# dentries

title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Here you go, man." He presents a l..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Here you go, man." He presents a large cap-shaped object on the palm of his hand. Very odd-looking...


title: You: ""Actually, I changed my mind. I don..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_refused_pyrholidon", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Actually, I changed my mind. I don't need any Pyrholidon." (Refuse to take the pyrholidon for now.)


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""An *end* implies a stable state, w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"An *end* implies a stable state, whereas we can see from experience that everything is in fact always transforming. Thus, there can be no end."


title: You: ""But that is merely our meagre sens..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But that is merely our meagre sense experience. There are dark forces at work now that we cannot even envision, much less see."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The dark always has its counterbal..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The dark always has its counterbalance in light. Neither will prevail. The cycle will continue." He folds his arms with finality and turns away from you, concentrating once more on his light show.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The corpse behind the hostel, I as..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The corpse behind the hostel, I assume..." He looks into the swirling lights, then to you: "I don't have a truck with a mounted platform or anything of that sort myself..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "Roy takes the hubcaps from the lieu..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Roy takes the hubcaps from the lieutenant and inspects them. The spinners appear iridescent in the dancing light of his pawnshop.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He marvels at the cobalt shimmer, a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He marvels at the cobalt shimmer, and nods: "Yes, these are very, very good. Did you defraud some foreign prince for them? Jump a Mesque banger? No matter... I'll give you 200 reál."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Here's the 30 reál you need for yo..."
dialoguetext: "Here's the 30 reál you need for your bill. Do *not* waste it." The rest goes in his pocket.
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainMoneyOnce(3000); FinishTask("TASK.take_spinners_to_pawnshop_done"); GainTask("TASK.return_to_garte_with_spinner_cash")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Here's the 60 reál you need for yo..."
dialoguetext: "Here's the 60 reál you need for your bill. Do *not* waste it." The rest goes in his pocket.
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainMoneyOnce(6000); FinishTask("TASK.take_spinners_to_pawnshop_done"); GainTask("TASK.return_to_garte_with_spinner_cash")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Here's the 70 reál you need for yo..."
dialoguetext: "Here's the 70 reál you need for your bill. Do *not* waste it." The rest goes in his pocket.
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainMoneyOnce(7000); FinishTask("TASK.take_spinners_to_pawnshop_done"); GainTask("TASK.return_to_garte_with_spinner_cash")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Here's the 100 reál you need for y..."
dialoguetext: "Here's the 100 reál you need for your bill. Do *not* waste it." The rest goes in his pocket.
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainMoneyOnce(10000); FinishTask("TASK.take_spinners_to_pawnshop_done"); GainTask("TASK.return_to_garte_with_spinner_cash")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Here's the 130 reál you need for y..."
dialoguetext: "Here's the 130 reál you need for your bill. Do *not* waste it." The rest goes in his pocket.
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainMoneyOnce(13000); FinishTask("TASK.take_spinners_to_pawnshop_done"); GainTask("TASK.return_to_garte_with_spinner_cash")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""No one was defrauded or *jumped*,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No one was defrauded or *jumped*, I assure you," the lieutenant explains as the pawnbroker opens the register and counts the cash.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Of course. I meant no offense. 200..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. I meant no offense. 200 reál for you, officer. Delightful doing business with you. Do come again."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He slowly finishes his thought: "....."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He slowly finishes his thought: "...but I'm not some Mr. Fixit, I'm a pawnbroker. If you want to pawn the tape, sure. Although it looks pretty... worthless."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""No, it's different... those film t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No, it's different... those film tapes actually *mean* something to me, but this is just a worthless bundle of old tape."


title: You: ""I helped them up the bass beat. It..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I helped them up the bass beat. It's getting pretty *hard core*, but there's something missing. A melody line to complement the beat. I'm feeling this tape might be it."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yeah, I bet they would... all thos..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yeah, I bet they would... all those lights in a massive church hall..." He stares at the intricate interplay of light and shadow all around him, suddenly moved by the idea.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "You take some time to look around t..."
sequence: HideOverlay();
userscript: PassTime()
dialoguetext:
You take some time to look around the store... The play of visuals all around the pawnshop is mesmerizing. Suddenly, Roy turns back to you with a reel of tape in his hand and coughs.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yeah. My pleasure. I do what I can..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainItem("tape_melody_fixed"); FinishTask("TASK.egg_repair_tape_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yeah. My pleasure. I do what I can for true passion projects... Just try not to use this tape for negative photon emissions. Take responsibility, okay."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""A sanctuary filled with hand-picke..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A sanctuary filled with hand-picked positive photons... There would be no room for sadness in such a place. It's a brilliant vision..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I rather like it *here* too, so ye..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I rather like it *here* too, so yeah -- I'm not giving you my projector. This tape is all I can do for you and your friends' nightclub project." He nods at the fixed tape on the counter top.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yeah, man, no." He shakes his head..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yeah, man, no." He shakes his head. "I rather like this place happy too. You know -- where I work. This tape is all I can do for you and your friends' nightclub project." He nods at the fixed tape on the counter top.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He looks off to the side, then down..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He looks off to the side, then down at his hands. "Can't say I'm a huge admirer of Wild Pines, and I certainly wouldn't trust any silver-tongued spokesperson of theirs. Fortunately, I have no reason to get involved."


title: You: ""Know anything about the Wild Pines..."
dialoguetext: "Know anything about the Wild Pines representative that's in town?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.interview_wild_pines_rep"]  and  Variable["TASK.interview_wild_pines_rep_done"] == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""He tried. Wanted to come to some *..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He tried. Wanted to come to some *mutually beneficial arrangement* around my dealings with the dockworkers... I politely declined to *hear him out*."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""They weren't the most... pleasant..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They weren't the most... pleasant interactions. Small-town Big Wigs always want everyone to play a part in the play they're staging."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""So you don't know what kind of arr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"So you don't know what kind of arrangement he was talking about?" The lieutenant studies the pawnbroker suspiciously.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""As I said, I refused to talk to hi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"As I said, I refused to talk to him. That's why he came back a second time. That's *also* why he hasn't come back a third."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""No, just -- people like that make..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No, just -- people like that make everyone else see the world somewhat askew... at an angle that is convenient for them. Now -- you have more questions, or are we..."


title: Encyclopedia: "The People's Pile was a Type U part..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_encyc_pile", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The People's Pile was a Type U particle decay generator that failed immediately after entering service, releasing radioactive waste into River Esperance.


title: Esprit de Corps: "Those triangle patches on his vest...."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_inland_triangles", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Those triangle patches on his vest... you have a feeling they *mean* something. Like they're similar to the halogen rectangle on your jacket.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He hesitates. "I was... I was with..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He hesitates. "I was... I was with the Emergency Relief Brigade. You know, after the People's Pile disaster." He coughs, as if to mark his words.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Had to take Pyrholidon for radiati..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Had to take Pyrholidon for radiation sickness. That's what you were hinting at just now, wasn't it?"


title: You: ""I'd like to buy back the commemora..."
dialoguetext: "I'd like to buy back the commemorative pin I sold."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.roy_promised_to_keep_pin"]  and  CheckItem("commemorative_pin") == false  and  Variable["canal.roy_bought_lenas_pin_back"] == false  and  Variable["whirling.lena_gave_pin_back_without_pawning_it"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.return_lenas_pin_done"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.pay_lena_back_done"] == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Is it?" He turns his head to the r..."
dialoguetext:
"Is it?" He turns his head to the right and then to the left, as if looking for non-existent windows. "Spring is capricious, yes."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Perhaps." He shrugs. "I just like..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_night_greeting_done", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Perhaps." He shrugs. "I just like being awake for the transition between night and morning -- bearing witness to the first hints of light on the horizon."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""It's not often that I see officers..."
dialoguetext:
"It's not often that I see officers from the RCM in my pawnshop." The man at the counter turns to you slowly.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Oh, no, not at all." He flashes a..."
dialoguetext:
"Oh, no, not at all." He flashes a smile. "I guess I haven't had many customers lately, RCM or otherwise."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I haven't had any problems myself...."
dialoguetext:
"I haven't had any problems myself... though some of my customers have complained about inconsistent law enforcement."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""All kinds of people come through h..."
dialoguetext:
"All kinds of people come through here... Locals, travellers. People looking for a deal. People looking for a keepsake. People who are terminally bored."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I see you were wounded in the rece..."
dialoguetext:
"I see you were wounded in the recent... altercation." He nods gravely at your leg. "A speedy recovery to you, officer."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I see you were wounded in the rece..."
dialoguetext:
"I see you were wounded in the recent... altercation," he says with a grave nod. "A speedy recovery to you, officer."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""It keeps me entertained." His atte..."
dialoguetext:
"It keeps me entertained." His attention is drawn once more to the play of light and shadow on the walls behind you.


title: You: ""Honestly, I think some of your sel..."
sequence: 0
userscript: ReputationGrows("art_cop")
dialoguetext:
"Honestly, I think some of your selections are..." (Press your finger to your lips) "...more tasteful than others."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Between you and me," he looks you..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_altgreet_tribunal", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Between you and me," he looks you up and down, "this is why I don't get involved in local politics."


title: You: ""I'll check my pockets." (Access yo..."
dialoguetext: "I'll check my pockets." (Access your pawn menu.)
sequence: 0
conditionstring: HasPawnablesInInventory()
userscript:
ShowInventoryForPawning(); SetVariableValue("character.liberal_thought_roy_pawned", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: You: ""I have some armour...""
dialoguetext: "I have some armour..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
CheckItem("shoes_t500")  or  CheckItem("shirt_t500")  or  CheckItem("hat_t500")  or  CheckItem("gloves_t500")


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
CheckEquipped("shoes_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("shirt_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("hat_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("gloves_t500")


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(CheckEquipped("shoes_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("shirt_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("hat_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("gloves_t500"))

conditionstring:
(CheckEquipped("shoes_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("shirt_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("hat_t500")  or  CheckEquipped("gloves_t500")) == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I'm not purchasing any more clothi..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_sell_clothes_armour", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I'm not purchasing any more clothing at the moment." He looks you up and down quickly. "And certainly not expensive armour that's liable to bring mercenaries to my doorstep."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He steps back, away from the glass...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He steps back, away from the glass. "Oh, no, no, no, no. I don't need blood-thirsty mercenaries knocking on my door looking for their missing toys."


title: Electrochemistry: "It feels like he would have accepte..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It feels like he would have accepted the risk if he hoped to profit from it. It's not greed, though. Deep down, he's a gambler -- provided the stakes are sufficiently interesting.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Why on earth?" He staggers away fr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Why on earth?" He staggers away from the glass, but quickly recomposes himself. "These are prescription. I can't really see without them."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The Col Do Ma Ma Daqua?" He looks..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Col Do Ma Ma Daqua?" He looks at you with astonishment. "Sorry, I would never have guessed that you were that interested in ultrasonic sounds... or *birds*, for that matter."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""That's fair. I just... It's been a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's fair. I just... It's been a long time since my Col Do Ma Ma Daqua hunting days," he responds with a thin smile. "Once knew a group of young musicians who decided they didn't want to play music anymore and started looking for all kinds of interesting sounds instead..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Oh, I didn't mean to imply otherwi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh, I didn't mean to imply otherwise... Well, it's been a while since I've gone hunting for the Col Do Ma Ma Daqua myself..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""What an interesting development! W..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"What an interesting development! Well, it's been a while since I've gone hunting for the Col Do Ma Ma Daqua..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Once knew a group of young musicia..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Once knew a group of young musicians who decided they didn't want to play music anymore and started looking for all kinds of interesting sounds instead..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""We thought we did! We got together..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We thought we did! We got together all these recordings of unusual sound patterns, compared them..." He chuckles. "Cut them up and combined them into the 'Simfonia Col Do Ma Ma Daqua.'"


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Cool or not... One of them was obs..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Cool or not... One of them was obsessed with recording the Col Do Ma Ma Daqua -- and he was one of those passionate people who know a lot about all kinds of strange things, so he got the rest of us to join in his search..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He purses his lips. "I'm not sure...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He purses his lips. "I'm not sure. I wasn't even sure about our old recordings, which I no longer have... But I do have a tape with some ultrasonic sounds that *might* be what you're looking for. Would you like to hear?" He starts rummaging through some tapes behind the counter.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""That really wasn't the point. Afte..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That really wasn't the point. After the 'Simfonia' we moved onto the sounds of office supplies or something like that... and I doubt any of us would have been any good at pushing papers."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Unfortunately, I don't have any re..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Unfortunately, I don't have any recordings from my... old life. None at all! But I do have a tape with some ultrasonic sounds that *might* be what you're looking for." He starts rummaging through some tapes behind the counter.


title: You: ""Nah, that's okay. It's just that I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nah, that's okay. It's just that I heard the Col Do Ma Ma Daqua outside the Whirling, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one... Let's talk about something else now."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He dusts off a case, then takes out..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He dusts off a case, then takes out the tape and places it on the tape player. "This recording comes from down the coast... Wasn't looking to record anything specific -- just left a recording device there one morning."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Keep in mind, I have to slow this..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Keep in mind, I have to slow this one down enough to make sounds well over 200 kHz  audible to the human ear... It will be... strange." He switches on the tape player. The speakers begin to emit a low hum....


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Please..." He throws you a long-su..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Please..." He throws you a long-suffering look. "No more experimental listening while we're on this case."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He switches off the tape player. "Y..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPMinorSetBool("XP.listen_to_one_of_roys_recordings")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He switches off the tape player. "You know, now that I've listened to it on these new speakers -- it's *not* the Col Do Ma Ma Daqua. Wrong patterns, wrong... photons. Probably some insect trying to sing higher than its predators can hear. Still -- fascinating, aren't they, early morning sounds?"


title: Endurance: "That's an illusion. Your breathing..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_col_do_endurance", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
That's an illusion. Your breathing is just as it was and will remain that way unless you start panicking.


title: Inland Empire: "There's a growing sense of dread: t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
There's a growing sense of dread: the sound is coming from inside you but also surrounding you. It feels as though someone is standing just outside your range of vision and watching you, doing this to you...


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "As the hum grows louder, modulating..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
As the hum grows louder, modulating, but always unnaturally, uncomfortably low, like it's coming not from the speakers, but also from inside your chest. Breathing is becoming difficult...


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Gulls and skuas. But shhhh." He ra..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Gulls and skuas. But shhhh." He raises a pointer finger and inclines his head toward the speakers. A new, very high-pitched, shivering sound emerges amidst the others.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He nods to you reassuringly just as..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He nods to you reassuringly just as more diverse, higher-pitched sounds, some random, some appearing to form patterns, hit your eardrums.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""And skuas. But shhhh." He raises a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And skuas. But shhhh." He raises a pointer finger and inclines his head toward the speakers. A new, high-pitched, shivering sound.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "The low range of sounds is easier t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The low range of sounds is easier to handle with a focal point, but still troubling. You are mesmerized by the sounds, but also feel nausea welling up as the motif continues, then begins to recede, dissolving in what must be the sound of water lapping at the bank...


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He sighs. "Tiphaine Holly, the prev..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_investigation_evrart_elections", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He sighs. "Tiphaine Holly, the previous head of the Union, was rather *more* pleasant. Some of us around here... well, we've never understood why she didn't run for a second term. Or where she went after withdrawing from politics. It was all very strange."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yes, it was all very strange. That..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_investigation_evrart_elections", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes, it was all very strange. That forewoman was... more pleasant than Evrart." He shrugs. "But I guess it's all the same in the end..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Of course. It's in working order s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. It's in working order still, isn't it? Just pick your tape and set it spinning. It all starts with the tape."


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
Variable["canal.boombox_mainhub_reached"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.listen_to_merc_tape_done"] == false


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["canal.boombox_mainhub_reached"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.listen_to_merc_tape_done"] == false)

conditionstring:
(Variable["canal.boombox_mainhub_reached"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.listen_to_merc_tape_done"] == false) == false


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "The lieutenant steps away, pretendi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant steps away, pretending to admire some of the knick-knacks on display. Looks like he doesn't want to get involved...


title: You: ""Great! Could you do it, please? Th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Great! Could you do it, please? This is important, I need to be able to play this tape for someone."


title: You: ""Worthless? It's not worthless, Roy..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Worthless? It's not worthless, Roy. This could be the next big thing for the local dance music scene."


title: You: ""No, that's the thing -- you can't..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No, that's the thing -- you can't believe how unbelievably thin the beat is. There's nothing to it, no bass! It just goes *bzoot-bzoot-bzoot*. But this tape could make it *hard core*.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Man, you're really invested in thi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Man, you're really invested in this." He looks at the bundle of tape in front of him. It shimmers under the shop's dazzling light show.


title: You: "(Look at the clock.) "Wait, this to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
(Look at the clock.) "Wait, this took more than just 'a few moments'. That was at least fifteen minutes!"


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yeah." He nods. "It was. Re-spooli..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yeah." He nods. "It was. Re-spooling isn't that difficult, although I had to mend the tape in a few places."


title: You: ""Hey, those visuals you've got here..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["canal.roy_concept_trigger_for_tape"]
dialoguetext:
"Hey, those visuals you've got here would look great in the church." (Point at the lights in the pawnshop.)


title: You: ""I met some young ravers near the p..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I met some young ravers near the place. They want to turn the church into a nightclub and play some weird neo-disco beats there. I promised to help them with that."


title: You: ""I helped some young ravers turn th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I helped some young ravers turn this place into a nightclub. And they play these weird neo-disco beats there..."


title: Electrochemistry: "A drug developed by the military to..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_pyrholidon_encyc", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
A drug developed by the military to treat and prevent radiation sickness. It has psychedelic side-effects. *And* it makes your eyes turn yellow!


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""A bad idea. Some poor leftists bui..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A bad idea. Some poor leftists built a particle decay generator in hopes of bringing affordable electricity to under-served communities. It malfunctioned. Radioactive waste everywhere, probably some of it in *you*, too."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""There wasn't much the volunteer fo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There wasn't much the volunteer force could do, however. We wasted years in the river mud. Years getting sick..." He looks at the spiralling light and stops.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""A bunch of poor people built thems..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A bunch of poor people built themselves a primitive nuclear reactor, hoping for the best. What do you think is going to happen?"


title: Tutorial Agent: "You can sell things from your ITEMS..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You can sell things from your ITEMS tab for cash -- but be careful: You might wish you had them later.

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.roy_pawn_menu_tutorial", true) ;
SetVariableValue("tc.pawnshop", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Logic: "A needle in a haystack. There is no..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A needle in a haystack. There is nothing you can do it about it now. You'll just have to hope you luck upon her somehow.


title: Logic: "A needle in a haystack. There is no..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A needle in a haystack. There is nothing you can do about it right now. You'll just have to hope Evrart wasn't lying and the Union can track her down in time.


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
Variable["TASK.find_any_info_on_gun"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.find_any_info_on_gun_done"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.find_your_sidearm_done"] == false


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["TASK.find_any_info_on_gun"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.find_any_info_on_gun_done"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.find_your_sidearm_done"] == false)

conditionstring:
(Variable["TASK.find_any_info_on_gun"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.find_any_info_on_gun_done"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.find_your_sidearm_done"] == false) == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Someone else came here earlier tod..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Someone else came here earlier today asking the same question -- I promptly sold her the gun you pawned a couple days back."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.roy_asked_about_your_gun", true) ; FinishTask("TASK.find_any_info_on_gun_done"); GainTask("TASK.keep_looking_for_gun")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Maybe. Shady looking guys came in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Maybe. Shady looking guys came in here yesterday, looking like they'd just taken off their Wild Pines overalls. They asked if I have a police weapon to sell. I told them I already sold it."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""They went their way. It was a trip..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They went their way. It was a trip, but you know. All sorts of people come here, asking for all sorts of things."


title: You: ""I wanted to ask about my, uh... mi..."
dialoguetext: "I wanted to ask about my, uh... missing gun. Again."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["tc.gun_missing"]  and  CheckItem("gun_villiers") == false  and  Variable["XP.heard_about_the_fate_of_your_gun_from_roy"] == true


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""You're quite invested in this." He..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You're quite invested in this." He looks at the bundle of tape in front of him. It shimmers under the shop's dazzling light show.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He studies the pin carefully, rolli..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He studies the pin carefully, rolling it around in his palm. "Saint-Batiste Summer Dinghy Races '31. What a pleasant time *that* was."


title: You: ""Okay, but can you hold onto it for..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Okay, but can you hold onto it for a few days before putting it up for sale? I promised to give the pin back..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He thinks for a moment, then nods...."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_promised_to_keep_pin", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He thinks for a moment, then nods. "Sure, I can keep it behind the counter for a week -- but only if you pawn it right now."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Here you go, officer." He hands yo..."
dialoguetext: "Here you go, officer." He hands you the pin. "Anything else I can do for you today?"
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainItem("commemorative_pin"); SetVariableValue("canal.roy_bought_lenas_pin_back", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "He sighs. "Yeah, it's not good. I d..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He sighs. "Yeah, it's not good. I do hope we manage to clean this mess up somehow -- while also keeping our focus on the murder investigation."


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
IsTaskActive("TASK.take_spinners_to_pawnshop_done")  and  Variable["canal.roy_sold_spinners"] == false  and  CheckItem("radiant_spinners")  and  IsKimHere()


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(IsTaskActive("TASK.take_spinners_to_pawnshop_done")  and  Variable["canal.roy_sold_spinners"] == false  and  CheckItem("radiant_spinners")  and  IsKimHere())

conditionstring:
(IsTaskActive("TASK.take_spinners_to_pawnshop_done")  and  Variable["canal.roy_sold_spinners"] == false  and  CheckItem("radiant_spinners")  and  IsKimHere()) == false


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes, we'd like to sell these hubca..."
dialoguetext: "Yes, we'd like to sell these hubcaps," the lieutenant steps in and hands him the spinners.
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.roy_sold_spinners", true) ; LoseItem("radiant_spinners"); SetVariableValue("character.liberal_thought_roy_pawned", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yes, you did, but this is how pawn..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes, you did, but this is how pawnshops make profit..." He tilts his head, waiting. "So, do you want it or not?"


title: You: ""I'm back for the transceiver. Is i..."
dialoguetext: "I'm back for the transceiver. Is it still available?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
IsTaskActive("TASK.find_working_transceiver")  and  Variable["canal.roy_asked_transceiver"] == true  and  CheckItem("highly_expensive_transceiver") == false


title: You: ""I'm looking for a radio transceive..."
dialoguetext: "I'm looking for a radio transceiver. You got anything?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
IsTaskActive("TASK.find_working_transceiver")  and  Variable["canal.roy_asked_transceiver"] == false  and  CheckItem("highly_expensive_transceiver") == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He produces a machine encased in a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He produces a machine encased in a blue bakelite shell, its black face covered in an assortment of pearl-topped knobs and dials.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""A Kristallsprach Model 9. Gottwald..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A Kristallsprach Model 9. Gottwaldian engineering at its finest. This is a specialist's model, ideal for picking up foreign signals..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The Model 9 also comes equipped wi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Model 9 also comes equipped with a signal purifier to suppress crosstalk, especially good around here with our funky reception."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Could be, if you're not concerned..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Could be, if you're not concerned about quality of signal. But real audiophiles will pay good money for this. That's why we can't let it go for less than 120 reál."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Well it's not that Iilmaraan surpl..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well it's not that Iilmaraan surplus junk, that's for sure. We think 120 reál is more than reasonable."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""You won't regret it, officer. What..."
dialoguetext: "You won't regret it, officer. Whatever you need, the Model 9 can handle."
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainItem("highly_expensive_transceiver");
SetVariableValue("jam.warship_found_transceiver", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Suit yourself. Can't promise this..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_asked_transceiver", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Suit yourself. Can't promise this beauty'll be here when you come back, though." He gently returns the transceiver to its shelf behind the counter.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Not at all, detective. A Kristalls..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.made_kim_transceiver_jealous")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Not at all, detective. A Kristallsprach is a fine piece of equipment, but I'm quite satisfied with my DynaWave."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Of course, you need a certain leve..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.made_kim_transceiver_jealous")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Of course, you need a certain level of *discernment* to really appreciate the difference in quality."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I wouldn't like to guess. Your per..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I wouldn't like to guess. Your performance so far doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but all sorts of things are possible..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""*You* could reach the Coalition an..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*You* could reach the Coalition and have your talk about *la responsabilité*... *I* could grow 10 centimetres and become a flanker for the Stormers."


title: You: ""Do you recognise net worth in here..."
dialoguetext: "Do you recognise net worth in here? I have a *lot* of it." (Show him the certificate.)
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["character.net_worth"]  and  CheckItem("stock_certificate")  and  Variable["canal.roy_street_light_net_worth"] == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He scans the document in your hand...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He scans the document in your hand. "This is--" He's interrupted by a sudden cough. "I certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity to acquire something that can make princes out of peons."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Nothing's *wrong* with it. The sho..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nothing's *wrong* with it. The shop suits me fine. It's just..." He changes tack. "We all need a bit of luck in our lives, you know? A lottery win."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""In theory, yes, you probably have..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In theory, yes, you probably have enough to afford it all. However, I don't plan on selling up and joining the mastodons of La Delta just yet."


title: Electrochemistry: "Shades here is certainly junked up..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Shades here is certainly junked up enough to fit in with the big dicks swinging wild and free across the river.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""What I can do is trade that modifi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"What I can do is trade that modified street light over there for some of your shares. It's the most expensive item in here -- the finest in interior lighting."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Take a closer look. You'll see the..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_street_light_net_worth", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Take a closer look. You'll see the quality of the craftsmanship then. Any other questions in the meantime?"


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He lets out a long sigh. "I'm in de..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_debt_known", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He lets out a long sigh. "I'm in debt, officer. I've felt *stuck* for a long time." He looks at the paper in your hand. "Those stocks -- they could be my way out."


title: Pain Threshold: "The pain written in the creases of..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The pain written in the creases of his face... sheesh! This is a man who's been trying to catch falling knives for *years*.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "The bric-à-brac man looks at you fr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The bric-à-brac man looks at you from behind two layers of polished glass. It is nearly impossible to read any emotion. He sways slightly and itches his cheek.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""You've surprised me more than once..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You've surprised me more than once during the course of our investigation, but I have to say it still seems like a *remote* scenario." He shrugs.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""To be perfectly frank, I have my r..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"To be perfectly frank, I have my reservations about this whole antenna scheme. But who knows? We may yet be surprised."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""But here's the thing, detective. *..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But here's the thing, detective. *We're* the proper channels. Doing our work, right here on the ground, is how we'll solve this case. There's no need to bring the Coalition into this."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Let me make a prediction, detectiv..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Let me make a prediction, detective. You are not going to see the inside of a Coalition warship anytime soon."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I certainly understand the impulse..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I certainly understand the impulse, but this is our job, detective. Our whole *raison d'être*. At some point, we'll need to return to it."


title: Composure: "He hides his struggle well, just li..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He hides his struggle well, just like he does the scarred walls of his shop -- concealed behind stacks of dusty merchandise.


title: Composure: "If there is any struggle in him, he..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
If there is any struggle in him, he hides it well, just like he does the scarred walls of his shop -- concealed behind stacks of dusty merchandise.


title: Savoir Faire: "Expensive isn't everything. Bet thi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Expensive isn't everything. Bet this light doesn't even have a recognisable *brand*. And you can't exactly strut down the street and turn heads with it like you can a new Perseus Black number.


title: Savoir Faire: "Let's not *completely* write it off..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Let's not *completely* write it off yet. Perhaps there's a business venture to be had here. Any ideas?


title: Conceptualization: "Turn it into an art installation. I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Turn it into an art installation. Invite viewers to question what it means to bring an outside light, *inside*? We have so many barriers to break down and concepts to explore... for a price, of course.


title: Savoir Faire: "Sure it does. Not saying you should..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Sure it does. Not saying you should definitely *not* get it. But let's think about what to do with it first. Any ideas?


title: Physical Instrument: "Imagine swinging it at a ball -- th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Imagine swinging it at a ball -- the distance you'd get! That's the kind of feat that nets sportsmen a corporate sponsorship.


title: Interfacing: "There's much to be learned in this..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
There's much to be learned in this kind of rewiring job. You could steal its secrets and make a whole line of modified street tech to sell to the public.


title: Inland Empire: "It's been through a whole *transfor..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It's been through a whole *transformation*. There are so many insights to share -- it just needs a medium. Wouldn't the wake-walkers pay to hear the somniloquy of the spirit light?


title: Savoir Faire: "It's up to you. If you think it's g..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It's up to you. If you think it's got ROI potential then go ahead. Just bear in mind that these shares are developing into a fortune without you having to do anything.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Nothing else in here carries that..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nothing else in here carries that much value, I'm afraid. Plus, I need to make sure I still earn *some* actual cash -- for food and such."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""No offence but I don't think it wo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No offence but I don't think it would do me much good. Nothing to do with you -- it's just my customers tend to be, well... they wouldn't know who you are."


title: Savoir Faire: "He's right. His customers are despe..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He's right. His customers are desperates, lowlifes, and bored browsers. They don't understand *high culture*. They don't want their purchases to elevate them. They just want some old junk at a bargain price.


title: Suggestion: "He seems down on himself. Offer a b..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_suggestion_positivity", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He seems down on himself. Offer a bit of positivity and you might put him in a more benevolent mood.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""After I acquired the shop I had a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"After I acquired the shop I had a bit of extra cash on my hands. Could do anything I wanted with it. So what *does* a young man do in that situation?"


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yeah. It's surprising how haggard..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yeah. It's surprising how haggard years and years of stress can make you. But that's why it's one of the biggest killers in the world, I guess."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I sure as hell didn't know. All I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I sure as hell didn't know. All I could think to do was pump it into the relief effort. I had to do *something* after I left the frontlines... for them, but also for myself."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I sure as hell didn't know. So I p..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I sure as hell didn't know. So I pumped it into charities to help the less fortunate. I had to do something... for them, but also for myself."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""No... I soon started searching for..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No... I soon started searching for other ways to cope with the mental trauma. Being cooped up alone most of the day was exacerbating it -- just my own head to consort with."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""For a little while. But I soon sta..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"For a little while. But I soon started searching for other ways to cope with the mental trauma. Being cooped up alone most of the day was exacerbating it... just my own head to consort with."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""No... Being cooped up alone most o..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No... Being cooped up alone most of the day wasn't healthy for me -- just my own head to consort with. But a friend of mine knew of a way to deal with that."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""For a little while. Being cooped u..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"For a little while. Being cooped up alone most of the day wasn't healthy for me... just my own head to consort with. But a friend of mine knew of a way to deal with that."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""It helped but it was another month..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It helped but it was another monthly outgoing... still is. It would have been fine but I was naive back then. Didn't think I'd ever run out of money..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""A friend of mine knew of a way to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A friend of mine knew of a way to deal with that. That's when I started riding the pyro, as they say. It helped -- a lot, actually. But it was another monthly outgoing... still is."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""A friend of mine knew of a way to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A friend of mine knew of a way to deal with that. That's when I started riding the pyro, as they say. That did help -- a lot, actually. But it was another monthly outgoing... still is."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yes and no. It started when I had..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes and no. It started when I had a bit of extra cash on me after acquiring the shop. Could do anything I wanted with it. So what *does* a young man do in that situation?"


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yeah. But that's enough of my sob..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yeah. But that's enough of my sob story. Let's get back to business," he says, as if this conversation has changed nothing between you.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""No chance. I've got a better grip..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No chance. I've got a better grip on my finances these days. This is a mistake from my younger days that just won't go away."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""But that's enough of my sob story...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But that's enough of my sob story. Let's get back to business," he says, as if this conversation has changed nothing between you.


title: Sawed-off Street Light: "The light pole has been carefully c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The light pole has been carefully cut, and the wiring has been redone and attached to a standard indoor plug. The light buzzes faintly but persistently.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""We're not here to investigate the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We're not here to investigate the theft of city property." He leans in so the pawnbroker doesn't hear him.


title: Composure: "His manner is casual, but his speec..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
His manner is casual, but his speech is careful, measured. He wants you to know that he has nothing to hide.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The light has undergone three tran..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The light has undergone three transformations, and every transformation, large or small, has a price tag." He rests his elbows on the counter and brings his face closer to the glass.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""There's also the matter of rewirin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There's also the matter of rewiring. But the most important transformation is the light's placement among ordinary *indoor* fixtures, which has adjusted its morphological field. The light became suitable for use inside the home just a few days ago."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The most important transformation..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The most important transformation is the light's placement among ordinary *indoor* fixtures, which has adjusted its morphological field. The light became suitable for use inside the home just a few days ago." He throws you a look of weary patience.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""But the most important transformat..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But the most important transformation is the light's placement among ordinary *indoor* fixtures, which has adjusted its morphological field. The light became suitable for use inside the home just a few days ago."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Hey, I don't know where it came fr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hey, I don't know where it came from, but it's not every day you get to buy and sell something so extraordinary..."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Besides," he points to the sign on..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Besides," he points to the sign on his booth, "there are no returns or exchanges for items purchased in this shop."


title: Sawed-off Street Light: "Still the same. The pole has been c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Still the same. The pole has been carefully cut, the wiring redone and attached to a standard indoor plug. The light buzzes faintly but persistently.


title: Encyclopedia: "Street lights like this one were pa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Street lights like this one were part of a renovation effort a few decades back. Sadly, the effort was abandoned before it was completed -- and so these lights still illuminate crumbling streets.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""A wise investment. I agree. The be..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A wise investment. I agree. The best part is that you *can't* carry it around -- I would really dislike it if you could."


title: You: ""Let's talk about this trade then,..."
dialoguetext: "Let's talk about this trade then, if you're happy with shares?" (Start hustling.)
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.roy_street_light_net_worth"]  and  Variable["canal.light_share_trade_exited"] == false  and  Variable["canal.light_paid_shares"] == false  and  Variable["canal.light_money"] == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""More than happy. Like I said, I va..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"More than happy. Like I said, I value the street light at 700 reál. You decide how many of your shares that gets me."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""More than happy. I value the stree..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"More than happy. I value the street light at 700 reál. You decide how many of your shares that gets me."


title: Savoir Faire: "As *little* as possible. We only se..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
As *little* as possible. We only sell shares if we're getting something of *more value* for them. Shares are *premium* goods. THINK BIG BUSINESS!


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Hm, that's a reasonable offer." He..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hm, that's a reasonable offer." He raises a curled finger to his chin, looking as thoughtful as he can.


title: Savoir Faire: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing? That street light isn't worth anywhere near that much. Reel it in, moneybags. Or do you like being bankrupt?


