?hidden1)] ] ] ]]]]] [ The agents yell from the shore, trying to undo the straps of their armor, but you are already (link-reveal: "very far away.")[ You dip in and out of the water, each time drinking a mouthful of the lake, which gradually turns into milk and honey on your tongue. And everytime you come back up for air, you are more sober-headed, the night sky gets a little brighter, and your destination - (link-reveal: "an islet in the distance")[ - becomes clearer. Was it there before, those swooning cypress trees and white monoliths? The fog has shrouded everything, and some things only lift their veils when the mind and body overcome their worldly constraints. (link-reveal: "This is that secret place")[, which all lakes possess, and Katherine awaits you there. You take one large gulp of air and (link-reveal: "dip down")[, feeling joyous, shimmering bubbles caress your cheeks as you launch towards her. When you (link-reveal: "come back up again")[, the sky has turned (link-reveal: "blood-red.")[ Far above in the firmament, the pit-like Sun watches all of Creation (link-reveal: "squirm under its light.")[ The air (link-reveal: "hums.")[ Life (link-reveal: "ebbs")[ from your limbs. (if: $lockPanicYou is true)[Slowly, you let go of the canvas. ]Water turns into tar, into black glass. (link-reveal: "It is here. Dawn.")[ --- (link: "And time ceases crawling.")[(set: $atGala to false)(goto: "Gala E")] (The end.) ]]]]]]]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{= (replace: ?date)[??] (set: $time to "Dream")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "being questioned")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Before you is a metal table, lit by a single lamp. Your entire body is hurting. (link-reveal: "//“Hello, friend,”//")[ out of the dark comes a woman’s voice. //“Didn’t think we’d meet again so soon.”// (link-reveal: "You ask her where you are.")[ //“Nowhere.”// (link-reveal: "You ask why you’re here - what you’ve done wrong this time.")[ //“Nothing. In fact, you’ve done everything right. I know you’ve been telling yourself that.”// [ <ul> <li>(link: "You’ve kept to yourself.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[You say that you’ve kept to yourself, living quietly, tending only to your own garden. Whatever she thinks you’re guilty of, you’re already serving your sentence. //“Yes, yes, but have you truly atoned?”//]] <li>(link: "You haven’t hurt anyone.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[You say that you haven’t hurt anyone. How could you? You have neither the strength nor the capacity for it. You’re in your cocoon. You can hurt no-one, and no-one can hurt you. //“And what do you think is in a cocoon? A horrid insect, enviously waiting for the day it spreads its wings. What hateful things sleep in the cocoon of your mind?”//]] <li>(link: "So why does she keep you here?")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[You say that she has no proof, no cause to keep you here. You want to get on with your life. You’ve got things to do and places to be. You want this to end. She chuckles, //“We all know that’s not true. Else, you would’ve stopped long ago.”//]] </ul> ]<choices| ]]] [ []<response| (link-reveal: "What is she, the thought police?")[ //“Hmm, some call us that, but it’s better to think that a policeman already lives inside each of our heads.”// (link-reveal: "You doubt it. Otherwise, she’d have no need to interrogate you.")[ //“You misunderstand. This is not an interrogation. This is a confessional. Aren’t artists good at it - confessing? You can’t help it; the world doesn’t ask, and yet, you keep on giving.”// (link-reveal: "Then it should make her job easy then.")[ //“Depends on how good of an artist you are.”// --- (link: "Tell her to get on with her questions.")[(goto: "Gala E2")] ]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{= (replace: ?date)[??] (set: $time to "Dream")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "being questioned")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "//“What is your relationship with Katherine Zhdanova?”//")[ Asks the voice in the dark. Images of Katherine hanging by her own entrails flash in your mind. You feel as though your own body is being torn apart. But you swallow the rising vomit and say that you’ve already given her your answer, long ago. Since then, (link-reveal: "your answer hasn’t changed.")[ //“Off to a good start. Back then, you did not indicate that she was related to the adventist movement.”// (link-reveal: "Because she wasn’t back then.")[ Or you didn’t know. //“Pleading ignorance, huh? Surely, you can see the parallel between what you were charged with before and the manner with which she-”// (link-reveal: "It was her idea.")[ Not yours. And you’ve never been charged with anything. //“It’s not the time to get legalistic. You can see for yourself: Things aren’t exactly normal.”// (link-reveal: "What does she mean?")[ Isn’t this - the raiding and arresting - routine for the Bureau by this point? //“What were you doing on the night of June, twenty-first?”// She ignores your question. What else would a painter be doing at an art event? A prestigious event hosted by (link-reveal: "the Darkbloom Foundation, no less.")[ //“Are you aware of the Darkbloom Foundation’s ties to the religious groups from down south?”// (link-reveal: "No.")[ As far as you can recall, the Foundation members were as surprised as anyone when the adventists revealed themselves. But the Bureau must have had their own people in the crowd, too. There’s nothing you can say that they don’t already know. //“Are you familiar with the ‘Sampo’?”// (link-reveal: "No.")[ //“The Foundation was searching for it. Or rather, a method to create it. How awfully convenient that you were there. Too many coincidences, don’t you think?”// Another in a long string of the Bureau’s wild goose chases. An organization born of paranoia will see ghosts in every corner of the world. If it is born to suppress, it will always find a reason to do so. But how does the Bureau get (link-reveal: "the gall to raid the Foundation, who bankroll a third of the politicians in the Union?")[ //“The Union is no more,”// says the voice. //“The Bureau is no more. The Foundation is no more. There’s only you and me. Now answer my question: What were you doing that night?”// You stammer, (link-reveal: "unable to comprehend what she is saying.")[ //“Let me jog your memory,”// she says as she produces a large panel, which you (link-reveal: "cannot believe your eyes at first.")[ It is your painting. Your //magnum opus//. Your beloved (link-reveal: "Sun")[, albeit mutilated. Ruined. The paint, or what's left of it, shimmers and shifts in the lamp’s light, becoming so bright that you must shield your eyes. --- (link: "It is so ugly.")[(goto: "Gala E3")] ]]]]]]]]]]]]

{= (replace: ?date)[??] (set: $time to "Dream")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "being questioned")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $last to "Gala E3") (link-reveal: "You ask her where she found the painting.")[ (if: $lockPanicYou is true)[//“You were clinging onto it when I fished you out of the lake. If it weren’t for it, you would have sunk. But don’t blame me if there’s water damage. You did that yourself.”//](else:)[//“It survived the fire. Not in one piece, it seems. I would have shredded the rest of it myself, but I still want to hear what you have to say. It's at least a good conversation piece.”//] With a trembling voice, you tell her to go ahead and destroy it, if she thinks it’s so dangerous. (link-reveal: "It doesn’t mean anything to you.")[ //“Ah, you think you can do it again, do it better, right? Tell me, what do you hope to accomplish with it, now that there’s no-one left to see it?”// There’s always someone. Always. If there’s no-one, then you can (link-reveal: "hold it up to the sky and let the universe witness it.")[ //“Can you clarify?”// No more than that it is what you want. It is your (link-reveal: "calling.")[ //“And where did you get this idea? Your parents?”// She and you have already been through this. The shrink they’ve assigned you has already been through this. It is a fool’s errand to find some originary cause, much less to correct the symptoms. Your mother was weak, and so she used her faith in lieu of will. Your father was incapable, and his will did not amount to anything. Neither of them could be your cause. You are the way you are because you’ve (link-reveal: "willed yourself into being.")[ //“So, if I heard you right, you’re saying that your faith is your own, and this here is your doing and yours alone?”// (link-reveal: "Yes.")[ //“Good,”// she says. You hear a click, as though a button has been pressed, and somewhere, gears stop turning. //“See? I told you it was a good conversation piece.”// The painting sinks back into the dark. You move to grab it, but think better of it and sit back down. You’ll scratch a new masterpiece onto the walls of your prison with your own bleeding fingers if you have to, scratch until you’ve filed away (link-reveal: "all of your bones.")[ //“You’re free to go. Well, ‘free’ isn’t the right word in this case.”// What? Then (link-reveal: "what was the point of this interrogation?")[ //“I told you. It wasn’t an interrogation. I don’t have the authority to keep you here. No-one does anymore. Go. But it’s a different world out there. I’d advise you to stop, but it’s too late for that now.”// You ask her what she means by that. (link-reveal: "What happened to the Bureau?")[ The darkness does not answer. (link-reveal: "What happened to the Union?")[ Silence. (link-reveal: "What happened to the world?")[ (link-reveal: "Light.")[ The door groans open, and a wondrous light streams into your eyes. You realize that you are all alone. --- (link: "Go.")[(set: $date to it + 30)(set: $worldState to 3)(goto: "newDay")] ]]]]]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Morning")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "being idle")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Onward")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] </ol>

{= (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Midday")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "being idle")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Onward")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] </ol>

{= (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "at home")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "being idle")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Onward")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] </ol>

{= (set: $daily to (passage:)) (set: $time to "Dream")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "a fitful sleep")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] --- <ol> <li>(link: "Dream.")[(goto: "DeathCheck")] </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "a thought emerges")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockAmyB to true)  In one idle moment, your thoughts drift to (link-reveal: "Amy")[ - how defiant her voice was, how her skin glowed after a good cry. Tragedy only waters her youth, with which she blooms a lunar shade. Is it not the Sun’s light, after all, or a reflection of it? She is no (link-reveal: "Kathrine")[, that former protégé of yours, but perhaps, if things were different, she might be more. Ah, if only you were (link-reveal: "half the woman you used to be.")[ And it is as if you’ve conjured her up by thought alone, (link-reveal: "there she is")[, standing in your doorway, prim and pretty, with some pink in her cheeks. She has knocked, and you’ve opened the door for her, but you haven’t realized. //“I wanted to thank you properly for staying with me the other day. And apologize for my rudeness. I talked but didn't consider that you were affected by this as well. I wasn’t feeling right, but you can see that for yourself.”// Stammering, you say that it was nothing, that she ought to do or say whatever she needed to. Whatever girls like her are entitled to. Grieving girls - you clarify. No, that’s not right. Mrs. Wong may turn up any day now, (link-reveal: "you’re sure of it.")[ //“Yeah. I’ve been cleaning my aunt’s place. Don’t want the place to get dusty when she… well, there’s a lot of food left in the fridge. It’s still fresh, but I don’t want it sitting in there for too long, and I'd hate to toss anything out. You know... there might be something you'd have use for. Would you like to come and see?”// The Sun glimmers in her eyes. --- <ol> You… (if: $mind >1)[<li>(link: "Accept and go with Amy.")[ (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (goto: "Amy B1") ](print: $actionCommit's desc) ] (else:)[<li>~~Accept and go with Amy.~~ (You're currently too unwell to be around her.)] <li>(link: "Decline and retreat back into the dark.")[ (dialog: [Amy seems disappointed. Or is it relief? She heads back down the hallway, and you close your door. You are older now, and you should be wiser. Keep to yourself. Tend to your garden. You've got no more room in that dirt.], "There's enough left to work with.") (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $actionOnward's desc) </ol> ]]]]]

{= (set: $lockAmyB1 to true)  (set: $place to "Mrs. Wong's apartment")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "following Amy")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "Mrs. Wong’s apartment")[ is the exact kind of place in which you might have dwelled if you had married you-know-who and went on living like that for another decade or two - carpet on every inch of the floor, framed pictures of you, him, and your shared friends showing off freshly-done veneers in your mouths while some European architecture peaks out in the background. Yes, you might have travelled the world, infecting all corners of the globe with your old-person smell, which this apartment is full of. (link-reveal: "You glimpse at the bedroom")[, where Mrs. Wong supposedly kept her decaying husband long ago, according to Amy. It’s hard to imagine that ever-gossiping woman being sad and quiet. You’ve somehow managed to miss that time entirely. You barely remember the old man, much less his disappearance. You were in a stupor for many years. Now, if you were to step inside that room, would you see a stain on the carpet? (link-reveal: "Amy sets out on the kitchen table")[ several bags of onions, carrots, cabbages still in their plastic wraps, and so on. You haven’t seen those in a while. When she said “food”, you didn’t picture uncooked produce. You might have imagined Chinese food, which would have been a boon for you, but now, you’re simply embarrassed for having thought that. //“Go ahead. Take as much as you want. There isn’t much space in my dorm anyway.”// You rifle through what’s on the table, unable to imagine what you will do with it, since you haven't cooked for yourself in so long. The only thing you can imagine now is when Amy will visit again, and what other excuse you will have for being around. You find yourself hoping for more leftovers, and you will crawl and scrounge and subsist on whatever that has fallen through the cracks - like you always have. Finally settling on the carrots(if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[ - Jesse might appreciate some fiber in her all-kibble diet -](else:)[,] you linger for a while. Being the good host, Amy (link-reveal: "offers some wine and small talk.")[ --- (link: "An hour a few glasses after, the conversation inevitably veers towards fine art.")[(goto: "Amy B2")] ]]]]

{= (link-reveal: "//“Don’t tell my aunt this,”//")[ Amy leans in and whispers. //“But I’ve been (link-reveal: "modeling…")[ No, not anything fancy, just a gig at a studio. I’ve been doing that since freshman year; they keep asking for me to come back, and I do need the (link-reveal: "money…")[ Uhm, yes, sometimes, that’s part of it - that’s why I don’t want you to tell her. But it’s all very professional, for the most part. I just ignore them if they go overboard.”(show: ?hidden1)]]// [ (link-reveal: "You’ve grown lightheaded.")[ Is it the wine? Her floral breath? Or is some part of you, which you’ve shut tight for both your and the world’s sake, being "pried open? (link-reveal: "You recall Katherine.")[ She used to model for your class. You made her sit on that stool over and over again, and you were frustrated that the other students could get Katherine just right. Can’t you see? - You’d say to them. You’ve made the lines, but where’s the soul? Katherine would sigh and cover herself until you were done berating the other students for failing to capture what you and only you can too clearly see. You wonder (link-reveal: "which talentless hack is currently failing Amy.")[ //“They’re so amazing, those artists. I want to try my hand with oil painting, too, but between that and pre-med, plus a bunch of other things, I’ve got no time to take classes at the center. And well, this current… situation is one of those things.”// (link-reveal: "You say that you can show her.")[ The words, they just pour out of your mouth. //“Really? I didn’t know you were…?”// (link-reveal: "Yes.")[ Yes, you are. Not exactly a no-name either. //“That’s… Wow! But I’m warning you: I’m broke.”// That’s convenient, because (link-reveal: "you’re not asking for money in return.")[ //“Oh this will be good. I really need a distraction if I’m going to come back here all the time, at least until my aunt comes back. Just tell me if I’m bothering you too much, alright?”// You chuckle and give her assurances in that warm and confident voice that you used to have, no doubt stirring awake because of (set: _num to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _num to it + 1)(if: _num >= 3)[(show: ?hidden2)]") (cycling-link: "the wine_trigger", "Amy_trigger", "the possibilities_trigger",). [ //“And what do I need to bring?”// (link-reveal: "Only herself.")[ //“Deal!”// She goes on talking for a while about all the things she wants to do, and you only watch her, for it is what //you// want. Your stale and incomplete masterpiece - perhaps it needs (link-reveal: "some new life breathed into it after all.")[ --- (link: "There's hope for you, yet.")[ (print: $storyAmy's gainEffect) (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (dialog: [It is over before you know it, much too soon. You are back in your dingy apartment, watching from the window as below, Amy walks across the parking lot, gets in her car, and drives back to her college dorm. A piece of her stays with you.], "And soon, more.") (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](print: $storyAmy's gain) ]] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) ]]]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]

