  
 
The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction. Below is a transcript of The Primrose Path, written by Nolan Bonvouloir. The Primrose Path was originally released as part of the 2006 IF Competition, where it took 2nd place. It also garnered Xyzzy nominations for Best Game and Best Individual PC. You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting the ifWiki.WARNING! Below you will find a transcript of people playing this game, and it goes without saying that the transcript is full of spoilers. So, if you've never played this game, and think you might like to at some point, I do not recommend reading any further. Instead, you might want to return to the interactive fiction page. |
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| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load primrose" | ||||
Floyd | Welcome to the Cheap Glk Implementation, library version 0.9.0. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | * * * Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | It's been a bad night. I think I finally struggled into sleep at Floyd | something like half-past two, and since then it's been more or less a Floyd | continuous string of nightmares. Time and again I dream of Leo, Floyd | standing at the end of a distant cliff, peering down over the edge. I Floyd | run towards him, shouting at random, trying to warn him---willing to Floyd | say anything, so long as it reaches his ears. But inevitably, just as Floyd | I am near enough for him to hear my voice, a bell sounds from Floyd | somewhere above us, and he doesn't turn. And then suddenly he is gone Floyd | over the cliff's edge, and the entire world is going white, nothing Floyd | remaining but me, the cliff, and the sound of the bell ringing, and Floyd | ringing, and ringing . . . Floyd | | ||||
| maga pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | T h e P r i m r o s e P a t h Floyd | By Nolan Bonvouloir Floyd | (First-time players might type ABOUT.) Floyd | Release 3 / Serial number 080322 / Inform 7 build 3T38 (I6/v6.31 lib Floyd | 6/10N) Floyd | Floyd | Bedroom (on the bed) Floyd | I awake with a start, and after a half-second of pure "Where the hell Floyd | am I," place myself in my bedroom. I've no idea what time it is---at Floyd | least the sun's up---but the pounding in my head suggests that it's Floyd | several hours earlier than anyone with any sense ought to rise. The Floyd | door to the hallway lies to the south, and windows border the other Floyd | three sides of the room. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell is ringing downstairs. Bloody hell. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x me" | ||||
Floyd | But I can't see you. Do you even have a body? Or were you trying to Floyd | get me to examine myself? Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell chimes again. I'm torn between ignoring it and going down Floyd | to give whoever it is the what-for. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x you" | ||||
Floyd | I'm the same as I've always been. With more age spots and less Floyd | colourful hair than in times past, I suppose. The purple nightgown I'm Floyd | wearing perhaps can't be said to flatter, but in any case I've found | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x yourself" | ||||
Floyd | people give me more and more leeway with my appearance as the years go Floyd | by. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell rings again, several times in succession. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | (myself) Floyd | I'm the same as I've always been. With more age spots and less Floyd | colourful hair than in times past, I suppose. The purple nightgown I'm Floyd | wearing perhaps can't be said to flatter, but in any case I've found Floyd | people give me more and more leeway with my appearance as the years go Floyd | by. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell rapidly sounds a dozen times more. I fight a rising Floyd | murderous urge. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "stand" | ||||
Floyd | I get off the bed. Floyd | Floyd | Bedroom Floyd | Everything is in perfectly in order here---white and austere, as I Floyd | like it. The door to the hallway lies to the south, and windows border Floyd | the other three sides of the room. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell falls momentarily silent. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hm. Should we answer? I guess we should." | |||
| Jacqueline clears the save counter. | Gerynar says, "answer what, it stopped ringing" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess looking out the window to see who's at the door might be too complex. Not sure we're even on the right side of the house for that." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We have 3 windows" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Gerynar), "Well, for now. Possibly the person isn't rude enough to just lay on the doorbell..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look through window" | ||||
Floyd | Just woods, plus the oak and the pond. Floyd | Floyd | Someone has begun pounding on the front door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| maga says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Stumbling blearily forward, I collide with the closed door. It just Floyd | isn't shaping up to be my day. Floyd | Floyd | I open the door, the noises from downstairs seeming to redouble in Floyd | volume. Floyd | Floyd | The drumming on the door gets louder. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I remember the beginning of this." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | It's an unfortunate truth that the most boring spaces in one's home Floyd | tend to be among the most frequently visited, and this discouragingly Floyd | tiny space is no exception. Leo's painting on the west wall is just Floyd | sufficiently distracting so that one might not notice the total lack Floyd | of windows, at least. The stairs down lie to the east, my bedroom is Floyd | north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | "Matilda! Are you in there? Please open the door!" Floyd | Floyd | Dear God---it's Leo. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "x leo" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Ooops" | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "x leo" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | zarf says, "I've never been a matilda" | |||
| DavidW says, "Leo's outside." | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "dance" | ||||
Floyd | Much as I enjoy a good gambol, this is hardly the time. Besides, I Floyd | think dancing is widely held to be disgraceful for those over a Floyd | certain age. Floyd | Floyd | "Matilda!" The doorbell starts up again. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "xyzzy" | ||||
Floyd | What utter nonsense. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Heh" | |||
| maga says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | The knocking is loud enough now to make me fear for the continued Floyd | integrity of the front door. Floyd | Floyd | > | * Lucea has joined the channel. | |||