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Alright, you have a deal. The stre..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Alright, you have a deal. The street light is all yours." His shoulders relax as if a load has been lifted off them. "Pleasure doing business with you."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.light_highest_shares", true) ;
SetVariableValue("canal.light_paid_shares", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Sawed-off Street Light: "The pole has been carefully cut, th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The pole has been carefully cut, the wiring redone and attached to a standard indoor plug. The light buzzes faintly but persistently.


title: Sawed-off Street Light: "It reads: 'SOLD TO THE DISCO COP FO..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It reads: 'SOLD TO THE DISCO COP FOR SHARES IN M-K MERCURY GROUP.' The words are written with an even kerning in bold, precise letters.


title: Savoir Faire: "Looks surprisingly official for a s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Looks surprisingly official for a small-time trader. Some of your big-biz flair must be rubbing off on him.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Hm?" He surfaces from a daydream...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hm?" He surfaces from a daydream. "Oh, right. That's... good," he replies, unsure of what you said.


title: Endurance: "He has an idea of what he wants but..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He has an idea of what he wants but he's not giving it away. Sign of a veteran dealer -- able to withstand negotiations over minuscule amounts for *days* or even *weeks*.


title: Empathy: "Something lifted in him when he saw..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Something lifted in him when he saw those shares. He *needs* as many as possible -- even if he won't admit it.


title: Drama: "The pose! The power! Yessssss, drag..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The pose! The power! Yessssss, drag this part out and reel in your audience, darling. See if they will crack under the suspense.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Alright, alright. That'll have to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Alright, alright. That'll have to do." His shoulders relax slightly. "The street light is all yours."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.light_lowest_shares", true) ;
SetVariableValue("canal.light_paid_shares", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""But... why? It's a perfectly wonde..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But... why? It's a perfectly wonderful light. Besides," he points to the sign on his booth, "there are no returns or exchanges for items purchased in this shop."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He doesn't quite catch your meaning..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He doesn't quite catch your meaning. "Oh... sure." He tries to mimic your rotational action but just ends up shrugging.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "The pawnshop owner uprights himself..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The pawnshop owner uprights himself back into view with the stiffness of an old ironing board. "Here we go," he says, holding a piece of cardboard out at you.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yeah, good. But I won't be holding..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yeah, good. But I won't be holding onto these shares for long." He gives you a false grin. "I've got to pay those debts off."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He watches you attach the sign to t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He watches you attach the sign to the street light using the sticky tack he put on the back of it. "There you go. Beautiful job."


title: Savoir Faire: "Great idea! One of your physical as..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Great idea! One of your physical assets *on display* for the public. Maybe this was a good idea after all. We could sell tickets for people to come see it, turn this into a little money churner...


title: Savoir Faire: "But let's come back to that idea la..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
But let's come back to that idea later. There's easier money to be made elsewhere. Just get that sign stuck on there for now.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He hands you the cardboard and you..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.light_roy_handed_sign", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He hands you the cardboard and you notice there's something written on it. "Stick this to the light and people will know that it's *yours*."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""It's a sign that declares you the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's a sign that declares you the owner of the street light. Stick it on and people will know that it's *yours*."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He hands you the sign then watches..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He hands you the sign then watches you attach it to the street light using the sticky tack he put on the back. "There you go. Beautiful job."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "You tense up as the pawnshop owner..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You tense up as the pawnshop owner uprights himself back into view. There isn't a gun in his hands -- or anywhere else on him. Instead, he holds out a piece of cardboard. "Here we go."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Oh, nothing like that." He is comp..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh, nothing like that." He is completely unfazed by your statement. "Just this sign that declares you the owner of the street light. Stick it on and people will know that it's *yours*."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I assure you it's not." He runs a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I assure you it's not." He runs a finger along its edge. "See? Not a scratch. Now, please, take it and stick it on the street light. That way people will know it's *yours*."


title: You: ""Let's talk about trading those sha..."
dialoguetext: "Let's talk about trading those shares again."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.light_share_trade_exited"]  and  Variable["canal.light_paid_shares"] == false  and  Variable["canal.light_money"] == false


title: You: ""I'll get my Personal Brand Strateg..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'll get my Personal Brand Strategist to sort the legal work out with you." (Mumble.) "Once I have one..."


title: Sawed-off Street Light: "Your eyes slide back to the 700 reá..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Your eyes slide back to the 700 reál modified street light you traded for shares. The golden light seems to flicker ever so slightly, like a butterfly... It casts shadows on the sign.


title: Knick-knacks Stand: "You see rows of toy soldiers guardi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You see rows of toy soldiers guarding the rest of the trinkets displayed on the table: some on horseback, others in rags, others yet in bright blue uniforms. All are stern and unyielding in their duty.


title: You: "Purchase the Headless FALN Rider an..."
dialoguetext: Purchase the Headless FALN Rider and his cap.
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.table_FALN_price"] == true  and  CheckItem("figurine_set_headless_faln_rider") == false


title: Knick-knacks Stand: "Big men on big horses clad in lamel..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Big men on big horses clad in lamellar armour and carrying flintlocks. The kind that would mow down a line of enemy soldiers in the blink of an eye.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yes!" The man behind the glass tak..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.roy_knew_cavalry")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes!" The man behind the glass takes says. "A little worn around the edges, but I'm pretty sure it's fully intact."


title: Interfacing: "Why, what's this? A headless man ri..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Why, what's this? A headless man riding a horse? A headless man wearing futuristic track suit trousers that say FALN!


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""There's been a lot of *interest* i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There's been a lot of *interest* in that particular figurine. I had to hide it so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The Headless FALN Rider. It's an u..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Headless FALN Rider. It's an urban legend -- about a man who rides the streets of Revachol sporting a FALN tracksuit. As you can see, he's missing his head." He points at the decapitated figurine.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "The lieutenant studies the tiny fig..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant studies the tiny figurine in your hand. "I've heard about it," he says with amusement, "I've heard the Headless FALN Rider rides a headless bull."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Yes, there are several competing v..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes, there are several competing versions of the story, but I believe this figurine is a more canonical representation."


title: Knick-knacks Stand: "They're not all blue. These figurin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
They're not all blue. These figurines also wear gold coats and caps, complimented by orange trousers. They are variously posed, wielding swords and rifles with bayonets.


title: Knick-knacks Stand: "This set of soldiers isn't meant to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
This set of soldiers isn't meant to look impressive. A few have rifles, but most of them carry pistols -- some even shovels and tall sticks.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Which ones?" The man peers from hi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Which ones?" The man peers from his glass box. "Ah! Royalist soldiers from the time of the Revolution. The uniforms are painted a bit too brightly, I suppose."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Which ones?" The man peers from hi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Which ones?" The man peers from his glass box. "Ah, those! Yes, they are. I find the paint job a bit gaudy, but children like bright colours indiscriminately."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""You're probably talking about the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You're probably talking about the revolutionaries, yes?" the man behind the glass answers. "Yes -- they are soldiers. Revolutionary soldiers."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I think their poverty has been exa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I think their poverty has been exaggerated for effect. When you place them next to the royalists, it doesn't seem like they could possibly win."


title: Inland Empire: "He seems to have his own take on th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.figurines_revolution_inland", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He seems to have his own take on the conflict played out in perpetuity by these toys. Might be interesting to find out what it is...


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Indeed." He immediately knows what..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Indeed." He immediately knows what you're talking about. "I think I even have his cap somewhere down here..." He looks for it. "A tiny miniature FALN cap to go with it. Yours for 50 cents."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Franconigerian knights." He looks..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Franconigerian knights." He looks at the dusty figurines in the dim light. "I used to be very serious about these guys."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Mhm. I used to be very serious abo..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.roy_knew_cavalry")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Mhm. I used to be very serious about my Franconigerian knights..." He looks at the dusty figurines in the dim light.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""This is what the loyalists looked..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This is what the loyalists looked like, yes." He inspects the figurine. "At first. Then they wised up and got camouflage."


title: Knick-knacks Stand: "That they do -- the uniforms are pr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
That they do -- the uniforms are precisely the same. Some even have the same shape medals pinned to their chests.


title: You: ""It is impossible to win against th..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["TASK.pay_for_the_damages"]
dialoguetext:
"It is impossible to win against the cohorts of capital. Ask my friend Garte, whose bitch it made me."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Fifty cents. Bargain-priced! I'll..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.table_FALN_price", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Fifty cents. Bargain-priced! I'll throw in the tiny cap too -- I think he's looking for it, or something. That part of the story has many interpretations."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I'm pretty sure you can pick up so..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm pretty sure you can pick up some odds and ends to sell here." He nods toward a table of knick-knacks. "The owner seems to have *eclectic* taste."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""We can't go around punishing the p..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We can't go around punishing the people we're supposed to protect for breaking laws they don't even know exist."


title: You: ""Oh... Yes, I see what you're getti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh... Yes, I see what you're getting at. I guess we should just let it slide -- and maybe even profit?"


title: Empathy: "It pains him to see a fellow office..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It pains him to see a fellow officer struggling to make ends meet and not be able to offer assistance. This is his way of making it up to you.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""It *would* help our investigation,..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.kim_okays_pawnshop", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It *would* help our investigation," he adds, his voice softening as he looks off to the side, "if you weren't so hard up for cash."


title: Esprit de Corps: "...we shouldn't disrupt the way thi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
...we shouldn't disrupt the way things are done here, he thinks. And have little power to do so anyway.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "He looks at you seriously. "An offi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He looks at you seriously. "An officer of the Citizens Militia can't live like that. We won't be able to complete *this investigation* if you live like that."


title: Empathy: "He's not too comfortable counsellin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He's not too comfortable counselling you like this, but he's genuinely concerned for your well-being.


title: Composure: "He is mildly offended that his disp..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He is mildly offended that his display of camaraderie went wrong -- though it doesn't show in his posture.


title: Drama: "He doesn't really think you're a su..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He doesn't really think you're a superstar or that you're well-off. He's only playing along because it's expedient.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I'm pretty sure you can pick up so..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm pretty sure you can pick up some odds and ends to sell here. Take a look around." He nods toward a table heaped with knick-knacks. "The owner has eclectic taste."


title: Shelf of Boomboxes: "The boomboxes on the shelf look wel..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The boomboxes on the shelf look well-loved and well-travelled. Chipped, dented, they stare at you with the unblinking eyes of their tape reels.


title: You: ""I want to buy that boombox.""
dialoguetext: "I want to buy that boombox."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainItem("boombox")
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.boombox_price"] == true  and  CheckItem("boombox") == false  and  Variable["canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done"] == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""...is the Harmon Wowshi W02 -- mad..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.boombox_price", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"...is the Harmon Wowshi W02 -- made in Vesper, designed in Seol," he says. "Plays all reel-to-reel formats: 2mm, 8mm, 12mm. It's even got a little radio in there. It'll set you back 12 reál."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Absolutely. I've tested each one m..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_not_like_music", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Absolutely. I've tested each one myself with recordings of speech, found sounds, and music from a variety of genres. Even though," he grimaces, "I don't really like music."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""And here you are. Quality sound re..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And here you are. Quality sound reproduction on the go. It'll play anything. Wherever. Turn *any* tape into a conversation of sounds and shapes."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The stuff I record myself -- silve..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_likes_recording_sounds", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The stuff I record myself -- silverware shaking in drawers as motorcars race by, nocturnal animals climbing on the roof, airship rotors, that kind of thing."


title: You: ""Can I get a discount on this boomb..."
dialoguetext: "Can I get a discount on this boombox? A *police* discount."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.boombox_price"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.listen_to_merc_tape"]  and  Variable["canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done"] == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Twelve is a good number. Good inte..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Twelve is a good number. Good internal balance." He studies the light on the wall. "Twelve has integrity."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.boombox_haggling_failed", true) ;--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Shelf of Boomboxes: "One especially catches your eye. De..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
One especially catches your eye. Deep gold and amber plastic with a big old handle on top. A classic boombox that says: "STEREO 8 approved."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""If police work means playing tapes..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"If police work means playing tapes, sure. You can use it for that. Or any other time you'd need to play a tape."


title: Shelf of Boomboxes: "The boomboxes wait on the shelves...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The boomboxes wait on the shelves. And your boombox -- that gold and amber Harmon Wowshi -- stares at you longingly with its tape reel eyes.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Theoretically, yes. But we don't h..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Theoretically, yes. But we don't have time right now. It's generally: murder investigation first, *then* beach party."


title: You: ""Actually, it doesn't have to be a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Actually, it doesn't have to be a beach. With a boombox like that, I'll bring the party into the streets!"


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I don't like beaches. They accumul..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_not_like_music", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I don't like beaches. They accumulate too many photons, it's always chaos out there. But live your life, man. You can use it at a beach party if you want."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""You can play it anywhere you like...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You can play it anywhere you like. And I guess since you're are a police officer, no one can arrest you for it."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""It'll play that," the man nods. "A..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It'll play that," the man nods. "Any Requiem really. Also dirges. Madrigals. Chants. As long as it's on tape."


title: Half Light: "A man like that in a neighbourhood..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.halflight_roy_is_afraid", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
A man like that in a neighbourhood like this? In a rickety house falling into the sea? There's fear in him. Use it to your advantage.


title: Rhetoric: "He seems like an *experimental* man..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.checkfired_roy_digs_doorgunner", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He seems like an *experimental* man. And what sonic experience is more experimental than the *Doorgunner Megamix*? Certainly he'd give you a discount if he knew you'd play that.


title: Conceptualization: "Remember -- he doesn't like music...."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.checkfired_roy_digs_doorgunner", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Remember -- he doesn't like music. He likes *sounds*. The *Doorgunner Megamix* is his type of tape! Certainly he'd give you a discount if he knew you'd play something so *experimental*.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Actually, yes. Let's. Eight is an..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Actually, yes. Let's. Eight is an even better number than twelve. Even more internal balance." He observes the light on the wall and adds: "Better integrity too."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_costs_eight", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Sounds like a ripoff, but okay. I..."
dialoguetext: "Sounds like a ripoff, but okay. I can make it ten -- but no lower."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_costs_ten", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: You: ""Aren't you afraid of *masked gunme..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["canal.halflight_roy_is_afraid"] == true
dialoguetext:
"Aren't you afraid of *masked gunmen*? The roof falling in? Killer waves? Aircraft accidents? Botched surgeries? I'll buy it for four reál."


title: You: ""I'm not just doing *any* police wo..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["canal.checkfired_roy_digs_doorgunner"] == true
dialoguetext:
"I'm not just doing *any* police work -- I've got *THE DOORGUNNER MEGAMIX* here! An era-defining work. Let's do four reál."


title: You: ""Let me hit you with this: four reá..."
dialoguetext: "Let me hit you with this: four reál. Huh? Whaddya say?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.checkfired_roy_digs_doorgunner"] == false  and  Variable["canal.halflight_roy_is_afraid"] == false


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""No, not really. I expect momentous..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No, not really. I expect momentous change at any moment... But it seems that *you* are." He almost sounds concerned and seems to weigh your offer.

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_costs_four", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He purses his lips. "Four reál is o..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He purses his lips. "Four reál is offensively low... but just this once. For the *musique concrète* cop."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_costs_four", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I say: it's twelve reál. Four is a..."
dialoguetext: "I say: it's twelve reál. Four is a total ripoff. It's not even a number."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.boombox_haggling_failed", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: You: ""Thanks for the discount, man. Here..."
dialoguetext: "Thanks for the discount, man. Here's the money for the boombox."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainItem("boombox")
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.boombox_price"] == true  and  CheckItem("boombox") == false  and  Variable["canal.roy_boombox_costs_ten"] == true


title: You: ""Thanks for the discount, man. Here..."
dialoguetext: "Thanks for the discount, man. Here's the money for the boombox."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainItem("boombox")
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.boombox_price"] == true  and  CheckItem("boombox") == false  and  Variable["canal.roy_boombox_costs_eight"] == true


title: You: ""Thanks for the discount, man. Here..."
dialoguetext: "Thanks for the discount, man. Here's the money for the boombox."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainItem("boombox")
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.boombox_price"] == true  and  CheckItem("boombox") == false  and  Variable["canal.roy_boombox_costs_four"] == true


title: You: ""I need to buy that boombox.""
dialoguetext: "I need to buy that boombox."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainItem("boombox")
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.boombox_price"] == true  and  CheckItem("boombox") == false  and  Variable["canal.roy_boombox_haggling_done"] == true  and  Variable["canal.boombox_haggling_failed"]


title: Conceptualization: "Hmm... maybe you should ditch music..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Hmm... maybe you should ditch music as well, get into these more *experimental* sounds he's describing?


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I suppose that narrows it down som..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I suppose that narrows it down somewhat. Fortunately, we're not traffic cops. Should we get back to the murder?"


title: You: ""He was out drinking with his pals..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He was out drinking with his pals when he got the news, and, flushed with paternal pride, he got into his Coupris at once and raced to the clinic..."


title: You: ""After the untimely death of dear f..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"After the untimely death of dear friend and fellow racer Alfie Deletraz at Fjordhammer, Jacob Irw was desperately chasing death on the race track -- but death *eluded* him."


title: Conceptualization: "Somewhere in the depths of your alc..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.tires_concept_red_check", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Somewhere in the depths of your alcohol-addled soul, you find a few threads that you can weave into a story.


title: Conceptualization: "You've thought of a very touching s..."
dialoguetext: You've thought of a very touching story. It's shit, though.
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.tires_concept_red_check_failed", true) ; Variable["canal.tires_concept_red_check"] = true


title: You: ""After quitting in frustration, he..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.viscal_butter_rc_irv_mentione", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"After quitting in frustration, he became a recluse, a ghost-driver, searching for death on the streets of Revachol, speeding..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""... jumping canals at night?" He i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"... jumping canals at night?" He interrupts you. "If I was Jacob Irw I wouldn't drive in *Martinaise*. The roads are awful."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "He sighs. "If we must.""
dialoguetext: He sighs. "If we must."
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainTask("TASK.apprehend_reckless_driver"); SetVariableValue("canal.viscal_samaran_butter_follow_up_traffic_bandit_menace", true) ; GainTask("TASK.find_the_traffic_hooligans_vehicle")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""The traffic hooliganism? I hope no..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The traffic hooliganism? I hope not. Fortunately, we're not traffic cops. Should we get back to the murder?"


title: You: "Sniff the T-shirt."
dialoguetext: Sniff the T-shirt.
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.hjelmdall_sniff", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.hjelmdall_observe", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""It's the Man from Hjelmdall.""
dialoguetext: "It's the Man from Hjelmdall."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.hjelmdall_know_mfh_shirt", true) ; SetVariableValue("doomed.hjelmdall_from_roy", true) ; SetVariableValue("tc.hjelmdall", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Hell yeah, man." The shopkeep soun..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.hjelmdall", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Hell yeah, man." The shopkeep sounds enthusiastic. "I don't usually carry printed tees, but this one was just such a pure exemplar."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""A fan... No, I wouldn't go that fa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A fan... No, I wouldn't go that far. But I do think the Hjelmdallermann Saga is an integral part of our shared reality."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He thinks about it. "I suppose that..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainItem("shirt_hjelmdall")
dialoguetext:
He thinks about it. "I suppose that makes sense, yes. Please, go ahead and take it -- Welcome to Hjelmdall."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""You'll just have to buy it, then,"..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You'll just have to buy it, then," he replies with a dry smile. "But it's not like it's *expensive*."


title: Rack of Second-Hand Uniforms: "*Oh* yeah. The print depicts a musc..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
*Oh* yeah. The print depicts a muscled  man striding toward you, a giant sword in each hand, encircled by burning embers. Behind him is a cluster of cabins engulfed in flames. Beneath him are the words: "HJELMDALL BURNING."


title: You: ""This shirt celebrates a false hero..."
dialoguetext: "This shirt celebrates a false hero, a guardian of the masculine order."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
IsTHCPresent("radical_feminist_agenda")  and  (Variable["tc.hjelmdall"] == true  or  Variable["canal.hjelmdall_encyc"] == true)


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Sniffing is okay," says the shopke..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Sniffing is okay," says the shopkeep. "But please don't try anything on. Can't have you leaving your photon emissions in the fabric of things you're not going to buy."


title: Empathy: "Their matter-of-fact tone belies th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.hjelmdall_empathy_surprise", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Their matter-of-fact tone belies their surprise at the fact that you didn't recognize the figure in the print.


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He drums his fingers on the counter..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.hjelmdall_roy_real", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He drums his fingers on the counter. "I doubt the real Man from Hjelmdall was as poor a role model as the one in the popular literature."


title: You: ""I'm guessing I'm supposed to know..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm guessing I'm supposed to know who this Man from Hjelmdall is, but I lost my memory recently and need help remembering basic facts about reality."


title: You: "(Lie) "I was a very sheltered child..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["canal.roy_drama_lie_about_hjelmdall"]
dialoguetext:
(Lie) "I was a very sheltered child -- my parents only let me read boring books about ordinary people, and the Man from Hjelmdall looks *extraordinary*."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""That's very sad, man. Then you mis..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's very sad, man. Then you missed out on some pretty well executed, albeit repetitive adventure literature."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""The Man from Hjelmdall is the hero..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Man from Hjelmdall is the hero of a series of popular books based on a fictional version of Katla, mostly what is nowadays Arda NFD."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He grimaces. "I wouldn't go so far..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He grimaces. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm a fan. But I do think the Hjelmdallermann Saga is an integral part of our shared reality."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""I mean -- even if the Man from Hje..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I mean -- even if the Man from Hjelmdall didn't exist before the adventure novels, the stories have made it so that he has. It's simple really."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Hmm, I think you might be thinking..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.roy_not_like_music", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Hmm, I think you might be thinking about someone else I... dislike music," he frowns. "So I couldn't tell you who."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""In fact..." He leans in. "Most peo..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.hjelmdall_roy_real", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"In fact..." He leans in. "Most people don't think that the Man from Hjelmdall ever really existed, but they are *wrong*."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Neither is the Man a real man, of..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Neither is the Man a real man, of course, but both the Man and Hjelmdall are an ontological necessity..." He stops abruptly. "But, hey, it's not worth getting into an argument about."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""He left his native village of Hjel..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He left his native village of Hjelmdall after his son was kidnapped, having many exciting adventures and killing many enemies with his swords, but he lost his family in the process. Tragic stuff, really."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""You sound sceptical. It's not that..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You sound sceptical. It's not that complicated. All that's required is a more robust understanding of cause and effect."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""It's not that complicated. All tha..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's not that complicated. All that's required is a more robust understanding of cause and effect."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Besides, I've been to Katla, thoug..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Besides, I've been to Katla, though not quite as far north as the Hjelmdall, and watched the northern lights travel across the sky. Very unique energetic tides there."


title: Bird's Nest Roy: "He smirks. "It's a simple matter of..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He smirks. "It's a simple matter of cause and effect, and recognizing that they work in both directions."


title: Conceptualization: "His theory isn't exactly *incoheren..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.hjelmdall_concept_roy_reality", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
His theory isn't exactly *incoherent*, but its logic does suggest some *unusual* neural activity. Interesting...


title: Bird's Nest Roy: ""Oh... I see. That's tough, man, I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh... I see. That's tough, man, I feel the same way sometimes. The Man from Hjelmdall is the hero of a series of popular books based on a fictional version of Katla."


title: You: ""You said everything's going to be..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["canal.hjelmdall_feminist_over"] and IsTHCPresent("apocalypse_cop")
userscript: ReputationGrows("apocalypse_cop")
dialoguetext:
"You said everything's going to be over soon anyway, man. I just want to walk into the end times wearing this t-shirt."


title: Rack of Second-Hand Uniforms: "What a shirt. All other shirts pale..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
What a shirt. All other shirts pale in comparison to the muscular man with antlers and immense zweihänders.


title: Physical Instrument: "Stop talking about this nerd stuff...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Stop talking about this nerd stuff. It will make you *weedy*.  Buy the damn shirt already, it's powerful.


title: Man on water lock: "A burly man hangs out by the water..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A burly man hangs out by the water lock, carving up a generous serving of salami with an old hunter's knife. His eyes are fixed on a man stranded on the other side of the water lock -- and on an enormous billboard that has fallen down into the canal between them.


title: Man on water lock: ""I wasn't here to witness it, but t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I wasn't here to witness it, but those look like tyre tracks on that sign. Weird, huh? Then again, plenty of daredevil drivers in Revachol."


title: Man on water lock: ""*Very* good stuff. Anything I can..."
sequence: FocusCamera(WaterlockManCam);
dialoguetext:
"*Very* good stuff. Anything I can do for you, officer?" The man on the water lock picks the skin off a slice of a salami and takes a sizeable bite.


title: Man on water lock: ""Too bad it also takes a year and a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Too bad it also takes a year and a day to repair anything 'round here -- especially a water lock. The rest of the coast is closed off till then."


title: Physical Instrument: "His posture is relaxed. Despite his..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
His posture is relaxed. Despite his powerful build and the knife in his hand, this man resorts to physical intimidation only infrequently, if at all.


title: Man on water lock: ""Well, there's the fishing village...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well, there's the fishing village. An abandoned fish market. A bizarro church. Not much use to the congregation, though -- there always seems to be something wrong with it." He thinks for a moment.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Why not?" The lieutenant ponders t..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.water_lock_kim_ate_salami", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Why not?" The lieutenant ponders the offer for a moment, then decides to go for it. He takes a slice of salami from the man and chews on it.


title: Man on water lock: ""It's supposed to operate the water..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's supposed to operate the water lock, but as noted... it's all junk right now. Disabled because of the blockage."


title: Man on water lock: ""It'll be restarted on Wednesday mo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It'll be restarted on Wednesday morning." He nods his head towards the control panel. "You wanna do the honours when the time comes?"

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.water_lock_honours", true) ; GainTask("TASK.close_water_lock")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Man on water lock: ""Suit yourself. Just drop by on Wed..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Suit yourself. Just drop by on Wednesday if you want to see the water lock work again." He cuts a fresh slice from his salami.


title: Man on water lock: ""Great! Just drop in on Wednesday i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Great! Just drop in on Wednesday if you want to see the water lock at work. They say the canal crew will be here at 07.15." He cuts a fresh slice from his salami.


title: Man on water lock: ""Safety measure. Turns out the pane..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.water_lock_mentioned_key", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Safety measure. Turns out the panel needs a special key to be re-activated. Wouldn't want anyone moving the water lock with debris still in the channel."


title: Man on water lock: ""'Fraid I can't hang out and chat."..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"'Fraid I can't hang out and chat." He looks west, across the water, chewing on a piece of salami. "Damned water lock's finally been fixed, so I've got to get going."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.water_lock_alt_cant_chat", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.know_water_lock_fixed", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Man on water lock: ""Have you ever made a water lock mo..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.close_water_lock")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Have you ever made a water lock move yourself?" he adds, gesturing toward the water lock control panel to his right. "It's quite the thing. Makes a man feel real powerful."


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
Variable["whirling.lena_husband_across_water_lock"]  and  Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["whirling.lena_husband_across_water_lock"]  and  Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false)

conditionstring:
(Variable["whirling.lena_husband_across_water_lock"]  and  Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false) == false


title: Reaction Speed: "This is the water lock on the Marti..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.water_lock_lena", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
This is the water lock on the Martinaise Canal. It has to be the same water lock Lena mentioned, the one her husband crossed on his "expedition."


title: Man on water lock: ""My friend Barry the Butcher is stu..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"My friend Barry the Butcher is stuck on the other side of the water lock. I'm keeping him company -- and eating his salami."


title: You: ""You said the coast is closed off?..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You said the coast is closed off? This may be why Lena's husband Morell the cryptozoologist hasn't returned."

conditionstring:
Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell"]  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell_done"] == false


title: Man on water lock: ""Uhm... I haven't seen any *cryptol..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.know_water_lock_time", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Uhm... I haven't seen any *cryptologists* around here, but sure -- if they're on the other side, they're stuck. Like my friend Barry."


title: Barry the Butcher: "From the corner of your eye you see..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
From the corner of your eye you see a man in a yellow shirt and grey overalls waving at you from across the canal. He seems disappointed about the wreckage on the water lock -- *and* the salami.


title: Hawthorn Tree: "The hawthorn tree on Rue de Saint-G..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The hawthorn tree on Rue de Saint-Ghislaine. Bronze-coloured ribbons of magnetic tape are caught in its branches, fluttering in the breeze.


title: Interfacing: "With slow and deliberate motions, p..."
sequence: LuaRun(SetAreaState("CANAL_HAWTHORN","noTape"));
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.tree_removed_tape", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
With slow and deliberate motions, pulling, bending and unravelling -- you manage to extricate the magnetic tape from the branches.


title: Hawthorn Tree: "The hawthorn tree is not an inanima..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.tree_kicked_first", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The hawthorn tree is not an inanimate object, it is a living thing. The thunk against the bark echoes with discontent.


title: Hawthorn Tree: "Patting the tree reveals a small st..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.tree_hugged_first", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Patting the tree reveals a small sticker which has almost been worn to oblivion. It reads: "RCM Emergencies Desk No. 8-100-2". Underneath, a slogan: "Mankind, be vigilant!"


title: Hawthorn Tree: "The hawthorn tree is disappointed b..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The hawthorn tree is disappointed by your betrayal and psychopathic tendencies. Also, your fist hurts. A little.


title: Endurance: "A little? It's awful! The pain surg..."
sequence: 0
userscript: DamageEndurance(1)
dialoguetext:
A little? It's awful! The pain surges through your knuckles and then lingers there... slowly pulsating, reminding you of your mistake.


title: Hawthorn Tree: "The hurt feelings of the tree are n..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The hurt feelings of the tree are not alleviated by this sudden display of care and emotion, you manipulative bastard.


title: Shivers: "Just like promised... You've stood..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Just like promised... You've stood here for what seem like aeons, guzzling the sickly fumes of lorries and carriages.


title: Visual Calculus: "The bronze ribbon twists around and..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.tree_blackc_viscal_trigger", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The bronze ribbon twists around and within the branches in an intricately natural pattern... but there's something...


title: Physical Instrument: "At first the destructive urge felt..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
At first the destructive urge felt exhilarating, as if it added something to your persona... but the feeling swiftly receded, leaving you with a sad emptiness.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes. 'One day, grass will grow ove..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. 'One day, grass will grow over our cities' and so on..." He looks at the tree. "Very poetic. Better not to dwell on it -- what with a murder to solve and all."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "The lieutenant looks at you mumblin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant looks at you mumbling at the tree, then at his wristwatch. "Maybe we should get back to the case."


title: Visual Calculus: "There's a twisted logic in this mes..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
There's a twisted logic in this mess... you see the ends of the ribbon, the way it flows, how it twists and turns... it's all starting to make sense. It'll be easier to remove now.


title: Hawthorn Tree: "The gnarled hawthorn tree on Rue de..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The gnarled hawthorn tree on Rue de Saint-Ghislaine. A wintry breeze blows by, making the magnetic tape flutter.


title: Interfacing: "It curls up into a mess inside your..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainItem("tape_melody_broken"); GainTask("TASK.egg_repair_tape")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
It curls up into a mess inside your pocket. If only you could find a way to re-spool it, so that you could hear what's on the tape...