{= (set: $activity to "a car arrives")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockAmyC to true) All day, it has been so quiet that you feel like the world has forgotten to wake up. Or are you dreaming? You gaze out your window and see that the day is shrouded in fog, and out of the murk comes (link-reveal: "a familiar car.")[ Your heart jumps. Amy is here again, and so soon, too! (link-reveal: "Two car doors open.")[ Your anticipation sours into (set: _num to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _num to it + 1)(if: _num >= 3)[(show: ?hidden1)]") (cycling-link: "confusion_trigger", "disappointment_trigger", "suspicion_trigger"). [Henri exits the passenger’s side, and Amy steps out from the driver’s. She pops open the trunk, and he helps her haul several (link-reveal: "rectangular bags")[ - fresh canvases, must be. Didn't you tell her not to bring anything? Now, she's bringing a hanger-on, too]. (link-reveal: "Your heart hammers.")[ After a while, you hear footsteps. Shuffling. Coming closer. You hold your breath, listening to Henri’s muffled voice. //"I'm telling you: She's very busy. Maybe it's best that you-"// (link-reveal: "Amy knocks anyway.")[ Despite Henri's discouragement. --- <ol> You… (if: $mind >1)[<li>(link: "Open the door.")[(set: $lockHenriVisit to true)(goto: "Amy C1")](print: $actionCommit's desc)] (else:)[<li>~~Open the door. ~~ (You're too unwell to deal with this right now.)] <li>(link: "Stay silent and pretend you’re not home.")[(dialog: [Amy calls out your name, but you do not answer. Henri says that you must be gone, busy preparing for a show, as expected of an accomplished artist. Amy mumbles something. Then, they leave. You crawl into bed and sleep until it's dark, dreaming of a white canvas.], "Empty, disappointing.")(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc) </ol> ]]]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)]]

{= (set: $lockAmyC1 to true) You quickly change into a not-as-musty t-shirt and (link-reveal: "open the door.")[ Amy’s cheeks are flushed brightly, but Henri is missing his signature smile.(if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[ Jesse peeks out between your legs, wary of the strangers.] //“(if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[Hi kitty! And hi to you, too! ]I’m here for my lesson. May I come in?”// Lucky for you, the apartment is in a more acceptable state now, so you (link-reveal: "nod.")[ //“May I come in also?”// Henri asks. But before you can give your reply, Amy says, //“Ah, I was thinking that it’s a girls-only thing? Sorry. Thanks for helping me out, though. I’ll let you know if something turns up.”// Amy takes the canvases from him and heads inside. (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[Jesse immediately follows her.] You say goodbye to Henri and quickly (link-reveal: "close the door")[, or else you might have to look at the dejected look on his face. You listen to make sure that Henri is gone. When he is, you turn to (link-reveal: "Amy")[, who is already settling down on the newly scrubbed floor. This is your first guest in years, and, blessed be, it happens to be //her//. //“Wow, cozy place you’ve got here,”// Amy looks around, admiring the nothingness of it all. You’ve made sure of it. //“Are you living alone?”// (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[You say (link-reveal: "it’s not that bad")[(show: ?hidden1)] - you have Jesse, who is currently rubbing her face onto Amy’s things.](else:)[You nod. Yes, (link-reveal: "unfortunately.")[(show: ?hidden1)]] [ //“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I let my mouth run sometimes.”// Of course. (link-reveal: "It’s not a problem.")[ She can do whatever she likes. //“I get myself in such trouble. Like earlier, for example. When I ran into your neighbor, Henri, at the station, I told him that you’d be teaching me how to paint. He was so excited that I couldn’t say no until… well, sorry for the awkwardness at the door.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "He’s just an eager person.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response)[You say that Henri has always had that golden retriever in him. So persistent. Sometimes, you feel guilty, as though you’ve been taking advantage of him. But you’ve learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth.]] <li>(link: "He’s been wanting to see your work.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response)[You say that Henri is something of a fan. He has been asking to see your newest painting, but you haven’t let him yet. //“Is it the one over there?”// Why yes. Yes it is. Currently, a linen tarp hides the work beneath, floating above the surface so as to not disturb the resting paint. Amy does not inquire further.]] <li>(link: "He doesn’t know when to quit.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?response)[You say that it’s not her fault. Henri has always been the persistent sort, to a fault. If he knew any better, he would have left you alone, as everyone else has - you think to yourself.]] </ul>]<choices| ] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]]]] [ []<response| //“I don’t know how to say this without sounding ungrateful, since he’s helping with the investigation and everything, but he feels… odd.”// You ask her to clarify. //“Forget I said anything. I’m a mess right now. Let’s just get on with it. What have you got for me?”// --- (display: "Amy Tutoring") ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= <ol> You… <li>(link: "Teach her the basics.")[(goto: "Amy Restlessness")] (A surprisingly ''stressful'' exercise. Commit.) <li>(link: "Try to inspire her.")[(goto: "Amy Inspiration")] (And perhaps be ''inspired'' yourself. Commit.)  <li>(link: "Build up her confidence.")[(goto: "Amy Confidence")] (By showing her how ''confidently'' you wield your brush. Commit.)  <li>(link: "Have her search the darker recesses of her mind.")[(goto: "Amy Shame")] (''Shame'' has often been a driver of greatness. Commit.)  <li>~~Show her your unfinished painting.~~ (It is not ready. She is not ready.) </ol>

{= (set: $activity to "drilling the basics with Amy")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] [The basics - color, composition, motion, lines, anatomy, and so on - are not so "basic", as one can never graduate from them, not even you. You have Amy try her hands at a few exercises meant to elucidate these fundamentals. She goes at it with earnestness and diligence. You imagine that this is how she is everywhere. What a waste it'd be if she was not guided by (link-reveal: "firm hands and clear vision.")[(show: ?story)] ]<part1| [(display: "Amy Story Text")]<story|(hide:?story) [ Soon, you both return to the exercises, with you explaining and demonstrating as Amy follows along. Then, you sit behind her, watching her carry on the rest of the way. (either: "That composition is so unbalanced that if it were a person, it'd fall down the first step it takes.", "Amy should go easy on the red paint for now. Else, there won't be enough left for your own work.", "No chicken lines. No. Chicken. Lines!", "What does she mean //\"if there's any trick to it\"//? There's only practice. Now, focus.", "You should do something about her palette. She looks like she's trying to invent \"Depression Brown\".", "She's beginning to decorate her contour drawings with swirls. Her mind is circling the drain.", ) The darker the afternoon grows, the less well Amy does. Maybe it's time to call it quits. She has sat for far longer than you'd expect of a typical student. It's a wonder that she is still putting up with you at all. Don't spoil a good thing. There will be another day. --- (link: "Relieve her. Deal with your disatisfaction quietly.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (print: $storyAmy's gainProgress) (print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $attRestlessness's gain) ]<part2|(hide: ?part2)

{= (set: $activity to "kneading Amy's mind")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] [Art without inspiration - which is to say //inspirare// - is like speech without breath. Today, you have Amy ask herself what inspires her. She says that it is (either: "the heroism of nurses and doctors", "the joy of scientific discovery", "need to succeed",). But this is too obvious, too synthetic, too… reified. So, you have her (either: "do free associations and visually represent that process", "study some old masterpieces and play with their motifs", "recall a memory, focus on only one of its sensory aspects, and depict only a fraction of that",) in order to keep her mind limber and loose. (either: "You sit down and paint alongside her. She stares blankly at her implements.", "She pouts, her mind still clinging onto her old ideas.", "Amy spends too long jotting down her note, delaying the moment when brush must meet canvas.",) But eventually, she (link-reveal: "finds her momentum.")[(show: ?story)] ]<part1| [(display: "Amy Story Text")]<story|(hide:?story) [Returning to the exercise, you drill her over and over with questions after questions. Soon, Amy enters a fugue state, where even basic sentences confuses her. But her hands cannot stop. Good. (either: "She is dancing between constellations.", "She is beginning to forget her shackles.", "She is awake elsewhere.",) Something resembling an idea is forming on the canvas. Stop! You have her kill it before the thing takes its first breath. Yes, it is disappointing. But one must keep the fire fed and never be done with it. There are only ugly things in cold ashes. Amy packs up her things in silence. She must still be thinking about it. And you can't think about anything else but her. Oh, tantalizing thoughts. --- (link: "Let her go. Else...")[ (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (print: $storyAmy's gainProgress) (print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $attInspiration's gain) ]<part2|(hide: ?part2)

{= (set: $activity to "being more adventurous with Amy")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] [All mountains are scaled one hand, one foot at a time. Thus, one must first trust in one's own hands and feet, trust so routinely that their actions fade from consciousness and therefore, from doubt. Today, you work on Amy's confidence by demonstrating to her several advanced techniques. She will sit behind you and watch, and she will try to reproduce what she sees. Amy seems resistant, insisting that, //"It's only easy for you."// Yes, but the point is that she //can// make something comparable, if not in quality, then at least in direction. Part of the intent is that she feels dissatisfied, that her failures are palpable. Only then will she know that the mountain is high. This only confuses Amy even more. But, she (link-reveal: "plays along diligently.")[(show: ?story)] ]<part1| [(display: "Amy Story Text")]<story|(hide:?story) [The two of you return to the demonstration. As the techniques get more complex, you work in silence, not daring look back at Amy, afraid that you might see her despondent, with her face in her hands. But when you go to her, you see that she has not altogether failed, even if the climb has broken a few sweats from her. It is by no means "excellent". And yet, she is smiling, her cheeks glowing. You compliment her, but not too much. What need is practice if one believes that things will come too naturally? That smile is already turning into a smirk. //"Yours is good, too,"// she adds. How dare she? Acting annoyed, you tell her that today's lesson is over (she breaks out into laughter), but inside, you're glad that she has cause to come back. --- (link: "Let her go, and count today as a win.")[ (print: $attConfidence's gainEffect) (print: $storyAmy's gainProgress) (print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $attConfidence's gain) ]<part2|(hide: ?part2)

{= (set: $activity to "searching for worse feelings with Amy")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] [In the shadow of the drawn curtains, Amy has been whispering (either: "about her mother","about her studies","about her peers",). She did not know that it'd be this way, but after the initial hesitation is gone, she pours too readily, and some small tears leak also. You, however, have always known that every artist is also an archeologist of that which ought to remain buried. No excavator is required, only some careful encouragement and an innocent pretext. You move her hand to the materials. There, some secret pain, which only she feels, which sounds so utterly mundane to you, begins to make itself felt. (link-reveal: "An hour passes by.")[(show: ?story)] ]<part1| [(display: "Amy Story Text")]<story|(hide:?story) [Returning to the exercises, Amy seems less troubled, and her art becomes more sober. As you watch her work, you think: You will not get much else out of her, otherwise you might risk appearing too obvious. It is enough. Like a tourist, you've had a glimpse, and like most tourists, you saw exactly what was on the postcard. She is not Katherine. Most people's inner lives are not all that exceptional. But oil and linen are not exceptional either. They are //made// special. How special is up to the artist. You've failed once before, failed so terribly that now, you're scrounging for scraps. Amy is a diamond in the rough. Do not waste her. //"What's wrong?"// Amy asks as she is packing up. It is already dark outside. //"You've gone quiet all of a sudden."// Nothing. Lost in thoughts, that's all. --- (link: "Let her go. You'd only ruin things if she stays.")[ (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect) (print: $storyAmy's gainProgress) (print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $attEmbarrassed's gain) ]<part2|(hide: ?part2)

{=  (set: $place to "at Henri's door")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "an indignant exchange")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriI to true) Henri (link-reveal: "greets you at the door")[, but his smile does not. He does not step aside for you to come in either. His eyes are bloodshot, and the five-o’clock shadow has grown shaggy. //“Hey, you… uhm, is Amy with you?”// (link-reveal: "No.")[ Why would she be? //“You two seem… You seem to have gotten close to her.”// (link-reveal: "Is that a problem for him?")[ //“No, not at all… It’s just… Well, she needs someone with her in times like these.”// (link-reveal: "Precisely.")[ //“I’ve told her that she shouldn’t come here so often. It doesn’t do any good for her mental health.”// [<ul> <li>(link: "Why would he tell her that?")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[Why would he tell her that? - You ask, somewhat indignantly. //“You know why. Amy’s clearly not well. What use is haunting that apartment while her aunt is still nowhere to be found?”// That’s why she’s //not// at her aunt’s but at yours instead. At least you give her something better to work on - herself - better than moping around an empty room or waiting at the precinct.]] <li>(link: "Is she supposed to just //wait//?")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[Is she supposed to just //wait//? - You ask, somewhat indignantly. //“No, she’s clearly doing more than just waiting. She’s pretending that nothing is wrong, and everything will go back to normal. That’s not healthy behavior.”// And what would he have her do instead? Light candles for a vigil? Preemptively hold a funeral? Does he have no hope for Mrs. Wong’s return? Is he not cognizant that Amy is still here, still living?]] <li>(link: "Her mental health would be vastly improved if she has something to do.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden1)(replace: ?response)[You say that at least coming here is a break from the class-precinct circuit that she has been running. Why, the girl said so herself, that she had no time of her own. Coming here might be the only time she can have a modicum of agency.]] </ul>]<choices| ]]]] [ []<response| While Henri is massaging his temple, as though your words have jammed his thoughts, you (link-reveal: "lay it in further")[: He should realize that we humans are not merely creatures of balance; we are also creatures that fall towards the horizon. We not only need to persist; we need to have meaning as well, something to strive towards. Else, we’d be no better than rocks. And when things seem to fall apart, one may even find in themselves a wellspring of (link-reveal: "untapped potential.")[ //“Alright, alright. I won’t argue with you today.”// Then will he (link-reveal: "let you in, finally?")[ //“... No. Now’s not a good time. I… I’m not feeling very well.”// OK. Have it his way. You’re not getting anything interesting out of him when he is in this state anyway. Maybe another time. --- (link: "Leave.")[(dialog: [As you do, you can feel his bloodshot eyes on your nape.], "Let him.")(print: $actionBack's effect)] (Back to your usual (lowercase: $time) routine.) ]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1)