| maga says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way down the stairs, carefully stepping over the one that Floyd | creaks. Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door, the source of all the Floyd | cacophony, lies to the southwest, the key in the lock. The stairs up Floyd | to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | A muffled thumping sound comes from behind the door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | It was a present from Leo a few years ago. He usually paints from Floyd | life---he gets up before dawn every day and paints in all sorts of Floyd | strange places---but I asked him to do one for me from his mind, and Floyd | as far as I know it's the only imaginary landscape he's ever done. It Floyd | depicts a waterfall so wide that it completely fills the sky, as seen Floyd | from a promontory in the foreground that juts out over the water's Floyd | edge. Floyd | Floyd | The nail that's holding this painting up appears to be coming loose. I Floyd | make a mental note to fix that at some point. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell chimes one final time. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "take key" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | Silence. The visitor is gone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| maga says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | I open the door and step through. Floyd | Floyd | On the other side lies Leo, prostrate on the ground. I cry out Floyd | involuntarily, and kneel down to take his pulse. No, not dead, but Floyd | unconscious and still bleeding heavily from a wound in his hip. I rush Floyd | back into the flat to call an ambulance, but somewhere in the back of Floyd | my mind I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt, knowing with strange Floyd | certainty that he will not wake up again. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I will never learn what happened *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | zarf says, "um" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "yikes" | ||||
| maga asks, "can we have a driver now?" | ||||
| Lucea says, "er" | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "We commited murder by negligence" | ||||
Floyd | Please give one of the answers above. Floyd | > | zarf says, "that's not encouragement" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Woot woot" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Um, perhaps we should open the door before looking at scenery and stuff." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I would prefer not to be the driver for this one." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Anyway" | ||||
| Lucea says, "sorry" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'll drive, I guess." | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Jacq the driver, then?" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Ah" | ||||
| Lucea says, "I didn't know it'd be that timed" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Lucea), "How were you to know?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restart" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | * * * Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | It's been a bad night. I think I finally struggled into sleep at Floyd | something like half-past two, and since then it's been more or less a Floyd | continuous string of nightmares. Time and again I dream of Leo, Floyd | standing at the end of a distant cliff, peering down over the edge. I Floyd | run towards him, shouting at random, trying to warn him---willing to Floyd | say anything, so long as it reaches his ears. But inevitably, just as Floyd | I am near enough for him to hear my voice, a bell sounds from Floyd | somewhere above us, and he doesn't turn. And then suddenly he is gone Floyd | over the cliff's edge, and the entire world is going white, nothing Floyd | remaining but me, the cliff, and the sound of the bell ringing, and Floyd | ringing, and ringing . . . Floyd | | zarf says, "I am going to be in and out of this window, sorry" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Um" | ||||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | T h e P r i m r o s e P a t h Floyd | By Nolan Bonvouloir Floyd | (First-time players might type ABOUT.) Floyd | Release 3 / Serial number 080322 / Inform 7 build 3T38 (I6/v6.31 lib Floyd | 6/10N) Floyd | Floyd | Bedroom (on the bed) Floyd | I awake with a start, and after a half-second of pure "Where the hell Floyd | am I," place myself in my bedroom. I've no idea what time it is---at Floyd | least the sun's up---but the pounding in my head suggests that it's Floyd | several hours earlier than anyone with any sense ought to rise. The Floyd | door to the hallway lies to the south, and windows border the other Floyd | three sides of the room. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell is ringing downstairs. Bloody hell. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Let's try to get a weapon" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "get up" | ||||
Floyd | I get off the bed. Floyd | Floyd | Bedroom Floyd | Everything is in perfectly in order here---white and austere, as I Floyd | like it. The door to the hallway lies to the south, and windows border Floyd | the other three sides of the room. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell chimes again. I'm torn between ignoring it and going down Floyd | to give whoever it is the what-for. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | I open my door. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell rings again, several times in succession. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Someone killed Leo, he could kill us too" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Or she" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Or them" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Cheddarius), "Well, let's try saving Leo first." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Okay" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | It's an unfortunate truth that the most boring spaces in one's home Floyd | tend to be among the most frequently visited, and this discouragingly Floyd | tiny space is no exception. Leo's painting on the west wall is just Floyd | sufficiently distracting so that one might not notice the total lack Floyd | of windows, at least. The stairs down lie to the east, my bedroom is Floyd | north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell rapidly sounds a dozen times more. I fight a rising Floyd | murderous urge. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell falls momentarily silent. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius asks, "Oh man. Murderous urge?" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "We killed Leo" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Holy smokes we're time travelers/clones" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Spoilers" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way down the stairs, carefully stepping over the one that Floyd | creaks. Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door, the source of all the Floyd | cacophony, lies to the southwest, the key in the lock. The stairs up Floyd | to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Someone has begun pounding on the front door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | Taking my key out of the lock, I flip the latch and throw the deadbolt Floyd | back. Floyd | Floyd | I open the door and step through. Floyd | Floyd | On the other side is Leo, who nearly faints with relief. "Matilda. Floyd | Thank God you're here." He moves, almost falls, toward me, almost Floyd | stumbling into my arms. But he doesn't support his weight, and we end Floyd | up on the floor of the foyer in an awkward embrace. I release him, Floyd | then realise my hands are sticky with something warm and wet. Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, my God." I find myself saying. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God." Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, ""lick hands"." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf1" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "dooo eeeet" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "ew" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "lick hands" | ||||
Floyd | What? No! Floyd | Floyd | "Leo, what happened?" I ask. Floyd | Floyd | "My mother. Shot me," he whispers. Floyd | Floyd | This is so obscenely unexpected I can't even respond. "Shot you? Leo, Floyd | I don't . . ." But even as I speak my eye lights on the blood soaking Floyd | through his jeans. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea asks, "is it a bad idea to ask him about what's going on?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "HA!" | ||||