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "The lieutenant looks at the mess in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant looks at the mess in your hands. Only after you've successfully cleaned up the branches does the curiosity get him: "What's the tape for?" he asks.


title: You: ""It's for Egg Head. I promised to m..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's for Egg Head. I promised to make his van Eyck's jam hit a bit harder. Maybe this tape can help."


title: You: ""I'd think at least one of the rave..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["TASK.establish_church_dance_club"]
dialoguetext:
"I'd think at least one of the ravers would know how to fix a broken tape if they want to set up a nightclub."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""You could also get it fixed at the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You could also get it fixed at the pawnshop across the street -- we shouldn't waste our time." He looks at his wristwatch a little impatiently.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Alright." Looks like the lieutenan..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Alright." Looks like the lieutenant doesn't really know what that means. "You could also get it fixed at the pawnshop across the street -- we shouldn't waste our time."


title: Hawthorn Tree: "The tree looks by, in silence. No d..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The tree looks by, in silence. No doubt plotting its next move against humanity. The bronze-coloured tape twists around its branches.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "He looks at his wristwatch a little..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He looks at his wristwatch a little impatiently. "You know, since tape-spinning isn't really our day job. Solving murder investigations is."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""This is part of your church-thing,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This is part of your church-thing, isn't it? Of course it is. It's too broken to play, you understand, right? It's not like Egg Head and his friends know how to fix it."


title: Water Lock Control Panel: "A couple of indicator lights are mi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A couple of indicator lights are missing from this control panel. Loose wires dangle from the now-vacant holes. In the middle is a lever -- beneath it, a small metal plaque.


title: Visual Calculus: "This panel usually closes the water..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
This panel usually closes the water lock, turning it into a bridge that lets you cross the canal -- but there's a crashed "Samaran butter" sign in the way. Pulling the lever *probably* won't do anything.


title: Water Lock Control Panel: "A rusting control panel with loose..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A rusting control panel with loose wires dangling out from the hole where an indicator light used to be, and a mechanical lever sitting in the middle.


title: Water Lock Control Panel: "You pull the lever all the way up u..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("canal.lever_flicked_switch_once", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
You pull the lever all the way up until the metal clicks against the contact pins. You hear a soft *clunk*, then...


title: Water Lock Control Panel: "A spring brings the lever back to i..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.close_water_lock")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
A spring brings the lever back to its original position. You still need to close the water lock to get across the canal -- some other way.


title: Water Lock Control Panel: "You grab the handle and pull the le..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.close_water_lock_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
You grab the handle and pull the lever up. As soon as the metal connects against the contact pins you hear a loud *clunk*, then...


title: Water Lock Control Panel: "Nothing happens. A cold gust of win..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Nothing happens. A cold gust of wind blowing in from the sea interrupts the silence of the situation.


title: Water Lock Control Panel: "The water lock starts moving..."
dialoguetext: The water lock starts moving...
sequence:
PlayAnimation(ext-waterlock-gates, fixed); PlayAnimation(ext-waterlock-gates-left, fixed)->Message(fixed); LuaRun(SetAreaState("WATERLOCK_GATE", "fixed"))@Message(fixed);

userscript:
SetVariableValue("canal.lever_waterlock_closed", true) ; SetVariableValue("canal.know_water_lock_fixed", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Man on water lock: "The man watches you in silence, ver..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The man watches you in silence, very slowly cutting off another slice of his salami and putting it in his mouth.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""All right." The lieutenant looks a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"All right." The lieutenant looks across the canal. "We can go to the coast now. Expect rugged terrain -- and drunks."


title: You: ""So the coast is closed off. This m..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"So the coast is closed off. This may be why Lena's husband Morell the cryptozoologist hasn't returned."

conditionstring:
Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell"]  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell_done"] == false  and  IsKimHere()


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Looks like it, yes. We should prob..."
dialoguetext: "Looks like it, yes. We should probably go tell Lena. Take a load off her mind."
sequence: 0
userscript:
GainTask("TASK.tell_lena_about_water_lock"); SetVariableValue("canal.know_water_lock_time", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: You: "So the coast is closed off. Is this..."
dialoguetext: So the coast is closed off. Is this why Lena's husband Morell the cryptozoologist hasn't returned?
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell"]  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell_done"] == false  and  IsKimHere() == false


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell"]  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell_done"] == false  and  Variable["canal.lock_logic_wait"] == false


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell"]  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell_done"] == false  and  Variable["canal.lock_logic_wait"] == false)

conditionstring:
(Variable["canal.know_water_lock_time"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell"]  and  Variable["TASK.locate_morell_done"] == false  and  Variable["canal.lock_logic_wait"] == false) == false


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Okay..." The lieutenant looks acro..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Okay..." The lieutenant looks across the canal. "If we ever need to get to the coast, then this is the way. But please, contain your *wanderlust* for now. I don't want us to get sidetracked. Not with everything that's going on."


title: You: ""Don't you want to know where I fou..."
dialoguetext: "Don't you want to know where I found my badge?" (Put your badge away.)
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["XP.joyce_showed_your_badge"] == true  and  Variable["pier.joyce_looking_for_badge_for_lynch"] == true  and  CheckItem("badge")


title: Joyce Messier: ""I think I know where you found it,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I think I know where you found it, Officer Du Bois -- in that motor carriage protruding from the ice over there."


title: You: ""Does this mean I don't have to loo..."
dialoguetext: "Does this mean I don't have to look into that drug stuff?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.joyce_narco_investigate_open"]  and  Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done"] == false


title: Suggestion: "It only lasts for the briefest inst..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It only lasts for the briefest instance but you catch a look of disappointment in her eye. Anger even.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. I'm afraid this strike may de..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. I'm afraid this strike may descend into a small scale civil war. With possible consequences for all of Revachol West."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That is exactly what it means. Wha..."
dialoguetext: "That is exactly what it means. What I am about to tell you is more pressing, I assure you."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_longer_bloodbath_opt", true) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_taking_narco_case_after_already_heard_of_lynching_inf", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""I have an indirect role to play, I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I have an indirect role to play, I'm sad to say. My employer experienced a *momentary lapse of faith* in me. In that moment they elected to deploy a private military contractor. As an *insurance* measure. They called it my 'security detail'."


title: Joyce Messier: ""*...a member of the board*," she n..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*...a member of the board*," she nods. "I tried to convince my employer it was simply a piece of rhetoric -- or a joke. They did not appreciate the humour."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Absolutely not. These mercenaries..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Absolutely not. These mercenaries are muscle, pure and simple. They are meant to intimidate the Union into surrendering."


title: Joyce Messier: ""'Every worker a member of the boar..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"'Every worker a member of the board'. I tried to convince my employer it was simply a piece of rhetoric and not a serious demand. But the... *stridency* of it seems to have spooked them."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Krenel -- an Oranjese military com..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.crenel", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Krenel -- an Oranjese military company. As far as I know three arrived in Martinaise. They report to me sporadically, but they do not answer to me. To be frank, our relationship is deteriorating."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They wear ceramic armour, have sem..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.merc_was_oranjese_special_forces", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"They wear ceramic armour, have semi-automatic weapons and years of combat experience. They also have Trauma-and-Stressor Disorder and no idea how to conduct themselves in an urban civilian environment."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The story is, one of them, the col..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The story is, one of them, the colonel -- I don't know his real name -- sexually assaulted a local woman. While he was drunk and separated from his unit. This allowed some of the more militant Union members to subdue him."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Nothing. Mr. Claire refuses to let..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nothing. Mr. Claire refuses to let me into the harbour. I have not been able to discuss this matter with anyone there. The remaining two Krenel contractors carry out their orders -- for now."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's a smokescreen. In secret, the..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.tribunal", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It's a smokescreen. In secret, they are conducting an independent military tribunal into the lynching. Once this *investigation* is concluded, executions will follow."


title: Joyce Messier: ""My only hope is that yours provide..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"My only hope is that yours provides a single, concrete suspect -- before they indiscriminately pick theirs. Simply put..." She grabs hold of the mainsail:


title: Joyce Messier: ""If you don't pin this on someone *..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_said_there_will_be_a_tribunal", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"If you don't pin this on someone *good* -- and do it *fast* -- they will identify and execute everyone present at the lynching. This, in turn, will force the Union to respond."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It was the *Union* who strung him..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It was the *Union* who strung him from that tree." A wave crashes against the side of her boat. "My hope is that you provide a single, concrete suspect before Krenel indiscriminately pick theirs. Simply put..." She grabs hold of the mainsail:


title: Joyce Messier: ""Surely you're joking. These people..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Surely you're joking. These people are killers. My only hope is that yours provides a single, concrete suspect -- before they indiscriminately pick theirs. Simply put..." She grabs hold of the mainsail:


title: Joyce Messier: ""These men work in tandem using sem..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"These men work in tandem using semi-and fully automatic firearms. Their armour is virtually impenetrable to muzzle-loaded weapons -- even *yours*. Most Union workers don't have guns at all..."


title: Encyclopedia: "The Seraise Giant Hornet, the world..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.seraise_giant_hornet", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The Seraise Giant Hornet, the world's second largest insect, can kill forty honey bees a minute while a group of 30 can decimate an entire hive of 20,000 bees in less than four hours.


title: Hand/Eye Coordination: "The muzzle-loaders need to be reloa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The muzzle-loaders need to be reloaded after every one or two shots -- the automatics every one or two *minutes*.


title: Shivers: "Houses drenched in red, blood gushi..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_shivers_bloodletting", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Houses drenched in red, blood gushing down Rue Saint-Cispare... the whole place mopped with a giant red rag! Fresh bullet holes for all the old buildings...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Clean, yes. Nothing will grow here..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Clean, yes. Nothing will grow here for twenty years. Krenel will send in gunships and the Coalition Government will follow suit."


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Many* bleak scenarios have alread..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*Many* bleak scenarios have already come to pass to lead us here..." She looks at you, eyes damp from the wind.


title: Joyce Messier: ""All we can do is keep that which h..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.what_does_joyce_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"All we can do is keep that which has not from following suit. One single, concrete suspect delivered into Civil Court -- and I *may* be able to defuse this situation."


title: Joyce Messier: ""All we can do is keep the rest fro..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.what_does_joyce_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"All we can do is keep the rest from going the same way. One single, concrete suspect delivered into Civil Court -- and I *may* be able to defuse this situation."


title: Joyce Messier: ""One single, concrete suspect deliv..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.what_does_joyce_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"One single, concrete suspect delivered into Civil Court -- a good one -- and I *may* be able to defuse this situation."


title: You: ""See, this is the Great Bloodlettin..."
dialoguetext: "See, this is the Great Bloodletting I've been telling everyone about."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
(IsTHCPresent("apocalypse_cop")  or  Variable["reputation.apocalypse_cop"] >= 2)  and  IsKimHere() == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""All we can do is keep the little t..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.what_does_joyce_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"All we can do is keep the little that has not from following suit. One single, concrete suspect delivered into Civil Court -- and I *may* be able to defuse this situation."


title: Joyce Messier: ""All we can do is keep the rest fro..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.what_does_joyce_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"All we can do is keep the rest from following suit. One single, concrete suspect delivered into Civil Court -- and I *may* be able to defuse this situation."


title: Joyce Messier: ""One single, concrete suspect deliv..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.what_does_joyce_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"One single, concrete suspect delivered into Civil Court -- and I *may* be able to defuse this situation."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am sorry to have been the bearer..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am sorry to have been the bearer of bad news. If there is anything else I can help you with, please ask."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It is very far from *disco*." A wa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It is very far from *disco*." A wave crashes against the side of her boat. "My only hope is that you provide a single, concrete suspect before the mercenaries indiscriminately pick theirs. Simply put..." She grabs hold of the mainsail:


title: Joyce Messier: ""If you still have access to the IC..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"If you still have access to the ICP's database, you could run a better background check than I ever could. It may take some time, though..." She thinks.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Not much. Their public resume is r..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Not much. Their public resume is relatively good -- as far as private military contractors go. I believe they were once called... Downwell."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They boast a long list of clients:..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.crenel_was_whitewater", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"They boast a long list of clients: Saint-Batiste, Welchman-Lorentz, Eendracht... A warning sign, however -- the operations concerned all take place in third- or fourth-world countries. Guarding facilities, escort missions, and such."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. All the good conflict corrido..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. All the good conflict corridors: Supramundi, Yeesut, the Semenese islands. Countries that don't have a good record reporting *atrocious* military conduct on their soil."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Sadly -- no. Before this happened..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Sadly -- no. Before this happened I had little interest in them. Now that I do -- I don't have the resources." She thinks.


title: You: ""It sounds like you object to the w..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_rhetoric_hammer_on_jungle_fever"]
dialoguetext:
"It sounds like you object to the words 'going native' more than him raping and killing people here."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Paramilitary death squad is a bit..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_death_squad")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Paramilitary death squad is a bit rich." She remains calm: "But yes -- were it up to me I would have at least *vetted* them more thoroughly."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In my line of work it pays to do y..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In my line of work it pays to do your research. I was prepared to deal with the RCM. I did *not* think I would be dealing with a group like *Krenel*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ah yes, your condition. The Intern..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ah yes, your condition. The International Collaboration Police maintains a database for these sorts of things. Perhaps you should consult it. It was just a suggestion."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Perhaps the arrangement no longer..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Perhaps the arrangement no longer stands... excuse me, it's not my place to pry. If it does you should take advantage of it. Just a suggestion."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Or he *didn't*." She tilts her hea..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Or he *didn't*." She tilts her head. "This is information passed on to me from some teenagers loitering around the canal. I cannot testify by it. "


title: Joyce Messier: ""That the man was killed because he..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That the man was killed because he assaulted a local woman. I've asked around a bit -- this seems to be the accepted story around Martinaise."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Last Sunday night, at the Whirling..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Last Sunday night, at the Whirling-in-Rags -- the hostel by the gates. Supposedly the colonel was drunk, maybe on narcotics too."


title: Empathy: "You don't know how you know -- it's..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_empathy_liked_lely", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
You don't know how you know -- it's not written on her face, nor in her voice -- but she had sympathy for this man.


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Liked* is a bit strong," she toss..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*Liked* is a bit strong," she tosses her head. "He... he was the most charismatic among them. He handled all the talking. His departure left a major gap in the group's *communication skills*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Lely. His service name, a nom de g..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.name_lely", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Lely. His service name, a nom de guerre most likely. He wouldn't divulge his full name. Only one of them did -- a bad sign if there ever was one."


title: Joyce Messier: ""One is a man, *Korty* they call hi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"One is a man, *Korty* they call him. A nickname as well. The other a woman, Phillis de Paule. Korty is... *the gunner,* I believe. De Paule is a radio operator."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("tc.name_paule", true) ; SetVariableValue("tc.name_kortenaer", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""He was forty. Or fifty. It's hard..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He was forty. Or fifty. It's hard to say which, he had a combat injury on his lower jaw. It made it difficult to estimate his age, or gauge his facial expressions."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Indeed. This matches the dental re..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_kim_injury")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Indeed. This matches the dental reconstruction we saw on the body," he says to you, then turns back to Joyce. "What else? Nationality? Accent?"


title: Logic: "The lieutenant was testing her -- a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant was testing her -- asking a small detail first to see if she knew him better than she let on. She passed.


title: Joyce Messier: ""He was Occidental I think. Light b..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He was Occidental I think. Light brown hair, a mix accent. Oranjese, or Messinian maybe? His injury gave him an accent all his own..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In a way it was humanizing. He had..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In a way it was humanizing. He had to learn to speak *through* it -- through the injury." She nods. "That's all I know, I guess. I only met him once."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""And that seems to corroborate the..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.determine_victims_ethnicity")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"And that seems to corroborate the ethnicity we gave." The lieutenant is pedantically happy about it.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "The lieutenant jots something down..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("whirling.klaasje_kim_changed_victims_ethnicity", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant jots something down in his notebook, muttering to himself: "Had him down as Mondial... should change it to Occidental."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They've gone to ground, as it were..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They've gone to ground, as it were. I don't recommend seeking them out." She puts her foot on the guardwire, for balance. "For one -- they're almost certainly armed to the teeth."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They don't have the same respect f..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They don't have the same respect for the Revachol Citizens Militia as I do. To put it bluntly they think you're vigilantes, *ghetto savages*. It will not be a fruitful meeting."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You're likely to run into them eve..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You're likely to run into them eventually. When that happens, I'll be in a better position to mediate if I don't appear *involved*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's wise," she nods. "Our goal..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's wise," she nods. "Our goal is to *avert* catastrophe. Besides," she sighs, "You're likely to encounter them sooner or later."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Somehow I doubt that lecturing the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Somehow I doubt that lecturing them on the legitimate use of force will persuade them to stand down."


title: Perception (Sight): "She wears fingerless gloves, her fi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She wears fingerless gloves, her fingernails are cut short and fractured. Like those of a working woman.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""It was taken with a Trigat, not lo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It was taken with a Trigat, not long ago. This is the man's upper body. There were no more markings on his hands or legs."


title: Joyce Messier: "Her mouth is relaxed, the accordion..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Her mouth is relaxed, the accordion lines near her mouth vanish. The pearls of her eyes move slowly on the photo's surface.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Sorry," she breaks her concentrati..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Sorry," she breaks her concentration. "I was trying to see if I can read the web of interdependencies between these points -- the stars." She points to one on the photo paper.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I can't. But that's how you read t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I can't. But that's how you read this story. The points themselves don't have letters, numbers, anything. Their size, location on the body and distance from each other tells you what they represent."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Close," she nods. "Port cities. Th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPMinorSetBool("XP.joyce_waterways")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Close," she nods. "Port cities. This is an Oranjese Map of the Waterways -- a sailor's tattoo worn by wayfarers of the Dolorian century, over 300 years ago. The sailors would mark their bodies to map their travels."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Quite a few. Vredefort -- the Oran..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Quite a few. Vredefort -- the Oranjese capital -- traditionally stands on the right shoulder." She points to it on the photo. "He started somewhere near here, I think."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Revachol," she says. "Those are th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Revachol," she says. "Those are the two constants: Vredefort on the shoulder and Revachol in the heart. They started the tradition of these maps right after the discovery of Insulinde, at the dawn of the Interisolary Age."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Until the executions start? Truthf..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Until the executions start? Truthfully -- I don't know. It depends on their progress identifying the members of the lynch mob. And their impatience."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Not on this matter. I'm afraid the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Not on this matter. I'm afraid they consider this a personal initiative." There is a brief silence. Seagulls squawk over the bay...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Port cities. On the oceans. This i..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPMinorSetBool("XP.joyce_waterways")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Port cities. On the oceans. This is an Oranjese Map of the Waterways -- a sailor's tattoo worn by wayfarers of the Dolorian century -- as early as 300 years ago. The sailors would mark their bodies to map their travels."


title: Esprit de Corps: "Somewhere in an office lit by a sin..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_esprit_service_history", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Somewhere in an office lit by a single green desk lamp captain Ptolemaios Pryce -- 58, bald and bespectacled -- is writing in a ledger on his desk. Rows and rows of days and weeks, laconic remarks in a single column: *patrol*, *case*, *vacation*, *injured*...


title: Encyclopedia: "Vredefort? Vredefort has a military..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_cyclo_service_record", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Vredefort? Vredefort has a military academy. The Semenese islands saw a recent conflict. In Revachol he was executed.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I can't. This man was no sailor --..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I can't. This man was no sailor -- and these are no ports. I can understand geographic fragments, but not their meaning."

userscript:
FinishTask("TASK.ask_about_tattoo_other_done"); FinishTask("TASK.decipher_victims_tattoo_done"); SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_asked_about_tattoos", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: You: ""Who could tell me more?""
dialoguetext: "Who could tell me more?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.talk_merc_tattoo"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.talk_merc_tattoo_cancelled"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.talk_merc_tattoo_done"] == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""The sailor's soul would use it to..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_sailors_soul_flies_back", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The sailor's soul would use it to fly back home if they should die abroad. This is a sort of... contraption. To be reeled back in by. The *silver cord*, they would call it."


title: Joyce Messier: "She remains unfazed. "That is preci..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She remains unfazed. "That is precisely what the sailors feared when they drew these maps. A fear of drowning -- within one's own corpse."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I would say he's near the Arcade I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I would say he's near the Arcade Islands by now, ready to exit the Insulindian and enter the pale. If I've read his home address correctly." She smiles.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Then he made his way to the Preto..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Then he made his way to the Preto Grande, through what I think must be Staadskanaal -- an artificial channel through the Occident. From the Preto he sailed to the Insulindic ocean. First the Semenese islands, then this..." She points to his heart.


title: Esprit de Corps: "*IN MARTINAISE, LOOKING INTO KRENEL..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
*IN MARTINAISE, LOOKING INTO KRENEL*, he writes in one. Then the man puts down his pen and rubs his temples with both hands. Outside there is a siren, distant gunshots on the streets of the Jamrock Quarter.


title: !(Variable["pier.joyce_esprit_service_history"] or Variable["pier.joyce_cyclo_service_record"])
dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
conditionstring:
(Variable["pier.joyce_esprit_service_history"]  or Variable["pier.joyce_cyclo_service_record"]) == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""That makes sense to me. We have no..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That makes sense to me. We have no more use for a Map of the Waterways. Just like we don't need sailors the way we used to. This is what the custom would morph into on the Occident -- mercenary tattoos."


title: Joyce Messier: ""His platoon members? The other con..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"His platoon members? The other contractors -- though I do *not* suggest you go and show them that picture. This man was their friend and comrade."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Do what you have to do, detective...."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.talk_merc_tattoo")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Do what you have to do, detective. I don't think deciphering that tattoo should come before public security. But if you should wade into the mob to find out -- I couldn't stop you."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am relieved you think so. I don'..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am relieved you think so. I don't think deciphering that tattoo should come before public security."


title: Encyclopedia: "The International Collaboration Pol..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.icp", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The International Collaboration Police (ICP) is charged with coordinating law enforcement activities in complex, multi-national investigations. Their database is the single largest source of information in the world.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Odd... we haven't heard any report..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Odd... we haven't heard any reports about an *assault* in connection with the lynching. Where did it take place? And when?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm not trying to reassure you, of..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm not trying to reassure you, officer. Quite the opposite, in fact." There is a brief silence. Seagulls squawk over the bay...


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Krenel* -- an Oranjese military c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*Krenel* -- an Oranjese military company. As far as I know three arrived in Martinaise. They report to me sporadically, but they do not answer to me. To be frank, our relationship is deteriorating."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("tc.crenel", true) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_kim_not_present_at_krenel", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Good. Then you've made progress. I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Good. Then you've made progress. It's imperative that you move fast. The *tribunal* will not be patient."


title: Logic: "One is obviously the *Scab Leader*..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.scab_leader_is_a_merc", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
One is obviously the *Scab Leader* -- at the harbour gates. The one chanting the idiotic slogans. He's barely maintaining his disguise.


title: Logic: "The other has a vantage point in a..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_viscal_locationdepaule", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The other has a vantage point in a building South of the roundabout -- they were keeping tabs on you while you were canvassing the lorry drivers.


title: Logic: "No idea. Maybe she's right -- it's..."
sequence: 0
userscript: DamageVolition(1)
dialoguetext:
No idea. Maybe she's right -- it's a better idea not to confront them? Also, there's something wrong with your brain. This was so easy, how could you fail it?


title: Logic: "One must be at the harbour gates, c..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.scab_leader_is_a_merc", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
One must be at the harbour gates, causing trouble. Directing strikebreakers perhaps? You can hear the sounds of the ruckus coming from there all the time.


title: Logic: "This is so embarrassing. You have n..."
sequence: 0
userscript: DamageVolition(1)
dialoguetext:
This is so embarrassing. You have no idea. There's something *wrong* with your brain. Luckily the lieutenant still has his.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""And the other must be in one of th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_viscal_locationdepaule", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"And the other must be in one of the four-story buildings overlooking the roundabout. He or she was reporting back to you while we were canvassing the lorry drivers."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That *would* afford a good vantage..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_vantage_point_merc")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"That *would* afford a good vantage point." She nods, poised and unperturbed. "*Still* -- I hope you heed my advice. There's no need to kick the hornet's nest."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Ma'am, with all due respect -- I'v..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ma'am, with all due respect -- I've been around Martinaise and there's a giant hulk of a man in ill-fitting clothes at the harbour gates. Mr. 'Right to Work.' His heart *really* isn't in it."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("tc.scab_leader_is_a_merc", true) ; XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_who_merc");--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""For all your talk of averting this..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"For all your talk of averting this catastrophe, the situation at the gates is a powder keg. Does this not bother you?"


title: You: ""One must be the goon in ill-fittin..."
dialoguetext: "One must be the goon in ill-fitting work clothes by the harbour gates. The scab leader."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_knows_you_now_kortenaer_location", true) ; SetVariableValue("tc.scab_leader_kortenaer", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""That may be so." She is poised and..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_who_merc")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"That may be so." She is poised and unperturbed. "I still hope you heed my advice -- there's no need to kick the hornet's nest."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Heavens no, I'm not an undercover..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Heavens no, I'm not an undercover agent. There's a shortwave at the ship's wheel," she nods toward the sloop's cabin.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course it bothers me, lieutenan..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course it bothers me, lieutenant, but my hands are tied. How would my employer react if it appeared I were intervening on behalf of the *Union*?"


title: Encyclopedia: "Surely there are other people to as..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Surely there are other people to ask about the tattoo. This is not necessary to complete the task, officer -- it's a dangerous side-task. Search elsewhere.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I have. And they *will*. However,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I have. And they *will*. However, these orders take time to reach what is basically a rogue unit out in the field, here. Until they do -- it's all on us."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""This does not come as news to us,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This does not come as news to us, but still..." He exchanges a glance with you. "To *your* knowledge, where did this assault take place? If you know."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Either way, he's alleged to have s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Either way, he's alleged to have sexually assaulted a woman. Sometime later a group of dockworkers got their hands on him..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's a good question, officer. I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's a good question, officer. I don't have the slightest idea. As I said, it's a rumour -- about a rumour. In any case, it's what the colonel's remaining... colleagues... believe."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I can't. This man was no sailor --..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I can't. This man was no sailor -- and these are no ports. I can understand geographic fragments, but not their meaning."

userscript:
GainTask("TASK.ask_about_tattoo_other"); FinishTask("TASK.ask_about_tattoo_done"); SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_asked_about_tattoos", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's not good, no," a wave crashes..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's not good, no," a wave crashes against the side of her boat. "My only hope is that you provide a single, concrete suspect before the mercenaries indiscriminately pick theirs. Simply put..." She grabs hold of the mainsail:


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
Variable["whirling.klaasje_kim_changed_victims_ethnicity"]  or  Variable["XP.determine_victims_ethnicity"]


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["whirling.klaasje_kim_changed_victims_ethnicity"]  or  Variable["XP.determine_victims_ethnicity"])

conditionstring:
(Variable["whirling.klaasje_kim_changed_victims_ethnicity"]  or  Variable["XP.determine_victims_ethnicity"]) == false


title: Hand/Eye Coordination: "The muzzle-loaders need to be reloa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The muzzle-loaders need to be reloaded after every one, two -- or in your case three -- shots, the automatics every one or two *minutes*.


title: Pain Threshold: "Must be hard to force your face to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Must be hard to force your face to move in a new fashion. If you continue like this, you'll have an aneurysm. Then you'll have to, too.


title: Rhetoric: "The situation at the gates is a pow..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The situation at the gates is a powder keg. She says she wants to avert catastrophe but that's where she draws the line? I call bullshit.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Honestly, I was expecting you to u..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Honestly, I was expecting you to use your *unorthodox technique* to keep her off-balance -- and you know... *not* volunteer us to be her henchmen."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""This woman is running circles arou..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This woman is running circles around us. She might have known about your *misplaced badge* all along -- or she's simply an adept improviser. Either way, we've played straight into her hands."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I wouldn't go that far. Her reacti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I wouldn't go that far. Her reaction did come off as sincere to me... I think she's just quick to adapt. She is a professional, after all."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""No. If there is reasonable suspici..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No. If there is reasonable suspicion, we must investigate. Otherwise she could claim we're siding with the Union. Or that we're on their take. We'd never hear the end of it..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""What I propose is -- we ask her. T..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"What I propose is -- we ask her. Then we investigate. *Briefly*..." He adjusts his glasses. "But do *not* share the outcome of this investigation with her. We tell her it's done and demand for her information on the lynching."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Oh," he nods slowly. "That would b..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh," he nods slowly. "That would be *fantastic*. But do we have the time? The world is large -- and your badge is eight-by-six centimetres."


title: Empathy: "He doesn't let it show, but there i..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.kim_empathy_annoyed", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
He doesn't let it show, but there is a limit to how much the consequences of your unprofessional behaviour can cost the investigation.


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Zone of Control is the third i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Zone of Control is the third incarnation of Revachol. After the failure of the Suzerain and the Commune."


title: Shivers: "The wind stops and for a moment the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The wind stops and for a moment there's silence. The charge dissipates into the dark water. All is quiet on the Martinaise inlet...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Then you would have died fighting..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Then you would have died fighting against them. Long before the Beachhead... our time is a shadow cast by that day."


title: Joyce Messier: ""On the other hand..." She turns no..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_apes_duking")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"On the other hand..." She turns north, to the bombed out buildings lining the waterfront. "Maybe you're right."


title: Joyce Messier: ""On the other hand..." She turns no..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_apes_duking")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"On the other hand..." She turns north, to the bombed out buildings lining the waterfront, then shivers slightly.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, an acute thiamine deficiency..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes, an acute thiamine deficiency can be exacerbated by alcoholism." She blinks her green eyes. "Exacerbated means 'made worse.'"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, King Guillaume had a nose for..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes, King Guillaume had a nose for bad PR. He ran before it -- what is the expression -- *went down*? Anyway, Gil got out alive and his nephew Frissel got shot in his place..."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_told_how_guillaume_got_out_and_frissel_was_shot_in_his_place", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""I prefer the term *risk averse*. K..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I prefer the term *risk averse*. King Guillaume was nobody's fool -- he could smell a PR disaster brewing. So he got out alive and his nephew Frissel got shot in his place..."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_told_how_guillaume_got_out_and_frissel_was_shot_in_his_place", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""The real king abdicated and lived..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The real king abdicated and lived out a long and productive life as a venture capitalist in Graad."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh, lots of people. Even the king..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh, lots of people. Even the king got shot in the head, or thrown beneath a horse. Or drowned. Accounts differ. It was  unceremonious." She shakes her head. "Just as well -- he wasn't actually the king. Just the king's nephew."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Twenties saw a decade of urban..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Twenties saw a decade of urban war: West of the river levelled, offshore platforms in flames... Still, it's regarded as an improvement on what came before: '08 to '19 was simply hell..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Thirties? Things settled down..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_reality_timesdone", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The Thirties? Things settled down in the Thirties. Revachol East transformed itself into the world's largest tax haven -- with the international community's blessing. For the first time in a long time it seemed like things were *going* somewhere."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Don't worry, Kras Mazov shot fifte..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Don't worry, Kras Mazov shot fifteen million people in the head. But that was all the way over in Graad."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No. It was a market mirage fuelled..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No. It was a market mirage fuelled by cocaine and quantitative easing. The Forties *dispelled* it like a cold splash. An isola-wide hangover, you might say. And here we are..." She curtsies.

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_when_kerfuffle_done", true) ; XPPicoSetBool("XP.isola_wide_hangover")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. And quantitative easing. It w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. And quantitative easing. It was a market mirage, unfortunately. The Forties dispelled it. An isola-wide hangover, you might say. So, here we are..." She curtsies.

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_when_kerfuffle_done", true) ; XPPicoSetBool("XP.isola_wide_hangover")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Welcome to reality, baby.""
dialoguetext: "Welcome to reality, baby."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_when_kerfuffle_done", true) ; FinishTask("TASK.get_reality_lowdown_done"); FinishTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Khm." The lieutenant puts down his..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Khm." The lieutenant puts down his notes for a moment. "Opinions expressed here do not reflect the official position of the RCM."


title: Empathy: "All she can see are vague outlines..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_empathy_great_shadows", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
All she can see are vague outlines of a great winding down. The doldrums. People killed, but no great transitions of wealth. It makes her feel old -- and something else. Something you can't put your finger on...


title: Inland Empire: "Something tells you her life and yo..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_auth_lives_not_same", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Something tells you her life and yours are not that similar. Maybe it's because she has a boat and you have... that necktie? A pair of pants?


title: Joyce Messier: ""Forever?" She cocks her head sidew..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Forever?" She cocks her head sideways. "In twenty years Revachol went from a king to a commune to a Zone of Control. She *is* forever. But the next thing she will *be* is something else."


title: Empathy: "From the looks of it the Fifties ha..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_empathy_fifties_unsatisfied", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
From the looks of it the Fifties haven't been much better for the Zone of Control -- you can see it in her eyes. Days slipping away....


title: Joyce Messier: "She's silent a moment, contemplatin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She's silent a moment, contemplating. When she finally speaks, her tone is wistful: "We could have had so much *more*. Every one of us -- if only we'd played it right."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Past?" She cocks her head to one s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Past?" She cocks her head to one side. "That's what Dobreva, the leader of the communards said, before she got a bullet in her head. Don't get me wrong..." There's sadness in her voice...


title: Joyce Messier: "Her voice is almost wistful. "We co..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Her voice is almost wistful. "We could have had so much *more*. Every one of us -- if only we'd played it right."


title: Joyce Messier: ""All yours?" She nods. "That's been..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"All yours?" She nods. "That's been the motto of many an indotribe. There is something *clarifying* about that strain of ultraliberalism..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Over?" She nods. "That's *entropol..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Over?" She nods. "That's *entropolism*, the very height of late Modernity: evacuate this world. You may prove a truly Modern Man yet."


title: You: ""Liquidate the rabid, prion-infeste..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Liquidate the rabid, prion-infested *dogs* who want to kill everyone -- with cleansing artillery fire."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_pol_fascist", true) ; ReputationGrows("revacholian_nationhood")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""I've no right to be dissatisfied,"..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I've no right to be dissatisfied," she shakes her head. "This shirt is Barbara Muskova. This raincoat is impervious to rain and is guaranteed for a hundred years, my daughters will wear it. No, it's just..." She looks at the crumbling tenements, paint flecking from the stone...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Good. Not that it would have matte..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Good. Not that it would have mattered -- in the end, the Commune forced everyone to the barricades."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Believe it or not, Wild Pines isn'..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Believe it or not, Wild Pines isn't even the most notorious example -- that would be Saint-Baptiste. You can go quite far with that attitude."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Then you would have died, most lik..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Then you would have died, most likely. Not far from here -- maybe even *right* here, during the Beachhead, defending the coast the day the Coalition took the city."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Anxious to hear more about mineral..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Anxious to hear more about mineral rights or who got shot in the head?" A flash of teeth in her feisty grin.


title: Joyce Messier: ""So a quarter of humanity..." she c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"So a quarter of humanity..." she calculates, "...simply lost their minds? And how would you stop a prion -- a complex folding protein; *un-life* -- with the technology 50 years ago?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Those would be the communists. Gen..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Those would be the communists. Generally speaking, 40 million people got shot in the head during the World Revolution. But the communists -- they *all* got shot in the head."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Modernity. They developed the marv..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Modernity. They developed the marvels of interisolary communication, telematic milieus, radiation, coloured plastics. Meanwhile, in Revachol West, the *aftermath* continues for the fifth decade."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Capital *is* finished. But underst..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Capital *is* finished. But understand this -- its end won't *free* anyone. It will only lead to more suffering."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No doubt -- but we share the same..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No doubt -- but we share the same time and position on the planet's crust. That counts for more than you'd think."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course not. It was a highly inf..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course not. It was a highly infectious microorganism that destroyed brain tissue. The actual causes of the Revolution were material. The pandemic only provided the spark."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""My position, ma'am? My parents got..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"My position, ma'am? My parents got ripped to shreds in the Revolution -- I would have gone the same way. I was saved by being two years old. That's my position -- the abattoir."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's not Coupris, dear. It's jus..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's not Coupris, dear. It's just a brand name, snatched up by a Vespertine holding company. No, the real Coupris is as dead as the king they bet on."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Good hygiene, really? A very *mode..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Good hygiene, really? A very *moderate* solution to an *extreme* problem. It's those sort of half-measures that doomed the authorities in Graad..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Liquidate?" She nods. "That's what..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Liquidate?" She nods. "That's what King Filippe kept screaming from the Sol Aurum. *Liquidate, liquidate!*" she says in a sing-song-y kind of way.


title: Encyclopedia: "It was a funny time in history. The..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It was a funny time in history. They'd discovered transistors and rock music, but they didn't know anything about prions. Nobody did.


title: Joyce Messier: ""A poor remedy for prion disease,"..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A poor remedy for prion disease," she says. "That was the attitude of most of the more moderate indotribes, particularly those who supported the king..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A city state divided into free mar..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A city state divided into free market zones. Under the *everlasting* interregnum of the Coalition of Nations. And you, of course -- the Citizens Militia."


title: Esprit de Corps: "The clatter of typewriter keys fill..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The clatter of typewriter keys fills the main hall of a re-appropriated Silk Mill -- Precinct 41. Chad Tillbrook presses ENTER. Outside: Officer *Elfboy* Williams slams the door of an armoured motor carriage...


title: Shivers: "The cold runs down your spine as yo..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_shivers_grounding_on_revchopice", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The cold runs down your spine as you say the words, like a small electric charge that seeks grounding.