{=  (set: $talk to (passage:)'s name) (if: $lockAmyC1 is true and $lockHenriI is false)[(goto: "Henri I")] (else-if: $lockHenriI is true and $lockHenriI1 is false)[(goto: "Henri I 1")] (else-if: $lockHenriI1 is true and $lockHenriI2 is false)[(goto: "Henri I 2")] (else-if: $lockHenriI2 is true)[(goto: "Henri I 3")]

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's door")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "a pressured exchange")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriI1 to true) You (link-reveal: "knock on Henri’s door.")[ He opens but steps out, closing the door behind him. His hair is wild. His eyes are darting. //“Amy. She’s been visiting you,”// he talks rapidly in lieu of a proper greeting. (link-reveal: "Yes, she has.")[ //“Yes, yes. And, what have you and Amy been up to? Making art? Sharing secrets?”// You are about to tell him but then stop. (link-reveal: "It’s none of his business.")[ //“Hey, just making a friendly conversation. Didn’t mean anything by it. Nothing.”// Friendly conversations take place after one has (link-reveal: "invited the other inside")[, not standing out here like a bouncer and a drunk. Although, which of you is the inebriated one, you cannot say. //“Oh, yes, uhm… It’s just that the place is a mess. Got electronics all over. Wires and documents, too. I’ve been trying to get some work done ahead of time. You know, before it’s my time to go back. Back to work.”// (link-reveal: "He should have opened with that")[, and you wouldn’t have wasted your time. --- (link: "Leave.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (Back to your usual (lowercase: $time) routine.) ]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's door")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "a confusing exchange")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriI2 to true) You (link-reveal: "knock on Henri’s door")[ and hear shuffling inside. His peephole flickers. When he opens the door, you can see that he looks much worse than before, and that’s saying something, coming from you. //“Oh… It’s just you…”// Yes, it’s just you. (link-reveal: "No Amy.")[ Or would he prefer it if you’ve brought the girl along? Has he taken a liking to her or something? //“Don’t be ridiculous. No. I’d much rather she didn’t show up.”// You’re confused. Wasn’t it //him// who said that (link-reveal: "we needed to stick together?")[ But who this “we” was is becoming much less clear. //“I… I said that? Sure, let’s say I did. But I didn’t know…”// He trails off. You (link-reveal: "stare at him impatiently.")[ //“I know it’s not my place,”// he continues hoarsely. //“But-”// He’s right - you interrupt. (link-reveal: "It’s //not// his place.")[ //“I just… Something feels wrong. I can’t describe, but can’t you see?”// He drops down to a whisper, eyes bulging out now. //“Can’t you feel it? Something bad is going to happen.”// (link-reveal: "What is he talking about?")[ //“I don’t know. I don’t know anymore. There’s something in the air ever since she showed up. I’ve been sleeping terribly, and in my dreams, Mrs. Wong was… and then I became…”// His voice (link-reveal: "breaks.")[ He gulps, and it is as if he has swallowed the manic light from his eyes, for now, they’ve grown soft and resigned. //“Ignore me. I’ve been staring at the computer too much. Staring and listening. My sabbatical is about to end, and I think I’m dealing with this terribly.”// You tell him that he should (link-reveal: "go see a shrink")[, if only to avoid being one for him.. //“I have. I think I have. Anyway, sorry. I need some space right now. I’ll visit when I figure out…”// He closes his door before you can hear the end of it. --- (link: "Leave.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (Back to your usual (lowercase: $time) routine.) ]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "at Henri's door")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "knocking")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockHenriI3 to true) You (link-reveal: "knock on his door")[, but there’s no answer. You can swear that something has looked through the peephole, but it might have been your imagination. What you’d much rather imagine is that nothing has looked at you, that Henri, too eager to go back to work, is not at home. (link-reveal: "Dependable today, gone tomorrow.")[ That’s all of them, and he’s no different. They’re a mathematical constant. It’s only up to you to change. Ah, but you haven’t. You’re too old to be handing out chances. Now you know what it's like to be Henri - to be stonewalled by someone like you and still come back. --- (link: "Leave.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (Back to your usual (lowercase: $time) routine.) ]]

{=  (set: $activity to "Amy visiting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (display: "Amy D Intro") [ --- <ol> You... (if: $mind > 1)[<li>(link: "Let her in.")[(set: $lockHenriVisit to true)(set: $storyAmy's visit to it + 1)(goto: "Amy D1")](print: $actionCommit's desc)] (else:)[<li>~~Let her in.~~ (You're too unwell today for anything that may affect your cardiac health.)]  <li>(link: "Turn her away.")[(set: $storyAmy's visit to it + 1)(print: _decline)(print: $actionOnward's effect)](print: $actionOnward's desc) </ol> ]<decide|(hide: ?decide)  (set: _decline to " (set: $storyAmy's decline to it + 1) (if: $storyAmy's decline is 1)[(dialog: [Amy seems surprised that you're turning her away. //\"Oh, I thought... Another time, then. Yes, I'm fine. I understand. Don't worry about it.\"// Her face says different. She's not used to rejection. Later, you see her driving out of the parking lot, having spent a fruitless day in her aunt's apartment.], \"Swallow it.\")] (if: $storyAmy's decline is 2)[(dialog: [You make up some excuse or another about why you can't see her. //\"Aw, again? You should have messaged me or something. No, it's alright. I've got things to do over at my aunt's anyway.\"// You close the door and fall onto bed, and a familiar feeling slips in the sheets with you. It has followed you since the day you told Katherine that you'd not talk to her again.], \"Embrace it.\")] (if: $storyAmy's decline >= 3)[(dialog: [//\"...\"// You say sorry again. //\"No, I should be apologizing, not you. I've been bothering you too much. I get it; there's no free lunch. I just wish you'd say something earlier. Saves us some awkwardness.\"// And with that, Amy leaves you. You're all alone again.], \"Accept it.\")] ")

{=  (set: $lockHenriI0 to true) Today, Henri does not acknowledge how he and Amy knocked on your door, and you didn’t open. He doesn’t even tell you that she was here. He is only whistling as he makes tea. You ask him (link-reveal: "what’s lifting his mood so much")[, and whether you can have some, too. //“Haha, it’s nothing. Truly! I’ve been stressing about going back to work next semester so much that I think I’ve forgotten to enjoy myself. But I think I’m getting some of that groove back.”// (link-reveal: "And how is the investigation?")[ Mrs. Wong is still missing - you say, part of you intent on bringing his gaiety down a notch. It’s giving you a headache. //“That - she is. But I think I’m onto something big, much bigger than just our neighbor’s case. I can’t say anything for sure right now, but maybe in a few days.”// And you’re thankful to be spared of the grand, gristly detail. --- (link: "You’re here to talk about something else anyway.")[(goto: $talk)] ]]

{=  (set: $lockHenriIminus1 to true) Henri seems more anxious than his usual self. You ask him how his investigation is going, but he (link-reveal: "brushes your question aside.")[ //“Things are just getting worse by the day…”// he mutters absently as he brings out your usual tea. //“So, wasn’t it Amy who came by earlier? She seemed like she’s in a better mood. At least she went consciously.”// (link-reveal: "Yes, that’s how she appeared.")[ //“What was she doing here?”// (link-reveal: "Cleaning out her aunt’s place.")[ You don’t feel like volunteering more information than is asked. //“Oh, does she think…”// No, you don’t think so. (link-reveal: "She still has a lot of hope.")[ Only those with hope to lose would pick up art - you think to yourself. //“Right, right… We all need hope. I’m glad to hear she’s keeping her chin up. Say, what did she and you do all day?”// You and Henri stare at each other for a while, the tea scalding your hands. [<ul> <li>(link: "Nothing special.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden)(replace: ?response)[You shrug, saying that it was nothing. It seems like a perfectly innocent question, but you’re not the type to divulge this kind of detail to curious men. Even with you-know-who, you’ve never once told him anything in all your years together, though you’re sure he knew more than his simple facade had let on. Henri, friendly as he is, intelligent as he is, is a mere neighbor, and he should get even less.]] <li>(link: "You drank some wine with Amy.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden)(replace: ?response)[You say that you and Amy shared some red wine that Mrs. Wong had left open in the fridge. Living alone, the old woman had a lot of wine lying around, half of the bottles empty. Henri waits for you to continue, as though alcohol would loosen your tongue and Amy’s, and there was more to tell. But you’re not drinking right now. Tea just makes you clench your jaws.]] <li>(link: "You offered to teach her how to paint with oil.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden)(replace: ?response)[You are about to tell him, but the facts lodge in your throat. It seems like a perfectly innocent question, and it would have been a perfectly innocent answer also, but then again, there is nothing innocent about art. Were you a hobbyist, you would have divulged with the same ease as if you were repainting your living room walls. But hobbyist, you are not. If you - a proper artist - fails to make something of Amy, then the more people know about it, the greater your shame. So, you tell him that you only listened to Amy talk about school.]] </ul>]<choices| ]]]] [ []<response| //“I see… And what was she like?”// Amy? (link-reveal: "She’s fine.")[ //“Did you notice anything strange about her?”// (link-reveal: "No, not at all.")[ Like you said, Amy was //fine//. You think to yourself: Even if you did notice something, why would you tell him? What would //he// know of strange when his world is so devoid of true mystery? //“It’s OK. We can change the subject. I’m just worried, that’s all.”// He does seem worried, but about what? --- (link: "But yes, let’s change the subject. You’re here for something else.")[(goto: $talk)] ]] ]<hidden|(hide: ?hidden)

{=  (display: "Amy D Accept") [ --- (display: "Amy Tutoring")  ]<tutoring|(hide: ?tutoring)