| Lucea says, "well, never mind that" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It knew that1" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Even better: "Lick Leo"" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "apply pressure" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Or get some bandages or something" | |||
| DavidW asks, "How about 'x leo'?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "remove jeans" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius asks, ""staunch wound"?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x leo" | ||||
Floyd | Leo is perhaps a decade younger then me, and at least a foot taller. Floyd | At the moment he appears to be on the point of collapse. His favourite Floyd | affectation, a gold pocketwatch, is hanging from his belt loop. Floyd | Floyd | "How did this happen, Leo?" I've always imagined myself as the type to Floyd | remain level-headed in situations like this, but my voice is cracking. Floyd | Floyd | "My fault," he says. "I'd hidden my grandfather's pistol so she Floyd | wouldn't find it, but this morning she did. And then she saw me about Floyd | to go into the painting in the garden . . ." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Man, the EMT in me is screaming." | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Take his watch" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Then run for it" | ||||
| Lucea says, "go into the painting? that's promising" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Cheddarius), "What?" | ||||
| Lucea says, "in the sense of plot, not in the sense of saving Leo" | ||||
| DavidW asks (of Lucea), "'the'?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask leo about painting" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo, I don't understand. Into the painting?" Floyd | Floyd | He grimaces in pain. "It's my fault that I sound delirious, you know. Floyd | I should have told you about the paintings years ago. Now you'll have Floyd | to go it alone." He reaches into his pocket, fishing for something. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius asks, "Do you have any first aid kits on you?" | |||
| Cheddarius asks, "Can we try i?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | "Leo, please. I don't understand. Irene is your mother. Why would Floyd | she---?" Floyd | Floyd | But he doesn't seem to hear. "Here. You'll never get into the studio Floyd | without this." He presses something small and metallic into my palm. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Hmmm" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't think we're meant to save him." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Yeah, that was my feeling too" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "He's getting into death-spiel mode" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask leo about studio" | ||||
Floyd | "But I thought you didn't let anyone see your studio." Floyd | Floyd | He shakes his head. "Doesn't matter now. Listen. You can use the Floyd | paintings. Fix it so that this didn't happen. And you might also need Floyd | the ring. It's upstairs in my room. I know you hate that thing, but Floyd | otherwise you won't be able to move anywhere." Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "just like the dream where we couldn't save him" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Oh my god, we really ARE time travelers" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "kiss leo" | ||||
Floyd | This is patently not the time. Floyd | Floyd | With difficulty, I force myself to think rationally. "All right, Leo. Floyd | Stop talking as if you're going to die. I'm going to call an ambulance Floyd | and they'll get you help." Floyd | Floyd | "No!" he gasps. He grabs my arm, and even in the state he's in, his Floyd | grip nearly pulls me back to the floor. "You can't tell the police. Floyd | Trust me, for your own sake. Now go!" Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "WHAT?" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He's dying. Give the man some love!" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Try "swoon"" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "meh" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Panic? Don't panic?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "call ambulance" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Frig" | |||
| Lucea asks, "was there a phone anywhere?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "save leo" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to save. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Lucea), "I didn't see one, no." | |||
| Lucea says, "something tells me, though, that we can't save him" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Lucea), "There's rarely a phone in IF when you need one." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What should we ask him before he kicks the bucket?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DavidW), "heehee" | ||||
| maga asks, "his mother?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Ask about Irene" | ||||
| zarf says, "'why don't you have a cellphone, you moron'" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "You make an excellent point, David." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask leo about Irene" | ||||
Floyd | "Focus, Leo. Where did Irene go?" I ask. Floyd | Floyd | He makes a hopeless gesture. "Gone. She'll probably have forgotten the Floyd | whole thing by the time anyone finds her." Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea asks, "ask about painting?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask about painting" | ||||
Floyd | I can't think of anything that hasn't already been said. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius exclaims, "Freud powers, activate!" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask about Irene" | ||||
Floyd | I can't think of anything that hasn't already been said. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "hm. Ask about the ring." | |||
| zarf says, "ring" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask about me" | ||||
Floyd | I don't talk about you out in the open like that . . . surely you can Floyd | understand. They'd think me insane. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "er" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Oooh, very nice" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee - weird perspective" | ||||
| zarf says, "also, that's a big heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask about ring" | ||||
Floyd | "Oh, no, Leo, not the ring again . . ." Floyd | Floyd | "It's not what you think, Matilda. It's the setting of the diamond . . Floyd | . on the shelf. You'll see what I mean." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask leo about you" | ||||
Floyd | "Dear God, Leo. And to think that I was sleeping that whole time, Floyd | while you were . . ." But I can't finish the thought. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "tell leo about dream" | ||||
Floyd | No words come. Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, and Matilda." Floyd | Floyd | "What?" Our faces are very close now. Floyd | Floyd | "The key to my gallery's outside the studio. If you find it . . . you Floyd | can have it. As a bequest." Floyd | Floyd | I pull my arm free, revolted. "For God's sake, Leo! Don't talk like Floyd | that. You're scaring me." Floyd | Floyd | Leo's eyes close. He's fading fast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "That wasn't a question, you, that was a statement." | |||
| maga asks, "the gun?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask leo about gun" | ||||