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Turn-of-the-Century Revolution..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Turn-of-the-Century Revolution?" She smiles, mischievously. "Don't answer it -- it's a trick question."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Always," She nods. "That's the *ca..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Always," She nods. "That's the *can't-do-attitude* that truly defines Late Modernity. You may prove a Modern Man yet."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Perhaps it wouldn't have turned ou..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Perhaps it wouldn't have turned out that way had *I* been in charge. I might've bet on the king and led the Pines to doom."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Revolution began in '02, on th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Revolution began in '02, on the isola of Graad, though by the end nearly the whole world had gotten involved."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You and everyone else. But that's..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You and everyone else. But that's got nothing to do with *preventing* the Revolution. Ah, well... What was was, I guess."


title: Shivers: "The wind stops and for a moment the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The wind stops and for a moment there's silence. The cold dissipates into your parietal lobe like a dissolved bullet. All is quiet on the Martinaise inlet...


title: Joyce Messier: ""I would have sided with the *canno..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I would have sided with the *cannons*. If you'd seen the calibres of the things, you might've, too... " She thinks. "Perhaps it's better I was born when I was..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""And I asked *you*, past-less detec..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And I asked *you*, past-less detective of the Citizens Militia. What insight has acute encephalopathy given to you?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Coupris, Resplendent... both gone..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Coupris, Resplendent... both gone now. Those that survived mended their ways. They're all *ultras* now."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ten of the fourteen indotribes got..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_rev_two_kinds_of_monopolies", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Ten of the fourteen indotribes got it wrong: Feld, Coupris, Tricentennial... So I suppose I would have been in good company."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In the end they liquidated the Sol..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In the end they liquidated the Sol Aurum. Melted the palace cube down to gold and platinum and sold it for bullets. Strange times," she says almost wistfully.


title: Joyce Messier: ""From Revachol and Graad? Not far...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"From Revachol and Graad? Not far. The world managed to cauterize itself. Mazov's government was overthrown in '08, and the Coalition crushed the Revachol commune two years later. It was *The End*."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_told_coalition_overthrew_mazov_government_in_08", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Why, you and I, officer--" She spr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Why, you and I, officer--" She spreads her arms, raincoat flapping in the wind. "Our lives in the Zone of Control."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I see -- a tenth of humanity." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I see -- a tenth of humanity." She's unfazed. "The key of History is in the lock -- keep turning, at any cost?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""It wasn't a *who*, but a *what*. A..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It wasn't a *who*, but a *what*. A pandemic of tzaraath, a particularly virulent prion disease, which the authorities in Graad proved unable to contain. Then Mazov came along and overthrew the government."


title: Joyce Messier: ""When they failed to step up, Mazov..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"When they failed to step up, Mazov and his party stepped in. In this *particular* case, maybe a more robust state response might have been appropriate..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I don't know about that..." She tu..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_apes_duking")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I don't know about that..." She turns north, to the bombed out buildings lining the waterfront, then shivers slightly.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Indeed. They piled them in mass gr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Indeed. They piled them in mass graves in Ozonne and, well -- that's the last anyone heard of those people."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The liberals got the mineral right..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The liberals got the mineral rights." She looks up to the sky, then inland at the crumbling city. "And by mineral rights, I mean *everything*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Liberals are usually middle-class..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Liberals are usually middle-class people, detective. Or the remaining gentry. The beneficiaries of the pre-revolutionary *arrangement*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Some were rich enough to stay with..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Some were rich enough to stay with the Constitution; with monarchy -- *big mistake*. Others bet on the Revolution, they were called the Ultras, or ultraliberals. They fared well."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They didn't *win* so much as survi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They didn't *win* so much as survive. *We* were the last ones standing when the war ended -- everyone else got shot in the head, remember?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""The liberals took everything that..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The liberals took everything that wasn't nailed to the ground -- the Coalition took the *ground*," she stomps her rubber booted foot. "The ocean, the laws and the people."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Coalition of Nations. Graad, M..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Coalition of Nations. Graad, Mesque, Vesper, Messina, Oranje and Sur-La-Clef -- the armed centre of the world. They landed here and ended the Revolution. It was the *moralist* thing to do."


title: Empathy: "There is bitterness in her voice --..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
There is bitterness in her voice -- tempered with understanding. She is critical, but ultimately understands the cause.


title: Joyce Messier: ""The moralists believe in keeping e..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The moralists believe in keeping everything exactly the way it is. They believe in mineral rights -- and not shooting people in the head..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""At least not in the same *manner a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"At least not in the same *manner and volume* as the others do. They are the long-standing provisional rulers of Revachol now -- the Coalition Government."


title: Joyce Messier: ""This is their Zone of Control. The..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This is their Zone of Control. They embolden the RCM with crumbs of the same law they took. Technically speaking -- *you* are a moralist."


title: Encyclopedia: "The colour of moralism is blue. The..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.moralism_mottos", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The colour of moralism is blue. The official motto of the Moralintern, or Moralist International, is: 'A blue forget-me-not; a piece of the grey sky'. Unofficial: 'For a moment, there was hope'.


title: Joyce Messier: ""An almost endearingly moralist sta..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"An almost endearingly moralist standpoint," she bows. "It must be hard to take a moderate approach to head-shooting in your line of work."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course," she sizes you up. "Not..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course," she sizes you up. "Not easy to be moderate about *head-shooting* in your line of work."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A devout man of the centre," she n..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A devout man of the centre," she nods. "Hard to come by. It's good to have someone who takes a moderate approach to head-shooting -- in your line of work I mean."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Or -- you could *not* eat all the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Or -- you could *not* eat all the candy at once, let the ma'am rest for a while, and return to this later?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Too much *reality* at once can pro..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Too much *reality* at once can prove too much," she nods. "There's plenty of time later. For now, is there anything *else* I can help you with?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Indeed. Tzaraath is a highly infec..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Indeed. Tzaraath is a highly infectious microorganism that destroyed brain tissue. The actual causes of the Revolution were material. The pandemic only provided the spark."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Welcome to reality, baby.""
dialoguetext: "Welcome to reality, baby."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_when_kerfuffle_done", true) ; FinishTask("TASK.get_reality_lowdown_done"); FinishTask("TASK.joyce_keep_asking_later")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Rhetoric: "It takes time for the apes to chang..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It takes time for the apes to change. And work. Perhaps what happened here was part of that time -- and part of that work.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Which one? Actually -- it doesn't..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Which one? Actually -- it doesn't matter. King Guillaume has always been my favourite. He could smell a PR disaster brewing. So he got out alive and his nephew Frissel got shot in his place..."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_told_how_guillaume_got_out_and_frissel_was_shot_in_his_place", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Suggestion: "A counterargument, but still -- you..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A counterargument, but still -- your historic mass-murderer fantasies have only endeared you to this person.


title: Visual Calculus: "A bridge with loose nails and rot-i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A bridge with loose nails and rot-infested wood that creaks in the wind. A construction code violation if there ever was one!


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "The lieutenant looks around. "True,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant looks around. "True, they never cleaned up the war damage... The rest of Revachol looks better, though."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""The bridge is fine enough. Locals..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.orb_walkway_viscal_done", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The bridge is fine enough. Locals use it all the time, after all. It's nothing to worry about." He adjusts his glasses. "Shall we?"


title: Visual Calculus: "Ruination has come. The broken arch..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.orb_searails_done", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Ruination has come. The broken arches betray the once grand history of this building. It towered over the harbour, until *it* happened.


title: Savoir Faire: "The wind blows through your hair. T..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.orb_searails_savoir_windblows", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The wind blows through your hair. The sea breeze cuts around you, high on the balcony, as you stare over the edge at the sea.


title: Visual Calculus: "The tenement acted as a defensive w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The tenement acted as a defensive wall against the worst of the shelling. Until it was destroyed, and they had a direct firing line.


title: Visual Calculus: "A great force from the northeast fi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A great force from the northeast fired into the city. Heavy artillery shelled the coastline, fired from the water -- a straight shot into Revachol.


title: Savoir Faire: "From the eyes of a seagull: a nest..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
From the eyes of a seagull: a nest of brown hair not worth the fifty foot dive. From a pedestrian on the dock: a rugged man staring out to sea, mere feet from fatality. From a guest on the balcony of the Whirling-in-Rags: a silhouette imposing enough to be seen at a distance.


title: Visual Calculus: "Only three storeys stand where nine..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Only three storeys stand where nine to twelve once did. Restoration has failed. What the shelling took out was never re-built.


title: Visual Calculus: "The waves of the Martinaise inlet r..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The waves of the Martinaise inlet roll over the fallen remains of the building. The dark waters obscure the better part of the remains.


title: Visual Calculus: "A fleet -- the combined armies of O..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.insurcom", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
A fleet -- the combined armies of Occident and Graad, with Mesque volunteers. A five-nation army. Hundreds of vessels.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""The Coalition," says the lieutenan..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Coalition," says the lieutenant. "But that was a long time ago. I think we should move on. It's chilly up here."


title: Logic: "What didn't fall into the ocean was..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
What didn't fall into the ocean was used as scrap; what wasn't used as scrap was thrown into the ocean.


title: Visual Calculus: "They massed airships further down,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
They massed airships further down, in the bay of Revachol. The artillery was so powerful, the ships not only required gyroscopic stabilization -- they were anchored into the ocean floor as well.


title: Visual Calculus: "Many are still there to this day. I..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.searails_did_the_damage")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Many are still there to this day. If you squint, you can just barely see the shadow on the water, far in the northeast. Cannons still ready to placate Revachol.


title: Shivers: "The chill is bracing. The salt hang..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The chill is bracing. The salt hangs in the air. The wind from the ocean pushes at you, smoothing your moustache.


title: Encyclopedia: "Coalition Warship Archer can shoot..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.archer", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Coalition Warship Archer can shoot fifty shells a minute, on twenty co-aligned arches. They will reach the city in 58 seconds.


title: Shivers: "Underwater, iron helmets have sunk..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Underwater, iron helmets have sunk deep into the sand and the mud. Helmets of soldiers. And their fingerbones, too. And clavicles. Littering the ocean floor...


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'll just keep the Cor-de-Leite in..."
dialoguetext:
"I'll just keep the Cor-de-Leite in the channel, if that's okay. It's too shallow near the pier..." She winds the mooring line around a post.

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_left_angry", false) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_left_performative_experience", false) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Nothing, really... I've had my eye..."
dialoguetext:
"Nothing, really... I've had my eye on this jetty for weeks now. So I decided to investigate it personally. This cluster of buildings isn't on any of the official maps, as far as I can tell."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I hear you have singled out a *sus..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I hear you have singled out a *suspect* and are in pursuit. This is cause for cautious optimism -- I would not want to delay you..."


title: Joyce Messier: "...then secures the mooring line. "..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("village.joyce_stops_roping", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
...then secures the mooring line. "It's good to see you here, detective. I only just arrived myself."


title: Joyce Messier: "...then secures the mooring line. "..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("village.joyce_stops_roping", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
...then secures the mooring line. "It's good to see you here, detectives. I only just arrived myself."


title: Shivers: "Their cloud shadows slide over the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Their cloud shadows slide over the ruins of Revachol West -- wherever they pass, the temperature drops slightly but perceptibly.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I knew you would sympathize." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I knew you would sympathize." She nods. "Most Revacholians will never know what this place means, our home -- this island of matter. Or why they were ferried over in the first place..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Hmh... How *do* I like it?" She ca..."
dialoguetext:
"Hmh... How *do* I like it?" She casts her gaze toward the village -- slush melting on the cinder blocks, construction work left half-finished ten years ago...


title: Joyce Messier: ""'Spying' has such a negative conno..."
dialoguetext:
"'Spying' has such a negative connotation. I did track your progress along the coast, however, and decided I would be better able to assist you from here..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No matter -- Lilienne and I are ge..."
dialoguetext:
"No matter -- Lilienne and I are getting on much better. For one, she appreciates the concept of *rent*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Remind me to tell you one day." Sh..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Remind me to tell you one day." She corrects the scarf around her neck. "For now -- how can I assist you in this new location?"

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_village_intro_done", true) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_discovery_story_will_tell_you_mentioned", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's pornographically poor. The st..."
dialoguetext:
"It's pornographically poor. The street has no name, all the men are dead or missing... and is that the carcass of a motor carriage over there?" She squints her eyes...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. I hear you have singled..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. I hear you have singled out a *suspect* and are in pursuit -- this is cause for cautious optimism. How can I help you at this juncture?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's a pity. Most of these people..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's a pity. Most of these people will never know what this place means -- this island of matter. Or why they were ferried over in the first place..."


title: Esprit de Corps: ""The children carry them up. Come M..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The children carry them up. Come May, the streets will be flooded..." Outside the wind rattles the loose hatches. "*Flooded* with cheap weapons. In angry hands."


title: Joyce Messier: "The woman is tying a complicated na..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The woman is tying a complicated nautical knot around the post, while occasionally exchanging a few words with the other woman.


title: Lilienne, the Net Picker: "Dark eyes survey the coast leading..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Dark eyes survey the coast leading up to Martinaise. Dull grey metal rests in her scabbard -- a sword. The wind is too loud for her to hear...


title: Esprit de Corps: ""They're antiques," says Lieutenant..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They're antiques," says Lieutenant John 'The Archetype' McCoy to his partner. "They're digging them up from the catacombs now, fixing them. Old caches from the Revolution. "


title: Shivers: "Above you there forms a quilt of al..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("village.joyce_blackc_shivers_clouds", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Above you there forms a quilt of altocumulus clouds, twisting into each other. The wind tugs and stretches them over the bay.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh, I'm not *frightened*, officer...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh, I'm not *frightened*, officer. I'd never..." She leans against the railing, looking up at the grey sky.


title: Esprit de Corps: "It's early spring and the rains are..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("village.joyce_esprit_about_village", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
It's early spring and the rains are coming. An officer enters a low hut of stone and wood. Inside, weapons are piled against the walls. Rifles with splintering stocks... and swords. Tens if not hundreds.


title: You: ""She's a woman. She doesn't know ho..."
dialoguetext: "She's a woman. She doesn't know how to use a sword."
sequence: 0
userscript: ReputationGrows("revacholian_nationhood")
conditionstring:
IsTHCFixed("revacholian_nationhood")  and  IsTaskActive("TASK.meet_lilienne_for_a_date") == false--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""No need -- Lilienne and I are gett..."
dialoguetext:
"No need -- Lilienne and I are getting on much better. For one, she appreciates the concept of *rent*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Then there's the matter of that li..."
dialoguetext:
"Then there's the matter of that little scamp in old-lady clothes. She threatened to paint the Cor-de-Leite red. Like blood, you see. Well, I like it the way it is -- white."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's just as well -- Lilienne and..."
sequence: VoiceoverPlay(village/joyce/joyce-mb30,1)
dialoguetext:
"It's just as well -- Lilienne and I are getting on much better. For one, she appreciates the concept of *rent*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Have I told you how they discovere..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Have I told you how they discovered this place?" The wind picks up, her raincoat flaps in the gust.


title: Joyce Messier: ""You're not alone. Neither do most..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You're not alone. Neither do most of these people -- the literacy rate is around 45% west of the river. Fifty years of occupation have left these people in an *oblivion* of poverty."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm surprised that woman hasn't pu..."
dialoguetext:
"I'm surprised that woman hasn't put me to the sword yet. Maybe she will? You should ask your questions while you can."


title: Joyce Messier: ""So am I -- and I *do* know how to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"So am I -- and I *do* know how to use one..." She leans against the railing, looking up at the grey sky.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Perhaps you shouldn't have. I sort..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Perhaps you shouldn't have. I sort of liked it on her..." She leans against the railing, looking up at the grey sky.


title: You: ""I hope my inquiry into the nature..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I hope my inquiry into the nature of reality will ultimately converge with our murder investigation. They are two halves of the same case."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Why not?" She tosses her head. "I'..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_karperie", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Why not?" She tosses her head. "I've heard the analogy made by a blindingly modern school of philosophy called *karperie*. It may not be as far fetched as it sounds."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Actually," she turns to the lieute..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_karperie", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Actually," she turns to the lieutenant, "I've heard the analogy made by a blindingly modern school of philosophy called *karperie*. It may not be as far fetched as it sounds."


title: You: ""It's related to that *medical epis..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_amnesia_known"] == true
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_irregular_question", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It's related to that *medical episode* -- I have trouble remembering even the most basic terms of reality."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ah, yes -- the *episode*. Sounds l..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ah, yes -- the *episode*. Sounds like an acute case of encephalopathy now that I think of it..." She puts down her thermal cup and looks at you.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Don't be fazed, madam. He function..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Don't be fazed, madam. He functions perfectly well. He only needs a... *lowdown* on all of reality."


title: Joyce Messier: ""But then, I'm no doctor." She take..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But then, I'm no doctor." She takes a long sip of tea. "Ask away, officer -- I'll help however I can."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_encephalopathy", true) ; GainTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Such an acute encephalopathy... ju..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Such an acute encephalopathy... just doesn't seem possible." She puts her beverage down and stares at you. "Surely you're joking..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""We may be here awhile, then." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We may be here awhile, then." She takes a long sip of tea. "Ask away, officer -- I'll help however I can."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_encephalopathy", true) ; GainTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes." The lieutenant takes a step..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes." The lieutenant takes a step closer to you. "Why don't you tell Mrs. Messier what you told me, hmh?"


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes!" The lieutenant takes a step..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes!" The lieutenant takes a step closer to you, rubbing his hands together. "There is a *stranger* reason, isn't there?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""A sort of... spiritual quest? Some..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A sort of... spiritual quest? Something of ancient Iilmaraan origin?" There's more than a trace of irony in her voice.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes." The lieutenant takes a step..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes." The lieutenant takes a step closer to you. "Why don't you tell Mrs. Messier what you told me, hm?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""I've never heard of an *apocalypti..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I've never heard of an *apocalyptic* medical condition, but then reality is a strange place. Ask away, officer -- I'll help however I can."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I've never heard of a *nationalist..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I've never heard of a *nationalistic* medical condition, but then reality is a strange place. Ask away, officer -- I'll help however I can."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Nothing wrong with ancient ways,"..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nothing wrong with ancient ways," she says. "Our *modern* ones aren't necessarily better. Ask away, officer -- I'll help however I can."

userscript:
XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_ancient_ways_modern_ways"); GainTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: You: ""You said *pale*. What is pale?""
dialoguetext: "You said *pale*. What is pale?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
(Variable["pier.joyce_reality_pale_question_unclocked"]  or  Variable["TASK.what_is_pale"] == true)  and  IsKimHere()  and  Variable["pier.joyce_pale_kimturndown_one"] == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""Some sort of... krill hunter? No,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Some sort of... krill hunter? No, wait..." Joyce raises her eyebrows. "You're an ancient ruin, a symbol of hubris and decay, half-submerged in some salty sea."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ah!" She spreads her arms almost a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ah!" She spreads her arms almost as wide. "*This* is the pier of Rue de Saint-Ghislaine 33A, where the tenants have been kind enough to rent me a slot..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A pre-revolutionary tenement. Old..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_rue_de_saint")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"A pre-revolutionary tenement. Old buildings are called *tenements*, you see, and new buildings *batiments*, after *les batiments noveau*. But 33A and 33B are not *noveau*, they're old." She looks up at the crumbling facade...


title: Joyce Messier: ""This one used to be eight to ten s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This one used to be eight to ten stories tall -- a real high rise by the standards of the last century. Built to mirror the skyscrapers across the bay in the Delta. That was before the war, of course."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Mostly the urban middle class, I b..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Mostly the urban middle class, I believe. This was once *primo* real estate. Before the cannons lopped four or five stories off..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""We may be here awhile, then." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We may be here awhile, then." She takes a long sip to clear her throat. "Ask away, officer -- I'll help however I can."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_encephalopathy", true) ; GainTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""No. You're not joking at all, are..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No. You're not joking at all, are you?" She sighs. "Well, ask away, officer -- I'll help however I can."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Martinaise is a district of Revach..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Martinaise is a district of Revachol." She looks around, her green raincoat flapping in the wind. "A very small district tucked away near the Industrial Harbour. North of the 8/81 and Jamrock."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("tc.jamrock", true) ; SetVariableValue("tc.that_in_revachol", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""You would be excused for not knowi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You would be excused for not knowing about it. Unimportant, they say. Forgotten even -- shelled to smithereens during the Revolution." She shrugs. "It has its charms, just not this time of year."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I think it's fair to say so. Marti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I think it's fair to say so. Martinaise is about..." She points across the water, where the skyscrapers rise...


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm not a good ambassador. I've on..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm not a good ambassador. I've only been here once before, as a teenager. Not a lot has changed..." She closes her eyes. "There are ruins, a terminal, fishing boats, reeds. Boys with boxy shoulders."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Caillou." She looks to the waters...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Caillou." She looks to the waters. "Imagine a pebble, a smoothed over pebble amidst a great blue sea. Mis-shapen, cracked. The cracks are the River Esperance. We're in the delta of this river, on the sixth branch -- the Martinaise distributary."


title: Joyce Messier: "She opens them: "This place used to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She opens them: "This place used to be a province, a workers' resort before the city swallowed it and the artillery did its work. The reeds are the real star of the show here now. The further down the coast, the wilder it gets."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, I was *slumming* it with some..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_slumming", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes, I was *slumming* it with some girlfriends of mine. We had boats and..." She smiles. "Don't hold it against me -- the boys certainly did not."


title: Electrochemistry: "There is a spark in the air, a live..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
There is a spark in the air, a live wire hanging in the wind -- in your hung over neocortex. Then the sea air cools it down.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Speak for yourself, officer. I'm w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Speak for yourself, officer. I'm well known in certain parts. As to the place, you're right. We are..." She points across the water, where the skyscrapers rise...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ah, yes. There's something very sa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ah, yes. There's something very satisfying about discussing the fundamental facts of reality. Go ahead."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes -- you and I belong to the sup..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes -- you and I belong to the supraculture. We're common, the herd. The music on the radio, the food in the chain restaurant -- those are all too *popular* for the girl in the old-lady rags."


title: Joyce Messier: ""She prefers a fantasy world -- an..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"She prefers a fantasy world -- an *infraculture* with its own dress code and vernacular. It is an illusion, I'm afraid. There is no refuge from the supraculture."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Young people who dye their hair fu..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_explains_to_a_child")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Young people who dye their hair funny colours and wear old people's clothes are stupid and their little rebellion is self-defeating..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I can't. That's how simple it is...."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_explains_to_an_adult")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I can't. That's how simple it is. One may dye their hair green and wear their grandma's coat all they want. Capital has the ability to subsume all critiques into itself. Even those who would *critique* capital end up *reinforcing* it instead..."


title: Conceptualization: "Of course -- no time for silly infr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Of course -- no time for silly infracultures. There are more pressing, reality-centric questions to be asked.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""My reality-impaired colleague is n..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"My reality-impaired colleague is not so far off..." The lieutenant wanders back into the conversation -- he's been sorting his notes.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Many of the RCM's fashions, even w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Many of the RCM's fashions, even weapon preferences, borrow heavily from classic Vespertine cop shows. My precinct alone has three officers who go by the name *Ace*..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ha! I can see that, yes. I dabbled..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ha! I can see that, yes. I dabbled in those dark arts myself -- not so long ago." She smiles enigmatically. "I assure you, it was a thoroughly *supracultural* phenomenon. All-permeating. Downright mandatory."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Those days are long behind me..."..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Those days are long behind me..." She looks inland with sarcastic wistfulness. "And even in the early Thirties I would say I was more of a *New* girl. Disco was a minor, but still enjoyable facet of the whole thing for me."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The New, a cultural era -- and the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The New, a cultural era -- and the name of the decade it ravished, the Thirties. It came out of post-revolutionary Revachol. It was... ultraliberal."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It involved *lots* of partying, as..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.thirties_and_new", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It involved *lots* of partying, as you might imagine. And champagne coloured *everything*. By the looks of it -- that would have been when you came of age. Now..." She raises her eyebrow at you.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. You're much more *groun..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. You're much more *grounded*, a serious detective on a case called *reality*. Speaking of -- is there anything else?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""I can't be one hundred percent sur..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I can't be one hundred percent sure, but I believe he died due to complications from venereal disease."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm afraid no, but then again -- o..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm afraid no, but then again -- one can't be entirely sure. It's all part of his *mystique*. Ask someone else and you may get a more champagne-coloured take..."


title: Encyclopedia: "For some reason your mind is a veri..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
For some reason your mind is a veritable repository of Guillaume le Million lyrics, trivia, and b-sides. But the time to explore this is when you're alone, facing a mirror perhaps? Right now it would derail the reality low-down.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Nothing more nor less than the de..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_rcm_hub_reached", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Nothing more nor less than the de facto law enforcement body of post-revolutionary Revachol, detective."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes," the lieutenant steps in to m..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes," the lieutenant steps in to make a gesture encompassing you both: "*We* are the Revachol Citizens Militia."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. That means: not de jure. The..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.rcm_twilight", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes. That means: not de jure. The RCM acts in what is poetically called the *twilight of international law*; both at the behest of the Coalition Government -- and to its chagrin."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The RCM's responsibilities are def..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.rcm_legislation", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The RCM's responsibilities are defined by the Emergency, Wayfarer, and Aliments Acts -- three pieces of legislation keeping the city in a -- let's be honest -- laissez-faire stasis to the benefit of foreign capital."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Truly moralist of you. The Coaliti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Truly moralist of you. The Coalition Government would applaud you for staying out of politics. And yet..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""There's nothing *basic* about your..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There's nothing *basic* about your role, detective. It's true that the RCM keeps everything the way our seemingly *permanent* provisional rulers like it..." She leans in.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Permit me to conclude with this: *..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_international_zone")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Permit me to conclude with this: *who* you are -- to me -- is the police. The only legitimate law enforcement authority in Revachol..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""And if those authorities drink so..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And if those authorities drink so hard they need help recalling the basic terms of reality -- well, I am here to help." She bows and smiles.


title: Joyce Messier: ""...and if the law officials of our..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"...and if the law officials of our nation need help with the basic terms of reality -- well, then I am here to help." She bows.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yet on the other hand -- I know th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yet on the other hand -- I know these people. I deal with them daily. Let me tell you, dear, they are not fans of you."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The post-revolutionary decade was..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The post-revolutionary decade was a disaster for the Coalition Government. Revachol in the Twenties was hell, especially on the west side of the river: gang warfare, a botched privatisation scheme, a nuclear pile meltdown..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They called it the *International..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They called it the *International Zone* -- because no nation wanted to claim responsibility. The RCM restored peace where the Coalition failed. A true-blue citizens' initiative," she smiles. "They will never forgive you."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("tc.rcm_origins_full_story", true) ; SetVariableValue("tc.rcm_disliked_by_coalition_gov", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""That's *somewhat* of an exaggerati..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's *somewhat* of an exaggeration," the lieutenant interjects. "In reality, ours is a mutually beneficial arrangement."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Revacholians get to keep the peace..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Revacholians get to keep the peace in Revachol, and the Coalition doesn't have to worry about it..." He coughs. "Anyway, sorry to intrude. Please continue."


title: Joyce Messier: ""These are... unimportant times, de..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"These are... unimportant times, detective." She puts her finger to her lips, then points at you: "You and I were born after the dust had settled, a thousandth of a second too late."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's a neurological disorder, caus..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's a neurological disorder, caused by a lack of vitamin B in the brain. Symptoms include retrograde amnesia. It's... quite serious -- you should get yourself checked out."


title: Empathy: "She conveys it in short, cold burst..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_empathy_distance", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
She conveys it in short, cold bursts, trying not to invest too deeply in the condition of this doomed detective.


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's not just me, detective. All o..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's not just me, detective. All of Martinaise has placed its chips on your success. I pray we've all bet wisely."


title: Electrochemistry: "What this boils down to is this *re..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_electrochem_blast_hard", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
What this boils down to is this *reality* thing is stupid. Blow this joint, grab a bottle and drain that shit right down your throat.


title: Volition: "Wait, wait, this *reality thing* is..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_volition_dont_blast", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Wait, wait, this *reality thing* is the only game in town. It's probably in your interest not to blow it.


title: You: ""No time for more questions now --..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_drama_electrochem_lie"]
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_left_performative_experience", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"No time for more questions now -- the art world calls. A performative experiment. You wouldn't understand." [Leave.]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Unimportant, as I said. The minera..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Unimportant, as I said. The mineral rights were all distributed during the Revolution -- as were the bullets to the heads."


title: Joyce Messier: ""All men are predators, dear. Nothi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"All men are predators, dear. Nothing much to be done about *that*. It's all a matter of where you get to file your teeth..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am the vilest of the vile," she..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am the vilest of the vile," she says with a sudden flash of teeth. "A traitor, a devourer of nations and infants..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes," she nods slowly. "I am the n..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_nether_creature", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes," she nods slowly. "I am the nether creature of the forbidden swamp. I pushed the king under a *shitwagon* and betrayed the Revolution. My kind surrendered the nation to financial colonists..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No," she shakes her head, slowly...."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_nether_creature", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"No," she shakes her head, slowly. "Not like me. I am the nether creature of the forbidden swamp, who pushed the king under a *shitwagon* and betrayed the Revolution..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Haven't you heard?" She nods, peda..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_nether_creature", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Haven't you heard?" She nods, pedagogically: "I am a nether creature of the forbidden swamp, one of those who pushed the king under a shitwagon and betrayed the Revolution..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Perhaps you thought we'd gone exti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Perhaps you thought we'd gone extinct. After all, no sane person identifies as an *ultra* anymore. Not in broad daylight." She looks into your eye. "Tell me -- now that I've *uncoiled* myself -- are you repulsed?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Are you *liberated* enough to offe..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Are you *liberated* enough to offer up your home on a plate for financial colonists?" She looks you in the eye. "No, I think not. Tell me -- now that I've *uncoiled* myself -- do you find me frightening?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""We surrendered the nation to finan..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We surrendered the nation to financial colonists. No sane person identifies as an *ultra* anymore. Not in broad daylight." She looks you in the eye. "Tell me -- now that I've *uncoiled* myself -- are you repulsed?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""*A Deuill*," she pronounces: "*Who..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*A Deuill*," she pronounces: "*Who being of great Charme and Guille, sneaketh into the homes of the Godlie*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's a pity," she bows. "I hope..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's a pity," she bows. "I hope we can remain collegial despite my monstrousness. The ultras didn't have anything against the king *or* the Commune, you see. It was just business."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Honestly..." she pauses. "I may ha..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Honestly..." she pauses. "I may have even *preferred* it, had the communards won. Who knows? They might really have built something better. But they didn't, because they lost."


title: Joyce Messier: ""When the dust settled, the liberal..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"When the dust settled, the liberals were the only ones left to clean up the mess. By virtue of their survival they were handed enormous power to shape the future..." She turns her gaze to the delta. "This was all our last generation managed."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I do hope so," she bows. "I hope w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I do hope so," she bows. "I hope we are able to remain collegial despite my monstrousness. The ultras didn't have anything against the king *or* the Commune, you see. It was just business."


title: Electrochemistry: "Beneath her waterproof raincoat and..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_electrochem_imbibed", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Beneath her waterproof raincoat and silk shirt is a body imbibed in Numb 12 perfume. You are suddenly and intimately aware of it.


title: Conceptualization: "That dialect is Ubi Sunt?. You reco..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_concept_ubidialect", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
That dialect is Ubi Sunt?. You recognize the quote from somewhere. A play, written way back in the Franconigerian century...


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm afraid you'll find that *every..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm afraid you'll find that *every* woman is a Devil Woman, detective. There are only *aesthetic* differences between one and the other."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ah, you know more than you let on...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ah, you know more than you let on..." She gives you a coy little smile. "Philosopher-Detective of Precinct 41."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Nothing's settled. It simply fades..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nothing's settled. It simply fades away..." She closes her eyes. "Like a lover who has lost their faith. Now, shall we return to reality?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""...steal, kill and destroy?" She c..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_wanna_fuck", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"...steal, kill and destroy?" She counters, quick as a whip. "That they say we've been doing for over four decades now. Perhaps regrettably, I've had my fill for this century..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In any case, I'm glad we can remai..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In any case, I'm glad we can remain collegial despite my scaly bulk. And my perverse need to infiltrate and betray both Kingdom *and* Revolution."


title: Joyce Messier: ""With due respect to our overlords,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"With due respect to our overlords, the eternal *caretaker* government that keeps Martinaise a monument to the efficacy of its artillery..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A fitting punishment," she smirks...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A fitting punishment," she smirks. "To be forgotten, if not forgiven. Save a prayer for us in our *châteaus* on Ozonne and in Stella Maris."


title: Suggestion: "You *feel* that she won't like the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You *feel* that she won't like the answer -- just as it's leaving your lips. Even more -- it will hurt her.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I would not have relinquished sove..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I would not have relinquished sovereignty to the Coalition. Not here in Martinaise -- and not in the Stella Maris or Delta beachheads either. If not for my own sake..."


title: Shivers: "While a gentle wind sweeps the stre..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
While a gentle wind sweeps the streets in the rebuilt East, light drizzle washing it clean, lights go up and motor carriages circulate the tracts...


title: Joyce Messier: ""... then for my daughters'. We had..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"... then for my daughters'. We had an obligation to defend our sovereignty. We should have *burned* the whole isola down rather than let them have it."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, whatever else I am, I'm also..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_an_ultra")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes, whatever else I am, I'm also a mother. And a wife." She closes her eyes, then opens them again. "Now -- shall we return to reality?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""What world?" The fading pearls of..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"What world?" The fading pearls of her eyes look to the sea. "The only one, I suppose -- the world of matter and its pale antipode..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""There is a term of endearment they..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There is a term of endearment they coined for it. In the Dolorian century, when humanity was *high* on this world, discovering more and more of it -- these archipelagos included..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You have mis-imagined it. I don't..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You have mis-imagined it. I don't have the power to convey to you the effect and geometry of the images that depict our world from below low orbit. It's..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""We used to think it was a sphere,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We used to think it was a sphere, but that is beginning to look less and less likely by the day. You wouldn't know it from the tabloids, but the ORG nations have been launching weather balloons into the lower ionosphere since the Thirties."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Not in this case, no. That sounds..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Not in this case, no. That sounds more like something the Mesque petrofascists might say..." Her gaze wanders.


title: Joyce Messier: ""They're like you and I, I suppose...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They're like you and I, I suppose. Living organisms don't identify with abstractions. Elysium is for particular beings."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I don't know about things of that..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I don't know about things of that scale, my expertise lies in nations and trade routes, one or several layers below *everything*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""But -- this is one of the great qu..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But -- this is one of the great questions of our time. Maybe when they get the complete set together it will jolt us out of our rut -- bring us together. However naive it may sound."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am sorry, dear," she looks aroun..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am sorry, dear," she looks around. "It must sound quite terrifying through the acute encephalopathy. Even scientific positivism isn't entirely convinced about what we're dealing with here..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""See? Everyone finds something wort..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPMinorSetBool("XP.joyce_disco_crown_of_the_world")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"See? Everyone finds something worth holding onto in this world -- however wasted its opportunities."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They say there is a rarefied envel..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They say there is a rarefied envelope of matter surrounding the darkened disc of our planet. That is, if we are still living on a planet. Or, to speak more plainly, imagine vast swathes of land disrupted by nothingness."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You *may* have mis-imagined it. I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You *may* have mis-imagined it. I don't have the power to convey to you the effect and geometry of the images that depict our world from below low orbit. It's..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's looking less and less likel..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's looking less and less likely, detective. You wouldn't know it from the tabloids, but the ORG nations have been launching weather balloons into the lower ionosphere since the Thirties."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes." She pauses. "Pale covers 72%..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_reality_pale_question_unclocked", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes." She pauses. "Pale covers 72% of the surface. There are grey flares and prominences, even arcs above entire isolas... The images are blurry, but if there was a sphere in there it certainly looks like it fractured a long time ago."


title: Joyce Messier: ""There's a steadily increasing tric..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There's a steadily increasing trickle of images. Between the big three they're piecing together a dark grey corona."


title: Joyce Messier: ""There's a steadily increasing tric..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There's a steadily increasing trickle of images. Between the big three scientific contributors, they're piecing together a dark grey corona."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Splat-splat!" From a dilapidated b..."
sequence: FocusCamera(CindyCam);
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_cindy_talked", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Splat-splat!" From a dilapidated balcony, Cindy the SKULL gives Joyce the evil eye, her red paintbrush held to her throat...