{=   (if: $storyAmy's progress is 0)[Before paint can meet linen, (link-reveal: "the eyes must see first.")[ See things for what they are. Record them as they're perceived. Appreciate the curvatures, the jagged edges, the organization of things, and the chaos within. Amy has said that she is a (link-reveal: "total beginner at art.")[ With oil paint, maybe, but her draftsmanship reveals this claim to be a lie. Her anatomy class, with donated cadavers and everything, has given her much practice - she admits. You do your best to contain your praises, but she is already smug. How typical of her types to (link-reveal: "downplay her own abilities")[, only to shock later with an earnest performance. The best students are often secret exhibitionists, teacher's pet, an addict for adoration. Perhaps for every ten BFA juniors, Amy is better than eight, but the other two - the truly good - neither sees art as a hobby or a future profession. Why, they might not even be that good with their hands. (link-reveal: "Katherine comes to mind.")[ Her hands were not refined, but she used her entire body, her entire soul. One had the impression that she'd rather die than to phone it in. Katherine never needed your approval. You changed that. And the (link-reveal: "two became one.")[ Amy is telling you about how she has to help the TAs (cycling-link: "macerate", "process", "boil",) corpses in huge vats until the flesh falls from the bones (link-reveal: "completely.")[(show: ?part2)]]]]]]]  (if: $storyAmy's progress is 1)[//"Let's take a break,"// Amy proposes after a while. (link-reveal: "Yes, let's.")[ Today has proved challenging. Natural talent alone cannot hope to satisfy what the task demands. Some of her confidence might have dampened. Now, she is sitting by the open window, fanning herself(if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[ with one hand and petting Jesse with the other]. She is flushed from cheek to neck. //"I've always doodled, even as a kid, and everyone says that I've got a knack for it. I never knew it'd be so tough."// (link-reveal: "It's all because of you.")[ Nothing is ever (cycling-link: "simple", "enough", "too much",) for you. You don't explain yourself very well, and you don't know when to stop, or even //how// to stop. All of your students have said so. Some even meant it as a compliment. //"I'm sure you just want the best for them. I mean, what's the point of doing something if you're not good at it, right?"// Right. So right. But it is an improper thing to say out loud. Amy must be loosening up. //"But I guess we all have to start somewhere,"// Amy says, moderating herself. //"That's the only way we'd ever find out about our potential."// (link-reveal: "So much potential.")[ So much hope. So much to learn. One may even find that there are things not previously thought of as possible with this one life, one body. But the light - it shines through regardless. (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[//"Miu!"// //"Aw, you hear that? Jesse has an opinion."// You hold her tightly, kissing her everywhere until she bites you and scampers off. ] //"Christ, it's hot. Is there any way we could turn on the AC?"// (link-reveal: "It's on.")[ //"Really? Aren't you hot?"// Oh yes, you are. You're (link-reveal: "feverish.")[ //"It's gotta be the wine… Man, why do the things we love hate us?"// Amy says, scratching her neck. (link-reveal: "She is glowing.")[(show: ?part2)]]]]]]]  (if: $storyAmy's progress is 2)[When Amy starts to visibly struggle, you (link-reveal: "slide the wine glass over.")[ //"No, I can go on a bit more, I promise."// Maybe she can, but it'd only stiffen her up, while you need her open and pliant. You raise your glass. She clinks it. You both (link-reveal: "take a sip.")[ //"Ach, the Californian stuff is so tart,"// Amy says, scrunching her nose. //"I'm buying something else next time. But thanks to you-know-who, now South American costs double, and European can be triple…"// Truly? You feel lucky to be sober, but maybe your luck is running out. You fill the glasses again. //"Haha, my mom always tells me off for complaining too much and not believing in the Union enough."// (link-reveal: "Does she not believe in the Union?")[ //"Country's going down the shitter anyway."// You tell her to (link-reveal: "be careful about whom she says it around.")[ //"Haha why? Are you an informant?"// (link-reveal: "Never!")[ Quite the opposite. But you don't divulge, not when things are still fresh between the two of you. You ought to savor it while it lasts. //"If not, then I've got nothing to worry about."// Truly, it is wasteful not to let one's passions be the guide - you affirm - especially when one is still so young and full of vitality. But the adventure will last much longer (link-reveal: "if she is smart about it.")[ //"Everyone says so, especially auntie. But what if… what if I want to act dumb, if only for a bit? Can't a person afford to make some mistake? Or is that also a luxury in this country?"// (link-reveal: "You're holding her fingers")[, pale and pink in your hands. Her nail polish is simple and without a single chip. No adornment. No fancy detailing. No room for mistakes. //"Do you like it?"// (link-reveal: "Yes.")[ //"I can show you where I had it done."// (link-reveal: "After.")[(show: ?part2)] After, and everything will be shown.]]]]]]]]]  (if: $storyAmy's progress is 3)[Amy's brush strokes are improving, even impressive. You might be convinced that something else altogether is guiding her hands. In fact, (link-reveal: "she seems absentminded.")[ Her brush slips from her fingers, slashing a red gash in her canvas, and falls down to the floor. (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[Startled, Jesse scurries away.] She doesn't pick it up. She only stares at the thing she has made. You ask her if she is (link-reveal: "feeling alright.")[ She seems to snap out of it, apologizes, and reaches for the brush. But she slides from her stool, and you catch her. //"I'm OK… Just feeling a little woozy."// You press a backhand to her cheek. She is burning up. The wine is red under her skin and on her lips. You help her over to the mattress and (link-reveal: "sit by her side.")[ //"Why is it so hot in here?"// It is not. The thermostat is set as low as it can be. Still, you help her (link-reveal: "loosen her collar.")[ //"No, I want to go on. I can,"// Amy says, covering her eyes with her arms, as though all light has grown unbearable. //"Promise me. Don't let me sleep."// (link-reveal: "Of course.")[ The lesson is far from over, even if the aches of growth dully thumps. You watch her and contemplate: The flesh - even so radiantly formed, so perfect as to suggest finality - is only a cocoon which strains and tears when the (set: _num to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _num to it + 1)(if: _num is 3)[(show: ?hidden2)]") (cycling-link: " mind_trigger", " soul_trigger", " thing_trigger") within changes. [` `It is regrettable that (link-reveal: "such loveliness must one day end.")[ //"I shouldn't sleep. I slept too much last night. Last night, I saw… I dreamt that I was lying on the grass. Was it day or night? There were stars, but everything was bright. And the stars, they were falling. They fell through rainbows. No, haloes. There were haloes in the sky. Auntie was there with me. She was young again, and she looked just like me. We talked a a very long while."// (link-reveal: "What did she say?")[ //"I can't remember. Nothing. She only stood there. But I heard her. Or more like, I understood her. She was pointing to the falling stars, and she wanted me to make a wish."// (link-reveal: "And this wish was…")[ //"... For her to come back. For us to meet again. And then I woke up. I should've specified… I should've… It was just a dream. Wishing stars don't exist. Then why do I feel like I've made a terrible mistake? Why can't I do anything right?"// (link-reveal: "You embrace her")[ and stroke her hair until her breathing calms. And when she eventually pushes herself away, embarrassed, you are left with the misty scent of summer, of violet toiletries, and of salt. //"I… uh… I'm bothering you again."// You say that (link-reveal: "you're ready for it.")[ She is going through something extraordinary, after all. //"I just… I shouldn't make it your problem as well. I've been pulling all-nighters throughout my finals, and now, I'm making up for it with gas station melatonin. At this rate, I don't know how I'll ever get back to being normal."// Then let's not be normal. There is so much else on the other side. What better time to immerse oneself in art? (link-reveal: "She does not want to give up yet, does she?")[ //"No, I don't,"// Amy says, dragging herself out of your bed and picking the brush from the ground. //"It's too late to stop now."// (link-reveal: "Yes")[, she has already paid her tuition of zero dollars, after all - you remind her. She laughs, acts offended, and pours you another glass of wine - your recompense for the remainder of the lesson. //"Ah, but the painting's ruined,"// she says, referring to the red gash on the canvas. Don't worry. An artist can always (link-reveal: "start again.")[(show: ?part2)] ]]]]]]] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2) ]]]]] ]  (if: $storyAmy's progress is 4)[After a while, the lesson pauses for (link-reveal: "a wine break")[, even if neither of you have really stopped drinking during. Amy is sitting on the window sill again, and you are on the floor, right by her feet(if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[, taking Jesse's rightful place]. The fog mercifully subsides, and daylight, unrestrained, now glows on the hairs of her arms, her peach fuzz, and the amber folds of her irises. You (link-reveal: "recall an idle day in a cabin by a lake")[, when the gathering clouds had momentarily parted. Katherine, too, sat by the window sill. Her irises were azure, but in the translucent flesh danced the colors of an opal. That day, you started a painting. You've done it many times before; you thought you could do it again, easily. Now, five years later, the painting sits in the corner of this room with a veil over it, unfinished. The flesh-and-blood Katherine is not here now, (link-reveal: "but Amy is.")[ You ask her if she still models for the studio downtown. //"Haha, why? Do you want me to model for you?"// (set: _answer to (a: " Not exactly. But perhaps some modeling will be involved.", " You're not painting a portraiture or a figure painting here, but she will inspire, all the same.", " She will not have to sit still. In fact, she will be asked to participate, to enact, to //live//.", )) (set: _num to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _num to it + 1)(if: _num is 3)[(show: ?hidden1)](if: _num > 3)[(set: _num to 1)](replace: ?response)[(print: _answer's _num)]") (cycling-link: "No._trigger", "Maybe._trigger", "Yes._trigger") []<response| [ //"Right… I knew you'd ask that sooner or later."// This sends you into a helpless stutter, tripping up on your words as you try to (link-reveal: "formulate a defense.")[ //"Hey, it's OK. I was just kidding. I knew what I was getting myself into. You're different."// Yes, of course! (link-reveal: "But why does she think so?")[ //"Because you're… uhm… don't take this the wrong way, but there isn't any carrot you can dangle in front of me, excuse the cliché. You're not the director of this or the chair of that. And I'm not training to be an artist either. I'm here because I want to, not because I'm getting paid."// (link-reveal: "Right.")[ But you used to be part of some committee, too, and you had shows and sold well and… You mutter. Surely, if she had done just a little research, then she'd know… You stop. It is unfitting for a person of your age to be so thin-skinned. Perhaps somewhere not so deep down but still occluded to you, you haven't fully accepted that things have changed, that you are not the person you used to be. You (link-reveal: "should be glad that Amy does not know about any of it.")[ This is your boon. //"Please don't be mad,"// Amy says, squeezing your hand. //"I didn't mean it like that."// You're not mad. See? You're smiling. But it is so easy for one with a frictionless life, a life full of praises and blessings, to say what she does not mean, to touch your hand without meaning anything. You (link-reveal: "return the squeeze.")[ //"Say, would you show me what you're working on?"// Amy glances over at the painting in the corner. //"I've been too shy to ask. But since you want to paint me, I should at least know how I'll look."// No, not yet. (if: $storyArt's qt >= 2)[She's not ready. You're not ready.](else:)[The painting is not ready to be viewed so directly. You haven't worked on it enough.] You loathe to disappoint her, but maybe it is good that she knows so little about what you do or have done. It is (link-reveal: "a fresh start for both of you.")[ //"Heh, there you have it: Show me your painting, and I'll think about modeling for you. Maybe."// (link-reveal: "A condition?")[ She's in no position to make demands. She's studying with you for free! //"Yes, for free, but where's the lesson? Shouldn't you (link-reveal: "get back to educating me")[(show: ?part2)], professor?"// ]]]]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]]]]

{=  (if: $storyAmy's visit > 5)[(set: $storyAmy's visit to 0)]  (if: $storyAmy's visit is 0)[You've been rearranging things around the apartment (link-reveal: "over and over again")[, but the place is still austere, like a former crime scene that has been scrubbed of all evidence, and of life. The only colorful things here are your art equipment and Jesse's toys. Maybe you should buy some flowers or scented candles. (if: $lockHenriI is false)[Would Amy like that?] But before you can go out to buy anything, there is already (link-reveal: "a knock on the door.")[ (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[Jesse runs out front, craning her neck high.] //"It's me, Amy!"// She has arrived, just like she said she would. You open the door, and there she is, heavy bags in each of her hands, a bottle sticking out from one of them. She is acting all guilty. //"Hi, may I (link-reveal: "come in?")[(show: ?decide)]"//]]]  (if: $storyAmy's visit is 1)[As you're waiting for Amy, a searing thought flashes by: After having had a taste of your pedagogy, (link-reveal: "she might not come back.")[ After all, she has no skin in this game. It's just an idle hobby for her. Fickle is the heart of those with options. You're only a good fit for those who have none. These thoughts scatter when you hear (link-reveal: "a knock.")[ The long arm of the clock is right where it should be. Did she adjust her watch to yours? You open the door, and there she is, the summer's rays still warm on her cheeks. Your anticipation has not lessened your disbelief: She really has returned. //"Hi."// Hi. //"... Aren't you going to (link-reveal: "invite me in?")[(show: ?decide)]"//]]]  (if: $storyAmy's visit is 2)[Today is especially hot. The air is thick. Your anticipation stews: Amy will be here (link-reveal: "any minute now.")[ The wait seems to stretch on forever, but when you hear her footsteps, you don't remember walking over, neither do you remember opening the door. She simply (link-reveal: "appears at the threshold.")[ //"Hi again. I'm back."// Indeed she is. You keep staring, but she hasn't disappeared. //"Haha, it's OK. I can stand here for a while more. I'm used to it now. I'm loving this sun."// (link-reveal: "What?")[ //"I'm sweating bullets here. (link-reveal: "May I come in?")[(show: ?decide)]"//]]]]  (if: $storyAmy's visit is 3)[Fickleness is a disease that plagues most young artists. Amy is either a rare breed indeed, or she is no true artist at all, because today, she (link-reveal: "shows up right on time")[, just as she said she would. //"Good afternoon, professor."// You tell her to (link-reveal: "call you by your name.")[ //"Come on, I find nicknames much more fun."// For her, maybe, but you still have your cardiac health to worry about. You say none of this out loud though, or else you'll give her too much satisfaction. You only chuckle. //"Let me in first, and I'll call you anything you want. Your house, (link-reveal: "your rules.")[(show: ?decide)]"//]]]  (if: $storyAmy's visit is 4)[In the liminal hours leading up to Amy's visit, you've busied yourself with pointless distractions until you hurt. And yet, (link-reveal: "the hours pass by too slowly and without peace.")[ Sometimes, you wish you'd forget that she was coming, forget even her, so that you won't have to fret, to fritter, to fray at the seams like so. Excitement is unbecoming of a woman your age. (link-reveal: "Life is too much for frail vessels.")[ (link-reveal: "A knock.")[ She is here. //"Hi- Oh, is everything alright?"// (link-reveal: "Yes, of course.")[ Why does she ask? And why does your heart not rest when the wait is finally over? Why are you breathing so loud? Why are you so damn sweaty? //"It's OK. I exercise in my dorm, too. Gym memberships can be so expensive these days."// Yes, exercise, that's what you've been doing. //"You've got to tell me how you keep your weight later. May I (link-reveal: "come in?")[(show: ?decide)]"//]]]]]  (if: $storyAmy's visit is 5)[You've been looking at the (link-reveal: "various things Amy has left in your apartment")[ - a hair tie here, a cork there, a tube of paint with her blue fingerprint - and you wonder if these are enough to remake her, if she were to never return. You've (link-reveal: "parted ways with Katherine in a hurry.")[ You've kept so little of her, and your memories of her are old enough to be in first grade. You often imagine what she is doing these days, but you don't (link-reveal: "dare find out.")[ //FBI, open up!"// Amy's voice rings out from behind the door, followed by her laughter. (link-reveal: "That scared you.")[ You steady your breathing and march over to the door, intent on giving her a stern talking-to. But when you see her Sun-kissed face, you forget your anger. //"You're under arrest for… crap, I haven't thought this through."// Does she have a warrant? //"No, but I have some red wine. May I (link-reveal: "come in?")[(show: ?decide)]"//]]]]]