Floyd | No response. He seems to be unconscious. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "give CPR" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Man, EMTs should not play this intro." | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Hide the body" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What now, brown cows?" | ||||
| zarf asks, "does cpr work on somebody who's bleeding out?" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "No. Bring the body with you, and when you change the timeline so this never happened, introduce Leo to his own corpse." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to zarf), "No." | ||||
| maga asks, "check the wound?" | ||||
| DavidW asks (of Cheddarius), "Worried that Mrs Cravits in 4G will see?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It just... pushed more blood out." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Hilarity ensues" | ||||
| maga says (to zarf), "*squirt* *squirt* *squirt*" | ||||
| RonN says, "Blue Lacuna totally should've opened like this." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x wound" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x leg" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I don't think we're meant to be EMTs." | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Not getting that Mrs. Cravits reference. Nor the Blue Lacuna one" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, he's dead, Jim." | ||||
| DavidW says (to RonN), "Talk in channel, please." | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Was that Star Trek?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "Mrs Kravitz, from Bewitched" | ||||
| maga says (to Floyd), "take leo" | ||||
Floyd | No response. He seems to be unconscious. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says (to Gerynar), "thanks." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Cheddarius), "Yeah" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Ah" | ||||
| RonN says, "test" | ||||
| RonN says, "ah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to RonN), "There you go." | ||||
| maga says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is lying on the floor, barely conscious. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "who is leo" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's my next-door neighbour; he moved into the building perhaps a Floyd | dozen years ago. What a frightening thought---I'm pretty sure that Floyd | when we met, I was younger than he is now. Our relationship has been Floyd | everywhere from icy hostility to unabashed longing (on both of our Floyd | parts, at different times, naturally), and every emotion in between. Floyd | It stabilised at "good friends" around the time his mother moved in Floyd | with us, and has remained steadfast since. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oho - so we're in an apartment building." | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Swoon" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "who is leo's mother" | ||||
Floyd | Irene is Leo's mother; she's only been my neighbour for the last three Floyd | or four years, since she ceased to be capable of living on her own. Floyd | It's hard to deny she's rather senile at this point, and perhaps a bit Floyd | paranoid . . . but a murderess? Surely not. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "who are you" | ||||
Floyd | Me? What's to say? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| maga says (to Floyd), "carry leo" | ||||
Floyd | No response. He seems to be unconscious. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "who am i" | ||||
Floyd | I didn't understand that sentence. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius goes home. | Cheddarius says, "Oops" | |||
| Lucea asks, "are we still using a driver?" | ||||
| RonN says, "oh, this would be the stuff we needed to know earlier." | ||||
| Cheddarius arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Jacqueline says, "I say we treat this like the IF game it is and leave his body in the hallway where it will be of little consequence and go unnoticed by NPCs." | |||
| Cheddarius asks, "Did anything happen since I quit?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Lucea), "Well, I guess not, since he's dead." | ||||
| RonN says, "here I thoughT leo was our lover." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf2" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "he died" | |||
| maga says (to Floyd), "who is me" | ||||
Floyd | I think you've been around since I was . . . fifteen? Sixteen, Floyd | perhaps? As I recall it was the same day I had my first kiss. Your Floyd | idea, of course. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to RonN), "So did I." | |||
| Lucea says, "good use of who is, though" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Oh man" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I suspect that we can go driverless until we 'enter a painting'." | ||||
| Jacqueline nods. | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Can we try to make her interact with us?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "What did Leo give us, anyway?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "who am i" | ||||
Floyd | I didn't understand that sentence. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | an old bronze key Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "so are 'we' Leo, then?" | |||
| Cheddarius asks, "e.g. punch me, lick me, take me, hit me, throw me?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search leo" | ||||
Floyd | That would be a fabulous idea if I were some kind of criminal. Instead Floyd | of, you know, his friend. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Darn, was hoping 'who am i' would work for 'who is me'" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x watch" | ||||
Floyd | It's an attractive open-faced gold fobwatch, equipped with a long, Floyd | thin loop of chain and a small black button just below six o'clock. Floyd | The clock face suggests that it's twenty-five to eight---how time Floyd | flies and all that. Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says (to RonN), "no, we're some other thing" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "No, "we" are voices in her head" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "I think" | ||||
| zarf asks, "okat, who typed "KISS ME" thirty-forty years ago?" | ||||
| zarf says, "sorry, KISS HIM" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| inky says, ", YOU FOOL" | ||||
| maga says (to zarf), "yeah, I think that's intentional" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to PC), "Stop being all 'I can't search him he's my friend', we have a game to play1" | ||||
| RonN says, "but she addressed us directly earlier..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take watch" | ||||
Floyd | That seems to belong to Leo. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "x watch" | ||||
Floyd | It's an attractive open-faced gold fobwatch, equipped with a long, Floyd | thin loop of chain and a small black button just below six o'clock. Floyd | The clock face suggests that it's twenty-five to eight---how time Floyd | flies and all that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "wuuuuuuuuuuut" | |||
| Lucea says, "hm, ok, time doesn't pass" | ||||
| maga says, "the poor woman has been stuck with an IF player in her head for *decades*" | ||||
| Lucea says, "or the watch is dead" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock leo's door with leo's key" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Or the watch isn't implemented" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "take watch from leo" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is lying on the floor, barely conscious. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | There is a dull snapping sound from the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Wait, so he's alive?" | |||