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Splat-splat!" From a dilapidated b..."
sequence: FocusCamera(CindyCam);
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_cindy_talked", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Splat-splat!" From a dilapidated balcony, a young girl in odd clothes gives Joyce the evil eye, a red paintbrush held to her throat...


title: Perception (Sight): "You could be wrong -- but from here..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You could be wrong -- but from here it appears as if she's running the brush *across* her throat, in a sawing motion.


title: Joyce Messier: ""This *place* is an unmarked micros..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This *place* is an unmarked microsettlement on the coast of Martinaise..." She gestures toward a collection of cinderblock dwellings covered by a highly carcinogenic roofing material.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Actually, yes. The thought did cro..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Actually, yes. The thought did cross my mind when Mademoiselle Lilienne over there told me about the fresh produce these women sell to restaurants on the Delta."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Don't worry, I'll never get around..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Don't worry, I'll never get around to it -- the information you pass to me will remain confidential," She waves you off: "Let's get back to reality, shall we?"


title: Lilienne, the Net Picker: "You both turn to consider the young..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You both turn to consider the young woman. She's hunched over a net, methodically picking out ribbons of plastic...


title: Joyce Messier: ""This place could use a competent m..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This place could use a competent manager. There's so much to be done. But then, I'll never get around to it, will I?"


title: Empathy: "There is regret in her voice -- for..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
There is regret in her voice -- for all the countless things she never had time to do with her money.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Doubtless I'll be off some place,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Doubtless I'll be off some place, keeping social classes from each other's throats..." There's a pause. "Let's go back to the basics of reality, shall we?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Great bodies of water, forest-cove..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Great bodies of water, forest-covered surfaces... clusters of light where the cities lie. You've seen the montage, we all have -- this world is enough," she concludes.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of bodies of water and forest-cove..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of bodies of water and forest-covered surfaces, clusters of light where the cities lie. You've seen the montage, we all have -- this world is enough," she concludes.


title: !(Variable["pier.joyce_concept_bestworld"] or Variable["pier.joyce_shivers_world_suzerainty"])
dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
conditionstring:
(Variable["pier.joyce_concept_bestworld"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_shivers_world_suzerainty"]) == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh, you want a *picture* of the wo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh, you want a *picture* of the world?" She raises her finger to her lips. "There is no complete set yet, dear. They're having some trouble reaching orbit."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Great things are difficult to achi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Great things are difficult to achieve. For now, we're viewing the world from the inside -- sideways."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am sorry, detective," she looks..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am sorry, detective," she looks around. "Philosophically speaking -- it must sound *quite terrifying*. Even scientific positivism isn't entirely convinced about what we're dealing with here..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""See? Everyone finds something wort..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPMinorSetBool("XP.joyce_disco_crown_of_the_world")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"See? Everyone finds something worth holding onto in the world -- however wasted its opportunities."


title: Empathy: "She does not seem convinced that yo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She does not seem convinced that you'll be fine. If anything, she is realizing how deep your condition runs.


title: Empathy: "She does not seem convinced that yo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She does not seem convinced that you'll be fine. If anything, she is realizing this whole reality low-down is less *philosophical* than you've led on.


title: Inland Empire: "Suddenly you're conscious of yourse..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Suddenly you're conscious of yourself standing there, on... whatever this all is. Your arms hang down by your sides.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes," the lieutenant looks at his..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_pale_kimturndown_one", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes," the lieutenant looks at his watch. "Also, I think we've had enough excitement for today. We *do* have a case to attend to."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Ma'am." He turns to her again. "Re..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ma'am." He turns to her again. "Remember, you're dealing with a very *sensitive* and *impressionable* police officer who is still recovering from a recent medical episode."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I don't think your colleague would..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I don't think your colleague would appreciate that -- he has already been so patient with this whole... exercise."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Let's continue with something else..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.what_is_pale")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Let's continue with something else, alright?" She leans against the railing: "You can ask about *anything* else in the world. Anything."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The lieutenant's right, let's chan..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.what_is_pale")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The lieutenant's right, let's change topics?" She gives you a little wink: "What do you want to know? Anything!"


title: Savoir Faire: "You could sneak back, later, when t..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_savoir_return_without_kim", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
You could sneak back, later, when the lieutenant is *not* here... unless you can convince him to step aside?


title: Conceptualization: "What is it, what is it, what is it?..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
What is it, what is it, what is it? You can *feel* it -- something pushing against the other side of a locked door. You *must* find the key!


title: Joyce Messier: ""Okay." She concedes. "The pale is..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.pale", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Okay." She concedes. "The pale is the most dominant geological feature of the world, detective -- the separative tissue between the isolas. It is the interisolary mass."


title: pale hub
dialoguetext: 0
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_palehub_reached", true) ; SetVariableValue("tc.pale", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Isola* is a Messinian word for a..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.isola", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"*Isola* is a Messinian word for a continent of matter, enveloped on all sides by the pale. Also: isolation, or land mass. We used to believe there was only one. In the last four centuries we have discovered seven..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""An oceanic isola. It comprises mos..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"An oceanic isola. It comprises mostly of water. Mundi is the largest, Katla the coldest, Insulinde the bluest. What can I say..." She stops. "Each is perishing and dear."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Twenty-two kilometres from the cen..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.insurcom", true) ; XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_where_we_are")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Twenty-two kilometres from the centre of the world. That soldering iron is the Bank of the World building. The bottom floors are INSURCOM -- *Coalition Government* Insulindian Mission Command."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I hope we are able to continue as..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I hope we are able to continue as friends despite my scaly bulk. And the treacheries committed by my people against the Suzerain and the Commune."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Nothing, nothing, it's just..." Sh..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nothing, nothing, it's just..." She wipes a tear from her eye. "True, that's all. The uniforms, the language... Let's have another question about reality, shall we?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Well then. Reality *is* a strange..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Well then. Reality *is* a strange place -- getting stranger by the day. Ask away, officer. I'll help however I can."


title: Joyce Messier: ""History, detective. They built thi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"History, detective. They built this city to *resolve* History -- our part in it at least, our centuries."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The nations of the Occident. Or mi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The nations of the Occident. Or migrant workers from Semenine and Iilmaraa, depending on your creed."


title: Joyce Messier: ""We are standing on a fertile, self..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We are standing on a fertile, self-sufficient island able to sustain up to 200 million people; in the middle of the Insulindic ocean -- the world's connective tissue..." She smiles. "It's where the money is."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They say it's where the *terrible*..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They say it's where the *terrible* questions of our time will be answered -- the tensions are highest, the faultlines deepest."


title: Esprit de Corps: "The price of a 1.5 litre bottle of..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The price of a 1.5 litre bottle of Commodore Red? The first line of the Firefighter's Code? Square root of three? I don't know what you mean by *something close to you*. Ask a normal question.


title: Esprit de Corps: "It remains a mystery what you mean..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It remains a mystery what you mean by this *something close*. This isn't about you. It's about *reality*.


title: Esprit de Corps: "Six kilometres southwest -- in the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Six kilometres southwest -- in the Valley of Dogs -- junior officer Chad Tillbrook takes aim at a rabid, black dog licking its wounds in the grass.


title: Esprit de Corps: "To his left, his partner Émile Moll..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
To his left, his partner Émile Mollins whispers: "You heard what happened to Tequila Sunset? In Martinaise?"


title: Esprit de Corps: ""Yes, he lost his mind," Tillbrook..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes, he lost his mind," Tillbrook answers, finger on the trigger. "Don't worry, Émile..." He pulls on it slowly. Slowly now... "He'll find it again."


title: Conceptualization: "A strange coldness comes over you,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A strange coldness comes over you, as you look at the world. The waves sway the sloop, slowly. That's all.


title: Conceptualization: "It's on the tip of your tongue -- a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It's on the tip of your tongue -- a *doubt* of sorts, already in your head -- but it's not fully formed yet. You have to wait and return to this later, once the *Jamais Vu* thought is complete.


title: Conceptualization: "The doubt is fully formed in your h..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The doubt is fully formed in your head -- the alien feeling persists -- you just can't *word* the question yet. You have to complete the *Jamais Vu* thought first.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Indeed. There is a term of endearm..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Indeed. There is a term of endearment they coined for it. In the Dolorian century, when humanity was *high* on this world, discovering more and more of it -- these archipelagos included..."


title: Encyclopedia: "The Confederate Republic of Mesque..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The Confederate Republic of Mesque -- the world's largest state by territory -- has fallen into an especially nihilistic strain of nationalism lately.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Ma'am." He turns to her again. "Th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ma'am." He turns to her again. "This philosophical police detective is very *sensitive* and *impressionable* because of his recent medical episode."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Achromatic, odourless, featureless..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Achromatic, odourless, featureless. The pale is the enemy of matter and life. It is not *like* any other -- or *any* thing in the world. It is the transition state of being into nothingness."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No, detective, we're safe." She po..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No, detective, we're safe." She points to the sea. "It begins there, 6,000 kilometres to the north, and even more to the south, east, and west. You are in the middle of the isola."


title: Joyce Messier: ""An uproar of matter, darling, *ris..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"An uproar of matter, darling, *rising* into the pale. Rolling. Evaporating even, a great vision. The area of transition between the world and the pale is called *porch collapse*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Imagine a grey coronal mist, cold..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Imagine a grey coronal mist, cold vapour, marked by spores of an opportunistic microorganism -- a mould that's adapted to grow at the edge of the unrest. It's..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's difficult to describe -- or e..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's difficult to describe -- or even measure -- something whose fundamental property is the suspension of properties: physical, epistemological, linguistic..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The further into pale you travel,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The further into pale you travel, the steeper the degree of suspension. Right down to the mathematical -- *numbers* stop working. No one has yet passed the number barrier. It may be impossible."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Pale when it's particular -- this..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Pale when it's particular -- this territory of pale -- *the* pale when it's pale in its entirety. Once you've seen it..." She tosses her head. "Language balks at the difference."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It is possible to force dimensions..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It is possible to force dimensions on the pale -- in modern times we can even compress its latitude, bouncing radio waves from one end to the other. Shortening the path."


title: Joyce Messier: ""But it is still hard for humans to..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_palebranch_mind_damage", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"But it is still hard for humans to navigate the pale without getting lost. Or having our minds damaged."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Some say the damage stems from ext..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Some say the damage stems from extreme sensory deprivation. Others argue that pale somehow *consists* of past information, that's degrading. That it's rarefied past, not rarefied matter."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They call it *the blend-over of th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_mentions_overradiation", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"They call it *the blend-over of the self*. The pale does not only suspend the laws of physics, but also the laws of psychology, maybe History, even... The human mind becomes over-radiated by past."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It feels terrible. Absolutely terr..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_palebranch_entroponetics", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It feels terrible. Absolutely terrible. International standards strictly limit civilian travellers to six days of pale exposure per year..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No, nameless detective of the Citi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No, nameless detective of the Citizens Militia. I am a member of the *Entroponetic Business Class*. I'm cleared and trained for 22 days of pale transit annually."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No, Lieutenant Du Bois. I'm 'Entro..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No, Lieutenant Du Bois. I'm 'Entroponetic Business Class.' I'm cleared -- and trained -- for 22 days of pale transit annually."


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Entroponetics*," she corrects, "i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*Entroponetics*," she corrects, "is the scientific study of the pale. Or a recent iteration of it, by way of Graad. The study of the pale reaches back 6,000 years -- the Perikarnassians called it the Western Plain."


title: Rhetoric: "They had not travelled the entire c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
They had not travelled the entire circumference of the Perikarnassian super-isola. It was not merely in the West -- it was everywhere. Even then; surrounding them...


title: Joyce Messier: ""There *are* signs of pretermodern..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There *are* signs of pretermodern crossings. Successful navigation of the pale relies not just on technical know-how, but intensive psychological preparation. Some of these tactics have been known for thousands of years."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Nothing. We remain powerless befor..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nothing. We remain powerless before the pale. The only real advance in pale transit is the speed with which an aerostatic craft can pierce it. Less exposure leads to less... *effects* later."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Hybrid airships, detective. Conven..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hybrid airships, detective. Conventional rotors or jet engines no longer add velocity after the point of reference for motion is suspended -- once you've crossed from near pale to far pale..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The pale outweighs reality two to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The pale outweighs reality two to one -- there is more pale than there is matter. And the ratio is slipping."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh no, detective -- it's not. One..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh no, detective -- it's not. One of the few measurable effects of the pale is that it is expanding at an unknown rate."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Precisely. One of the few measurab..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Precisely. One of the few measurable effects of the pale is that it is expanding at an unknown rate."


title: Joyce Messier: ""An intuitive conclusion of that de..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"An intuitive conclusion of that development is that one day the pale will cover everything -- but this sort of talk is mostly left to extremists."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Most people -- and indeed most pri..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Most people -- and indeed most private and government sector organizations; entire civilizations and religions even -- find handy ways to ignore, or downplay that knowledge."


title: Joyce Messier: ""This isn't really an inquiry, is i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This isn't really an inquiry, is it? You can't remember a single thing -- this is the first time you're hearing about any of this."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Hmhm..." Her eyes tense. Crow's fe..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hmhm..." Her eyes tense. Crow's feet radiate from them. She observes you: your bloodshot eyes and swollen face.


title: Joyce Messier: ""You really didn't know. This does..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You really didn't know. This does *not* spell good for the investigation, detective. If you don't know even this, then..." She stops mid-sentence.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Your colleague, Lieutenant Kitsura..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Your colleague, Lieutenant Kitsuragi, is competent. I checked up on him. And you have me -- I will try to assist you in any way I can."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I hope so, I truly do. If I may su..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I hope so, I truly do. If I may suggest -- hold on to your colleague Kitsuragi. I ran a check on him and he is very competent. In the meanwhile..."


title: Empathy: "Some of that assurance is meant for..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Some of that assurance is meant for herself, as much as it's meant for you. She must have *a lot* on the line here.


title: Joyce Messier: ""...you have me -- I will assist yo..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.what_is_pale_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"...you have me -- I will assist you in any way I can. Even if we have to do it one basic term at a time." She gives you a slight bow.


title: Logic: "Someone *else* you've met may have..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_logic_paledriver", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Someone *else* you've met may have been *exposed* as well. The strange grey-haired woman in her lorry.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. Carried in the hulls of airsh..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. Carried in the hulls of airships," she nods. "It's a horrific job. Automation will abolish it, soon."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_pale_fatigue_symptoms", true) ; XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_hulls_of_airships")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""It doesn't look like you're *doing..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It doesn't look like you're *doing* the same. The suggestion was meant in earnest, detective. Live life."


title: You: "Ask for Kim to step away while you..."
dialoguetext: Ask for Kim to step away while you discuss the pale.
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.joyce_pale_kimturndown_one"]  and  Variable["TASK.what_is_pale"]  and  Variable["TASK.what_is_pale_done"] == false  and  IsKimHere()


title: Volition: "Yeah, you still aren't over the fea..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Yeah, you still aren't over the fear that something bad might happen. He expressly said you've had enough excitement for today.


title: Volition: "...is what you want to do. But shou..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_volition_white_kim_failed_once", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
...is what you want to do. But should you? He expressly stated you shouldn't hear about it. What if it renders you mad? Or catatonic? *Or* makes you lose your memory again?


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Good." The lieutenant returns. "Yo..."
sequence: TravelTo(Kim Kitsuragi, KimFishReturnPos, 0, true);
dialoguetext:
"Good." The lieutenant returns. "You have not passed out from it. Perhaps I worried for nothing... Are we still on the reality low-down -- or should we do actual policework now?"


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Good." The lieutenant returns. "He..."
sequence: TravelTo(Kim Kitsuragi, KimFishReturnPos, 0, true);
dialoguetext:
"Good." The lieutenant returns. "He has not passed out from it. Perhaps I worried for nothing... Are we still on the reality low-down -- or should we do actual policework now?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""We are where we are. I have no tru..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainThought("jamais_vu")
dialoguetext:
"We are where we are. I have no truer answer to give, unfortunately." She watches you closely as you scan the horizon.


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's quite easy: every hundred yea..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's quite easy: every hundred years or so our species gets together to decide what's next: who gets shot in the head and who gets the mineral rights -- it's a real *kerfuffle*."


title: Rhetoric: "This is not going to happen with th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
This is not going to happen with the lieutenant present -- unless you can convince him to step aside.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes, well..." he thinks. "The rest..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes, well..." he thinks. "The rest of us have dealt with it for thousands of years, so..." He looks around, a little uncomfortable now.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, lieutenant. Permit me to conc..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_international_zone")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes, lieutenant. Permit me to conclude with this -- *who* you are -- to me -- is the police. The only legitimate law enforcement authority in Revachol."


title: Joyce Messier: ""So, permit me to conclude with thi..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_international_zone")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"So, permit me to conclude with this -- *who* you are -- to me -- is the police. The only legitimate law enforcement authority in Revachol."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Steel yourself, officer," she says..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Steel yourself, officer," she says in a reassuring manner. "Your colleague, Lieutenant Kitsuragi -- he is competent. I checked up on him. And you also have me -- I will try to assist you in any way I can."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""This has been informative, thank y..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This has been informative, thank you ma'am. I'm sure my memory-impaired partner has *many* more questions to ask..." He turns to you. "...about even more fundamental aspects of reality..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Might I suggest *not* asking them..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Might I suggest *not* asking them all right now? Ma'am Messier will be here later too. And tomorrow. Isn't that true, ma'am?"


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Of course not," He shakes his head..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.questions_for_joyce"); GainTask("TASK.joyce_keep_asking_later")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Of course not," He shakes his head. "You're *already* diligent for getting this far -- and diligent boys remember where they left off."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Actually, yes. The thought did cro..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Actually, yes. The thought did cross my mind when Mademoiselle Lilienne earlier told me about the fresh produce these women sell to restaurants on the Delta."


title: Horrific Necktie: "Yes, and perform auto-erotic asphyx..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Yes, and perform auto-erotic asphyxiation on yourself with your funny neck tie. Out in the open somewhere!


title: Conceptualization: "The doubt is fully formed in your h..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The doubt is fully formed in your head -- the alien feeling persists -- yet something's still missing. You have finished mulling over the *Jamais Vu* thought, but your Conceptualization skills are not nuanced enough to make sense of it...


title: Joyce Messier: ""The pale was thought to be impregn..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The pale was thought to be impregnable, perpetual." She points northwest. "Irene La Navigateur, the Queen of Suresne, sent *eight* expeditions, one after the other, into the mass at the edge of the world. Five of the crews did not return. Two did, but had lost their minds."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Until after *years* of trial and e..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Until after *years* of trial and error -- and the development of a *strict* psychological regime imitating the creation process of poetry..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The eighth expedition returned, sa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The eighth expedition returned, sane and intact. They told of a new continent of matter. They told the queen and her councillor, Dolores Dei, that the pale had begun to condense, day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The nations who colonized this iso..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The nations who colonized this isola called theirs *Mundi*. The World. It was all they knew, all they thought would be. That there would be something more was a gamble. Akin to another world -- or life after death."


title: Joyce Messier: ""But they could not. They were sane..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But they could not. They were sane and conscious, as islands began to appear on the horizon... There are 78,000 uninhabited islands in the Insulindian archipelago, officer. The freckled face of god," she smiles.


title: Joyce Messier: "She nods. "The phenomenon has never..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She nods. "The phenomenon has never again been encountered. For a time the crew thought they were experiencing a hallucination. The mast-hand proclaimed 'L´Insulinde! L´Insulinde!' -- the signal to wake up."


title: Joyce Messier: ""On the second day, a great skua wa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"On the second day, a great skua was shot down above the flagship Lysergique. The bird was preserved and brought back. Along with pollen." She looks to the sky, then back at you.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Four years later the queen’s counc..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainThought("insulindian_miracle")
dialoguetext:
"Four years later the queen’s councillor was proclaimed Her Innocence Dolores Dei, the elected world spirit. The age of humanism, internationalism, and parliamentary rule followed. We were *high*..."


title: You: ""That money you gave me -- would th..."
dialoguetext: "That money you gave me -- would that make things... *weird*? If I shared information, I mean?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.joyce_moneybave_smallest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_great"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_small"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_greatest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_middle"]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Which isn't to suggest our talks c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Which isn't to suggest our talks constitute *corporate espionage*. Even *if* they did -- it would be fine. But they don't, since you logged the money as a donation and this is *clearly* just gossip between friends."


title: You: ""I helped him turn up the heat on t..."
dialoguetext: "I helped him turn up the heat on the borscht."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["whirling.goracy_evrart_electro"] == true  or  Variable["whirling.turned_the_brew_off"] == true


title: You: ""Ma'am, this whole thing is a takeo..."
dialoguetext: "Ma'am, this whole thing is a takeover."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.deliver_mail_to_fishing_village_done"] == true  and  Variable["cargo.evrart_logic_hostile_takeover"] == true  and  Variable["pier.joyce_tried_to_say_takeover_once"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.ask_about_ruby_in_village"]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course, detective," she simmers..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_exited_evrart_hub_once", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Of course, detective," she simmers down. "Should something come up, later down the road -- don't be afraid to drop by for a chat."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Unconventional police officers som..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Unconventional police officers sometimes *lose* their guns. They then go around and tell people about this -- to gauge their reactions. It's all part of *detecting*."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Please don't get him in a loop. If..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Please don't get him in a loop. If he gets in a loop it will last *forever*. Ask him to say something else please."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. Thank you for the advic..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. Thank you for the advice -- I'm glad you were here to assist." She turns to you: "Your *other* dealings with Evrart are still of considerable interest to me..."


title: Logic: "How do we get out of here?"
dialoguetext: How do we get out of here?
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_loopcounter", Variable["pier.joyce_loopcounter"] + once(1)) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_logicloop", true) 


title: Joyce Messier: ""Villiers & La Salle was one of the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Villiers & La Salle was one of the original 14 indotribes of Revachol, did you know? Artillery and ballistics. Before the Revolution of course, they belong to some Gottwalders now."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Mhm," she nods. "Villiers & La Sal..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Mhm," she nods. "Villiers & La Salle was one of the original 14 indotribes of Revachol, did you know? Artillery and ballistics. Before the Revolution of course, they belong to some Gottwalders now."


title: Rhetoric: "She phrases it as if it's a pity. S..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She phrases it as if it's a pity. She *also* phrases it as a transition out of you waving your gun around.


title: Joyce Messier: ""What else? It helps to sometimes h..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_on_your_gun")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"What else? It helps to sometimes hold inventory of the things you've achieved, you know." A smile. "Clears the soul."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Did he now?" Her eyes narrow. "Wel..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_gun_almost_ready")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Did he now?" Her eyes narrow. "Well, then it should be any day now. Unless, of course, he's *lying* to you. Anyway, was there anything else you've heard?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""The strike brew," she nods. "That'..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The strike brew," she nods. "That's a classic. And by *turn up the heat* I presume you mean *put more alcohol in it*?"


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Truly, but that's how he operates...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Truly, but that's how he operates. He just does things, ma'am. And then talks about them -- even if it's inappropriate."


title: Empathy: "A strange equanimity has overtaken..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A strange equanimity has overtaken the lieutenant. He's just going with the flow now. Easier that way.


title: Joyce Messier: ""A referral, you mean? I take it th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A referral, you mean? I take it this was for someone in the RCM..." She waves her hand. "Don't answer that."


title: Joyce Messier: "She nods, carefully, as though hand..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She nods, carefully, as though handling a match near a powder keg. "Such referrals may sometimes get you information from a man like Evrart," she says, raising an eyebrow. "Did it?"


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "The lieutenant does not say anythin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant does not say anything, but you hear the nylon of his jacket rustle as he looks at you.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. The RCM has the right t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. The RCM has the right to inspect any premises." She nods: "How else would you catch the bad guys? The information was useful I hope?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's good to hear, detective. Po..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's good to hear, detective. Police work is rarely pretty, but it sounds like you did what you had to do."


title: Joyce Messier: ""My-my! What I'm hearing is..." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"My-my! What I'm hearing is..." She says, slow and teacher-like: "You inspected a premises because you suspected that it was involved in the narcotics trade..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Frankly, what was done was not pre..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Frankly, what was done was not pretty at all -- but neither was it illegal. And it was not for nothing." He turns to you...


title: You: ""He didn't seem at all worried abou..."
dialoguetext: "He didn't seem at all worried about the whole conflict that's developing."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_evrart_wants_war", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
conditionstring:
Variable["cargo.evrart_hes_happy_about_the_tribunal"] == false  and  Variable["cargo.evrart_logic_hostile_takeover"] == false


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I advise you to be *very* selectiv..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I advise you to be *very* selective with what information you choose to share. This may have consequences beyond our line-of-sight."


title: Visual Calculus: "He means beyond the coming days and..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
He means beyond the coming days and weeks -- or the grasp of newspaper and radio reports that may trickle to your desk if ever you return to Precinct 41. In the far future.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Misinformation..." She shakes her..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Misinformation..." She shakes her head vigorously. "This is all because we haven't shared information on the lynching yet. See, already the adversary uses it to their advantage. Don't let him."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I wouldn't have taken Evrart for a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I wouldn't have taken Evrart for a sabre-rattler. Was he surrounded by *Union men* he wanted to impress?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes," she leans slightly closer: "..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes," she leans slightly closer: "That's the talk about town. The *Hardie boys* they're called..." A crooked smile returns to her face. "I find the name rather amusing, honestly."


title: Drama: "Of course. Brinkmanship takes showm..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_blackc_drama_escalation", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Of course. Brinkmanship takes showmanship. We should have seen it before, in his office. He might well have been performing for us.


title: Volition: "She tries to hide it, but some *gre..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_blackc_volition_doubt", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
She tries to hide it, but some *great doubt* is spreading within her. There is a crown slowly cracking above her head.


title: Joyce Messier: ""How benevolent," she thinks for a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"How benevolent," she thinks for a second. "Hopefully they'll help you sort this whole business out... if they haven't already?"


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""We cannot discuss the specifics of..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We cannot discuss the specifics of an ongoing investigation, ma'am." The lieutenant adjusts his glasses. "Besides, you haven't exactly been forthcoming yourself..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""What you've said is quite enough...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"What you've said is quite enough. You have given me a lot to consider -- and may have helped me prevent this conflict from escalating."


title: Logic: "Her mind races to the conclusion th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Her mind races to the conclusion that most benefits her interests. That doesn't mean she's wrong, though.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Well, I hope it yields something...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well, I hope it yields something. Otherwise you'll have opened that door for naught." She smiles. "Anything else?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Sounds like he has you running err..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_evrart_villagequest_told", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Sounds like he has you running errands, detective. A well-established dominance ritual..." She thinks. "Where did he have you deliver it?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Here?" She looks around. "Oh no......"
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Here?" She looks around. "Oh no... what does that bloated hellbat want with my little cinder block town?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""No, don't tell me. I don't want to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No, don't tell me. I don't want to know what he has in store for this place... Probably a statue. It's a statue, right?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""A giant statue of him or, better y..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A giant statue of him or, better yet, his twin brother. Practically the same thing, but makes him seem less like a psychopath."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A youth centre with Edgar Claire's..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A youth centre with Edgar Claire's statue on top of it..." Her eyes run across the water, remorsefully.


title: Shivers: "The humidity crawls under your skin..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_shivers_boots", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The humidity crawls under your skin. Your eyes track her gaze: past the net picker... toward the concrete square of the nameless village off the coast of Martinaise.


title: Shivers: "The concrete plates cross to meet i..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_shivers_footprionts_seen", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The concrete plates cross to meet in an abstract shape, in them: small footprints -- impressions left by rubber boots. Small rubber boots.


title: Joyce Messier: ""What?" She looks at the soles of h..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_feet_connected", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"What?" She looks at the soles of her tiny green rubber boots: "Thirty-five, I think. Why? I have mutant's feet. Very small."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. I'm sad I will never have the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. I'm sad I will never have the time, detective -- I've always wanted a dilapidating fishing village."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, I was *slumming* it with some..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes, I was *slumming* it with some girl-friends of mine. We had boats and..." She smiles. "Don't hold it against me -- my *paramour* certainly did not."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Hah! I think I was in my twenties..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hah! I think I was in my twenties actually. I'm ashamed to say I wasn't a teen anymore. It must have been my early twenties, because I remember a particularly *vile* disco track."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm over-radiated, detective," she..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm over-radiated, detective," she spurts out. "I do silly things sometimes -- out of pale-related sickness. Like sail over here. The moral of the story is..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm glad to see your *short-term*..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm glad to see your *short-term* memory appears intact. In any case, I wasn't a *teen* anymore, I would have been in my early twenties. I remember a distinctly *vile* disco track..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Not overly so. It's not like this..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Not overly so. It's not like this was the only place we visited -- me and my girlfriends from Ozonne with our shiny boats, like reavers..."


title: You: ""Why did you come here then? To thi..."
dialoguetext: "Why did you come here then? To this jetty?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.ask_about_ruby_in_village"]  and  Variable["pier.joyce_ampathy_nostalgic_for_vilage"]


title: Joyce Messier: ""He's probably dead by now -- even..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He's probably dead by now -- even his shack is long gone... not that it matters. These buildings are all carbon copies of one another."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Do not spend 22 days a year in pal..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_go_ahead_help_evrart_letter", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Do not spend 22 days a year in pale transit, don't waste your twenties slumming it with your stupid friends, and don't deliver Evrart Claire's mail." Her bony finger is pointed like an arrow at your chest...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Are you satisfied, detective? What..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPMinorSetBool("XP.teenage_escapades")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Are you satisfied, detective? What else can you tell me about your *mail delivery quest* for Evrart? Do you think it will *improve* the place?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Full of ghosts and ancient memorie..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Full of ghosts and ancient memories." She smiles. "Has this errand yielded you any... information?"


title: Electrochemistry: "The temperature between her skin an..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.electrochem_numb_twelve", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The temperature between her skin and her hydrophobic raincoat rises, warming the Numb 12 perfume she's imbibed herself with. You have no other option but to say...


title: Electrochemistry: "Below her hydrophobic raincoat, in..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.electrochem_numb_twelve", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Below her hydrophobic raincoat, in the humidity between her skin and the neoprene. And on the silk scarf on her neck, a perfume. You have no other option but to say its name...


title: You: ""Yes. It's not a strike. You aren't..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. It's not a strike. You aren't being let in because there's nothing to negotiate. The Union is taking the terminal."


title: Joyce Messier: ""If they're *taking* it..." She loo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"If they're *taking* it..." She look toward the colourful mountain of crates, like toy blocks rising above Martinaise.


title: Joyce Messier: ""They most certainly are not." Her..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They most certainly are not." Her eyes return to you. "Krenel has a thousand men on their payroll. The next batch will be a platoon of twenty men and a gunship."


title: You: ""He has told me so in his own words..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He has told me so in his own words -- he's taking it. He'll also use the drug trade to finance the harbour."