{=   (if: $storyAmy's progress is 1)[//"I bought some brushes on the way here. Should've asked you what type to get."// Oh, no, (link-reveal: "it doesn't matter!")[ Come in. She can even use her fingers if she wants. In fact, you encourage it. Leave the shoes over there - so pretty, those socks. Yes, come, sit on the mattress. (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[Jesse, leave Amy's skirt alone!] So, how has it been? (link-reveal: "Feeling better?")[ //"Ha, yes, much better. I don't know what happened. I was actually calm when I heard about my aunt. But then, the finals came and made me lose it for a bit there, literally, haha."// Yes, school is such a pain… And? (link-reveal: "Any good news?")[ //"Nothing yet. But it's not like I'm calling up the detective everyday."// Someone does - you think to yourself - and he lives down the hallway. But Amy isn't him. Not at all. She doesn't like tea; she likes red wine. You pour her some(if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[ while she plays with Jesse]. //"Mmm…"// she purrs, her lips stained a dark red. //"I shouldn't enjoy myself too much. I'm here to learn. So, what's on the agenda… (link-reveal: "professor?")[(show: ?tutoring)]"//]]]]  (if: $storyAmy's progress is 2)[Amy makes herself comfortable by (link-reveal: "uncorking yet another bottle of red wine.")[ If you were the responsible type, you'd ask her about her drinking habit, but alas, there are more important things in life than responsibility. Amy seems to need it, even if she is all smiles. //"Apparently, we won't be getting our grades back until the end of July, so they say. What kind of bullshit is that?"// (link-reveal: "Amy keeps on talking")[ about some crisis or another that the admins at her school are dealing with. Every year or so, there's a crisis somewhere, more and more frequent, so much so that it has all blended into a gray noise for you. Bad things are happening to someone else while you rot alone. How bad could it truly be? After all, the Chinese place still delivers, and Amy is here. (link-reveal: "Her lips quiver when she is upset.")[ As you pour her a third glass, Amy sighs, //"I'm sorry. You didn't invite me over to rant."// Nonsense. (link-reveal: "Without passion, what becomes of art?")[ //"Right, art. Let's get to it before I get too drunk. (link-reveal: "What are we doing today?")[(show: ?tutoring)]"//]]]]]  (if: $storyAmy's progress is 3)[Amy and you exchange small talk as she gets settled in. You ask about (link-reveal: "how the search for her aunt is going.")[ Amy pretends not to hear you. Foolishly, (link-reveal: "you ask again.")[ //"I don't know. I don't…"// Amy looks up at you with a smile. (link-reveal: "What about Henri?")[ Has the neighborhood sleuth reported anything? //"No, he hasn't been back to the precinct, I don't think. Actually, he hasn't been returning my messages either…"// (link-reveal: "So Amy is all alone now.")[ You assure her that the police are doing their best. //"Sorry, can we not talk about it today?"// (link-reveal: "Certainly!")[ Maybe some emergency wine is in order. And just as you've expected, Amy has brought a bottle of her own. The two of you drink without celebration. You tell her that the art lesson can pause today, and the two of you will drink until she feels really, really good. //"No… I shouldn't. I'll be driving later."// You tell her that (link-reveal: "she can stay over.")[ (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[Jesse will love to have an extra friend.] //"Haha, what about a change of clothes? No… you can't tempt me into truancy. I actually want to paint today. I think I'm getting somewhere with it; I've been practicing, too."// Sure, whatever she wants. You're nothing if not a student-centric instructor. Let's (link-reveal: "paint.")[(show: ?tutoring)] ]]]]]]]  (if: $storyAmy's progress is 4)[Amy seems to be in a better mood. Have those dreams of hers stopped? Or has she gotten used to them, just like you? Either way, it is better to not pry. Whatever becomes of her, you can see the effects plainly - (link-reveal: "a light now flickers in her eyes.")[ //"I want to show you something. You remember the painting we were doing? The one I ruined? Yesterday, I wanted to paint over it so I wouldn't waste a canvas. But somehow, the red wouldn't go away. I used really thick gesso like you suggested, but it… it looks like it's glowing. So, I kinda just rolled with it."// She produces (link-reveal: "the painting from its bag.")[ You tighten your fist to keep yourself from (link-reveal: "shaking")[, but you only end up (link-reveal: "squeezing the sweat from your pores.")[ The poor //angel//, (link-reveal: "she does not know.")[ But (link-reveal: "how can a fish know water?")[ //"You hate it."// (link-reveal: "No, no.")[ You stammer, explaining that next time, she ought to go back and use a paint knife to scrape the excess oil. //"But I don't want to anymore. Look how it turned out! What do you think?"// It… (link-reveal: "it has potential.")[ Too much. Too soon. The child already knows how to crawl. She'll slip away from you. //"Tsk, it's alright. I was just playing around anyway. It doesn't matter."// Somewhere, deep inside the walls of the apartment, the pipes are humming. This summer has already gone on for too long, and something is bound to burst forth. Amy - this Amy - will not be here forever. (link-reveal: "You will have to act soon.")[ //"I've got my wine, and you've got yours. Let's (link-reveal: "do something more serious.")[(show: ?tutoring)]"// ]]]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "waiting for Amy")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockAmyRejected to true) You've spent the entire day (link-reveal: "waiting for Amy")[, but she has not come. Perhaps you've turned her away one too many times, and she has got the message, whether you meant it or not. Not everyone will wait for you to be ready. (link-reveal: "She is not Katherine.")[ But is that true of Katherine? Maybe, even Katherine has stopped waiting and has forgotten about you. It's better this way. If you can't do it alone, then perhaps you can't do it at all. (link-reveal: "The Sun has set now.")[ --- (link: "Nothing left to do but work.")[ (print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $actionOnward's desc) ]]]

{= (set: $activity to "examining Jesse")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockJesseE to true) While busying around the house, you find clumps of fur on the floor. Jesse must have been scratching and biting herself. You find that she is behind the curtains, (link-reveal: "in the middle of the act.")[ //"Miu…"// The poor, wide-eyed, guilty dear. You hold her up, and she lets you (link-reveal: "examine")[ her chin, her tummy, and her legs. The missing patches have barely had time to grow back, and now, more is sloughing off. And the blisters are still glistening as though fresh. //"Mmrr…"// she rubs her face into your chest, purring loudly. Why are the ant bites not healing yet? (link: "Is she anemic?")[Is she anemic, like one of those aristocrats whose cuts will not close? Jesse is an aristocrat, sure, but can a cat be anemic? You don't know. You can look it up. (link-reveal: "Or does she have ringworms?")[ You've seen that on the web, but you would have contracted it also. None of your own blisters, scratches, and cuts have that ring shape. Or is it (link: "something else?")[something else that you could have prevented had you taken her to the vet? Since adopting Jesse, you've never had her inoculated or checked up. (link-reveal: "Why haven't you?")[(show: ?choices)] [ (set: _num to 0) (set: _why to (a: "The thought comes to you often and heavily, but as soon as it does, several more follow: Having to cut the knots in your hair, having to shower, having to be out there and talk to people… So, you lie down.", "You have nothing but time, in the same way that a prisoner has nothing but the calendar to rip. Maybe, there was a time when you had to go out to get kibbles - and that would have been the time to get her to the vet. But that was five years ago. Or has it been six? Now, it's all faceless deliveries.", "How could you think that? Of course she needs it. You need it, too. How long has it been since you last went to a hospital? Your skin no longer fits your bones; your stool passes like an oxen pulling a freight train; your sweat smells like vinegar; you're growing a damn stubble. Is that going to get better?", )) (set: _trigger to "(set: _num to it + 1)(if: _num is 3)[(show: ?hidden1)](if: _num > 3)[(set: _num to 1)](replace: ?why)[(print: _why's _num)]") (cycling-link: " No energy_trigger", " No time_trigger", " Maybe Jesse doesn't need it_trigger"). []<why| ]<choices|(hide: ?choices) [ But things are (link-reveal: "different now.")[ You've cleaned up the apartment. You've cleaned up yourself. You're making art again. Sure, you're busier than ever, but it is as though a veil has been lifted, and the days no longer disappear. You have choices now. And choices begets (link-reveal: "responsibility.")[ You promise Jesse that you'll take her to the vet the next time you're free. //"Miu."// --- (link: "Remember this.")[(print: $actionBack's effect)] (Back to your normal (lowercase: $time) routine.) ]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "outside")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "going to the vet")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockJesseE1 to true) It must be today and no later. Because you've never bought a carrier, Jesse must ride inside your hoodie as the two of you venture out into the fog. //"Miu?"// It's OK, Jesse. It'll all be better soon. No needles, (link-reveal: "promise.")[ Jesse does not look outside. She only digs herself further into your body and purrs herself calm. This is the first time since living with you that she leaves the apartment's premises, and she's missing out on all the scenery. Well, there's (link-reveal: "not much to see.")[ The stop seems abandoned, even if the pay station still happily takes your money. Occasionally, a car passes by. Other than that, the streets are empty, much to your relief. (link-reveal: "The bus comes.")[ You zip your hoodie up so no-one asks why Jesse is without a carrier or a leash. What will you explain to them? That you never got around to it? Seeing your hauling a bulging stomach, a young man stands up to give you the priority seat. You mutter a thank-you and sit down in silence. The city outside is moving. You search for some familiarity in the passing shadows, but you only see fog. This used to be your old commute, and around this bend, you should be able to see the peak of Mount Rainier. You //should// - you tell yourself, over and over, and like a child, you nod and nod and nod without understanding. (link-reveal: "Your stop is here.")[ The vet - which you picked because it was the first search result online - is only five minutes' walk away. Jesse gazes up at you, black pupils, red sores, all fearful. As you're about to reassure her, you feel a sharp sting in your ribs. (link-reveal: "Ouch!")[ Slowly, without alarming Jesse, you reach inside your hoodie to check. No claws. This is different. Your hand goes inside your t-shirt, and your fingers feel something roll beneath their pressure. A soft speck of sand, (link-reveal: "wet and wiggling.")[ (link-reveal: "An ant.")[ You flick its remains down to the empty pavement. Where is everyone? They dwell behind the glass panels, inside the concrete walls, while outside, the malevolent murk churns and gnashes. You are alone and completely exposed. A million hair-like legs may be crawling inside your clothes right now. (link-reveal: "//\"Miu…\"//")[ Right, Jesse. It was a bad idea to be out here. But it's worse to not go. --- (link: "Let's get this over with.")[(goto: "Jesse E2")] ]]]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "giving Jesse her medicine")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  [ (link-reveal: "Come here, Jesse.")[ Of course, she doesn't. Suspicious of your intentions, she darts away when you approach. But the cones might as well be blinders: (link-reveal: "She slams into the wall.")[ You feel physical pain on your own skull. //"Miu?!"// She pleads, confused as to why you'd want to harm her. It's OK. (link-reveal: "It's just medicine.")[ Jesse has no notions of medicine, only of threat. So, the chase continues around the apartment for a while more until she tries to wedge her head under the cabinet. But the cone is stuck, and (link-reveal: "you catch her.")[ (link-reveal: "It is done.")[ You've sustained several scratches, but it doesn't hurt as much as the thought that you might have been too strong with her, might have choked her, might have fractured a tiny, precious bone of hers. But it's just your imagination. Jesse kicks you in the stomach and jumps out of your arms, distraught and distrustful. (if: $storyAnts's medicine < 6)[(link-reveal: "You'll have to do it again tomorrow.")[(show: ?again)]](else:)[(link-reveal: "That's it. That's the last of the prescription.")[(show: ?end)]] ]]]]] ]<Text1|(hide:?Text1)  [ //"Miu…"// (link-reveal: "Now where did Jesse go?")[ Having seen you rifling through the medicine baggies, she immediately ran off. One should never underestimate the intelligence of so-called "pets". And one would be a fool indeed to underestimate a cat's ability to hide. (link-reveal: "Is she on top of the wardrobe?")[ No, there is only dust. (link-reveal: "Is she in the bathroom?")[ No, intelligent as she might be, she hasn't developed the opposable thumbs needed to operate a doorknob. (link-reveal: "Is she behind the curtains?")[ You search and search, and there is the occasional pitter-patter of paws sneaking somewhere, but when you look, the shadow vanishes. How is she so elusive with that cone around her neck? (link-reveal: "This goes on for a while")[, and just as you're about to give up, (link-reveal: "Jesse comes to you")[, rubbing her cone onto your ankles. (link-reveal: "You catch her.")[ //"Mmraoow!"// - An accusation of betrayal. You force the pills in her mouth anyway. It is finally done. You might have irrevocably damaged Jesse's trust in the process. (if: $storyAnts's medicine < 6)[(link-reveal: "You'll have to do it again tomorrow.")[(show: ?again)]](else:)[(link-reveal: "But, that's the last of the prescription.")[(show: ?end)]] ]]]]]]] ]<Text2|(hide:?Text2)  [ You try (link-reveal: "hiding the pills among her kibble")[, but Jesse uses her paw to tease the foreign objects out and eats only what she wants. She is not so easy to fool. Why, that makes her smarter than most people you've met! So, you try a more honest diplomacy: (link-reveal: "How about a lick from the tube of treat?")[ She licks, but does not uphold the other end of the bargain. (link-reveal: "How about a little scratch behind the ears?")[ With the cone on, you can't really reach in there. It only annoys her. (link-reveal: "How about a little distraction, some bird video to watch?")[ This agitates her. She scratches your laptop screen, frustrated that the bird inside seems unfazed, and her paws on your keyboard spell out an unpronounceable complaint. Diplomacy has failed. Now is the (link-reveal: "time for force, for scratches, and for apologies.")[ It is done. You've said your apologies, but she is not here to hear them. (if: $storyAnts's medicine < 6)[(link-reveal: "You'll have to do it again tomorrow.")[(show: ?again)]](else:)[(link-reveal: "At least that's the last of the prescription.")[(show: ?end)]] ]]]]] ]<Text3|(hide:?Text3)  (set: _text to (random: 1,3)) (if: _text is 1)[(show:?Text1)] (if: _text is 2)[(show:?Text2)] (if: _text is 3)[(show:?Text3)]  [ --- (link: "But today, you're exhausted, and your spirit is dampened.")[ (if: _text is 1)[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect)] (if: _text is 2)[ (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect)] (if: _text is 3)[ (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect)] (set: $storyAnts's medicine to it + 1) (dialog: [(print: $storyAnts's medicineDesc)], "OK.") (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (Gain either ''restlessness'' or ''shame''.) ]<again|(hide:?again) [ --- (link: "Relief, but no satisfaction.")[ (set: $storyAnts's medicine to it + 1) (dialog: [(print: $storyAnts's medicineDesc) You'll watch how she does in the next few days. If luck has it, she might not need to visit the vet again.], "OK.") (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc) ]<end|(hide:?end)