| RonN LOLs at Maga | Lucea asks, "snapping?" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Maybe decades of "xyzzy xyzzy xyzzy" in her head have made her insane" | ||||
| maga says, "urk" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I guess he's still alive, yes." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "barely" | ||||
| maga says, "let's go back" | ||||
| maga says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is gone. Floyd | Floyd | An enormous crash from the direction of my living room shakes the Floyd | foundations of the house. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "yes, what was that dull snapping sound" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "You mean to the save?" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Heh. I wonder if we could finish him off and get exp or something" | ||||
| Lucea says, "something is up." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Dang, too late" | ||||
| zarf asks, "house? with seven floors?" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Apartment" | ||||
| RonN says, "it was the hyenas." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies on the floor, the frame shattered. Floyd | Floyd | Lying on the floor amongst the fragments is a golden pocketwatch. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius exclaims, "Yes!" | |||
| Cheddarius exclaims, "Loot!" | ||||
| Lucea says, "so I assume once we enter the painting we can't get out immediately" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Wait, we don't have a driver anymore?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, not right now." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take watch" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "sell watch" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Drat." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | This was a landscape Leo painted for me, of a cliff with a gigantic Floyd | waterfall completely filling the sky behind it. He usually paints from Floyd | life---he gets up before dawn every day to paint in all kinds of Floyd | strange places---but I asked him to do one for me from his mind, and Floyd | as far as I know it was the only one he's ever done. Now the frame is Floyd | shattered and the canvas torn nearly in half. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "lick watch" | ||||
Floyd | I taste nothing unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "lick you" | ||||
Floyd | Please. What a revolting idea. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Hrmmm" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x frame" | ||||
Floyd | This was a landscape Leo painted for me, of a cliff with a gigantic Floyd | waterfall completely filling the sky behind it. He usually paints from Floyd | life---he gets up before dawn every day to paint in all kinds of Floyd | strange places---but I asked him to do one for me from his mind, and Floyd | as far as I know it was the only one he's ever done. Now the frame is Floyd | shattered and the canvas torn nearly in half. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "search furniture" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Go back to Leo's?" | |||
| maga says (to Floyd), "cry" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo!" I shriek. No response. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Though I think... well, it could just be me, but given the tone of this piece, I'd rather we keep the commands sort on in line with the game rather than goofing off (despite my attempts to save Leo, which were serious, even if they didn't appear to be)." | |||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "sob" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "that makes sense" | |||
| Lucea says, "I agree." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Okay" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "I'm just trying to make sure we don't miss anything before we enter the painting" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "No more licking Leo I guess" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Lucea), "Sure." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ched), "Right." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Lucea), "Painting is torn." | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "x irene" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Drat" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x furniture" | ||||
Floyd | I think there's enough going on at the moment that I can safely say Floyd | the state of the furniture is immaterial. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "knock on irene's door" | ||||
Floyd | I shove my shoulder hard against the door, and a previously unseen Floyd | panel swings open below the doorknob, revealing a small brass keyhole. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "right, but there's got to be some way to get in there; it's the most logical next step" | |||
| Cheddarius exclaims, "What!" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "we need to get to his studio" | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "Don't we?" | ||||
| Lucea says, "maybe tearing it opened up some kind of port - hey" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "The state of your furniture is NEVER immaterial" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Wait. What did he give us, again? A key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | an old bronze key Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "or the ring lets us enter the paintings" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bronze key" | ||||
Floyd | An old-fashioned double-sided bronze key. It's slightly tarnished, but Floyd | probably still serviceable. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "I think if you enter the painting without the ring you can't move" | |||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "unlock door with bronze" | ||||
Floyd | The old bronze key doesn't fit the door to Irene's Room. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "naturally, a brass keyhole cannot possibly be opened by a bronze key" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "The ring was up in some studio or soemthing" | ||||
| zarf says, "the key to was the workshop. the ring was what cheddarius said." | ||||
| Lucea says, "worth a shot" | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "to do so would violate every law of IF physics" | |||
| DavidW says, "The ring was in 'his room', bedroom, I assume." | ||||
| inky says, "L is for Leo, who was Licked by a Llama" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Stairs up? West?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Ched), "You going to go up to his room?" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "If people are okay with it" | ||||
| Lucea says, "There's something here. There's got to be." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I'm thinking up. You go, Ched." | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "up" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and what I presume is Leo's Floyd | bedroom to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Lucea), "I'm thinking we'll come back, but let's go get the ring." | |||
| maga says (to inky), "L is for Leo, shot dead by his mom / M for Mathilda, whose mind is half gone" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Oh, wait, when we go there we should look at the rooftops" | ||||
| Lucea says, "I just meant here in the general vicinity, not in this room" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "As it's our lead, right now." | ||||
| inky says (to maga), "yay!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "YAY" | ||||