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Taking* it..." She looks toward t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*Taking* it..." She looks toward the colourful mountain of crates, like toy blocks rising above Martinaise.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Then we're talking about a *war*...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Then we're talking about a *war*. Evrart needs to let me into the harbour at once. We need to talk about this."


title: Joyce Messier: ""An insane goal." Her eyes return t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"An insane goal." Her eyes return to you. "Krenel has a thousand men on their payroll. The next batch will be a platoon of twenty men and a gunship. You can't simply *trick* them."


title: Joyce Messier: ""An insane goal." Her eyes return t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"An insane goal." Her eyes return to you. "Krenel has a thousand men on their payroll. The next batch will be a platoon of twenty men and a gunship, the one after that, a hundred."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I've seen the Union's forces. They..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I've seen the Union's forces. They're better organized than these mercenaries. They also have the support of the people of Revachol West."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""It will take more than Krenel to w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It will take more than Krenel to wipe them out. Wild Pines will need to send more and better-equipped men. Make no mistake, ma'am..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I am sure you have the money. The..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am sure you have the money. The question is how many years and how many lives are you willing to sacrifice?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""You think Krenel is the only contr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You think Krenel is the only contractor Wild Pines employs? They'll only be the start. More will come. The question is how many years and lives will it take?" She falls silent.


title: Joyce Messier: ""They have the support of Revachol..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They have the support of Revachol West. They have the position... this will be a prolonged and bloody conflict. The only question is how long -- and how bloody." She falls silent.


title: Empathy: "Does it matter? Her mind's made up...."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_empathy_amde_up_her_mind", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Does it matter? Her mind's made up. It has been for some time. The choice was whether to *tell* her this. And you've already made it.


title: Rhetoric: "A constrictor knot of contrary moti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A constrictor knot of contrary motives: greed, fear. There may be a way to affect her through these microscopics...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Like the previous leaders of the U..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Like the previous leaders of the Union were assassinated? I suspect by Evrart and Edgar themselves..." She considers it.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I admit there's some *poetry* in t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I admit there's some *poetry* in the idea. And like poetry, it's also useless. There would still be Edgar. They've factored it in. The Union is them and they are Martinaise."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They will last as long as the drug..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They will last as long as the drug trade in Jamrock provides them with support. With all due respect, that will be a long and bloody time."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""One day you will realize you can't..."
sequence: 0
userscript: ReputationLowers("kim")
dialoguetext:
"One day you will realize you can't simply go around saying these things about the citizens we're here to protect."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. Your job is to clean up..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. Your job is to clean up after them. And it looks like there will be a *lot* of cleaning to be done in the near future."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Do you think it's within my author..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Do you think it's within my authority to give it to them? Do you think I can control the board and the shell-shocked mercenaries they've sent?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""There will be no *gloaming*. There..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There will be no *gloaming*. There will be slow, simmering, hideous civil war. The beginnings of a failed state. No rapture, just ugliness."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: "The lieutenant looks at his own wat..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant looks at his own watch and sighs. "Maybe so, detective, but that doesn't mean we're not obliged to try and stop it."


title: Joyce Messier: ""He's right. There will be slow, si..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He's right. There will be slow, simmering, hideous civil war. The beginnings of a failed state. No apocalyptic rapture, just ugliness."


title: Authority: "It is. It is well within her author..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_authority_she_has_power", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
It is. It is well within her authority. It's been clear for some time that this woman is more than she lets on.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Ma'am... This may well unravel pro..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ma'am... This may well unravel property law this side of the river. If that occurs, we may never see the end of this kind of confrontation. The next time there will be two strikes..." He looks toward the harbour. "Then four, then a hundred."


title: You: ""This won't be the last *strike*. T..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This won't be the last *strike*. There'll be another, then another, until the rule of law unravels."


title: Joyce Messier: "The wind blows, waves crash in the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The wind blows, waves crash in the distance. She crosses her arms and asks: "Did I ever tell you how they discovered this isola? During our talks?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Typically arrogant of me.... Absen..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Typically arrogant of me.... Absent-minded as well. Interisolary travel has left holes in my consciousness, I'm afraid."


title: Empathy: "His arm rises for a second, as if h..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
His arm rises for a second, as if he's about to put it on your shoulder. He doesn't, but the intention was there...


title: Joyce Messier: ""It was anything but *normal*. Ther..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It was anything but *normal*. There was no precedent, people thought she was punishing the admirals, or had gone mad, or both..."


title: Rhetoric: "Each of those expeditions would hav..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_blackc_rhet_irenne", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Each of those expeditions would have been led by an admiral. Sounds like a purge. Like she was purging her political rivals.


title: You: ""'After life, death -- after death,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"'After life, death -- after death, life again. After the world, the pale -- after the pale, the world again.'"


title: Joyce Messier: ""A total shift," she nods. "In huma..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A total shift," she nods. "In human comprehension of reality. On the second day, a great skua was shot down, above the flagship Lysergique. The bird was preserved and brought back. Along with pollen."


title: Joyce Messier: "She nods. "There was no precedent f..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She nods. "There was no precedent for such an undertaking. People thought she was punishing the admirals, or had gone mad, or both..."


title: discovery_of_insulinde
dialoguetext: 0
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("village.joyce_heard_joy_tal_about_the_discovery_of_insulinde", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""On Caillou..." She studies your re..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"On Caillou..." She studies your reaction. "The Pebble, the largest of the fertile, uninhabited islands of the northeast Insulindian archipelago. Four centuries and two revolutions later."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The first living, autonomous organ..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The first living, autonomous organism. Proof of reality. It's the symbol of Insulinde, detective, the coat-of-arms of the Suzerain and the wings on the crest of the Commune."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In your defence -- it is a nasty c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In your defence -- it is a nasty creature, who plucks food from the throats of lesser birds. Yet much like Revachol, it is also magnificent. And rare. Imagine the suzerain of seagulls."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The nations of Mundi proceeded to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The nations of Mundi proceeded to discover five more isolae -- or they discovered us -- all in the rush of the great interisolary reconnection..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""But these others weren't uninhabit..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But these others weren't uninhabited. We had to kill people there, wipe out indigenous populations, gunboat economies. Or they came to do the same for us. Or had done to each other. But here..." she spreads her arms.


title: Joyce Messier: ""There was no one but the skua. The..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There was no one but the skua. The Liliacea. And the blood beech and the River Esperance. It was the New New World. The Mondials used it to amass the greatest concentration of wealth mankind has ever seen -- Revachol the Suzerain."


title: Joyce Messier: ""But what was done exactly? Revolut..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But what was done exactly? Revolution, the rise and crash of capital, international intervention..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""The gangs will run wild." The lieu..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The gangs will run wild." The lieutenant keeps his hand in the rain. "Jacking motor carriages, ferrying amphetamines through Coal City. Spring is tough in Revachol."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The age of capital has only begun...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The age of capital has only begun. I will talk to my employers in person. We will amputate and cauterize Martinaise -- if you handle the situation on the ground."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. Mr. Claire has a two-month he..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. Mr. Claire has a two-month head start. I can't let it grow any bigger. And I've exhausted all my options from here."


title: Rhetoric: "You know what this lady needs? Some..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You know what this lady needs? Some political advice. Even though she's a high-powered corporate executive and you're an amnesiac degenerate, you're pretty sure she needs to hear your opinion on this.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""That's right, detective. And next..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's right, detective. And next time you should confer with them before you go setting events in motion."


title: Logic: "Events are already in motion. Wheth..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Events are already in motion. Whether your actions accelerated or momentarily retarded their progress, even the lieutenant cannot really say.


title: Joyce Messier: ""In short, detective, we will revok..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_revoke_the_pigment_standard")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"In short, detective, we will revoke the pigment standard. Your money will no longer need to be black like chitin -- and there will be *so* much more of it."


title: Joyce Messier: ""One last thing, Lieutenant Du Bois..."
sequence: AudioPlay(pier/joyce_on_evrart/joyce-ship-engine-starting-01,1)
dialoguetext:
"One last thing, Lieutenant Du Bois." She starts the engine. "I've given the matter much thought and come to this conclusion: You're not an amnesiac. You're *insane*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm over-exposed, baby. My travels..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("village.joyce_said_shes_pale_radiated", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I'm over-exposed, baby. My travels take me through the pale dozens of times a year. I've got the longing -- and I've got it *bad*." She points to her heart.


title: Joyce Messier: ""The same strict psychological regi..."
userscript: XPMinorSetBool("XP.joyce_keeping_it_together")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The same strict psychological regimen the eighth admiral developed when he crossed the pale and discovered this isola -- the *Volta do Mar*. It's used by interisolary travellers and other troubled souls even to this day."


title: You: ""Goodbye, Rejoyce Leyton." (Conclud..."
dialoguetext: "Goodbye, Rejoyce Leyton." (Conclude.)
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.joyce_vesper_and_rejoyce_seen"] == true  or  Variable["pier.joyce_rejoyce_name_given"] == true


title: Joyce Messier: "She smiles. "Watch out for yourselv..."
dialoguetext: She smiles. "Watch out for yourselves. They will strike soon."
sequence: SemiBlack(true, 2); SemiBlack(false, 2)@3; LuaRun(SetAreaState("JOYCE", "gone"))@2.1
userscript:
SetVariableValue("village.joyce_goodbye", true) ;
SetVariableValue("village.joyce_gone", true) ;
FinishTask("TASK.solve_the_strike_deadlock_done");
CancelTask("TASK.what_does_joyce_cancelled");
CancelTask("TASK.interview_wild_pines_rep_cancelled")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""As your investigation reaches a cl..."
dialoguetext:
"As your investigation reaches a climax, so does theirs. They are your shadow. Arm yourselves. Armour yourselves..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Soon. I do not know precisely. The..."
dialoguetext:
"Soon. I do not know precisely. They have cut off all communication, you see. They know I've been feeding you information."


title: Joyce Messier: ""One last thing, nameless detective..."
sequence: AudioPlay(pier/joyce_on_evrart/joyce-ship-engine-starting-01,1)
dialoguetext:
"One last thing, nameless detective." She starts the engine. "I've given the matter much thought and come to this conclusion: You're not an amnesiac. You're *insane*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""'*Après la vie, la mort*,' they su..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"'*Après la vie, la mort*,' they summarized it for the queen and Dolores Dei; '*Après la mort, la vie encore! Après le monde, le gris. Après le gris, le monde encore!*'"


title: Joyce Messier: ""First, there won't *be* a youth ce..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"First, there won't *be* a youth centre, whatever he's told you or the residents. It'll be something horrific. Perhaps even *worse* than a statue -- so yes, I do."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A *fishery*. I've been speaking wi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A *fishery*. I've been speaking with Lilienne here. She gave me the idea. The infrastructure is all here, and with my connections..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Sadly, it's just one of the millio..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Sadly, it's just one of the million things I'll never get around to. I just have to accept that I'll never be the rich candy-girl who goes around solving people's problems with money."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I disagree. It sounds like a strik..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I disagree. It sounds like a strike brew -- *and* you made them *more* drunk? Aren't they corked enough already?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Weird? Oh no. One of the positive..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Weird? Oh no. One of the positive things to come from the Revolution is the *unhindered* exchange of information, you see, even when it comes to *trade secrets*..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Never mind the details, we've wast..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Never mind the details, we've wasted enough time as it is. What matters is that you *seem* to have got out of it..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Now please, ask me something else..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPStandardSetBool("XP.joyce_broke_loop")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Now please, ask me something else before it happens *again*. Something that *preferably* doesn't include the words *mister* or *Evrart*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""*And* in the process you turned up..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*And* in the process you turned up some information relevant to your investigation. Only from Evrart, surprisingly!"


title: Joyce Messier: ""I should be." She nods -- there's..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I should be." She nods -- there's that crooked smile again. "In my youth I had a brief dalliance here in Martinaise. He was an older man, with impossibly broad shoulders..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""We told ourselves we were the wors..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We told ourselves we were the worst thing to happen to the coast since the Coalition landed in '08. Imagine!" She tosses her head.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""You're wrong, detective. And next..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You're wrong, detective. And next time you should confer with those superiors before you go setting events in motion."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh, come on now! He has his uses -..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh, come on now! He has his uses -- how else would he have stayed in power all these years? Or wait -- actually..." She answers her own question:


title: Joyce Messier: ""Corruption! That's how he's done i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Corruption! That's how he's done it. Fantastic, würm-like corruption reaching into the bowels of the Earth." She looks at the ground and nods.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""The position of my *unusual* colle..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The position of my *unusual* colleague does not reflect official policy. I hope you understand -- the RCM does not pick sides."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course, he must have his practi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course, he must have his practical uses -- how else could he have kept his position all these years... Or wait, actually..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""He *could* have kept it with corru..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He *could* have kept it with corruption! Fantastic, würm-like corruption that reaches into the bowels of the Earth." She looks at the ground and nods in agreement with herself.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course -- and I don't expect yo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course -- and I don't expect you to share anything he told you with me. I am not a *corrupt würm* myself." She turns to you: "However, if you felt like *discussing* something..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course I don't expect you to sh..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course I don't expect you to share anything he told you with me. I'm not a *würm* myself." There's a pause. "But -- if you felt like passing *some* information..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""What?!" She laughs. "I am afraid y..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"What?!" She laughs. "I am afraid you have mis-read the situation, detective. This is not some feudal conflict, it is a negotiation."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""And if it *were* a conflict, the R..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And if it *were* a conflict, the RCM would not pick sides. My colleague's *unusual* approach to police work does not represent the organization at this time."


title: You: ""I've seen him and believe me -- it..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I've seen him and believe me -- it's a conflict. I've picked my side in the coming storm and it's you."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. And I don't expect you..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. And I don't expect you to share anything he told you with me. I'm not a *corrupt würm* myself." There's a pause. "However, if you felt like passing *some* information..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Well, I can't stop you, can I? Jus..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well, I can't stop you, can I? Just understand that I don't *expect* you to share anything he told you with me. I'm not a *corrupt würm* myself." There's a pause. "However, if you felt like passing *some* information..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I don't expect you to share anythi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I don't expect you to share anything he told you with me. I'm not a *corrupt würm* myself." There's a pause. "However, if you felt like passing *some* information..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. *Some* of them, at leas..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. *Some* of them, at least. The ones who work for him -- how else would he have stayed in power all these years... no wait, actually..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. How else would he have..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course. How else would he have stayed in power all these years if it were not for *ethnic nationalism*... or wait..."


title: You: ""There may still be room for anothe..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There may still be room for another bigwig in my life -- in the future. Be on the lookout for a side-shifting class knight."


title: You: ""Yes -- I have *chosen* his side in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes -- I have *chosen* his side in the class war. My loyalty does not have a price and is non-negotiable. Sorry."


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
Variable["pier.joyce_moneybave_smallest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_great"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_small"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_greatest"]  or   Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_middle"]


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["pier.joyce_moneybave_smallest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_great"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_small"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_greatest"]  or   Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_middle"])

conditionstring:
(Variable["pier.joyce_moneybave_smallest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_great"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_small"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_greatest"]  or   Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_middle"]) == false


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["pier.joyce_moneybave_smallest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_great"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_small"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_greatest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_middle"])

conditionstring:
(Variable["pier.joyce_moneybave_smallest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_great"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_small"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_greatest"]  or  Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_middle"]) == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""And here I thought my modest payme..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneybave_smallest"]
dialoguetext:
"And here I thought my modest payment of 30 reál would stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""And here I thought my modest payme..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_great"]
dialoguetext:
"And here I thought my modest payment of 100 reál would stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""And here I thought my modest payme..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_small"]
dialoguetext:
"And here I thought my modest payment of 40 reál would stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""And here I thought my modest payme..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_greatest"]
dialoguetext:
"And here I thought my modest payment of 130 reál would stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Side-shifting? Of course, *that's*..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneybave_smallest"]
dialoguetext:
"Side-shifting? Of course, *that's* why my payment of 30 reál didn't stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Side-shifting? Of course, *that's*..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_great"]
dialoguetext:
"Side-shifting? Of course, *that's* why my payment of 100 reál didn't stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Side-shifting? Of course, *that's*..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_small"]
dialoguetext:
"Side-shifting? Of course, *that's* why my payment of 40 reál didn't stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Side-shifting? Of course, *that's*..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_greatest"]
dialoguetext:
"Side-shifting? Of course, *that's* why my payment of 130 reál didn't stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course," she curtsies slightly...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course," she curtsies slightly. "You are an honourable man -- *way* above the money I could offer, so I won't even try. And of course..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I will. I've *always* wanted a sid..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I will. I've *always* wanted a side-shifting class knight on my side, sir," she curtsies slightly. "Now, of course..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""In all good humour -- that was a d..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In all good humour -- that was a donation. It has been registered and it will yield you no favours." He nods. "Another thing --"


title: Joyce Messier: ""I do not *expect* you to share any..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I do not *expect* you to share anything Evrart told you with me -- not being a corrupt *würm* myself." She pauses. "However, if you felt like passing *some* information..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""...how could I stop you? Are we no..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"...how could I stop you? Are we not human? Are we not *curious* to hear another person's take? It's only natural. We would only be..." she smiles, "gossiping."


title: Volition: "Don't fall for it, it's a ploy to g..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Don't fall for it, it's a ploy to get you talking. The honey-mouthed syllables, the smiling, the conspiratorial jokes, all of it!


title: Conceptualization: "Intellectually speaking... it would..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Intellectually speaking... it would be quite *interesting* to hear what she has to say about these things...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Incredible," she shakes her head...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Incredible," she shakes her head. "Simply incredible -- and how is it going? Has this *detecting* produced a gun?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Thank god -- and indeed *Mr. Evrar..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Thank god -- and indeed *Mr. Evrart* as well. In this investigation one may have *use* for a firearm -- you wouldn't want to get caught with your pants down..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Beyond* curious. I will *choose*..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_turned_down_heat")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"*Beyond* curious. I will *choose* to interpret that as you turning the alcohol in the strike brew *down* -- for the sake of our professional relationship."


title: Joyce Messier: ""And because I don't like the idea..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And because I don't like the idea of them any more drunk than they already are." She nods. "What else?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Stupendous." She takes a little bo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Stupendous." She takes a little bow. "Pulling one on the old würm. Commendably done. And... did this trick  yield anything interesting? I assume it was necessary -- for the case..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Detective, I advise you to be *ver..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Detective, I advise you to be *very* selective with what information you choose to share. This may have consequences beyond our line-of-sight."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Precisely," she smiles. "Don't wor..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_nobody_fucks_with_frittte")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Precisely," she smiles. "Don't worry about that article -- regional papers are useless anyway. You probably spared the man his kneecaps. And *I* can be sure that the local shops have a bone to pick with Evrart." She smiles.


title: Joyce Messier: ""That would explain why the Whirlin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That would explain why the Whirling-in-Rags -- where the Union congregates -- is the *only* bar left open in Martinaise. Well that and Frittte because..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Don't worry about that one article..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.joyce_regional_papers")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Don't worry about that one article, dear -- regional papers are useless anyway. You probably spared the man his kneecaps. And *I* can be sure that the local shops have a bone to pick with Evrart." She smiles.


title: Reaction Speed: "A flash of satisfaction. She can us..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A flash of satisfaction. She can use this, in the future. To turn the tide against Evrart on the streets.


title: You: ""I told him about the mercenary tri..."
dialoguetext: "I told him about the mercenary tribunal -- he didn't seem too worried."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_evrart_wants_war", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
conditionstring:
Variable["cargo.evrart_hes_happy_about_the_tribunal"]  and  Variable["cargo.evrart_logic_hostile_takeover"] == false


title: You: ""I told him a drug trader might be..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["XP.evrart_no_rubys_running_drugs_for_me"]
dialoguetext:
"I told him a drug trader might be somehow involved in the murder. He denied participating in the trade."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Well, of course he would -- that s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well, of course he would -- that still doesn't mean he's not benefiting from the arrangement -- the lorries, the harbour, all of it. It just means he doesn't outright admit to it."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Well, of course he would -- I real..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well, of course he would -- I really hope you and I get to talk about this drug trade matter in the future. The company has been suspecting foul play for years. Anyway..."


title: Drama: "Of course. Politics is showmanship...."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_blackc_drama_escalation", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Of course. Politics is showmanship. He is constantly performing for us... and lying too. I am sorry I don't catch more of his falsehoods, there are just so *many*...


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm over-radiated, detective," she..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm over-radiated, detective," she spurts out. "I do silly things sometimes -- out of pale-related sickness. Like take this job. The moral of the story is..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course, detective," she simmers..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course, detective," she simmers down. "You can always drop by later, should something come up -- now, what else can I do you for?"


title: You: "*Now* say it: "Ma'am, this whole th..."
dialoguetext: *Now* say it: "Ma'am, this whole thing is a takeover."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.deliver_mail_to_fishing_village_done"] == true    and  Variable["cargo.evrart_logic_hostile_takeover"]  and  Variable["pier.joyce_tried_to_say_takeover_once"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.ask_about_ruby_in_village"]


title: Joyce Messier: ""And here I thought my modest payme..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_middle"] == true
dialoguetext:
"And here I thought my modest payment of 70 reál would stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Side-shifting? Of course, *that's*..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_moneygave_middle"] == true
dialoguetext:
"Side-shifting? Of course, *that's* why my payment of 70 reál didn't stick..." She shakes her head in mock regret.


title: Drama: "Could it be all my fellows have fai..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_interfacing_loop_interrupt", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Could it be all my fellows have failed? Alack and alas, sire! Forgive me! I shall do my best to end this pantomime...


title: Inland Empire: "...is what you're about to say when..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_inland_warning_end", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
...is what you're about to say when a cold streak runs through your heart. Once said, there's no going back, Harry.


title: Inland Empire: "Yes. What if something happens to h..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Yes. What if something happens to her and you've left *one* question un-asked. Sneaky little question escaped your eye.


title: Composure: "Not even a flinch. That must take w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Not even a flinch. That must take willpower. Yet below it, some little crack starts running in the foundation.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I hope she wasn't a serious suspec..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I hope she wasn't a serious suspect then -- as to the suicide -- that must be *difficult*. Yet, in your line of work..." She tilts her head.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Naturally. I completely understand..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Naturally. I completely understand. But... you mentioned something about Mr. Claire? Or something in conjunction with the Union even? I might have gotten the wrong idea, but..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""But -- I won't pry further about t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But -- I won't pry further about the case. You mentioned something about Mr. Claire, I believe? Or something in conjunction with the Union? I might have gotten the wrong idea, but..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh, we humans just like to discuss..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh, we humans just like to discuss things -- it's absolutely normal. I won't pry further. If anything regarding the Union has come up..." She raises a brow. "They won't talk to *me*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Unfortunate." She shakes her head...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Unfortunate." She shakes her head. "I won't pry further into the details of your investigation, but let me just say -- I have *full* trust in your competence."


title: Joyce Messier: ""This thing is what you call a..."..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This thing is what you call a..." she pronounces the word with sudden carelessness: "*clusterfuck*. I am saddened to hear the news, of course. But we must continue. Lest the situation worsens."


title: Joyce Messier: ""And you too, lieutenant," she turn..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And you too, lieutenant," she turns to him and stresses: "The situation is perilous, but I am *sure* you're dedicated to avoiding further loss of life. Unlike the Union, who won't even let me talk to them."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The company did not 'send mercenar..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The company did not 'send mercenaries after the Union'. I told you, in great detail, about the mistakes my side made. And of course I accept them completely."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I just hope you don't share Evrart..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I just hope you don't share Evrart's view on things. After all, as he said: one's *dead* now. The Pines certainly hasn't killed any of theirs."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Hurry up on that probe. The moment..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hurry up on that probe. The moment you tell me you're finished at the traffic jam, I will *gladly* tell you the company's side of the story."


title: Empathy: "She was *worried* for a moment. Tha..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She was *worried* for a moment. That she's overplayed her hand by not sharing info sooner. Then she settles down, curious to hear more.


title: Suggestion: "She's sentimental all right. You do..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She's sentimental all right. You don't know enough about her to find out why exactly. She will keep her secrets for now.


title: Joyce Messier: "She nods. "It may be the only *brea..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She nods. "It may be the only *break* we've ever caught as a species. The last one for four hundred years."


title: Esprit de Corps: "With worry in his eyes. He does not..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
With worry in his eyes. He does not know if it was the right thing to do. But he doesn't say anything.


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["TASK.get_reality_lowdown"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.get_reality_lowdown_done"] == false)

conditionstring:
(Variable["TASK.get_reality_lowdown"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.get_reality_lowdown_done"] == false) == false


title: Endurance: "Your stomach gurgles... something t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Your stomach gurgles... something tells you that your chance to track down the reality rhizome has left. Better return to Measurehead, see what he has to say.

userscript:
CancelTask("TASK.return_to_mhead_once_you_understand_reality_cancelled");
GainTask("TASK.return_to_measurehead_after_joyce_left");
SetVariableValue("plaza.joyce_fascha_dq_endurance_too_late_reality_now_must_get_from_headmeasure", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Rhetoric: "Can you not detect that inimitable..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Can you not detect that inimitable whiff of dissatisfaction and restlessness, that sense that the world is in need of dramatic, even violent re-ordering?


title: Perception (Smell): "The first thing that strikes you is..."
sequence: FocusCamera(Pier_Cam);
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.orb_perc_smelled_pier", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The first thing that strikes you is the overwhelming brine. You imagine yourself underwater, a hundred-legged arthropod scuttling along the murky silt at the bottom of the sea...


title: Perception (Smell): "But then the unmistakable reek of *..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
But then the unmistakable reek of *seagull shit* hits you, buoyed along on the air currents, an acrid melody atop mouldering chords of wood rot and heavy fuel oil.


title: Perception (Smell): "Nothing. Or at least, nothing in pa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Nothing. Or at least, nothing in particular. As far as you're concerned, your nose seems to be purely decorative.


title: Perception (Smell): "It smells like a pier, in other wor..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It smells like a pier, in other words. A completely ordinary pier, that provokes no ideological associations whatsoever.


title: Rhetoric: "Absolute rubbish. Your politico-olf..."
sequence: FocusCamera(Cindy_Cam);
dialoguetext:
Absolute rubbish. Your politico-olfactory cortex doesn't deceive you. The smell is coming... from that balcony over there!


title: Rhetoric: "Without a doubt. Your politico-olfa..."
sequence: FocusCamera(Cindy_Cam);
dialoguetext:
Without a doubt. Your politico-olfactory cortex doesn't deceive you. The smell is coming... from that balcony over there!


title: Rhetoric: "Certainement! A precocious communis..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.orb_rhetoric_communist_finished", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Certainement! A precocious communist youth, a symbol of a kinder, more hopeful future. Now's your chance to *establish contact* with your revolutionary brothers and sisters.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I'm struggling to see the connecti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm struggling to see the connection with our investigation, but I'm sure *all will be revealed* in time."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""You do remember that we're investi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You do remember that we're investigating a *murder*, yes? I would appreciate it if you reserved your political projects for after-hours."


title: Rhetoric: "The lieutenant lacks your highly de..."
sequence: FocusCamera(Cindy_Cam);
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant lacks your highly developed politico-olfactory cortex. The smell is undeniable. And it's coming... from that balcony up there!


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Well, I'll be over here when you'v..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well, I'll be over here when you've finished." The lieutenant nudges a piece of trash with his foot.


title: Savoir Faire: "The lieutenant's right. It's sort o..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The lieutenant's right. It's sort of amazing how *un-subtly* you're sniffing the air around you, almost like you're *trying* to call attention to yourself.


title: Rhetoric: "What the lieutenant thinks is irrel..."
sequence: FocusCamera(Cindy_Cam);
dialoguetext:
What the lieutenant thinks is irrelevant. Your politico-olfactory cortex is lighting up like a holiday display. The scent of communism is overwhelming, and it's coming right... from that balcony over there!


title: Savoir Faire: "The dishevelled hair, cheap clothes..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The dishevelled hair, cheap clothes, slumping posture that suggests an unearned sense of superiority...


title: Savoir Faire: "Seems to be one of those conceptual..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Seems to be one of those conceptual types... not good. If we proceed cautiously we might get something tangible out of her.


title: Savoir Faire: "Yes, this seems to be one of those..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Yes, this seems to be one of those *conceptual* types... not good. If we proceed cautiously we might get something tangible out of her.


title: Savoir Faire: "It's all there if you know how to r..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It's all there if you know how to read people. Commanders of the streets like me have it down to a tee. I'll teach you. Listen up...


title: Savoir Faire: "Straight into a bullring with no pr..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Straight into a bullring with no prep talk? No-no-no. It's your first sales negotiation, Savvy's gotta give you the do-s and don't-s.


title: Savoir Faire: "The *artisto*. Now hold up, you can..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The *artisto*. Now hold up, you can't go into a bullring without a prep talk. It's baby's first sales negotiation after all! Savvy's gotta give you the do-s and don't-s.


title: Pain Threshold: "That's a pathetic-looking *bull*. W..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
That's a pathetic-looking *bull*. Where are the sharpened horns ready to puncture your gristle? There's no real danger here.


title: Drama: "Rehearsal helps fine tune a perform..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Rehearsal helps fine tune a performance. Learn your lines so they can flow out of you like Herc Zeitung's legendary soliloquy in 'Hoppla, jetzt komm ich!'!


title: Savoir Faire: "Artistos are known to *repel* wealt..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Artistos are known to *repel* wealth. It bounces off their skin like rubber. The moment a reasonable business proposal enters their periphery, they go and get 'political'.


title: Savoir Faire: "What you need to do is lure them in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
What you need to do is lure them in with a strong one-liner -- get them on your side before you've even finished a sentence. Show us what you've got -- pretend you're facing the SKULL-girl!


title: Savoir Faire: "What is this, a dating agency? Are..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.artist_guessed_wrong_once", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
What is this, a dating agency? Are you looking for a Pretty Young Thing to sponsor? Never mix business and pleasure -- *never*.


title: Savoir Faire: "Holy-moly, are we being arrested he..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.artist_guessed_wrong_once", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Holy-moly, are we being arrested here?! Only tax inspectors and debt collectors speak like that. You don't want to start your business relationship with the wrong vibe.


title: Electrochemistry: "Counterpoint! What if pleasure *is*..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Counterpoint! What if pleasure *is* your business? Gigolos make bank *and* get that wet-wet. It's never too late to change careers...


title: Savoir Faire: "Mamma mia, if this isn't the Top Se..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Mamma mia, if this isn't the Top Seller in La Delta! No one expected you to nail this on the *first* try -- *congratulazioni*!


title: Savoir Faire: "What you need to do is lure them in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
What you need to do is lure them in with a strong one-liner -- get them on your side before you've even finished a sentence. Show us what you've got -- pretend you're facing the girl!


title: You: "(Whip out your finger pistols and b..."
conditionstring: IsTHCPresent("finger_pistols")
dialoguetext:
(Whip out your finger pistols and bang them in the sky.) It's your lucky day! I'm in the market for some original *art* by the crème de la crème.

sequence:
FocusCamera(Cindy_Cam2); TravelTo(Tequila Sunset, Cindy_Marker); PlayAnimation(Tequila Sunset,fgun)@4; PlayAnimation(Tequila Sunset,end)@4;


title: Joyce Messier: ""Joyce L. Messier. I represent the..."
dialoguetext:
"Joyce L. Messier. I represent the board of Wild Pines -- the owners of the harbour. You must be from the RCM..." She steps closer and holds out her hand over the railing.


title: Joyce Messier: ""None taken, officer." They exchang..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_curious_once", true) ;--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"None taken, officer." They exchange a brief handshake. "Either way, I'm glad you're both here now."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I was dispatched to handle a strik..."
dialoguetext:
"I was dispatched to handle a strike, not a lynching. Anything I can do to assist the RCM in this matter, I will, gladly."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You're back. Good." She looks at t..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_special_greeting_done_rain", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"You're back. Good." She looks at the ripples on the water's surface. "What can I help you with -- not an umbrella, I hope. I don't need one myself, you see..." She pats her wet raincoat.


title: You: ""You seem smart, I need someone to..."
dialoguetext: "You seem smart, I need someone to give me a low-down on this... *reality* we're in."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.joyce_wise_sounding"]  and  Variable["TASK.get_reality_lowdown"]  and  Variable["pier.joyce_realityhub_reached"] == false


title: You: ""You seem rich. Can I have some mon..."
dialoguetext: "You seem rich. Can I have some money?"
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("reputation.ask_for_money", Variable["reputation.ask_for_money"] +once(1))
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.joyce_vol_white_uncovered"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.pay_for_the_damages"]  and  Variable["TASK.pay_for_the_damages_done"] == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""Joyce L. Messier. I represent the..."
dialoguetext:
"Joyce L. Messier. I represent the board of Wild Pines -- the owners of the harbour. You gentlemen must be from the RCM..." She steps closer and holds out her hand over the railing.


title: Joyce Messier: ""The information I'm to share with..."
sequence: 0
userscript: FinishTask("TASK.interview_wild_pines_rep_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The information I'm to share with you includes sensitive trade secrets. For the sake of my employer, I have to ask for your name and badge number."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Of course, ma'am. We should have i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course, ma'am. We should have introduced ourselves..." The lieutenant hands her a piece of blue plastic. "I'm Lieutenant Kitsuragi, from Precinct 57..."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""And this is my colleague from Prec..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_kim_said_no_name", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"And this is my colleague from Precinct 41." He points to you. "I'm afraid he doesn't have his badge at the moment. I hope mine will suffice."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""And this is my colleague from Prec..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And this is my colleague from Precinct 41, Detective Du Bois." He points to you. "I'm afraid Harry doesn't have his badge at the moment. I hope mine will suffice."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course there are." She looks ar..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course there are." She looks around. "We are on an archipelago. How else are you supposed to get around?"

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_civilian_boat_traffic", true) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_wise_sounding", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Encyclopedia: "Technically, the neighbouring Ozonn..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_cyclo_caillou_island", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Technically, the neighbouring Ozonne and Face-à-La-Mer island groups are archipelagos, while Le Caillou, by contrast, is a single, fertile land mass, the fourth largest island in the world. It is not an archipelago.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Okay." She gives you a crooked smi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Okay." She gives you a crooked smile. "If you want to get technical. The point is we're *all* on islands here. And sail is still the most expedient way to get from one island to another. Especially when you're in a hurry to resolve a *strike*."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_smarty_pants", true) ; XPPicoSetBool("XP.technically_one_island")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Actually," the lieutenant becomes..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Actually," the lieutenant becomes defensive, "that motor carriage has been specially issued to serve as a patrol and *pursuit* vehicle."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Neither is this." The woman pats t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Neither is this." The woman pats the cabin hardtop. "A toy, I mean. It's a machine for crossing long distances in the bay of Revachol. Between the city and the islands."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No matter *whose* it is. A motor c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No matter *whose* it is. A motor carriage is just a tool. You need it to do your job -- as I do mine. It's just a means of getting where you need to go."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Hmm, I suppose that one *does* hav..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hmm, I suppose that one *does* have a rather loud electrical engine." She does not quite understand what you meant. "A specific drone. In any case...."


title: Joyce Messier: ""What a surprise," she says, not th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_mc_heard", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"What a surprise," she says, not the least bit surprised. "That is one disadvantage of a motor carriage relative to a sloop like this one." The sloop bobs gently in the water.


title: !(Variable["coast.sunken_dialogue_done"] and Variable["pier.joyce_said_not_yours_kineema"])
dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
conditionstring:
(Variable["coast.sunken_dialogue_done"]  and  Variable["pier.joyce_said_not_yours_kineema"]) == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""I just renewed its safety inspecti..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_regatta_heard", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I just renewed its safety inspection last month, officer. It is completely seaworthy. In fact, it's taken part in not one, but *two* Insulindic regattas, and finished once."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""It is a little known fact among th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.wayfarer_act", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It is a little known fact among those who *police* that the Wayfarer Act specifically denies the RCM the authority to demand anyone's operator license."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The other time I *would* have fini..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The other time I *would* have finished the race were it not for an urgent work matter, much like the one I'm on now."


title: Encyclopedia: "The Wayfarer Act is one of the few..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_cyclo_wayfarer", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The Wayfarer Act is one of the few pieces of legislation governing human interaction in the Revachol Zone of Control, along with the Emergency Trade and Aliments Acts.


title: Encyclopedia: "It's one of the foundational laws i..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.wayfarer_act", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
It's one of the foundational laws in Revachol, designed to limit the authority of local institutions. Part of it prohibits the RCM from requesting most documents and licenses without permission from a Coalition representative...


title: Encyclopedia: "The one time this busted up cabbage..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The one time this busted up cabbage has something useful for your *job* you just want to stare at some boat. Fine. Knock yourself out.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course." She searches the pocke..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course." She searches the pockets of her raincoat, producing a bundle of documents in a sealed plastic bag.


title: Suggestion: "The graciousness of her response ma..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The graciousness of her response makes you feel glad you didn't hassle her about her papers for no reason.


title: Joyce Messier: "The woman is silent, smiling while..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_vesper_and_rejoyce_seen", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The woman is silent, smiling while the waves lap against the hull. In your hand, under the plastic -- a light blue passport saying *REPUBLIC OF VESPER*. The coat of arms has a lion and an ostrich, sejant.


title: Joyce Messier: "The woman -- born in the year 3 in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The woman -- born in the year 3 in the Commune of Revachol -- smiles at you, face adorned with frown lines and crow's feet. The photo is recent. The name reads Rejoyce Leyton-Messier.


title: Encyclopedia: "The Republic of Vesper, formerly th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.vesper", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
The Republic of Vesper, formerly the Republic of Vesper-Messina, was once a dual kingdom. An amicable parting of ways produced two constitutional monarchies. Vesper, the richer of the two, is an Occidental nation known for its proximity to the pale and its exotic financial derivatives.


title: Encyclopedia: "It is a stable country, and yet the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It is a stable country, and yet there has always been something *ominous* about its perfect stability, its place at the edge of the Mundi isola, overlooking the Ubi Sunt? isles fracturing into the Great Unrest of the pale.


title: Shivers: "A breeze ripples through the sails..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_elchem_dora", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
A breeze ripples through the sails and tugs at your hair. Below, the sleek, fishlike shape of the hull parts the water. Beneath that -- a resounding darkness. You're reminded of something, or some*one*...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Hmm. Well, it means nothing to me...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Hmm. Well, it means nothing to me. I think I'll stick with the factory name. But thank you for the suggestion."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""I'm enjoying this part of the inte..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_kim_murderstrike_said", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I'm enjoying this part of the interview -- it has *so* little to do with the murder we're investigating."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Surely you're aware that under the..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.wayfarer_act", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Surely you're aware that under the Wayfarer Act the RCM doesn't have the authority to demand anyone's operator license. Freedom of movement and all that."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Then certainly you must know that..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.wayfarer_act", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Then certainly you must know that under the Wayfarer Act the RCM doesn't have the authority to demand anyone's operator license. Freedom of movement and all that."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You may still ask to see my passpo..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.right_to_ask_passport", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"You may still ask to see my passport," she says, trying to strike a conciliatory tone. "*That* I'm obliged to share with you."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh my, the *E-word*." She crosses..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh my, the *E-word*." She crosses her arms. "You mean to say that it's a symbol of *conspicuous consumption*? That I'm a member of the ruling class."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Detective, may I remind you that M..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Detective, may I remind you that Mrs. Messier is a *professional negotiator*?" He doesn't look like he thinks you'll best her in single combat.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Think nothing of it, officer." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Think nothing of it, officer." She runs her hand along the fibreglass cabin. "What's a little *class conflict* between friends?"