{= (set: $place to "at the vet")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "Jesse's checkup")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  The nurse lifts up Jesse's tail and sticks a thermometer into her behind. Jesse doesn't even flinch, but you do. He pulls it out and announces to the veterinarian that there is no fever. The vet nods. //"How old is Jesse?"// (link-reveal: "Five")[, or (link-reveal: "six")[… (link-reveal: "You're not sure.")[ She was only a mewling when you first found her, no more than a few weeks old. But how long has she been living with you? Or rather, how long have you been in that stupor? Might be more than five years. You've stopped counting for a while. The vet arches an eyebrow and ticks the box next to "adult". An adult? You chuckle. But she's only the smallest of babies! //"No, she's not old, don't get me wrong. But given her young age, Jesse's a bit on the heavier side."// (link-reveal: "You're surprised.")[ Indignant, too. Jesse? Heavy? You've been worrying about not feeding her enough - some days are harder to get up than others - and now, this mere boy in his scrub costume is telling you that she's //fat//? //"If you look for yourself - from above down - here, come - you'll see that she's almost like a pear."// A teardrop. You immediately kiss Jesse, again and again, so she will not hear what the bad man has to say. //"And if you put your fingers here and press… No ribs."// Would he prefer it if she were a skeleton? (link-reveal: "What's wrong with being fat?")[ //"Erm… Well, if she's not having any mobility issues… No? Still very active? OK, then it's not a problem yet. But she'll have to watch what she eats. Otherwise… Anyway, let's take a look at (link-reveal: "those sores of hers.")[(show: ?hidden1)]"// [ Jesse lets him lift her chin, part her fur, shine a light, flip her around, and again, like a pliant sack of meat. That's what she becomes in latexed hands and bespectacled eyes. A dot on a chart. Fungible flesh, in excess and needing subtraction. It's for her own good - you tell yourself. Watch what she eats. Be skinny. Be appealing. Be like a cat. Be a little girl, (link-reveal: "just like your mother used to say.")[ //"Tsk. That can't be comfortable for her. Ants, you said? Looks like she's allergic. Just to be safe, let's do a swab for ringworm also; the test result will be ready in twenty minutes, tops. Meanwhile, I can give her something for the itching and inflammation. She'll have to wear a cone, too."// They've called her fat and made her wear a cone, a dunce cone for the fat girl, and now, she has to sit in the class corner, waiting for the adults to come and relieve her. Out in the waiting area, you hold Jesse tight, stroking her, and all the while, she's trying to kick the cone off. It's OK. You're perfect the way you are. You tell her that it's your fault; in your negligence, you must have left out too much food. (link-reveal: "The test comes back negative.")[ The prescription consists of antibiotics, anti-inflammation, antihistamines, anti-, anti-, one function quieted at a time until normalcy. It also comes with a recommendation for diet kibble, a feeding regimen, and a proper carrier. The price tag hurts, but the thought subjecting Jesse to austerity hurts more. (link-reveal: "The vet advises,")[ //"It's enough for ''seven days''. Each pill should be given ''once daily'', and you ''shouldn't skip any day'' if you can help it. The cone stays on for a month or until all the scabs have fallen off. You'll have to keep an eye out, see how she's reacting to the dosage. Call me if she starts drooling. When she's feeling better, take her back here, and we'll get her vaccinated, too."// (link-reveal: "You nod")[ and nod and nod. In each sentence, you hear an unspoken "should have". Should have done this earlier. Should have done that differently. Should have, should have - all things you tell yourself regularly. //"And, of course, you should see to the ant problem. Otherwise, she's going to keep scratching. There are baits you can buy."// Should have. You've already seen to it once. (link-reveal: "You've done all the right things.")[ You put Jesse in her new carrier and head towards the bus stop. The carrier stinks of plastic. Yet another source of pain for her. Going to the vet was the right decision - you reassure yourself. You've done everything right. And now, you feel more helpless than ever. Something still crawls inside your shirt. You ought to stop this pity party and focus on the things that you //can// do. After all, there's so much left to do. --- (link: "Go home.")[ (set: $storyAnts's vetDay to $date) (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $attEmbarrassed's gain) ]]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ]]]]]

{=  (set: $lockAmyE to true) (set: $activity to "being flaked on")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] The Sun is deepening. (event: when time > 5s)[ It is time for Amy's lessons (event: when time > 10s)[, but (link-reveal: "she is not here.")[ This is so unlike her. You pace back and forth, picking at your lips, gazing down at the parking lot, then looking away, and you repeat. You wonder if she has finally come to her senses. Oh, all dreams must end, and the beautiful ones do so early. (link-reveal: "But what will you do with yourself?")[ Must you return to your canvas without a muse? Must you wring art from aether? Must you toil to make something from nothing? Must you go on in devastating hunger? Perhaps it is better this way. Lonesome pilgrim, this has always been your destiny, one which you've evaded and cheated for so long that you've forgotten how you could ever rely on yourself. But what can you make of yourself? These lands are long barren, and nothing calls it home. And yet, (link-reveal: "some flowers must bloom.")[ --- (link: "Go tend your garden.")[(goto: "Amy E1")] (print: $actionOnward's desc)  ]]]]]

{= (set: $time to "Evening")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $activity to "a last-minute visit")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Then, just as you're about to settle in and call your usual delivery place, there comes (link-reveal: "a knock on the door.")[ Hope comes back, and it has brought (link-reveal: "Amy!")[ //"Hi… sorry, I overslept."// Amy does not walk so much as shuffle into your apartment, your invitation assumed. There are dark haloes under her eyes. //"Let's paint,"// she says, trying to sound energetic. //"Let's make some art!"// But as soon as she picks up the brush, (link-reveal: "her shoulders slump")[, like a ballerina doll waiting for you to wind her cogs. So, you bring one of her leftover wine bottles over. She sniffs and momentarily awakes. //"No… No, I've had too much last night."// You take the brush from her hand and put it aside. (link-reveal: "What's wrong?")[ //"I've stayed up all night… practicing. Got nothing else to do, can you believe it?"// Amy relays how she waited for her mother at the airport, only to receive a last-minute message that mother would not fly, after all (something catastrophic had just happened; it was on the news). And so, Amy had to hunker down by herself, with nothing but the bottle and canvas to keep herself from going insane. And from the looks of it, she is halfway there. All the while, she is absentmindedly imbibing the wine you gave her. Sobriety is too cruel to force onto her. //"I mean, who does that? It's her own sister who's gone missing, for Christ's sake. Yeah, I blaspheme. So what? It's not like she's here to slap me. Auntie's missing, and her own family wouldn't even bother showing up. What is wrong with everyone?"// (link-reveal: "Amy sobs into your lap.")[ You want to tell her about your own mother also, about how you've overcome a daughter's curse of interminable hoping, but you think better of it. Today is Amy's day. So, you caress her hair, making circles on her temples with your finger, and humming a tune that has been stuck in your head for weeks. She relaxes. Her tears soak through your dress, warm and wet. (link-reveal: "Your stomach is growling.")[ You're hungry. Is she hungry? Ravenously? Nothing to eat for the entire day? Let's have a feast, then, and a few bottles more. Those tears will need replacing, or else the supple flesh will be tragically desiccated. She doesn't want to grow old and wrinkly early, does she? The night is young. --- (link: "Indulge.")[(goto: "Amy E2")]  ]]]]]]

{= (set: $activity to "indulgence")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] //"Sometimes, I just want to (hic) (link-reveal: "go away…")[(show: ?hidden1)]"//[ Amy slurrs, tenderly marinating in her seventh post-meal glass of crimson anesthetic (if: $storyAnts's qt < 4)[, stroking a sleeping Jesse]. //"Go away, far from this place."// You hear Europe is still vibrant, if they still give visas to Union citizens. //"No… I meant really, really far away. Away from Earth. Away from the Solar System. Away from having to be anything at all."// (link-reveal: "You've heard it all before.")[ Only child, overachiever, comes from a well-to-do family but living in self-imposed austerity. Neurotic. First time knowing loss. She doesn't really mean it. //"I mean, not literally. I don't know. It's just that… There's got to be something more to this, right? We spend all our lives keeping our heads down, and we never think to just look up."// She lifts her head from your lap and (link-reveal: "gazes at you")[, or perhaps at something behind, far beyond. //"Sometimes… I feel like I'm having a panic attack, but it's not. I feel so… full, like I've got this thing that wants so badly to come out, but when I look for it, it leaves me. I don't even remember what it is. I'm just (hic) left feeling silly."// (link-reveal: "Does she want to be something more?")[ To leave Earth and shine like a star? //"I thought I wanted to be an actress when I was young. Mom (hic) put an end to it, and I think that was the right move. Now that I'm older, it's clear that I wouldn't have been able to put up with the attention, the fame, and that's assuming I had what it took. Plus, I fucking hate LA."// You say "me too", and you both (link-reveal: "laugh in drunken commiseration.")[ Leaning down, you (link-reveal: "kiss her forehead.")[ She doesn't say anything, so you (link-reveal: "do it again.")[ //"... I want to (hic) to be something more. I can feel it coming, but I don't know what it is. I'm not sure if I'm ready. But regardless, it'll come for me."// [<ul> <li>(link: "That kind of talk shortens one's lifespan.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden)(replace: ?response)[You tell her a proverb, that if one wanders at night, one is bound to meet a ghost. //"All the better. Maybe I'll get to see auntie. Talk to her…"// Her voice breaks. She smiles and drinks. She's given up hope.]] <li>(link: "But there are other, heavier costs than life.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden)(replace: ?response)[She will lose herself - you warn. She nods pensively, eyes half-closed, smiling to herself.]] <li>(link: "And one is never ready to pay such a price.")[(hide: ?choices)(show: ?hidden)(replace: ?response)[You tell her that changes will come, and no-one can make themselves too ready. We can only do our best to pick up the pieces. //"But our best isn't always enough, right? Not even most of the time. Maybe we should just forget about ourselves. Maybe some pieces aren't worth picking up."//]] </ul>]<choices| ]]]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) [ []<response| So it is: (link-reveal: "Amy is ready.")[ There comes a point when one inadvertently falls into the eye of the storm. Battered, one will look upon the swirling chaos and decide that it is no longer worth it to go back out there. The world outside may crumble, but here, there is only a peaceful transformation. (link-reveal: "The worm undulates.")[ --- (link: "Off with this silk.")[ (print: $storyAmy's gainEffect) (goto: "Amy E3") ] (print: $storyAmy's gain)  ]] ]<hidden|(hide: ?hidden)

{=  (set: $time to "Dream")(replace: ?time)[$time] (set: $place to "nowhere")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "together with Her")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (link-reveal: "//\"I want to show you something.\"//")[ Hand-in-hand, you both giggle and run barefoot across the grass, their blades glowing magenta and pink in the blackness of night. You kick up motes of dandelions, and they fly away in swarms. The air is warm against your skin. //"Isn't it beautiful?"// Before you stands a canvas, as tall as a door, and as red as [(cycling-link: "the ripest of fruits", "freshly-pricked blood", "the Sun", "the Sun the Sun the Sun", "the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun", "the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun the Sun", "(link: \"Her\")[(show: ?hidden1)(hide: ?theSun)]")]<theSun| [her. She parts your long hair from your face so you can (link-reveal: "see better.")[ //"I've been at it day and night, and there are times when I thought I should have thrown it away or burned it. It's too terrible! But I didn't. I thought you should see it at least once. It's all your fault, after all."// You tremble. Your feet are hesitant. But she pushes you forward. There, on the otherwise perfect field of crimson, there is a singular dark spot. (link-reveal: "A brass doorknob.")[ //"I know it's derivative, but I learn from the best. That's the only way I can get you to notice. I mean, you've never once asked. You've never even noticed I was there, crawling, waiting, wanting…"// (link-reveal: "Where is she?")[ She is (link-reveal: "behind the canvas now.")[ She //is// the (link: "canvas")[door, dripping onto neon grass. Her angelic skin is stretched taut over the skeletal frames, and the sole blemish on her pelvis is a knob fit for your hand alone. //"Go ahead. Crawl into me. Bite me (link-reveal: "open.")[(show: ?hidden3)] Change me…"// [ The brass knob is (link-reveal: "cold enough to sear your hand.")[ And all at once, you come to understand how bitter is that lightless edges of the cosmos, where flesh and metals alike - flung so far and alone - have fused and crystallized for so, so long that the slightest stirring will bring a pain unimaginable. And still, for it is your nature, an automaton of want, you (link-reveal: "push the knob in.")[ You hear the sounds of trickling water, of waves, and of birds whose songs have never been spoiled by human ears. Your nostrils sting, and your eyes burn. The black airs turn into prismatic oil. (link-reveal: "But...")[ you close your eyes. And for this, you (link-reveal: "apologize profusely")[ to [her]<name|, begging [her]<name| to forgive your lack, that you do not possess what it takes, that you've wasted her time, that you must do this by yourself or not at all. //"Who are you talking to?"// [(cycling-link: "You.", "Amy.(replace: ?name)[Amy]", "Katherine.(replace: ?name)[Katherine]", "Julia - who's //Julia//(replace: ?name)[Julia]?", "HER!(replace: ?name)[HER]", "Amy?(show: ?hidden2)(replace: ?name)[her](replace: ?Amy)[Amy. Just Amy and nothing more.]",)]<Amy| ]]]] ]<hidden3|(hide: ?hidden3) ]]]]] ]<hidden1|(hide: ?hidden1) ] [ (link-reveal: "//\"Jesus, go back to sleep, please,\"//")[ Amy stirs next to you in the darkness, sticky and hoarse. //"And where's the AC remote? I'm melting over here."// The air is sour like sweat and metallic like blood. You ignore her and (link-reveal: "drift back into a mercifully dreamless sleep.")[ --- (link: "And stay quiet this time.")[ (dialog: [Though the threshold is yet unviolated, the door remains open.], "And strange winds are blowing.") (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (print: $attInspiration's gain) ]] ]<hidden2|(hide: ?hidden2)