| Lucea says, "N is for Neighbours, plagued by deceit" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Lucea), "ah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | The door to this room has always been closed whenever I popped up to Floyd | use his loo, and I've always been curious as to what he was hiding in Floyd | here. It is therefore with great chagrin that I note that the room is Floyd | completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still painted, and the Floyd | windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made use of this room Floyd | at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare except for one of his Floyd | canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of the eastern wall. The Floyd | hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "ok, that must be it" | |||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "open curtains" | ||||
Floyd | Oddly, they don't seem designed to be openable. Someone wanted privacy Floyd | in here, evidently. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | An unholy mess of pure colour swirls over the canvas. I'm no artist, Floyd | but somehow Leo's made the brushstrokes seem completely chaotic up Floyd | close, but allowed them to resolve into a unified, swirling mass as I Floyd | step back from the painting. I've never seen this one before, and I Floyd | would never guess it were Leo's if that weren't obviously his Floyd | signature in the corner. I mean, it's lovely, but an abstract seems Floyd | rather out of character for Leo when he's always telling me he only Floyd | paints from life. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf3" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "touch painting" | ||||
Floyd | Hardened paint. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Darn" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "touch key to paintig" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look behind painting" | ||||
Floyd | Just dust. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar asks, "enter painting?" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "touch key to painting" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says (to floyd), "enter paintingf" | |||
| inky says (to Floyd), "touch painting with key" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to touch the abstract Floyd | painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says (to floyd), "enter painting" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | It's not as if I can just waltz right into it. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea asks, "you can't?" | |||
| DavidW says, "It's still a painting right now." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We still need that ring" | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline scrolls back to see what Leo said... | |||
| Gerynar asks, "x curtains?" | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "x curtains" | ||||
Floyd | Weirdly out-of-character for Leo, in fact---they're dark velvet. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x shelf" | ||||
Floyd | Well, yes, there's a wooden shelf here, along the far wall, but Floyd | honestly, I see nothing important on it. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "they're just for privacy, I think" | |||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "move shelf" | ||||
Floyd | It is fixed in place. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look on shelf" | ||||
Floyd | No, really, I don't see anything I want to take. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | Why do you keep asking me this? I don't want to take anything take Floyd | might be on that shelf. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | Let me put it this way, then: I don't want to touch that thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | I nearly scream with frustration. Despite what Leo and Irene say, I Floyd | think some parts of the past are better forgotten. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | I nearly scream with frustration. Despite what Leo and Irene say, I Floyd | think some parts of the past are better forgotten. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take ring" | Lucea says, "poor matilda" | |||
Floyd | Damn it. All right, so the ring is on the shelf. But is it really Floyd | necessary this really that I cart it about with me? I turned it down Floyd | years ago; there's really no need to go into all that again. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "why do i get the feeling this painting is the entrance to the Final Dungeon?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | Taken, damn you. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "thank you" | ||||
Floyd | Thanking myself would be gratuitous at best. Floyd | Floyd | The jewel flashes at me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "thank me" | ||||
Floyd | Thanking you is at the top of my list of thing I will probably never, Floyd | ever do. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Heh" | |||
| Gerynar says, "heh" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x ring" | ||||
Floyd | It's an engagement ring: a narrow band of white gold, set with a Floyd | small, glittering diamond. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Yeah" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x diamond" | ||||
Floyd | A small, diamond in a round, white setting. The setting seems to be Floyd | slightly loose, as if it were built to rotate on its axis. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Leo tried to marry us" | |||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "wear it" | ||||
Floyd | (first taking the setting) Floyd | That seems to be a part of the diamond ring. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "wear ring" | ||||
Floyd | No. What are you, some kind of sadist? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "wear ring" | ||||
Floyd | Please, just stop it. We've gone over and over this. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "wear ring" | ||||
Floyd | All right, all right, I'll wear your goddamned diamond. Please don't Floyd | harass me anymore. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Ahahahahahah" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Bow before the mighty IF gods" | ||||
| inky says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | Lucea says, "this is getting genuinely uncomfortable" | |||
Floyd | Pushing the button produces an irritatingly loud snapping sound, and Floyd | then . . . Floyd | Floyd | I take a step backward. Except for the abstract painting, everything Floyd | in the room has gone black and white. All is still and completely Floyd | motionless, the distant sounds of traffic have stopped, and the room Floyd | is entirely drained of colour. I fight an unaccustomed urge to panic. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, paste incoming, with a summary of important-sounding stuff..." | |||
| RonN asks, "'our' ring?" | ||||
| Jacqueline | The key to my gallery's outside the studio. If you find it . . . you can have it. As a bequest." | ||||
| Jacqueline | Doesn't matter now. Listen. You can use the paintings. Fix it so that this didn't happen. And you might also need the ring. It's upstairs in my room. I know you hate that thing, but otherwise you won't be able to move anywhere." | ||||
| Jacqueline | "It's not what you think, Matilda. It's the setting of the diamond . . . on the shelf. You'll see what I mean." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So." | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "panic" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "That's how I knew there WAS a shelf." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "This doesn't sound like his room, really." | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "Drat" | ||||