title: Reaction Speed: "Uhm..."
dialoguetext: Uhm...
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_irregular_question", true) ; SetVariableValue("village.joyce_weird_boat_reaction_failure", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""That is good to hear, madam." He o..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_kim_medical_condition", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"That is good to hear, madam." He opens his notebook. "My colleague will take the lead on this interview. I should let you know that he's recovering from an *unusual* medical episode -- *very* unusual -- but I can assure you of his ultimate competency."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You mean *eel's hips* -- but point..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.reveal_the_boat_discrepancy")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"You mean *eel's hips* -- but point taken. I am a bourgeois woman and this is my fast, light, interminably bourgeois boat."


title: Joyce Messier: ""My..." she inspects the motion. "I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"My..." she inspects the motion. "It's as if there is *a tiny spinner* on the side of his head, and he's *reeling* thoughts out."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I can see your hand is getting tir..."
sequence: 0
userscript: DamageVolition(1)
dialoguetext:
"I can see your hand is getting tired now -- there is no need to continue. No one is keeping score."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No worries." She takes another sip..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No worries." She takes another sip. "We can just go back to discussing my fast, large, interminably middle class boat."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It was *quite* a while ago, but I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It was *quite* a while ago, but I think..." she looks around. "Yes. We were discussing my fast, large, ineluctably middle class boat."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course." She bows slightly. "Yo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course." She bows slightly. "You have my full cooperation -- and the cooperation of the Wild Pines Group."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You stood there for the longest ti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You stood there for the longest time! And it looked like you were having trouble forming a sentence."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh, dear, that *is* serious. If th..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_left_angry", false) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Oh, dear, that *is* serious. If this is in any way dangerous for your health, we can always resume our conversation later."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Don't worry. He'll be *fine*. It's..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Don't worry. He'll be *fine*. It's all part of his unusual medical condition." He opens his notebook. "Continue, please. He has questions."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Don't worry. He'll be *fine*. It's..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Don't worry. He'll be *fine*. It's all related to his unusual medical episode." He opens his notebook. "Continue, please. He has questions."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Drinking less sounds like a great..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_full_cooperation")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Drinking less sounds like a great start!" She nods approvingly, but without condescension. "Go on -- you have my full cooperation."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Such a tough guy." She gives you a..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_full_cooperation")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Such a tough guy." She gives you a crooked smile. "You have my full cooperation, tough guy -- and that of the Wild Pines Group."


title: Joyce Messier: ""First you'd have to repeal the Eme..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"First you'd have to repeal the Emergencies Act of Trade and Aliments that gives me the right to silence. It's quite the octopus."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Why, by throwing off half a centur..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Why, by throwing off half a century of foreign domination under the Coalition! Unfortunately for you, the Coalition also leases you the right to police West Revachol..."


title: Encyclopedia: "The octopus that straddles Revachol..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The octopus that straddles Revachol. The *Emergencies Act* is the cornerstone of post-war Revachol, inseparable from the world it created.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Good luck -- It's only kept in pla..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Good luck -- It's only kept in place by the vested interests of half the civilized world, including your own."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Heavens, no. There have been *two*..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Heavens, no. There have been *two* prior strikes. Both times the Union won significant concessions -- including overtime pay *and* a medical plan. This time their demands are more... I guess you could say *aggressive*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I wasn't the original negotiator h..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I wasn't the original negotiator here. I took over after Mr. Gaumont hit a wall with Mr. Claire, the Union boss. Mr. Claire refused to speak with Gaumont, despite *concessions* he'd granted the Union in prior negotiations."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I believe the official title is Se..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I believe the official title is Senior Labour Negotiator. In practice I'm a grocery clerk. I relay the Union's demands to Wild Pines, and return with Wild Pines' counter-offer..."


title: You: ""Oh, you mean Measurehead?""
dialoguetext: "Oh, you mean Measurehead?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["gates.mhead_introhub_reached"] == true  and  IsTHCPresent("advanced_race_theory") == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""They're *nonsense*, a load of trip..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They're *nonsense*, a load of tripe." She tosses back her hair. "But we were on the subject of the talks I believe."


title: Joyce Messier: ""What can I say? The Union employs..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"What can I say? The Union employs a giant covered in tattoos." She pauses. "A racist giant. I guess that's part of their *big tent* organization now."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I arrived three weeks ago..." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I arrived three weeks ago..." She thinks. "Yes, in the middle of February -- the bay was still partially frozen then. I prefer to do these things on-site. Like the RCM."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They're *not*. That's the problem...."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("gates.measurehead_heard_of", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"They're *not*. That's the problem. The Union stopped all negotiations a week ago. After that awful lynching took place."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""What the ma'am means is that the E..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.rcm_authority", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"What the ma'am means is that the Emergencies Act and the RCM both get their authority from the Coalition Government."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am glad you see it that way. To..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am glad you see it that way. To repeal the act would mean *repealing* the Coalition government. The one that leases you the right to police West Revachol..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm afraid the Emergencies Act was..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.rcm_authority", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I'm afraid the Emergencies Act was put in place by the same Coalition government that leases the RCM the right to police West Revachol."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I imagine a man like you can take..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_shooting_self_in_foot")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I imagine a man like you can take quite the *lashing*." She sizes you up. "But I believe we were talking about the *strike*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Fortunately they explained it. Eve..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.union_members_amount", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Fortunately they explained it. Every time the Wild Pines Group makes a decision -- about *anything* -- it needs the signature of *each* of the 2,200 workers in its Martinaise terminal."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In its defence, another said *DEMA..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In its defence, another said *DEMAND DEMOCRACY*. Pretty tame stuff compared to *EVERY WORKER -- A MEMBER OF THE BOARD*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's quite simple, you see. Every..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.union_members_amount", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It's quite simple, you see. Every time the Wild Pines Group makes a decision -- about, what? About *anything* really -- it needs the signature of *each* of the 2,200 workers in its Martinaise terminal."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Just so you understand, this is bu..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Just so you understand, this is but one of *twenty-two* terminals owned by Wild Pines. Essentially -- not only are they *kings* of the company, they are also kings of the 72,000 employees of Wild Pines Group."


title: Joyce Messier: ""So I hoped." She nods. "But this t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"So I hoped." She nods. "But this type of opening is usually followed by a more reasonable offer. I have yet to hear one, just the same nonsensical slogan repeated over and over again..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm not sure. Naturally I assumed..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_creaking_route", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I'm not sure. Naturally I assumed that was just their opening position, a hard-nosed tactic with a side of mockery. But there's been no follow up, just the same nonsensical slogan repeated over and over again..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That may well be. It's not up to m..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That may well be. It's not up to me to decide who is king. But as negotiations go -- it's not a swell start."


title: Joyce Messier: ""They are having a blast -- but how..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They are having a blast -- but how can they *afford* it? After four months my assumption was they would prefer a more *practical* solution."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Pines' *core competency* is lo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Pines' *core competency* is logistics -- container shipping, freight, that sort of thing." She points to the small dots on the horizon. "See those airships there, blinking? Those are the shipping side of things..."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_wise_sounding", true) ; SetVariableValue("tc.wild_pines", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Excuse me," the lieutenant looks u..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Excuse me," the lieutenant looks up from his notes, "From whom did you *hear* about this lynching?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""I first heard it from the *boia* a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I first heard it from the *boia* at the gates,” her reply comes quick, “the one who's very name advertises his aversion to work. I think he said it was *Call Me Mañana*."


title: Logic: "No, wait. The chief negotiator hear..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_logic_infochannels", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
No, wait. The chief negotiator heard it from a man at the gates? Surely the Wild Pines Group has more effective channels of information. After all, 2,200 people are on strike -- this is a big deal for them.


title: Joyce Messier: "...then to the east, toward the har..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
...then to the east, toward the harbour: "And that is the terminal. Another subdivision deals with energy -- oil and gas exploration. Offshore platforms."


title: Encyclopedia: "The Wild Pines Group is one of the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
The Wild Pines Group is one of the original Revacholian *indotribes* -- companies awarded royal monopolies by the king (the suzerain) himself, centuries ago. The king is long gone, but several of the indotribes remain.

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_cyclo_wildpines", true) ; SetVariableValue("tc.indotribe", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""They started as an exploration and..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_why_martinaise", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"They started as an exploration and cargo fleet conducting trade between the Samaran and Insulindian isolas -- 250 years ago, when Pines' ships explored the South-Semenese and charted Lo Manthang on behalf of the suzerain."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm not at liberty to discuss the..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_billions_heard", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I'm not at liberty to discuss the company balance sheet, but I *can* tell you that last year the company booked more than 20 billion reál in revenue."


title: Joyce Messier: ""And to think -- there are years wh..."
sequence: AudioPlay(pier/joyce_intro/wave-hitting-board-01,0.7)
dialoguetext:
"And to think -- there are years when the group books *losses* in the billions..." A wave hits the sloop, she grasps the mainstay for balance.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Twenty billion is a large number,..."
sequence: AudioPlay(pier/joyce_intro/wave-hitting-board-01,0.7)
dialoguetext:
"Twenty billion is a large number, but the conglomerate employs 72,000 people. They all need to be paid. Then there are capital improvements, interest payments..." A wave hits the sloop, she grasps the mainstay for balance.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Centuries of care, deliberation --..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Centuries of care, deliberation -- and *madness* -- have gone into this endeavour. Vessels pass through the Great Unrest to re-emerge with apricots in tow. The logic of the system is totalizing... It's taken *everything* from its employees to build it."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, past a certain point numbers..."
sequence: AudioPlay(pier/joyce_intro/wave-hitting-board-01,0.7)
dialoguetext:
"Yes, past a certain point numbers begin to seem *imaginary*. But they are quite real for the 72,000 employees who depend on Wild Pines for their pay checks..."


title: Joyce Messier: "She nods, forcefully: "There are no..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainThought("wild_pines")
dialoguetext:
She nods, forcefully: "There are no minor cogs in the system. Each terminal must be accounted for, lest the entire system break. Every hiccup in such a system means thousands lose their jobs -- the world over. I'm here to assure that doesn't happen."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A conglomerate the size of Wild Pi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A conglomerate the size of Wild Pines is like a shark -- if it stops moving and growing it will die. Then what becomes of those 72,000 families? It is a tremendous responsibility."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A conglomerate the size of the Wil..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A conglomerate the size of the Wild Pines is like a shark -- if it stops moving it will die. Then what becomes of those 72,000 families? It's a tremendous responsibility."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Wild Pines employs 72,000 people,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Wild Pines employs 72,000 people, all of whom have families that depend on their salaries. It is a tremendous responsibility."


title: Joyce Messier: ""All the best parts of it. Rue de S..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"All the best parts of it. Rue de Saint-Ghislaine with its bastions, the plaza's Meteoran mosaic. Even some of the old street lamps have been put back thanks to investments from the WP." She points behind you where the seawall rises.


title: Joyce Messier: ""You know more than you let on." Sh..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You know more than you let on." She takes a sip and looks you over afresh. "Certainly it helped, but most of the original indotribes have failed or been absorbed. To survive Wild Pines had to grow and adapt. No suzerain did that."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You mean aside from being the term..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You mean aside from being the terminal's legal owners?" She gives you a little smile. "Who are responsible for moving *eight* percent of the world's cargo?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Before Martinaise was swallowed by..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Before Martinaise was swallowed by the industrial harbour, even before it was part of Revachol -- long before Terminal B was erected here -- the Pines built it as a resort for its Revacholian employees."


title: Joyce Messier: ""A company getaway. For a weekend o..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPTinySetBool("XP.who_built_martinaise")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"A company getaway. For a weekend or a summer holiday. Then came the Revolution, but that's another matter..." She takes a sip. "I'm here to make sure the Pines can fulfil their responsibilities to the place they *built*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course not. Evrart is *fantasti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course not. Evrart is *fantastically* corrupt. I imagine he has a thick, viscous goo where you and I have blood."


title: Joyce Messier: ""He is the most corrupt individual..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"He is the most corrupt individual I have ever seen. And I deal with men like him for a living. If there is anyone more venal, more irredeemably nepotistic -- then it's his twin brother, Edgar."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. Edgar looks *exactly* like hi..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.edgar_claire", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Yes. Edgar looks *exactly* like his brother, except for that lazy eye. He also *talks* exactly like Evrart does. And when one's term as foreman is up, the other takes over."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's how they circumvent the term..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's how they circumvent the term limits, you see. With a funny little *switcharoo*. While in office they've embezzled god knows *how* much of their workers' dues."


title: Hand/Eye Coordination: "If you were to prick him with somet..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_he_rapier", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
If you were to prick him with something sharp you could see it oozing out -- a knife, maybe? No -- a rapier!


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh heavens no! We get along just f..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh heavens no! We get along just fine... Yet now that you mention it, I can't stop imagining that black treacle... Just dribbling down his double chin..." She stops and smiles.


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Débardeurs' Union was once a p..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Débardeurs' Union was once a perfectly normal institution. Twenty years ago, anyway. It must *not* have been easy to establish under the Emergency Act, but they did it. I can respect that."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Edgar looks *exactly* like his bro..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.edgar_claire", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Edgar looks *exactly* like his brother, except for that lazy eye. He also *talks* exactly like Evrart does. And when one's term as foreman is up, the other takes over."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""A mob," the lieutenant says succin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A mob," the lieutenant says succinctly. "The Débardeurs are a crime syndicate. Sad as it may be, we're forced to cooperate with them."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Organized labour at its best, as t..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_intro_evrart_happened", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Organized labour at its best, as they say. Then something happened in the local chapter elections. The Brothers Claire came and transformed it into a... how do you say?" She hesitates, looking for the right expression.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Refreshingly honest, officer." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Refreshingly honest, officer." She nods. "The company has tried appeasing in the past, but I'm afraid our concessions have only emboldened Evrart and his brother." She turns to you:


title: Joyce Messier: ""Thank you for being candid," she n..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Thank you for being candid," she nods. "Sadly, Wild Pines have cooperated with what amounts to a crime syndicate for two decades. However much you feed the wolf -- the wolf always hungers."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Or a mob." She nods. "Sadly, Wild..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Or a mob." She nods. "Sadly, Wild Pines have cooperated with what amounts to a crime syndicate for two decades. However much you feed the wolf -- the wolf always hungers."


title: You: ""Between Evrart the Human Leech and..."
sequence: 0
userscript: ReputationGrows("communist")
dialoguetext:
"Between Evrart the Human Leech and Measurehead, this Union sounds like a *motley crew*. I'm into it." (Wink.)


title: You: ""Talking in aesthetic categories is..."
sequence: 0
conditionstring: Variable["pier.joyce_rhet_corruption"]
userscript: ReputationGrows("communist")
dialoguetext:
"Talking in aesthetic categories is the privilege of the overclass. From what I've seen -- most people are just trying to survive."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Well..." She looks across the bay,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well..." She looks across the bay, trying to find the words. "I suppose that's *one* way to look at it -- they're an interesting composition, albeit vile. But enough about Evrart -- what else can I do for you?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ha!" She lets out a loud cackle. "..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ha!" She lets out a loud cackle. "I suppose you are, officer. *All*-Revachol. But enough about Evrart -- what else can I tell you about?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Point taken." She falls silent. Th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Point taken." She falls silent. The crow's feet in the corner of her eye deepen. She looks to the city behind you, then to the coast. "But enough about Evrart -- what else can I do for you?"


title: Empathy: "Worry lines crease her forehead, bu..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Worry lines crease her forehead, but it's more than worry. In her eyes, a hint of... is that *guilt*?


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course." She grabs the mainstay..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course." She grabs the mainstay and leans toward you. "But before we do, officer -- let me be perfectly clear..."


title: Drama: "'Twas stolen by some *artist*, sure..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_drama_artists", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
'Twas stolen by some *artist*, surely. Best to pin the blame on them. Everyone *knows* you can't trust artists.


title: Joyce Messier: ""The situation is *extremely* volat..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_looking_for_badge_for_lynch", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The situation is *extremely* volatile. The sooner we can speak about this lynching business, the better for all of us."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Pleased to meet you, lieutenant,"..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Pleased to meet you, lieutenant," she inspects the piece of blue plastic, the faded green pearls of her eyes scanning left to right.


title: Joyce Messier: "She hands it back to you: "It is a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She hands it back to you: "It is a relief to see a double-yefreitor here. The situation is precarious to say the least. It needs a quick solution, or we will have a blood bath on our hands."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_harrier", true) ; XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_showed_your_badge")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: You: ""I'd rather not get into it, but ye..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'd rather not get into it, but yes: a bunch of clowns -- and some *arlecchinos* -- stole my badge."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I don't, in fact." She shakes her..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I don't, in fact." She shakes her head. "I'm afraid what I need to tell you is wholly unrelated to art. I really need to discuss it, however. With the RCM -- and I need your badge for that."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Some *arlecchinos* you say?" She s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Some *arlecchinos* you say?" She shakes her head. "I'm afraid what I need to tell you is anything but *fun* I really need to discuss it, however. With the RCM -- and I need your badge for that."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I... see..." She looks increasingl..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I... see..." She looks increasingly worried. "So are you saying you *lost* your badge during the course of this *episode*?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh, *dear*..." she sighs with conf..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_amnesia_known", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Oh, *dear*..." she sighs with confusion, sadness even. "Some kind of encephalopathic amnesia? I don't even know how to respond..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Oh, *dear*..." She sighs with comp..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Oh, *dear*..." She sighs with compassion, sadness even. "I suppose this does explain some of the more *curious* turns in our conversation."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I *do* believe you -- naive as tha..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I *do* believe you -- naive as that may sound. I simply can't imagine what you'd gain by *faking* such a condition."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""As I said, ma'am," the lieutenant..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"As I said, ma'am," the lieutenant interjects, "his technique may be *very* unconventional. But he *is* an officer of the RCM."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I have sympathy for your *highly*..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.what_does_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I have sympathy for your *highly* unusual conundrum, sir. And I believe you. But as it stands I cannot share any confidential information until I've seen a badge."


title: Suggestion: "Hang on, she's a professional *nego..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_suggestion_check_found", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Hang on, she's a professional *negotiator*. She should be open to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement.


title: Joyce Messier: ""However," she says, with a touch o..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.what_does_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"However," she says, with a touch of regret, "This isn't about my feelings. There's also protocol to consider. I'm afraid I can't say any more until I've seen that badge."


title: Logic: "Consider this -- perhaps she has be..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_logic_consider_this", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Consider this -- perhaps she has been planning it all along? That you convince *yourself* into colluding with her?


title: You: ""But, madam, I need to know about t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"But, madam, I need to know about this lynching. It's *very* important to me. It's the case I'm solving."


title: You: ""You have so much else. I have only..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You have so much else. I have only this." (Spread your hands) "This is the entirety of my existence."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Trust me, officer, I am *fully com..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Trust me, officer, I am *fully committed* to resolving this impasse. This isn't some *side gig* for me."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I will be frank with you." She put..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I will be frank with you." She puts down her thermal cup. "If I'm going to break protocol I need to be able to justify it to my superiors. They're going to want to see something very *tangible*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Reports from inside Terminal B sug..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Reports from inside Terminal B suggest it's a hub for the local drug trade. This is an open secret in Martinaise. The Union *controls* the terminal, so it goes to reason..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Or*..." She picks the cup back up..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_narco_investigate_open", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"*Or*..." She picks the cup back up. "You can recover your badge -- though if I may be blunt with you, it sounds like that may be a lost cause."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's quite straightforward. Someon..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's quite straightforward. Someone is using Terminal B to smuggle raw ingredients from the Samaran isola into Revachol with the Union's blessing. Wild Pines has suspected it for years."


title: Suggestion: "She is resolute in this, yet you se..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She is resolute in this, yet you sense that she *wants* to tell you. You'll have to earn her trust first.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Meth- and dextro-amphetamine, GBL..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Meth- and dextro-amphetamine, GBL and various synthetic psychedelics. Honestly, it might be quicker to say what you *can't* make from the stuff."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Wild Pines seems to be *well appri..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Wild Pines seems to be *well apprised* of the local drug trade, ma'am. Do you mean to say the Union also *produces* the product? Sells drugs, I mean?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. But you won't get anything ou..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. But you won't get anything out of Evrart and the Dockworkers' Union. Still --" she raises her bony finger, "every chain has its weak link."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The *lorries,*" she stresses. "Som..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The *lorries,*" she stresses. "Someone needs to move the ingredients from the harbour into the city. Once they reach Jamrock they're distributed to a network of local manufacturers, well beyond our grasp. But in transit they are *vulnerable*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""*Precisely*. Someone needs to move..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*Precisely*. Someone needs to move the ingredients *from* the harbour into the city. Once they reach Jamrock they're distributed to a network of local manufacturers, well beyond our grasp. But in transit they are *vulnerable*."


title: Perception (Sight): "Her irises are light green, like th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Her irises are light green, like the River Esperance in bright daylight, upstream where it's clearer.


title: Joyce Messier: ""We *did*, on more than one occasio..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We *did*, on more than one occasion. Apparently there's some sort of inter-precinct disagreement about whose jurisdiction this area falls under."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""We know the company has launched i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We know the company has launched its own probe into the Union's alleged involvement -- we also know it's come up empty. It's not just the RCM -- *no one's* been able to find any hard evidence."


title: Joyce Messier: ""No. We asked East Motor Tract to r..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPMinorSetBool("XP.joyce_created_the_traffic")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"No. We asked East Motor Tract to raise the drawbridge. The road company is a partner of one of our subsidiaries. However..." She pauses, looking to the sea.


title: Joyce Messier: ""This is a limited-time opportunity..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This is a limited-time opportunity. Once the complaint has been processed by the trade committee they'll have no choice but to lower the drawbridge -- and the operation will continue." She looks north.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Thousands of litres of raw ingredi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Thousands of litres of raw ingredients will pour onto the streets of Revachol. Not the East, across the river, but the West. The vulnerable, the weary..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""How do you think they're financing..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"How do you think they're financing this strike? There are thousands of unpaid dockworkers going strong for the fourth month straight."


title: Joyce Messier: ""With all due respect to these dese..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"With all due respect to these desert cacti, the contents of a few cash registers cannot provide for *two-thousand* men. The local businesses can scarcely provide for themselves."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""There was a shakedown of local bus..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There was a shakedown of local businesses preceding the strike. Many were squeezed to bankruptcy to fund it."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's true they drove a number of t..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.union_bankruptcy", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It's true they drove a number of the local businesses to bankruptcy preparing for this venture. I've talked to a few business owners -- it was quite the shakedown. But the contents of a few cash registers cannot provide for *two thousand* men."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Precisely. Smuggled out of that ve..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Precisely. Smuggled out of that very gate at night, most likely. Then loaded onto lorries and driven to Jamrock. You simply need to find *one* driver who'll open up to you."


title: Suggestion: "It sounds like she tried looking in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It sounds like she tried looking into it herself. But she's clearly not the type your typical lorryman would confide in.


title: Suggestion: "It sounds like she tried looking in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
It sounds like she tried looking into it herself, though she's clearly not the type your typical lorryman would confide in.


title: Shivers: "A cold breath rushes in from the ba..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_shivers_drugflow", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
A cold breath rushes in from the bay, making its way down the alleyways and potholed streets -- from Martinaise to Jamrock. In the traffic you hear the clinking of glass vials, concealed beneath tarpaulin. Or is it just your teeth chattering in the cold?


title: Joyce Messier: ""A lot of it," she nods. "It comes..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A lot of it," she nods. "It comes in from large Samaran factories. In South Safre, Siigay and Hsin-Yao. The literage they must get from this terminal alone must be *oceanic*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The lorries are still stuck at the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The lorries are still stuck at the roundabout -- if the police is asking, one of the drivers might admit to it."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am very sad to hear that, office..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am very sad to hear that, officer." Her voice is ice cold and laced with worry. "If you change your mind, please let me know. If not, good luck finding your badge -- and your memory."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In the meantime, I'll still try to..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_did_not_take_narco_case", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"In the meantime, I'll still try to assist you any way I can. This disagreement is peanuts compared to what happens if you fail your main investigation."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It may come to nothing, or it may..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It may come to nothing, or it may just blow the case wide open. I can keep the drawbridge up for a few more days at least. You should have the time you need."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In the meantime, let me know if th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In the meantime, let me know if there's any other way I may be of assistance." She takes another long sip from her seemingly bottomless thermal cup.


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done"] == false


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done"] == false)

conditionstring:
(Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done"] == false) == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""Until you come up with something a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Until you come up with something at that intersection I'm afraid I have little else to tell you -- but I'll try. Ask."


title: You: ""I spoke with the lorrymen at the r..."
dialoguetext: "I spoke with the lorrymen at the roundabout."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["jam.jammystery_lorrymans_questioned"] >= 1  and  Variable["TASK.tell_joyce_about_smuggling_done"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done"] == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""On the contrary, officer," she smi..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_surveillance_tip", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"On the contrary, officer," she smiles. "There are yet camionneurs you have not talked to. And don't look so surprised. In a time like this it would be strange if Wild Pines *didn't* have eyes on the harbour."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Word has travelled, yes, but nothi..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_surveillance_tip", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Word has travelled, yes, but nothing of real substance has surfaced yet, I gather?" She smiles, then explains: "Wild Pines has eyes on the intersection -- but not ears."


title: Visual Calculus: "One of the tall buildings overlooki..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
One of the tall buildings overlooking the roundabout -- it would give them a read on the entire quarter.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""It appears we're being monitored e..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It appears we're being monitored every step we take, colleague." The lieutenant shrugs. "Did we have any other business here?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, my eyes on the harbour have s..."
dialoguetext: "Yes, my eyes on the harbour have sent word to that effect -- what have you discovered?"
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_goal_post_lock", false) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_surveillance_tip", true) ; FinishTask("TASK.tell_joyce_about_smuggling_done"); FinishTask("TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""In any case, it's a relief to know..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"In any case, it's a relief to know someone has looked into it. If I may ask -- will there be an official investigation? I assume you discovered there *is* an operation..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It doesn't really matter -- and I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It doesn't really matter -- and I do apologize for the surveillance. Wild Pines can't afford to be blind at a time like this."


title: Empathy: "She's trying to conceal her excitem..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_empathy_giddy_driver_solution", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
She's trying to conceal her excitement, but the slight glimmer in her green eyes tells you otherwise.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I've kept my eye on the camionneur..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_empathy_giddy_asked", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I've kept my eye on the camionneurs -- even tried to get to know one. It's a *mystery* I'm already invested in: which one of them, if any, could organize such a complex operation?"


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""*If* there is an investigation it..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"*If* there is an investigation it will be part of an ongoing operation -- subject to confidentiality. I am sure you understand."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_told_about_drug_findings_not", true) ; ReputationGrows("kim")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course, detectives," she says,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course, detectives," she says, her tone more cautious suddenly. "In any case, you've held up your end of our arrangement. I trust you with the rest. Now it's my turn..."

userscript:
CancelTask("TASK.tell_joyce_about_smuggling_cancelled"); FinishTask("TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""I wouldn't normally break protocol..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I wouldn't normally break protocol like this, but the situation demands it. If you don't solve this murder I'm afraid we may have a blood bath on our hands."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I don't believe that for one momen..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_told_about_drug_findings_not", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I don't believe that for one moment, officer." There is a pause, then her stern expression clears. "I'm just going to assume that departmental regulations prevent you from saying anything more..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""In any case, you've held up your e..."
dialoguetext: "In any case, you've held up your end of our arrangement. Now it's my turn..."
sequence: 0
userscript:
FinishTask("TASK.tell_joyce_about_smuggling_done"); FinishTask("TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Okay. I thank you for sharing that..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_told_about_drug_findings_not", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Okay. I thank you for sharing that much with me." She exhales, as though a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. "My employer thanks you as well..."


title: You: ""The scabs at the gate -- did you p..."
dialoguetext: "The scabs at the gate -- did you put them there?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["gates.scableader_greeting_done"]  or  Variable["gates.manana_greeting_done"]  or  Variable["gates.manana_shortgreet"]  or  Variable["auto.visited_gates"]


title: Joyce Messier: ""The... *scabs*?" She raises her br..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The... *scabs*?" She raises her brow. "You mean the huddled masses of Jamrock, come to plead for work where the Union refuses to?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""If they were organized by Wild Pin..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_scabs_discussed", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"If they were organized by Wild Pines or its affiliates then it would be a company secret. I could not share it with you -- not right now at least..."


title: You: ""You're right, I don't know what go..."
sequence: 0
userscript: ReputationGrows("revacholian_nationhood")
dialoguetext:
"You're right, I don't know what got into me. Some of that degenerate dock worker lingo has rubbed off, it seems."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. They were organized by Wild P..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. They were organized by Wild Pines. The contractors picked them up from Jamrock and drove them over. This is standard practice. The company reserves a right to man its stations."


title: Joyce Messier: ""If these *workers* were organized..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_scabs_discussed", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"If these *workers* were organized by Wild Pines or its affiliates, then it would be a company secret. I could not share it with you -- not yet, at least."


title: Joyce Messier: ""If these *strikebreakers* were org..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_scabs_discussed", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"If these *strikebreakers* were organized by Wild Pines or its affiliates, then it would be a company secret. I could not share it with you -- not yet, at least."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ha!" She gives you a crooked smile..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_scabs_discussed", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Ha!" She gives you a crooked smile. "If the workers were organized by Wild Pines then it would be a company secret. I could not share it with you  -- not yet, at least..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""To answer your question -- yes. Th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"To answer your question -- yes. They were organized by Wild Pines. The contractors picked them up from Jamrock and drove them over. This is standard practice. The company reserves a right to man its stations."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's the man who was killed..."..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's the man who was killed..." She almost takes the photo -- but then stops. "I'm afraid this is a discussion for once we've cleared the lynching question."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Better not to tie the forestay to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Better not to tie the forestay to the backstay on this. I hope there is something else I can help you with?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""I fear I've told you all I know."..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I fear I've told you all I know." She takes the photo. "It's an Oranjese Map of the Waterways -- or some version of it. It depicts the travels this man made while he was still alive."


title: Joyce Messier: "Why yes! Tucked away under that stu..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Why yes! Tucked away under that sturdy green raincoat, almost rustic in its simplicity -- a silk shirt and matching scarf around her gentle throat...


title: Joyce Messier: "While dull orange pearls hang from..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
While dull orange pearls hang from her ear lobes, red from cold. Her light green eyes scan you, full of knowledge -- and worry. Wealth and all its possibilities.


title: Joyce Messier: "A well-kempt, yet tastefully short..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A well-kempt, yet tastefully short bob of dark hair. Despite the first hints of grey, she's elected to keep it au naturale -- shaped into a permanent wave, late-Forties style...


title: Inland Empire: "Now look at you, you misery-clad si..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Now look at you, you misery-clad simian, barely able to tie your own laces. Your armpits are lakes, a scythe of booze precedes you. Your hair sticks to your forehead and your underwear feels uncomfortable...


title: Inland Empire: "Shame? You haven't really been in t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Shame? You haven't really been in the presence of gentlefolk either, have you? What shame is there to be felt in front of these... dockworkers, cops and hotel clerks. But to *belittle* yourself in these eyes of Eau-de-Nil...


title: Joyce Messier: ""As I was saying..." Her voice brea..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_vol_white_uncovered", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"As I was saying..." Her voice breaks the silence and suddenly you're back again. Nearby, a seagull pecks at a piece of garbage... "If there's *any* way I may be of assistance, please don't hesitate to ask."


title: Inland Empire: "You think your little *communism" p..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You think your little *communism" protects you from this feeling? No. The more *demeaning* it is to grovel at her feet...


title: Inland Empire: "Yes. You should be able to take car..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Yes. You should be able to take care of yourself. Not grovel at her beautiful feet, dishonouring yourself and your organization with this request...


title: Inland Empire: "Maybe you can ask her for some *sto..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Maybe you can ask her for some *stock tips* -- that's a *maybe*. Or a *job*. But you're sure as hell too ashamed to ask for cash buddy.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Excuse me, I didn't hear you." her..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Excuse me, I didn't hear you." her voice is kind, a little hoarse from the wind. "Did you say *money*?"


title: Empathy: "She understands what you're trying..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She understands what you're trying to do -- ask for money. But shame is contagious and she doesn't want to offend you by saying it out loud.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Shall we talk about something else..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Shall we talk about something else maybe?" Her voice is kind, if anything she sounds a little confused.


title: Physical Instrument: "What is this? An athletic challenge..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_physical_shout", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
What is this? An athletic challenge? Scream it from the top of your lungs immediately, show that asshole!


title: Joyce Messier: ""Why yes, I am rich. How much money..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Why yes, I am rich. How much money do you need? Hopefully not too much, I couldn't bring all of it with me."


title: You: ""I need 60 reál.""
dialoguetext: "I need 60 reál."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["whirling.garte_debt_window_and_drinks_down"]  and  Variable["TASK.pay_for_the_damages_done"] == false


title: Empathy: "She's surprisingly nonchalant about..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She's surprisingly nonchalant about this. If anything, your finally asking it has relieved some of the tension.


title: Empathy: "She's surprisingly nonchalant about..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She's surprisingly nonchalant about this. Could it be that she somehow knows more about your predicament than she's letting on?


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ah yes, of course, I'm sad to hear..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ah yes, of course, I'm sad to hear that." She nods, as if its self explanatory. "How much do you need?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," she chuckles to herself. "The wind is a bit strong, could you repeat that?"


title: You: ""I need 30 reál.""
dialoguetext: "I need 30 reál."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["whirling.garte_debt_window_and_room_down"]  and  Variable["TASK.pay_for_the_damages_done"] == false


title: You: ""I need 100 reál.""
dialoguetext: "I need 100 reál."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["whirling.garte_debt_drinks_down"]  and  Variable["whirling.garte_debt_window_and_drinks_down"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.pay_for_the_damages_done"] == false


title: You: ""I need 130 reál.""
dialoguetext: "I need 130 reál."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["whirling.garte_debt_nothing_down"]  and  Variable["TASK.pay_for_the_damages_done"] == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""Come now. Nobody carries that much..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Come now. Nobody carries that much cash on their person, particularly in a place like Martinaise... I'd get robbed."


title: Rhetoric: "Her tone makes clear that you've vi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Her tone makes clear that you've violated some kind of rich-person taboo. Wouldn't be the first time.


title: Joyce Messier: ""I like high fidelity *anything*, s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I like high fidelity *anything*, sir." She gives you a fast little smile. "Now try again, but lower."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Ideas like this one are all part o..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ideas like this one are all part of his rare medical condition, ma'am. Nothing to be worried about."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's a reasonable sum -- not too..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's a reasonable sum -- not too small, not fantastically large." She reaches into her raincoat and pulls out a zip bag -- in it you see paper notes arranged like black gills.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Uhm..." The woman dips her fingers..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainMoneyOnce(100)
dialoguetext:
"Uhm..." The woman dips her fingers back into the bag. "I really did bring as little cash as possible, to avoid attention. So here you are, the last of bit of filthy *lucre* I can share."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""This may seem like *odd* behaviour..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This may seem like *odd* behaviour for a police officer, ma'am, but it's a perfectly common side effect of his..." He squints at you.