{= (set: $activity to "alone again")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockAmyE4 to true) (link-reveal: "Beside you, the bed is empty.")[ Beneath you, the parking lot is empty. Above you… nothing but a vast blankness. (link: "How did Amy manage to get up so early?")[How did Amy manage to get up so early after that, let alone drive? A better question: (link-reveal: "How is it possible that you're up?")[ (link-reveal: "You must be imagining it.")[ You're not standing by the window at all. No, you're still in bed, clutching your chest. Perhaps last night never happened at all. You recall one of your international excursions, where you saw infants whose heads were the size of basketballs, filled with fluid, their crania pulled so thin in places that bones started to resemble paper lanterns, and the most secret light throbbed within. If only you could (link-reveal: "push a finger inside…")[ Amy has left you with much aching. In your left arm, it is dull at first, but then quickly sharpens. Is this finally it? Are you to perish at the finish line? You raise your stained, sticky fingers in the air and (link-reveal: "trace the lines you've refused to see.")[ [<ul> <li>(link: "Here, a concentric halo of many wondrous colors.")[(hide:?choices)(show:?hidden)(replace:?response)[Colors after colors after colors, far beyond the meager rainbow and far beyond the poor mind. All the things she can be and all the places she will go are between these fingers. And you can do it better - you're sure of it.]] <li>(link: "There, the shadow of a vile substance passing through the translucent gut.")[(hide:?choices)(show:?hidden)(replace:?response)[Bring a knife to the piñata. The señorita is begging for it. Bring a knife to the birthday party. The children are begging for it. Bring a knife to the bathroom. She waits for you there.]] <li>(link: "Finally, a tear, from which rain falls warmly on many waiting tongues.")[(hide:?choices)(show:?hidden)(replace:?response)[Pain, much pain, twisting with the movements of the heavens, preparing for the fated day that will not come. Oh, barren body, let spring rain fall on it once more. There is no greater luxury than wasting a second chance.]] </ul>]<choices| ]]]]]] [ []<response| (link-reveal: "Like Amy, your chest pain is satiated with this promise")[, and like Amy, it leaves you, for now. You're already aching for when you next meet her. But presently, life - insistent life, diligent life, busy life - returns to the world, regardless of whether or not you want to linger in yesterday's half-light, pink and lovely. --- <ol> You… (if: $attRestlessness's qt > 0)[<li>(link: "Force yourself up.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's useEffect) (dialog: [You rise, and your head rises a second later. There are iron nails rattling in your skull. But still, you move. It is not too bad. Perhaps your body has reacquainted itself with its old friend, Vino, thanks to Amy.], "Amy, Amy, Amy…") (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (Expend ''Restlessness''; make yourself useful this morning.) ] (else:)[<li>~~Force yourself up.~~ (You are inadequately ''stressed'' and have no drive to get up.)] <li>(link: "Rest until Sundown.")[ (dialog: [Amy, Amy, Amy… Though you hunger and thirst, and (if: $storyAnts's qt <4)[Jesse bites your heels](else:)[the painting calls from under its veil], you have resolved to play dead.], "You will eat soon. Well, even.") (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (Lie here, and let time crawl forward.) </ol> ] ]<hidden|(hide: ?hidden)

{= (set: $activity to "Amy visiting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockAmyE5 to true) You're standing by the door, holding your breath, (link-reveal: "listening.")[ (link-reveal: "A ringing.")[ It is (link-reveal: "your phone.")[(set: $activity to "receiving a call from Amy")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] //"Hi… uhm, I won't be coming today… Yeah, no, I'm fine. You were fine… It's actually- Yes, it's actually to paint. Yeah, I think I should spend some time working on it, you know, by myself."// (link-reveal: "Of course! Of course!")[ You say, through gritted teeth, something along the line of: Every bird must fly by its own wings. But the words pass like kidney stones. //"The other day… I might have… Oh, you don't recall? Oh no problem; me neither. I blacked out, too. Can't even remember how I got back to my dorm. Luckily, I didn't crash into a pole, haha…"// Sure, sure, sure, how good, but (link-reveal: "when will she return?")[ Doesn't she want to see your painting? The thing waits for her in the corner of the apartment, its veil doing nothing to hide its expectant gaze. She and you have a deal. //"I do! Oh, but… I'll keep you posted, alright? I really want to show you what I'm working on, too, if that's something-"// (link: "No, why would you give a damn about some amateur-hour splashes?")[Yes, of course you're interested. There's nothing you'd dare say but the firmest affirmations. You unconsciously dig your nails into your cuticles, and it is now bleeding. She should bring it over and work on it under your watch. You will make it //great// and her (link-reveal: "//immortal//.")[ //"Give me time,"// Amy says softly. //"It's almost ready, but I'm not there yet. I'm… I'm afraid. I'm sure you understand. We've- We're in the same boat now."// (link-reveal: "Katherine wasn't afraid.")[ Her surety made every act seem inevitable, and that made //you// afraid of your own hands. So yes, you do understand. //"You're used to having your way - I know - but spare me a thought, too, won't you?"// (link-reveal: "You nod.")[ Why does it matter? She can't see you over the phone. //"Great. And thanks for everything. Really, I don't say it enough. Without you, I would have… Ah, I'm running my mouth again. Alright… later."// You end the call, put down the phone, and stare at the unfinished painting. (link-reveal: "This is how endings begin.")[ She is waking up. She will leave you - you're sure of it. This is normal. It's just attrition. Bad dice are rolled all over the world, everyday. Out of a class of twenty, only two will be promising. And out of two, one will fall away due to nerves. Two becomes one. That leaves you with… (set: _one to "(replace:?muse)[And what? Will you dig up your emails and reply to her message several years late? Will you apologize? Will you tell her that //now// is a good time to ignore suppression orders and risk everything? You intend to live forever, not rot in a facility in Nevada. She doesn't.]") (set: _two to "(replace:?muse)[No, don't be stupid. That ship has already sailed. And besides, you've already sold off everything valuable aboard. The proceeds still funds your rodent lifestyle.]") (set: _three to "(replace:?muse)[She had ambition. Then, she figured that the best way to get ahead was to shove the person in front - you - under the bus. That was why you left Chicago. It must have been her. You're not actually sure. But you're sure that there is no great love left between the two of you.]") (set: _four to "(replace:?muse)[You've not thought about Jenny in a long time. She used to be so fond of you. To be fair, back then, you didn't think about her all that much either. Your lack of enthusiasm is so profound that it is not likely to change just because of desperation.]") (set: _five to "(replace:?muse)[He was pretty. He came to you. You detested those who obsessed over every single blemish, so you turned him away and told him to live an honest life. Now, you are nothing but a moving stain. What makes you think he, an honest man, won't relish the chance to humiliate you? They're all the same.]") (set: _six to "(replace:?muse)[Truly? You're scraping the bottom of the barrel for anyone who would give you the time of day now. What's next, sketching strangers in the subway? You might be lost in a desert and dying of thirst, but swallowing fistfuls of sand won't do you any good. Your art would fare better with a mannequin than with Henri.]") (set: _seven to "(replace:?muse)[You've done it so many times before. That's why your output has been so few, even in your best years. Sure, you'll still drink - Amy has filled your fridge with half-finished gas station wine - and you can drink rivers of it until that dam, that blockage breaks, but when it floods… You can't stop it. You don't know how to swim. You'll drown.]") (set: _eight to "(show: ?hidden)(replace:?muse)[Every bird must fly by its own wings. Only a mother can bring her own child to completion. Who else?]") (link: "Katherine?")[(cycling-link: "Katherine._one", "Simone?_two", "Philo?_three", "Jenny?_four", "Erik?_five", "Henri._six", "the wine._seven", "yourself._eight",) []<muse|] [ No, there is only you now. That's how it has always been. Everything else? //Distractions.// They keep you from what you do. And what do you do? --- (link: "You. Paint.")[ (print: $attRestlessness's gainEffect) (print: $attEmbarrassed's gainEffect) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ](... which does little to allay the ''stress'' and the ''shame'' of having chased a dead end.) ]<hidden|(hide:?hidden) ]]]]]]]]]]

{=  (set: $activity to "waiting")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] Amy has not come back today, just as she said. You think about calling or leaving a message, but you think better of it. The air outside is (either: "thick with yellow smog", "thrumming", "like a breath held too long", "filled with an inaudible dirge", "forbidding",). Maybe it is better that no-one leaves their dwellings. --- (link: "Not while there's work to do.")[ (set: $AmyE6's qt to it +1) (if: $AmyE6's qt > 2)[(set: $AmyE6's lock to true)] (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc)

{= (set: $activity to "a stranger appears")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockAmyX to true) Something has been (link-reveal: "calling out for you.")[ Or have you been screaming out for it? You don't remember. There is only a lingering anxiety when you wake up. //"Mrrp?"// Jesse groggily inquires the cause of your disturbance. Is it morning already? Then why is it so dark outside? Dark and sickly, the colors of twilight vomited after a too-long night. The air smells like ash. You ought to (link-reveal: "close the windows.")[ You stare out into the jaundice fog. There is a strange car in the parking lot. There is (link-reveal: "a stranger sitting on the asphalt.")[ She gazes up at you. No, at the sky. What is she doing? There is nothing to see but a thick blanket overhead. She seems lost, like a child who has fallen, waiting for her mother to notice, and only then will she cry. City's going down the drains - so goes your first thought. (link-reveal: "You try getting back into bed")[, but your mind won't leave the girl. Out of the fog, frozen, sights fixed to the heavens… Is she another one of those… You go over to the windows. (link-reveal: "She is not there anymore.")[ You hear (link-reveal: "footsteps out in the hallways")[, dragging heavily, unevenly, like hiccups or sobs. Looking through the peephole, you see (link-reveal: "a familiar silhouette.")[ Mrs. Wong? Has she reappeared? No, this (link: "woman")[girl(show:?girl)] is much too young,` `[(link-reveal: "too pretty.")[ Disheveled, yes, but those curls would have looked nice any other day, and her short dress looks clean. More than anything, (link-reveal: "she's //moving//")[, albeit aimlessly. No-one who reappears can move. Or can breathe. Or is alive. (link-reveal: "So who is this?")[ Suddenly, you recall Henri's breathless visit the other day, and you realize the girl's identity. (link-reveal: "It's the niece.")[ She's back again. --- <ol> You… (if: $mind > 1)[<li>(link: "Check up on the girl.")[(goto: "Amy X1")] (Commit. Begin something time consuming and potentially dangerous.)] (else:)[<li>~~Check up on the girl.~~ (You are too unwell to approach a stranger, who also seems unwell.)] <li>(link: "Stay very quiet, and maybe she'll go away.")[ (dialog: [You wait until her footsteps fade. Then, a door slams, echoing in the hallway. She must be haunting her aunt's apartment. Henri will deal with her if he sees her, not you.], "You have so much else to do.") (print: $actionBack's effect) ] (Back to your normal morning routine.) </ol> ]]]] ]<girl|(hide: ?girl) ]]]]]]]

{= (set: $place to "outside")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "approaching the bereaved girl")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (link-reveal: "You tap on her shoulder.")[ She immediately falls into your arms. Or rather, you immediately fall into hers. She is strong, those sinews of youth. She crushes you, and you gasp, swallowing a breath of violet petals and salt from her hair. (link-reveal: "She wails.")[ //"Auntie… auntie?"// The girl looks up and sees your ugly mug. She flinches away. //"Who are you?"// The neighbor. Not much of one, but you live several units down from where her aunt (link: "lives")[lived. //"Great. Another neighbor."// She wipes the tears from her face, now cold and wary. //"Have we met before? Why do you know me?"// She's the legendary (link-reveal: "Amy.")[ Mrs. Wong wouldn't stop showing her niece off. Good thing you rarely had to hear about it, since you've made a point to avoid (link: "the old woman")[everyone]. Otherwise, it would ruin the pleasure of beholding Amy for yourself. //"What the fuck am I doing here again?"// Amy looks around her, more annoyed than confused. //"Did I drive here?"// She must have. Is that her car down there? It is? Good. No, don't go yet. Stay! No? She has class today? Well, you (link-reveal: "offer to walk the girl back to her car.")[ //"Shit…"// Amy mutters by the car door as she searches her coat pockets for the keys. //"I can't do anything right. What's wrong with me? This is so unlike me. I was at the precinct, waiting for the detective, and then - poof - I'm here. This happened before. But instead of you, your neighbor - what's-his-name - Henry? - found me. And I couldn't tell him what I was here for, even if my life depended on it."// You want to tell her something profound, but for all your thoughts, you only manage some soft platitudes. Amy scoffs but immediately apologizes. She seems to be someone so used to easy forgiveness. Who could ever fault her? So precious. So full of life. (link-reveal: "So…")[ //“We all know what will become of my aunt. I just can’t accept it. She couldn’t accept it either. When her husband reappeared, she kept him inside her home for months, hoping that he'd wake up. In the end, my mom made her bury him. I was so mad at mom, but I also knew uncle was stinking up the place. No hospital would take him. No church either. My aunt couldn’t afford a burial plot, and my mom was too religious to help out. But the pits… they’ve begun calling it ‘mannequins’ cemeteries’. Don't you think it's disgusting?"// Amy has found her car keys, but she only goes on talking like this, only stopping to momentarily sob. (link-reveal: "This is what you wanted, isn't it?")[ For her to linger? Then why can't you focus on anything she's saying? Have you truly awakened? As you listen to her talk, (cycling-link: "a queer recognition", "a dream-memory", "an echo from a different realm(show:?hidden1)",)` `[strikes you: Is this who has been calling out to you, this (cycling-link: "girl", "waif", "beauty", "salvific angel(show:?hidden2)",)?` `[Or have you been calling out to her? Oh, to render her - no, her //spirit// - in oil, you would… [<ul> <li>(link: "Underpaint with the starkest red.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden3)(replace: ?response2)[Underpaint with the starkest red, so that the blood beneath her cheeks shines through - for you to bathe in.]] <li>(link: "Blend with the softest brush.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden3)(replace: ?response2)[Blend with the softest brush, so that her countenance achieves the quality of silk - for you to wear.]] <li>(link: "Slash with a crude knife.")[(hide: ?choices2)(show: ?hidden3)(replace: ?response2)[Slash with a crude knife, so that all her hidden angles are made plain - for your viewing pleasure.]] </ul>]<choices2| ]<hidden2|(hide:?hidden2) ]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1) ]]]]]]] [ []<response2| Oh she, too, should join you in the Sun. A chorus of angels will praise that opal brilliance. Every possible shape is contained within the hollow of Her shadow. Glittering constellation on a (link-reveal: "nameless lake...")[ //“I'm losing you. Christ, I don't know why I'm running my mouth to a stranger for.”// You smile, or you think that's what your mirthless lips are doing. It's OK, Amy. No, keep talking, your morning wasn't disturbed at all. You didn't have anything else to do anyhow. In fact, she might be (link-reveal: "the most exciting thing to have happened to you in a while.")[ //"Anyway…"// she sniffles. So pink. //"I've gotta go. Class starts in- shit, what day is it? Uhm, bye."// And… she's gone, driving into the fog before she might say anything more, because she couldn't help herself. It's like that - they trust you too much, and they're gone. (link-reveal: "Maybe it's your fault.")[ But you've long learned to forgive yourself. Forgive and forget. Forget the girl. Go back to your apartment and get some work done. Forget her. Count yourself lucky that she didn't hug you goodbye, the rude child. Her perfume lingers in the ashen air. (link-reveal: "Violets.")[ --- (link: "Back to work, with shaking hands.")[ (set: $lockHenriVisit to true) (set: $shakenHenriG to true) (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $actionOnward's desc) ]]]] ]<hidden3|(hide:?hidden3)