Floyd | 'Fuck' might be more cathartic. Floyd | Floyd | A noise comes from the mess of colour---utterly incongruous and Floyd | completely unmistakable, a duck quacking. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "I think we can enter the painting now" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "...whoa." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Oh wait, there is a shelf here, it's just not described?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "grr" | ||||
| Lucea says (to Jacqueline), "The narrator's being unreliable" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Right. We're in denial about it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was in scrollback when that happened." | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Isn't unreliable narrator a story device?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It would have been nice were it included in the room description..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "touch painting" | ||||
Floyd | My finger glides straight through where the paint ought to be. Floyd | Floyd | The abstract fills the room with the sound of water, sloshing busily Floyd | about. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Cheddarius), "Something artistic like that, I guess, perhaps." | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Hrm" | ||||
| Lucea says, "well, yes, but the same thing's going on here" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x watch" | ||||
Floyd | It appears to be stopped at eight o'clock. Floyd | Floyd | The colours continue to merge and divide in rhythm with the sounds of Floyd | the ocean. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "PC isn't being completely honest with us" | |||
| Cheddarius asks, "How so?" | ||||
| Lucea asks, "leaving out a very important detail?" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "What's she lying to us about?" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Oh, the shelf" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "the ring" | ||||
| Lucea says, "also the ring" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Ah" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room (in monochrome) Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the abstract painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open curtains" | ||||
Floyd | Oddly, they don't seem designed to be openable. Someone wanted privacy Floyd | in here, evidently. Floyd | Floyd | The abstract fills the room with the sound of water, sloshing busily Floyd | about. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Make her lick the ring" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "WE WILL BREAK HER" | ||||
| Lucea says, "I don't want to break her." | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Maybe she'll tell the truth if we do?" | ||||
| Lucea says, "she already did, though. we have the ring" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Or I mean she could go into shock and die." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I am really liking the 'we are in her head' thing." | ||||
| RonN says, "I want to marry her. Assuming I'm NOT a voice in her head. That would be weird." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "But telling the truth about other things" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "As well as the unreliable protagonist thing." | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "marry me" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "Me too" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Dang" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Let's enter the painting." | ||||
| RonN says, "I'm under the impression that we are Leo in her head. Like _Violet_" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Or do we want something else first?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "I think it's time to enter the painting" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf4" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "If we make her love Big Brother, perhaps she'll tell the truth about stuff, like the ring, except other stuff we don't know about" | |||
| Lucea says, "I don't think we're Leo." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I say we go in." | ||||
| Lucea says, "If we were Leo we'd know why he died" | ||||
| maga says (to RonN), "no, we already established that the head-voice has been around since she was fifteen or sixteen, and Leo is a much more recent development" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Just be all 'lick ring' and 'marry leo' until she goes 'do it to julia/leo/whatever!'" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't think we're Leo, I think we're just a voice in her head." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Ched), "How about no?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| RonN says, "i guess i missed that maga. But she said she's wear our ring..." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Okay" | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "l" | maga says, "tone, people, please" | |||
Floyd | Vacant Room (in monochrome) Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the abstract painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Lucea says (to floyd), "x curtains" | ||||
Floyd | Weirdly out-of-character for Leo, in fact---they're dark velvet. Floyd | Floyd | A noise comes from the mess of colour---utterly incongruous and Floyd | completely unmistakable, a duck quacking. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | An unholy mess of pure colour swirls over the canvas. It's lovely, but Floyd | an abstract seems rather out of character for Leo when he's always Floyd | telling me he only paints from life. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Anyone want me to *not* go in?" | |||
| Lucea says, "ok, that lead's out" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Hmmmmm" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Unholy mess, eh?" | ||||
| Lucea says, "I don't see any compelling reason not to" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Is that just a description?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think that's just a turn of phrase, Ched." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Ah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I walk up, closer to the painting. I feel a light breeze on my face; Floyd | there doesn't seem to be any kind of boundary at all between here and Floyd | there. I put my hand against it, and sure enough, it goes clean Floyd | through. Floyd | Floyd | I contemplate this for a moment, and, then, at last, get up my courage Floyd | and walk straight into it. There is a flash of pure, blinding white, Floyd | and a noisy snap as the pocketwatch begins ticking again . . . Floyd | Floyd | Dock's End Floyd | The ocean. The sun is setting, hanging just over the mountains to the Floyd | north. I'm standing on a rickety wooden dock, somewhat discoloured Floyd | with mildew and encrusted with barnacles along the edges. Water Floyd | surrounds me in all directions, but the dock continues to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "when is a duck not a duck? when it's a painting" | |||
| DavidW says, "I have a ... never mind" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Bee arr bee" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "O-ho the watch." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x watch" | ||||
Floyd | It's an attractive open-faced gold fobwatch, equipped with a long, Floyd | thin loop of chain and a small black button just below six o'clock. Floyd | The clock face suggests that it's twenty past six---how time flies and Floyd | all that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea asks, "wasn't it around 8 before?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | It's an attractive open-faced gold fobwatch, equipped with a long, Floyd | thin loop of chain and a small black button just below six o'clock. Floyd | The clock face suggests that it's twenty past six---how time flies and Floyd | all that. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says (to Lucea), "yes" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I think it was." | ||||