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's all right, lieutenant." The w..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainMoneyOnce(100)
dialoguetext:
"It's all right, lieutenant." The woman dips her fingers back into the bag. "I really did bring as little cash with me as possible, to avoid attention. So here you are -- the last bit of filthy *lucre* I can share."


title: Joyce Messier: ""So," she returns the zip bag to he..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"So," she returns the zip bag to her jacket. "I hope I didn't just *bribe* you, officer. It may not be technically *illegal* under the Emergency Act, but still..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""And even *if* I did I still would..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_cant_get_rich_by_handing_out", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"And even *if* I did I still would not give you ten thousand reál. I would rather buy something nice with it. Like expensive hi-fi or a new *Hydrodynamique E40* sail."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's a good sum -- not too small..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's a good sum -- not too small, not fantastically large." She reaches into her raincoat and pulls out a zip bag -- in it you see paper notes arranged like black gills.


title: Interfacing: "You illustrate the expression by ho..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You illustrate the expression by holding an imaginary-- and very, very tiny-- *peone* between your thumb and index finger.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""You're right, ma'am, that donation..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You're right, ma'am, that donations are permitted under the Emergency Act, unseemly as it may be, as long as they're properly logged with the precinct..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Which he most certainly will do."..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Which he most certainly will do." She bows, and then raises a single eyebrow in your direction: "Now, how else can I help the RCM today, besides supplementing its salaries?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""That's heartening to hear. There a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That's heartening to hear. There are too few honourable men in Revachol." She gives you a slight bow. "Now how else can I help the RCM today, besides supplementing its salaries?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Au contraire, officer. I also feel..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Au contraire, officer. I also feel queasy about the pittance the Coalition calls your salary. Now is there something else I can do for you, or did you want to chat about *dialectics* some more?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's quite the *phainómenon*, I ag..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It's quite the *phainómenon*, I agree." She bows slightly. "Now how else can I help the RCM today, besides supplementing its salaries?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course." She bows slightly. "No..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Of course." She bows slightly. "Now how else can I help the RCM today, besides supplementing its salaries?"


title: Joyce Messier: "She laughs out loud. It is a beauti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She laughs out loud. It is a beautiful laugh, laced with glee and a certain sharpness. It travels far on the water...


title: Joyce Messier: "She clears her throat. "Now, how el..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She clears her throat. "Now, how else can I help the RCM today, besides supplementing its salaries?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""The *performative experience* has..."
dialoguetext: "The *performative experience* has ended. Good -- what can I help you with?"
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_left_performative_experience", false) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_left_angry", false) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""More lessons in basic reality?" Sh..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"More lessons in basic reality?" She's positively surprised. "My favourite part of the day! Go ahead, ask me anything."


title: You: "(Show her your badge.) "I found my..."
dialoguetext: (Show her your badge.) "I found my badge, by the way."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.joyce_harrier"] == false  and  CheckItem("badge")  and  Variable["pier.joyce_lynchiong_no_badge_hub_reached"]  and  Variable["XP.joyce_showed_your_badge"] == false  and  Variable["pier.joyce_narco_investigate_open"] == true

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_harrier", true) ; SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_looking_for_badge_for_lynch", false) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: "She hands it back to you. "Pleased..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_showed_your_badge")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
She hands it back to you. "Pleased to meet you, Lieutenant Double-Yefreitor Du Bois. I am glad to see a man of high qualification -- the situation is precarious."


title: Joyce Messier: "Seaweed drips from the badge in you..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Seaweed drips from the badge in your hand. It smells of fish. "What can I help you with, lieutenant-yefreitor?"


title: You: ""It seems the architect of the oper..."
dialoguetext: "It seems the architect of the operation has gone missing. An abandoned lorry is near the statue."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_lorry_reporting_counter", Variable["pier.joyce_lorry_reporting_counter"] +once(1)) 


title: Joyce Messier: ""Ah, good to hear. I wouldn't want..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_told_about_drug_findings", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Ah, good to hear. I wouldn't want to pry into a confidential police matter. But, in the event you'd like to share more... I *would* like to know who it was."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Nevertheless, he sounds *terribly*..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Nevertheless, he sounds *terribly* dangerous. I urge you to take care, officer. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."


title: Joyce Messier: ""High intensity microwave frequenci..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_shared_ulan_frequencies")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"High intensity microwave frequencies? They're used for navigational purposes, to compress the interisolary space. They may use it to communicate with incoming freighters..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""That speaks of the vastness and so..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"That speaks of the vastness and sophistication of the operation. Were you able to examine the radio?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""We contain multitudes, do we not?..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We contain multitudes, do we not? It might not be pertinent to her... *profession*, but who knows? It may help you find her yet."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Well, he sounds *very* dangerous...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well, he sounds *very* dangerous. I urge you to take care, officer. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you. Not with what's coming..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I appreciate you placing your trus..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I appreciate you placing your trust in me. Thank you again for looking into this matter. You have my gratitude -- and the gratitude of Wild Pines Group..."

userscript:
FinishTask("TASK.tell_joyce_about_smuggling_done"); FinishTask("TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""I... fail to see the relevance of..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I... fail to see the relevance of this station, but..." she smiles warmly, "I'll defer to your judgement. Was there anything else?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""A first-rate find -- that should t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"A first-rate find -- that should tell you all you need to know about their network, I would imagine."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Now's neither the time nor the pla..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Now's neither the time nor the place to discuss such matters. What else did your investigation turn up?"


title: You: ""Yes. They're spread all over Jamro..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. They're spread all over Jamrock... and beyond. I couldn't even identify the exact end points."


title: Joyce Messier: ""An ominous vision..." She nods sol..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"An ominous vision..." She nods solemnly. "At least you understand the gravity of the situation. And the maps should prove very valuable indeed."


title: Joyce Messier: ""So this goes *beyond* Jamrock... s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"So this goes *beyond* Jamrock... she looks inland. "At least you now understand the gravity of the situation. And those maps should prove very valuable indeed."


title: You: ""Okay. I've made up my mind about t..."
dialoguetext: "Okay. I've made up my mind about the smuggling investigation..." (Proceed.)
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs"] == false  and  Variable["TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs_done"] == false


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Union won *significant* conces..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The Union won *significant* concessions -- including overtime pay *and* a medical plan. This time their demands are more... I guess you could say *aggressive*."


title: Joyce Messier: "She continues: "The literage the lo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She continues: "The literage the local producers must get from this terminal alone must be *oceanic*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The company has tried looking into..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_goal_post_lock", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The company has tried looking into the matter before -- to no avail. Perhaps someone with *your* authority and resources might turn over the right stones?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""And *now* people are getting *lync..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And *now* people are getting *lynched*, I hear. Behind the Whirling-in-Rags... a disastrous situation if there ever was one."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You know..." she puts her foot on..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You know..." she puts her foot on the guardwire. "I don't mean to sound cold, but if you want something, you have to give something back. *More* than just guilt."


title: Joyce Messier: ""We're in logistics. It's our busin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We're in logistics. It's our business to know -- and no. As far as the company knows, the Union does not produce it. They transport the ingredients. For a cut."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Unlikely, officer. I'm talking abo..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Unlikely, officer. I'm talking about the lorries. Once the ingredients reach Jamrock they're distributed to a network of local manufacturers, well beyond our grasp. But in transit they may be *vulnerable*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Perhaps you've noticed that a numb..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Perhaps you've noticed that a number of lorries are tangled in a traffic jam at the roundabout just now? Interview the drivers who are still hanging about. One of them might be waiting for a *crucial* shipment." She gives you a knowing look.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Excellent." She takes a long sip o..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Excellent." She takes a long sip of tea. "According to my reports there are at least three lorry drivers lingering near the roundabout. Hopefully one of them will know something."

userscript:
GainTask("TASK.probe_drivers_about_drugs"); GainTask("TASK.question_drivers_about_drugs");  SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_did_not_take_narco_case", false) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Now, per our original agreement, i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Now, per our original agreement, it's time for me to share company secrets with you." There's a change in her demeanour. A caution comes over her. A tension.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Thank you for the suggestion. I se..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Thank you for the suggestion. I see the word has emotional resonance for you. For me, sadly -- none. So I will stick with the factory name."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Okay. How about Cor-de-Leite '19...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Okay. How about Cor-de-Leite '19. Why?" She taps on the side of the boat, it makes a hollow sound....


title: Joyce Messier: ""Very absurd," she nods. "Thank you..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Very absurd," she nods. "Thank you for the suggestion. I will stick with the factory name for now -- but thank you."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm not really *big* on moralist s..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm not really *big* on moralist symbols. I think I'll stick with the factory name. But thank you."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It's a pleasure craft. A nineteen-..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_boat_paces_known", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"It's a pleasure craft. A nineteen-pacer. It also happens to be rated for Category 1 racing. Though these days I mainly use it for business..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Then what does that say?" She poin..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Then what does that say?" She points to the plaque on the side of the pier. "Does it say *docking reserved for residents of Rue de Saint-Ghislaine 33A*?"


title: Joyce Messier: "A striking woman leans against the..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
A striking woman leans against the cabin top of her sailing boat, smiling as you approach. Her green raincoat glistens with droplets, a silk scarf is tied around her throat.


title: Joyce Messier: ""How interesting." She turns to you..."
dialoguetext:
"How interesting." She turns to you, unfazed. "I wish you a swift recovery. In the meanwhile, you have my *full* cooperation. And the full cooperation of the Wild Pines Group."


title: Joyce Messier: ""You're back. Good." She takes a si..."
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_special_greeting_done_night", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"You're back. Good." She takes a sip from her silvery thermal cup. "What can I help you with -- at this late hour?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Thank you -- I do what I can to re..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Thank you -- I do what I can to remain presentable. Now, ask me some questions. It'll help us pass the night."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Very keen of you, officer. I do al..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_saudetic_syndrome")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Very keen of you, officer. I do also have *saudetic syndrome* from overexposure to the pale. It makes me roost in the night. Like an owl."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I almost never sleep anymore... if..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I almost never sleep anymore... if I do it's for an hour, four tops" She suppresses a yawn. "Go ahead -- ask me some questions. They are the *only* cure."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Sadly I need this one myself. It's..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Sadly I need this one myself. It's hydrophobic, repels water, almost *magically*. The company makes them for offshore platform personnel. Very sturdy."


title: Joyce Messier: "She gives the material another pat...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She gives the material another pat. "What I *can* do for you is answer some *questions*. Nothing like talking to pass a rainy day."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Very rugged," she nods in approval..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Very rugged," she nods in approval. "Good choice. Now, I suspect you had questions -- nothing like talking to pass a rainy day, am I right?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. Keep in mind, this is a negot..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. Keep in mind, this is a negotiator Mr. Claire has worked with before, and who was more than fair with him and the Union."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes, extremely. Keep in mind, this..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes, extremely. Keep in mind, this is a negotiator Mr. Claire has worked with before, and who was more than fair with him and the Union."


title: Joyce Messier: ""And your opinion, detective? If I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And your opinion, detective? If I may ask. I'm a curious and talkative person you see," she explains." Would you say the Débardeurs' Union is..."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'm glad you asked. There was a wo..."
dialoguetext: "I'm glad you asked. There was a woman -- the previous forewoman of the Union. She disappeared."
sequence: 0
userscript:
SetVariableValue("tc.claire_predecessor_disappeared", true) ; XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_previous_forewoman")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. On the last day of the local..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. On the last day of the local chapter elections her daughter phoned in and said she wasn't running anymore -- or coming to work. Ever. End of story."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Downright *haunting* if you ask me..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Downright *haunting* if you ask me. The Wild Pines suspected foul play, but what could they do? It was a Union matter."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Does it?" She arches her brow. "Th..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Does it?" She arches her brow. "The company suspects foul play, but there's nothing they could do, it was a Union matter."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Sadly, the company records do not..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Sadly, the company records do not even give a name. She's just *forewoman*, in private correspondence: Holly. I don't even know if it's a sur- or given name. And I don't have access to the Unions' files."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The point of the presentation is -..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The point of the presentation is -- these kinds of things *happen* around the Claires. Watch out when you're dealing with him."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Did you? Wonderful!" She inspects..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_showed_your_badge")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Did you? Wonderful!" She inspects the piece of blue plastic, the faded green pearls of her eyes scanning left to right.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Because it was manufactured in Rev..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Because it was manufactured in Revachol East by a company called Cor-de-Leite, and it's hull is '19 paces long."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""The Wayfarer Act specifically deni..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.wayfarer_act", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The Wayfarer Act specifically denies the RCM the authority to demand anyone's operator license. It's a *little known fact* among us law officials."


title: Joyce Messier: ""33A -- this old *proletarian* haun..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"33A -- this old *proletarian* haunt here." She waves at the ruin looming overhead. "As I said, *plenty* of people drive boats. Of all social strata."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Of course. I sympathize. But I'm a..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.what_does_joyce")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Of course. I sympathize. But I'm afraid I simply can't share anything more until I've seen that badge..."


title: Rhetoric: "She's a professional *negotiator*...."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She's a professional *negotiator*. She should be open to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement..


title: Joyce Messier: ""I assure you it is no small matter..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I assure you it is no small matter for me either. We *all* share the responsibility for disarming this situation -- I hope you have a badge for me as soon as possible."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I'll be frank with you. If I'm goi..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'll be frank with you. If I'm going to break protocol, I need to be able to justify it to my superiors. They're going to want to see something *tangible*."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The Union is conducting drug trade..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_goal_post_lock", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The Union is conducting drug trade out of the harbour. It's an open secret in Martinaise. Surely it must not come as a *complete* surprise to the RCM either. Perhaps it's time to look into it?"


title: Inland Empire: "Yes. You're too ashamed to ask this..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Yes. You're too ashamed to ask this person for *money*, too scared to belittle yourself in her eyes -- those half-precious stones of Eau-de-Nil.


title: Inland Empire: "Oh, but you are: too ashamed to ask..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Oh, but you are: too ashamed to ask this person for *money*, too scared to belittle yourself in her eyes -- those half-precious stones of Eau-de-Nil.


dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
title:
!(Variable["TASK.ask_about_ruby_in_village"]  and  Variable["pier.joyce_village_intro_done"] == false)

conditionstring:
(Variable["TASK.ask_about_ruby_in_village"]  and  Variable["pier.joyce_village_intro_done"] == false) == false


title: Joyce Messier: "She looks at you, expectantly. It i..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She looks at you, expectantly. It is as if you have said nothing -- because you have not. No begging words have left your mouth...


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""And this is my colleague from Prec..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And this is my colleague from Precinct 41, Detective Du Bois." He waits for you to show your badge.


title: Esprit de Corps: "I really do, the lieutenant thinks..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
I really do, the lieutenant thinks -- is she thrown off, yet? He's looking at the woman, assessing her...


title: Encyclopedia: "Her nonchalance *might* be related..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Her nonchalance *might* be related to something called the Wayfarer Act -- a law that says she doesn't *need* a licence. Sly fox... you're not aggressive enough to harass her further on this.


title: Joyce Messier: ""Keep in mind, this is a negotiator..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Keep in mind, this is a negotiator Mr. Claire has worked with before, and who was more than fair with him and the Union."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Yes. After they clear the terminal..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. After they clear the terminal we lose track. The actual production is taking place at various sites in and around Jamrock Quarter. North of here."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Why I had to call East Motor Tract..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Why I had to call East Motor Tract -- and *beg* them to open the drawbridge for me. I'd wondered since I first drove *in*. On my motor carriage."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.joyce_discussed_drawbridge", true) ; XPPicoSetBool("XP.joyce_eastmotortract")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am sorry for the inconvenience,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am sorry for the inconvenience, Lieutenant Kitsuragi. But we need them trapped here. This is a unique opportunity. I'm sure you understand."


title: Joyce Messier: ""It may come to nothing, or it may..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It may come to nothing, or it may just blow the case wide open. I suspect the traffic jam won't disperse for a few more days. You should have the time you need."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The goal posts have moved, lieuten..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The goal posts have moved, lieutenant. In the absence of the badge I have informed my employer there will be a probe."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I cannot rescind that promise." Sh..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I cannot rescind that promise." She smiles apologetically. "To my knowledge, the drivers are still at the roundabout. I will tell you *everything* I know -- when you've finished with them."


title: Joyce Messier: "She shakes her head vigorously. "My..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She shakes her head vigorously. "My plan is to share information. The only way to do that *now* is by telling my employers you've kept your end. Which I hope you will, because let me tell you: we are in *dire* waters."


title: Joyce Messier: ""I am glad to hear that. Because le..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I am glad to hear that. Because let me tell you: we are in *dire* waters. The sooner the probe is finished the sooner I can share *crucial* information with you."


title: Joyce Messier: ""The sooner the probe is finished t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"The sooner the probe is finished the sooner I can share *crucial* information with you." She takes a sip of tea. "Now, is there anything I can do for you in the meanwhile? Tea, perhaps?"


title: Shivers: "All around you, rain keeps falling..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
All around you, rain keeps falling down. On the wooden boards she's standing on, and on the water around you...


title: Visual Calculus: "One of the tall buildings overlooki..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
One of the tall buildings overlooking the roundabout, most likely. That would give them a read on the entire quarter.


title: Logic: "Let's be honest, you have no idea w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Let's be honest, you have no idea what that meant -- interisolary microwave compression? Moving on...


title: Joyce Messier: ""Frighten me?" She smiles. "I'm not..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Frighten me?" She smiles. "I'm not frightened easily, but I understand -- some things are best for the police to keep to themselves."


title: Logic: "Didn't Titus mention that Ruby ran..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
Didn't Titus mention that Ruby ran a *complex operation* out of her lorry? Could it be connected? Only one way to find out -- investigate!


title: Joyce Messier: ""Evrart Claire is a man of the *utm..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("tc.name_of_union_boss", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Evrart Claire is a man of the *utmost* integrity. If you can say one thing about him, it's that he always puts the interests of the workers first."


title: Joyce Messier: ""Then what is this positively desti..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Then what is this positively destitute *jetty* doing here?" She puts her foot down on the rotten planks beneath. "And what about that fleet of skiffs?"


title: Joyce Messier: ""This unmistakably *proletarian* fl..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This unmistakably *proletarian* fleet of skiffs." She waves at the nearby fishing boats. "As I said, *plenty* of people drive boats. Of all social strata."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""I'm Cindy the fucking SKULL -- wha..."
dialoguetext:
"I'm Cindy the fucking SKULL -- what else do you want to know? Date of birth? Blood type? The last time I was tested for Hep C?"


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""I ain't no snitch, pigstein." She..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I ain't no snitch, pigstein." She wrinkles her nose. "Go forth and forage in someone else's shit. No shortage of squealers in these parts."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Will you look at that! He's not ju..."
dialoguetext:
"Will you look at that! He's not just a pig, he's also a dog. Ain't got no bones for you, doggie." Despite the sass, she puts the brush aside and turns to you.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""And here I was trying to be polite..."
dialoguetext:
"And here I was trying to be polite. Just can't win with you pigs." Despite the sass, she puts the brush aside.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Listen to your partner, pig man. K..."
dialoguetext:
"Listen to your partner, pig man. Keep your grubby hooves off little old ladies." Despite the attitude, she puts the brush aside.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""I haven't really started it yet. I..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_know_masterpiece", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"I haven't really started it yet. I'm waiting for the right words." She studies the wall, suddenly pensive.


title: You: ""I've got you cornered! Hand over t..."
dialoguetext: "I've got you cornered! Hand over that brush!"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.add_even_more_beauty_to_the_wall"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.add_even_more_beauty_to_the_wall_done"] == false  and  Variable["pier.cindy_concept_rc_succeeded_failed"] == false  and  Variable["auto.on_cindy_balcony"] == true  and  Variable["pier.cindy_rc_success_auth_save"]  and  CheckItem("cindys_brush") == false


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Yes. We should go talk to her." He..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Yes. We should go talk to her." He nods in her direction. "She's a professional negotiator, though. I have the feeling she will be very cooperative -- while telling us nothing."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Probably the Wild Pines rep. We sh..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Probably the Wild Pines rep. We should talk to her." He nods in her direction. "She's a professional negotiator, though. I have the feeling she will be very cooperative -- while telling us nothing."


title: Encyclopedia: "Ozonne is an archipelago two days'..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_pier_encyc_archipelago", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Ozonne is an archipelago two days' travel away from Revachol. Its moneyed residents, used to posh restaurants and upscale boutiques, rarely have reason to visit Martinaise.


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""You should take the lead, ask her..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_kims_plan_of_action", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"You should take the lead, ask her unexpected questions -- you know, do your thing. Don't be afraid to get a bit *wacky*. Throwing her off is our best bet."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Good idea, piggies. Run along now,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Good idea, piggies. Run along now, fuck her shit up good. Impound that boat while you're at it. I'd like to watch her *swim* back to Ozonne."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Madame Professional Negotiator in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Madame Professional Negotiator in the flesh -- and the flimsy linen." She narrows her eyes. "Something morbid about old ladies trying to look young."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Isn't it part of your job to know..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Isn't it part of your job to know all the illustrious personages 'round this shithole? She's the Wild Pines representative. Madame Professional Negotiator in the flesh -- and the flimsy linen." Her eyes narrow to slits.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Figures. All of you are liars. The..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Figures. All of you are liars. They're such sweet boys, though, aren't they? My sweet, sweet wannabe-SKULLS. They'll never be accepted. But their hearts are in the right place."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Have you noticed the *quiet?* Ever..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Have you noticed the *quiet?* Every so often, you might hear a gunshot pierce the air somewhere in Jamrock. But in Martinaise? No gunshots, no sirens. The people are languishing in boredom and complacency."


title: Cindy the SKULL: "She throws you a conspiratorial gla..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She throws you a conspiratorial glance, then presses her finger to her lips and squints up at the sky -- as though straining to hear something in the distance.


title: !(Variable["pier.cindy_main_hub_reached"] and Variable["pier.cindy_first_greet_roof"] == false)
dialoguetext: 0
sequence: Continue()
conditionstring:
(Variable["pier.cindy_main_hub_reached"]  and  Variable["pier.cindy_first_greet_roof"] == false) == false


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Ooh, the piggies have learned how..."
sequence: SetTriggerAnimation(Cindy, cancel); FocusCamera(Cindy_Cam);
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_second_greeting_balcony_done", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Ooh, the piggies have learned how to saunter up staircases. I didn't think you could do that with hooves. But -- here you are."


title: Rhetoric: "She's making a valiant effort to co..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_rhetoric_communist", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
She's making a valiant effort to come off as a nihilist, but she's really just an angry little commie. No wonder she was talking about the streets flowing red -- that's what happened during the Revolution.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Thanks. I'm sure the inspiration w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Thanks. I'm sure the inspiration will come to me now that I have an official RCM stamp of approval."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""This place is severely lacking in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"This place is severely lacking in havoc. Not even the occasional trash can fire to break up the tedium."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""I thought I'd mix it up, you know,..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I thought I'd mix it up, you know, summon the forces of crime and social chaos -- with a wall-sized invitation."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Have you ever tried your hand at g..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Have you ever tried your hand at graffito? When faced with a blank wall, most people write unimaginative stuff like *Pigs Go Home* and *Mona was here*."


title: You: "(Stand your ground with a look of w..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
(Stand your ground with a look of weary determination.) "Cindy, I'm going to stand here till you hand over that paintbrush."


title: You: ""Is that heavy fuel oil?""
dialoguetext: "Is that heavy fuel oil?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.cindy_percept_fuel"] == true  and  Variable["pier.cindy_encyc_fuel"] == false  and  Variable["auto.on_cindy_balcony"] == true  and  Variable["pier.cindy_know_heavy_fuel_oil"] == false


title: You: ""Is that government fuel oil?""
dialoguetext: "Is that government fuel oil?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["pier.cindy_percept_fuel"] == true  and  Variable["pier.cindy_encyc_fuel"] == true  and  Variable["pier.cindy_know_heavy_fuel_oil"] == false


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""What did you think I was using, aq..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_know_heavy_fuel_oil", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"What did you think I was using, aquarelles? Sucked it out of a cop's fuel tank myself -- back in Jamrock."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Cite me the statute that says you..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Cite me the statute that says you can't paint murals with fuel oil, and I promise I'll cease and desist."


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""Red-dyed heavy fuel oil intended f..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_kim_fuel", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"Red-dyed heavy fuel oil intended for exclusive use in government vehicles, to be precise," he says, studying the contents of Cindy's bucket.


title: Conceptualization: "Are you kidding me? Fuel oil is so..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.find_heavy_fuel_oil")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Are you kidding me? Fuel oil is so much cooler. No way you're disfiguring that beautiful wall with something as pedestrian as ordinary *paint*!


title: Kim Kitsuragi: ""My fuel oil is for my Kineema. Use..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"My fuel oil is for my Kineema. Use your own fuel if you are unable to contain your artistic impulses, but please, leave my Kineema out of it."

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_kim_asked_for_fuel", true) ; SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_kim_asked_for_fuel_pier", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Cindy the SKULL: "She sighs. "You got me, pigshit. I..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.cindy_skull_and_commie")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
She sighs. "You got me, pigshit. I don't make for a very good SKULL. I like animals too much. Simians and... pigs."


title: Conceptualization: "You don't have the skills to execut..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You don't have the skills to execute something like this in practice, but, oh boy, the idea's going to blow her fucking mind!


title: You: ""I'm going to paint a self-portrait..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm going to paint a self-portrait, but sort of, you know, *from the inside*, to show people what it's like."


title: You: ""I'm going to create a highly detai..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I'm going to create a highly detailed skeleton of an ancient bird that went extinct a hundred million years ago."


title: You: ""And then I'm going to paint it red..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"And then I'm going to paint it red using heavy fuel oil. And then I'm going to fucking light it on fire."


title: Cindy the SKULL: "She hunches her shoulders and throw..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.cindy_art_idea_success")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
She hunches her shoulders and throws you a grim look. "I say, sod off. You don't have the technical skills to do that."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""I like your idea. Should've though..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I like your idea. Should've thought of it myself. I don't need this kind of competition in my neighbourhood."


title: You: ""Cindy, I need some paint. And your..."
dialoguetext: "Cindy, I need some paint. And your brush too."
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.add_even_more_beauty_to_the_wall"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.add_even_more_beauty_to_the_wall_done"] == false  and  Variable["pier.cindy_concept_rc_succeeded"] == false  and  Variable["pier.cindy_concept_rc_succeeded_failed"] == false  and  Variable["pier.cindy_paintbrush_ask_hub_reached"] == false


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Well, if it's for *art*... But..."..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Well, if it's for *art*... But..." Her eyes narrow to slits. "What kind of art are we talking about?"


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""What do you think I'm trying to pa..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"What do you think I'm trying to paint here -- a mural for a better tomorrow? Why do you really need it?"


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""You're a real sad sack, you know t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You're a real sad sack, you know that? Go ahead, then." She drops the paintbrush at your feet. "Art it up. Just try not to hurt yourself. And *no self portraits*."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""You're a real sad sack, you know t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You're a real sad sack, you know that? Go ahead, then." She drops her paintbrush into the puddle below. "Art it up. Just try not to hurt yourself. And *no self portraits*."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""There, there, piggy," she says in..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"There, there, piggy," she says in mock compassion. "I guess art just isn't really *you*. Cause you suck. In life. And in everything."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Sounds like you're just about to l..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Sounds like you're just about to live out your self pity, not make a statement. I can't have shit art on my conscience."


title: Conceptualization: "You know what you've got in that fu..."
sequence: 0
userscript: GainTask("TASK.use_fuel_oil_to_paint_wall")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
You know what you've got in that fuel canister you scavenged from your Kineema? Red-dyed heavy fuel oil. Paint and a brush -- you're ready to do this.


title: Conceptualization: "You know what you should be able to..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You know what you should be able to find in your government-issued vehicle? Red-dyed heavy fuel oil.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Had a battery of tests just last w..."
dialoguetext:
"Had a battery of tests just last week. I'm practically a patchwork of interesting critters. Kind of like a man o' war." Despite the attitude, she puts the brush aside.


title: Suggestion: "She's grown frustrated with her wor..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She's grown frustrated with her work and welcomes the opportunity to challenge authority in other ways.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Yes, Uncle Maynard. *Huge* trouble..."
dialoguetext:
"Yes, Uncle Maynard. *Huge* trouble." She crosses her arms. "You're going to take out your metal detector and your collection of bottle caps and shrapnel."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""The streets will flow red once mor..."
sequence: FocusCamera(Cindy_CamDown);
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_first_greeting_pier_done", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"The streets will flow red once more. A great torrent, rushing down Rue d'Esperance. You wait and see." The girl stares at the sailboat by the pier.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""The streets will flow red once mor..."
sequence: SetTriggerAnimation(Cindy, cancel); FocusCamera(Cindy_Cam);
dialoguetext:
"The streets will flow red once more. A great torrent, rushing down Rue d'Esperance. You wait and see." The girl stares at the sailboat by the pier.

userscript:
SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_first_greeting_balcony_done", true) ; SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_first_greet_roof", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""They just might be. Rough stuff. I..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"They just might be. Rough stuff. If you take the ride, you'd be wise to buckle your little pig-belly up."


title: Conceptualization: "Her neurons must be on fire, the he..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_drugs_concept", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
Her neurons must be on fire, the heat creating waves and ripples in all she sees -- above all, in her painting.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""You really think I need to be high..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"You really think I need to be high to see the world as art? Poor unimaginative piggy. How I wouldn't want to have *your* peepers."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""We apologize, but we're currently..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"We apologize, but we're currently *not buying the entrapment you're selling*. Please call again later. Thank you." She smiles at her own joke.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""It doesn't *have to* do anything a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"It doesn't *have to* do anything at all. Nothing does." She looks at the paint dripping down the wall. "Like me. Right now, I'm doing nothing at all."


title: Empathy: "If there's pain about any particula..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
If there's pain about any particular home she's lost, she's buried it deep, fortified herself against it.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Sure, any time. Us *shit* artists..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Sure, any time. Us *shit* artists have to help one another." She looks down at the wall and frowns. "Besides, I was out of fuel oil anyway."


title: Conceptualization: "You know what you've got in that fu..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
You know what you've got in that fuel canister you scavenged from your Kineema? Red-dyed heavy fuel oil. Time to get to *proper* work, artiste.


title: Authority: "You're a police officer and a *grow..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_rc_success_auth_save", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
You're a police officer and a *grown up*. Why are you trying to impress her? Maybe try a different approach?


title: Authority: "You're a police officer and a *grow..."
sequence: 0
userscript: SetVariableValue("pier.cindy_rc_success_auth_save", true) --[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
You're a police officer and a *grown up*. Why are you trying to impress her? Maybe try a different approach? Like climbing up there...


title: You: ""So you won't talk about the murder..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"So you won't talk about the murder -- but maybe you can tell me something about the murder victim's missing armour?"

conditionstring:
((Variable["TASK.find_one_armour_piece"]  and  Variable["TASK.find_one_armour_piece_done"] == false)  or  Variable["TASK.find_all_armour"])  and  Variable["pier.cindy_asked_murder"] == true  and  Variable["TASK.ask_cindy_about_the_armoured_gloves"] == false


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Ugh, alright, sad piggy. I'll give..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ugh, alright, sad piggy. I'll give you this one -- I saw a little girl in the fishing village running around with military-grade hand-wear. Looked cute as hell."

userscript:
GainTask("TASK.find_the_armoured_gloves"); FinishTask("TASK.ask_cindy_about_the_armoured_gloves_done"); GainTask("TASK.ask_little_girl_in_village_about_gloves")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Could've been her. Small kid with..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Could've been her. Small kid with giant white armoured hands. If you've seen one of them you've seen them all."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""If you haven't been there, the vil..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"If you haven't been there, the village is a shithole down the coast from the main plaza." She waves her hand in a general westward direction. "Have a good time."


title: You: ""Do you have any idea what happened..."
dialoguetext: "Do you have any idea what happened to the hanged man's armour?"
sequence: 0
conditionstring:
Variable["TASK.ask_cindy_about_the_armoured_gloves"]  and  Variable["TASK.ask_cindy_about_the_armoured_gloves_done"] == false


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Not particularly." Her eyes dart a..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Not particularly." Her eyes dart across the horizon. "I wanna keep this as brief as possible, you see. I want to return to painting the world *red*."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Ugh, alright, piggy. I'll give you..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Ugh, alright, piggy. I'll give you this one. I saw a little girl in the fishing village running around with military-grade hand-wear. Looked cute as hell."

userscript:
FinishTask("TASK.ask_cindy_about_the_armoured_gloves_done"); GainTask("TASK.ask_little_girl_in_village_about_gloves")--[[ Variable[ ]]


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""Piggy, I have no idea why I just t..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"Piggy, I have no idea why I just told you that..." She looks at you, a little sad suddenly. "You look like a shaggy dog left in the rain for too long. I have a weakness for animals."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""I have a weakness for animals. It'..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"I have a weakness for animals. It's the animal-thing again. Damn it." She looks at you, a little sad suddenly.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""No-no. That's all the snitching Ci..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"No-no. That's all the snitching Cindy the SKULL does for today. Actually, I don't even know why I told you what I just told you..."


title: Endurance: "In this vision of hers, you are mut..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
In this vision of hers, you are mutually opportunistic organisms. Growing like mould on the streets.


title: Suggestion: "What is it with these SKULLS and *c..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
What is it with these SKULLS and *cooperation*? They have to be the nicest violent street gang in Revachol West.


title: Conceptualization: "She's probably not a good example o..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
She's probably not a good example of the gang either. *Or* maybe these SKULLS are more of an art movement than a gang.


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""If you're *really* interested then..."
sequence: 0
dialoguetext:
"If you're *really* interested then I'm sorry," she whispers, "but I don't do anti-radiation drugs anymore so I don't know where to get them."


title: Cindy the SKULL: ""From a guy on Boogie Street. Porta..."
sequence: 0
userscript: XPPicoSetBool("XP.cindy_bumpy_ride")--[[ Variable[ ]]
dialoguetext:
"From a guy on Boogie Street. Porta Rosa. Go there after midnight and you can get all kinds of funny things. Veterans of the People's Pile selling their stash."