{=  (set: $lockStoryletX0 to true) You approach the unfinished painting. On a wall is a rack, from which a (link-reveal: "linen curtain")[(show:?curtain)] hangs over (link-reveal: "the art")[(show:?art)]. [ The curtain is meant to protect the pigment from Sun damage, but you rarely let outside light in anyway. Perhaps its true purpose is to keep you from gazing at it, lest the room begin to throb. ]<curtain|(hide:?curtain) (set: _art to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _art to it +1)(if: _art >= 3)[(show:?whatis)]") [ What is it? (link-reveal: "A portrait?")[ Sure, there was a girl - //Katherine// - who started all this. But that'd be a lie. It had started long before her - the kindling was already there. If you were to lift the veil, you'd see no face. Not hers. Not anyone with two burning eyes, one thin nose whose oil makes a star-streak, and a mouth pooling with blood and tar. No, this is too heavenly to be called a face._trigger ] (link-reveal: "A landscape?")[ In every landscape, there is a Sun - red upon the misty horizon, a perfect white dot upon a black sky, or gray hints within roiling clouds. And yet, there is no //land// on Earth that would see a light such as this! What need is there for dirt? You long to be above it all. This is the thing itself._trigger] (link-reveal: "A still life?")[ Still, but not dead, only sleeping. Life, but not bound toward old age or death. But this is not //that//, only a painting, a mimesis of something brought back from the slumbering heavens, a pale reminder for all that lives that there is yet a greater kind of life._trigger] [(link-reveal: "Yes, but what //is// it?")[ The Sun. It is a painting of (link-reveal: "the Sun")[(show:?done)].]]<whatis|(hide:?whatis) ]<art|(hide:?art) [ --- (link-reveal: "Paint.")[(goto: "Storylet X1")] ]<done|(hide:?done)

{= (set: $activity to "recalling you-know-who")(replace: ?activity)[$activity] (set: $lockManA to true) A man used to be here. (set: _num to 0) (set: _remember to "(set: _num to it +1)(if: _num >= 3)[(show:?hidden1)](if: _num >= 6)[(show:?hidden2)]") (link-reveal: "Why was he here?")[ He followed you from Chicago and lived with you here for a a year or two. You tried your best to come home as late as possible, so that whatever //business// he had to do was over with, and he would be alone and snoring by the time you opened the front door._remember ] (link-reveal: "What was his name?")[ You can't recall. Something is blocking your recollection. //You.//_remember ] (link-reveal: "What was he to you?")[ From looking outside, most would say that he was the other half of the unit composed of you and him, that he and you might as well be one in the same. The thought sends a shudder down your spine._remember ] [ (link-reveal: "What can you remember about him?")[ Little, other than that he was appropriately //your age//. Maybe a vacation here, a dinner date there, a shadow waiting around the corner, always. Memory comes from attention. You paid none. Now, you-know-who is gone, and you can only remember that you were different, once._remember ] (link-reveal: "Then why did you bother?")[ Why indeed. Why anything? Why do we wipe after shitting, only to shit again? You suppose you were looking ahead, knowing that your youth would end soon, and you had to do what every other responsible adult had to - you bought insurance. You think of yourself as a thorough wiper. The stain is gone._remember ] (link-reveal: "Did he treat Jesse well?")[ No, probably not. You don't know. Oh yes, you remember now: Jesse wasn't here when he was. And when he is gone, Jesse is here. It's a good trade._remember ] ]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1) [ Sometimes, you can still feel (link-reveal: "his presence in the room.")[ You think you can smell him, and it sends you into a spiral: What if the apartment feels like a man's? What if you'll never get the stink off of you? Ah, but you have (link-reveal: "bigger problems")[(show: ?problem)] to worry about, don't you?` `[Between the moldy, rotting tower of Chinese takeouts and the eye-burning fumes from your paint solvents, no-one would mistake this little apartment for a woman's, nor would they think it was a man's. This is a place where an animal dwells. Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! --- (link: "Observe the tower of Chinese takeouts.")[(goto: "Obs A")] (print: $actionObs's desc)</span ]<problem|(hide:?problem) ] ]<hidden2|(hide:?hidden2)

{= (set: $activity to "a neighbor in need")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockPartyAlt to true) You hear (link-reveal: "footsteps outside.")[ (link-reveal: "Shuffling.")[ Something heavy is being dragged. Looking through the peephole, you see your neighbor Henri pulling behind him (link-reveal: "several large plastic bags.")[ Whatever that is inside has broken a hole through one of them, and a dark liquid is leaking out, leaving a streak across the hallway floor. Henri doesn't seem to have noticed this. --- <ol> You… (if: $mind > 1)[<li>(link: "Go out there and help him.")[(goto: "Henri Alt1")] (print: $actionCommit's desc)] (else:)[<li>~~Help him.~~ (You're too unwell to meddle in anyone's business.)] <li>(link: "Leave him be.")[(print: $actionOnward's effect)] (print: $actionOnward's desc) </ol> ]]]

(set: $place to "in the hallway")(replace: ?place)[$place] (set: $activity to "helping Henri clean up")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (link-reveal: "//\"Oh, it's you!\"//")[ Henri startles when you open the door, but he quickly puts on that smile of his. //"Sorry, am I making a ruckus? Just cleaning up after last night. Still a bit woozy."// You don't take the bait; he's not going to get you to talk about the party. So instead, you (link-reveal: "point out the dark-red streak")[(show:?hidden1)] spanning all the way from your door to his. [ //"Oh what the- Shit, sorry again, I'll clean that up right away. One of my friends broke a bottle of wine, and the shards… No, no, leave it. You don't have to help me."// But you're here anyway. Might as well get him an extra bag and a mop before anyone else sees. The neighbors tend to be nosy and prone to voicing their thoughts, especially (link-reveal: "the widow a few doors down.")[ //"You mean Mrs. Wong?"// Henri says as the two of you throw the bags, now reinforced, into the downstairs bin. They make a wet thud each. //"Oh, she won't be complaining. Probably still nursing her head, haha. She had a great time last night, surprisingly."// The two of you head back up, and you fetch the mop despite Henri's protest. You would much rather focus on the task - the streaks smear and turn different hues in the soapy water, hypnotically so - but Henri (link-reveal: "insists on talking.")[ //"We missed you last night. Busy?"// You give a non-committal affirmative. //"Yeah, I figured. Hope the noise didn't disturb you."// No, not at all. You barely noticed. In fact, you (link-reveal: "haven't been very cognizant")[(show:?hidden2)] of what goes on outside your walls. [ //"Wow… I shouldn't be surprised. I expect nothing less from you."// Is he being sarcastic? No, he's not. Henri seems to take your hermitude as a sign of consummate virtue. He makes you forget that you're supposed to feel bad for not showing up, or that you don't really care enough to talk about it. And so, you (link-reveal: "talk about it")[, if only to steer him away from flattery or from inquiring about your work. --- (link: "You ask him how the party went.")[(goto: "Party Alt2")] ] ]<hidden2|(hide:?hidden2) ]] ]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1) ]

//"We had such a great time. Nothing too wild. More people showed up than I expected. But hey, there's always room for friends, right?"// Oh? And who showed up? (set: _num to 0) (set: _trigger to "(set: _num to it + 1)(if: _num >= 3)[(show:?hidden1)]") (link-reveal: "The neighbors did.")[_trigger //"Well, Mrs. Wong - I told you earlier. It was good that she could spend some time mingling. I've worried for her ever since… uhm, that thing with her husband happened. The Perries showed up. Poor them. Mrs. Wong talked their ears off, mostly about her niece, but the Perries were nice about it."// Ah, the niece. It's Mrs. Wong's favorite subject, as it is for anyone without plans or prospects of their own, always looking towards and coveting others' creations. //"Apparently, the girl's here in Seattle. Mrs. Wong keeps saying that she'll introduce me to her. Can you believe it?"// Yes, you can. Of course you can. ] (link-reveal: "And the guys at the lab came also.")[_trigger //"And not just 'guys'. The department head showed up, too. She's transferring to another project, and I'm sort of taking over. That's the reason for the party."// Only sort of? //"Yeah, I get to use the fancy new computer they've just installed in the basement. I'm still kept on a tight leash though, and there are donor interests we have to worry about, but that's alright. As long as we get to do cool things with it, I don't mind."// What kind of cool things? //"Uhm… I don't think it's very 'cool' to you, now that I think about it."// ] (link-reveal: "And a bunch of other people showed up, too.")[_trigger He's awfully vague about this. //"Just friends, you know. People that I know from elsewhere."// Elsewhere? Where could that possibly be but Quebec? Canada isn't some mythical land; you've lived there a few years; you'd know. //"Hey, I've been to places, too! Well, they're mostly students from other departments and hobby groups. I like being around creative types, you know that."// Other friends… Hobbies… You realize that you don't know all that much about Henri. //"Don't worry about it. It's just a bunch of nerds who are into homemade radio and telescopes."// You chuckle. Are they like, looking for extraterrestrials? //"No, no, nothing that crazy. More like stargazing. Very romantic, I know. There's an eclipse this summer. We're all going out to Green Lake Park to see it. If you want to come…"// You say that you'll check your schedule. It sounds exciting, but you've been burned one too many times by star-chasing. You're sure that it has left a permanent dark spot in your vision. ] [ (link-reveal: "The hallway is as clean as it can get.")[ If any neighbor crawls out of their hole, they will only smell soap and bleach, but nothing of the sour beer and metallic wine. If only you were so thorough with your own apartment, you wouldn't have had ants. Breathless, (link-reveal: "Henri thanks you.")[ You say that it's no problem, even if the Sun has lowered. //"Look, I know you're busy and everything, and the party wouldn't have been your cup of tea, but I'd be very happy to talk to you more sometimes. And maybe, you can show me what you're working on?"// You shrug. Yeah, (link-reveal: "when it's ready.")[ //"Remember: 'Perfect' is the enemy of 'good'."// You laugh. Isn't it the other way around? But sure, "perfect" is the enemy of "good". And "not good" is also the enemy of "good". But you (link-reveal: "leave it at that.")[ --- (link: "Goodbye, Henri. See you later.")[ (print: $storyHenri's gainEffect) (if: $storyHenri's qt is 4)[(dialog: [You can now visit Henri socially.], "OK.")(set: $lockHenriVisit to false)] (print: $actionOnward's effect) ] (print: $storyHenri's gain) ]]]]]<hidden1|(hide:?hidden1)

(set: $activity to "a dream of what would have been")(replace: ?activity)[$activity]  (set: $lockDreamG to true) (link-reveal: "//\"Is that you?\"//")[ A hoarse man-voice resounds deep inside the pitch-blackness of your apartment. //"I thought you'd left. Why? Why didn't you?"// (link-reveal: "You try to find where the voice comes from.")[ You don't even know where in the apartment you're standing. Where are all the lights? And what is that sweet, awful smell? You can do little more than to take furtive steps and follow along the wall, which stretches so much further than is possible for the studio rental. Then, you bump into (link-reveal: "something.")[ (link-reveal: "Hair.")[ Hair the color of darkness which surrounds you. So much of it. An entire waterfall. The tall woman turns to look at you. Her face is like lovingly-carved wax. She smiles and cocks her head, as though saying, (link-reveal: "//\"Look.\"//")[ Inside, where your veiled painting ought to be, there is only a mountain of trash. That must be where the smell is coming from. What have they done to your painting? In a panic, you (link-reveal: "flip the light switch.")[ Instead of the sterile white LED, a deep, neon crimson buzzes alive, flooding every nook, every fold, every corner, and you see clearly, there in the corner, among the leaking plastic bags and the toppled towers of takeouts, is (link-reveal: "a man.")[ Bile pours from his acrid mouth, and a million ants swarm his pallid nakedness like dark noise upon empty space. The plastic rustle. He is alive - how awful it is to be alive like so. Your first thought is to bury him further in the trash, so you will muffle his moans and be free from having to see his deformed flesh, like a clay abandoned. //"Haha, there you are… You're so beautiful…"// The words bubble from his throat as he reaches forward. (link-reveal: "//\"Julia!\"//")[ In answer, the tall woman steps towards him. She, too, is naked, though perfectly-formed. Her dark hair brushes the floor. In her right hand, a blade gleams, blood-glint of the red light from nowhere. The man's gaze follows her, ignorant of the blade, ignorant of even you standing there. //"Julia…"// //"Come on,"// she says. //"There's a party, and you're invited."// He takes her hand, stumbles onto his feet, and shedding the ants off like they were his own skin, some have burrowed deeply inside his many, many cuts. The woman begins (link-reveal: "speaking")[, but is it to him? Or to you? //"Do you know who this is?"// The man slumps against the wall, mumbling to himself. You shake your head. A wordless lie. //"Once… long ago… perhaps a different lifetime, he would have been you, and you would have been me, and I would have been…"// You hold your breath, (link-reveal: "waiting.")[ //"Something. Not a nothing. But now, I must leave this post to you. Fate doesn't exactly choose its best, but… oh well. Everyone's got flaws. The cat's a nice touch, I can give you that."// She reaches towards you and (link-reveal: "switches the red light off.")[ You can only hear her voice now. //"Don't worry. I won't stand in your way… only if you keep to yourself. Just stay right here. Live quietly, and you'll live, still. Don't scream. Don't laugh. No-one has to know. Be seeing you… friend."// You hear shuffling - her dragging the man into the dark - and as the door latch opens, music blows inside with the wind. //"And clean the place up, won't you? Tsk, who lives like that?"// (link-reveal: "Alone again…")[ You breathe a sigh of relief. --- <ol> You... <li>(link: "Seek out Jesse and hug her.")[ (if: $worldState <2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (set: $mind to it + 1) (dialog: [You hug yourself and feel that Jesse is already within your embrace.], "Everything's OK. Everything's...") (goto: "DeathCheck") ] (... which ''heals'' you slightly.) <li>(link: "Let tears come out to wash your vision. Oh what a vision it was.")[ (if: $worldState <2)[(set: $worldState to 2)] (print: $attInspiration's gainEffect) (goto: "DeathCheck") ](print: $attInspiration's gain) </ol> ]]]]]]]]]]]]