| RonN says, "yeah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Wonder how many turns makes time progress." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We may be backward or forward in time." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Default is usually a turn a minute, but who knows." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "This reminds me of a thing... Marco's Millions, I think. A book where this guy, in one bit, starts walking toward a giant monolith, only it warps time so that as he gets closer, he sees the world around him going faster and faster" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | RonN asks, "what happens if he moonwalks?" | |||
Floyd | Pushing the button produces an irritatingly loud snapping sound, and Floyd | then . . . Floyd | Floyd | I take a step backward. Everything in the room has gone black and Floyd | white. All is still and completely motionless, the distant sounds of Floyd | traffic have stopped, and the room is entirely drained of colour. I Floyd | fight an unaccustomed urge to panic. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Dock's End (in monochrome) Floyd | I'm standing on a rickety wooden dock, somewhat discoloured with Floyd | mildew and encrusted with barnacles along the edges. Water surrounds Floyd | me in all directions, but the dock continues to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x water" | ||||
Floyd | Not like any ocean I've ever seen. Up close the water looks as clear Floyd | as glass, but in the light of the setting sun it seems to gradually Floyd | twist and shift with a hundred different pulsing shades. At first I Floyd | think this must be some kind of monstrous oil slick, or else a trick Floyd | of the light, but on closer inspection is appears to be a property of Floyd | the water itself. Floyd | Floyd | I shudder. Where is this place? Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Hmmmm" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "touch water" | ||||
Floyd | Completely unyielding, and cold as stone. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Drink water. Heh." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Guess we can't move." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "stand on water" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something I can stand on. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | I touch the water experimentally. It moves slowly in response to my Floyd | touch, like thick syrup, but won't support my weight. No walking on Floyd | water for me, apparently. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "And possibly we can't turn the ring again." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, we can move." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "pull button" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing obvious happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | Holding my breath, I click the button. The world suddenly sets itself Floyd | in motion again, returning to its rainbow normality. I breathe. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius exclaims, "It's quicksand!" | |||
| Cheddarius exclaims, "Or that cornstarch and water mixture!" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x ring" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "This is pretty freaky cool." | |||
| Cheddarius says, "It is hard only in response to massive force" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | an old bronze key Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The diamond ring, apparently, has vanished. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Vanished?" | |||
| RonN asks, "maybe it stayed in the other world?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "maybe" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Must have." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Just trying to figure out the rules of this system." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Monochrome might mean time has stopped." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x you" | ||||
Floyd | I'm the same as I've always been. With more age spots and less Floyd | colourful hair than in times past, I suppose. The purple nightgown I'm Floyd | wearing perhaps can't be said to flatter, but in any case I've found Floyd | people give me more and more leeway with my appearance as the years go Floyd | by. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DW), "That was my thought." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "And we're still us and in our nightgown." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "The water is a colloid hydrogel" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Explore?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "We might be able to explore in monochrome and not use up any game time?" | ||||
| RonN says, "well arthur hitchhiked around the galaxy in his bathrobe." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Possibly, yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | That absurdly loud snap, and my stomach twists as everything goes Floyd | greyscale. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Also, if time is stoppped, we'd be effectively invisible, I assume." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "One would think." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x easel" | ||||
Floyd | A somewhat rickety elmwood easel, positioned so as to give the artist Floyd | a good view over the bay. It doesn't seem to have been used for quite Floyd | some time, though---it's soaked through with recent rain, and appears Floyd | to be rotting away in places. Floyd | Floyd | In fact . . . following the easel's line of sight over the ocean, I Floyd | realise with a shock that the painting I've just come through isn't an Floyd | abstract at all: Leo has simply painted the reflection of the setting Floyd | sun on the bay, exactly as it is---the water in the light is throwing Floyd | up dozens of colours, slowly shifting with the current, flowing out Floyd | with the tide. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius asks, "If time's stopped, wouldn't we set ourselves on fire by the very act of moving at an infinite speed?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Ched), "heh" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "We'd explode with the slightest movement. Even being non-absolute-zero would be a death sentence" | ||||
| RonN asks, "but how's the fire to burn with no time, he?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Stop breaking our branes." | ||||
| RonN asks, "eh?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x mountains" | ||||
Floyd | Extraordinarily steep---far too much so for this to be anywhere close Floyd | to home. Though its difficult to tell at this angle, the peaks appear Floyd | to be heavily forested, receding into the distance farther than my eye Floyd | can follow. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Fire requires time, I assume." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cabin" | ||||
Floyd | This roughshod wooden shack would be rustic and charming, say, in the Floyd | middle of the forest, but dropped into the middle of the beach like Floyd | this it's simply jarring. The door appears to be padlocked shut. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "That's the weird thing about time stopping" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Clearly time passes around *you*, but not the environment" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock padlock with bronze key" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Press the button first." | |||
| DavidW says, "Probably have to be ... yeah" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "So what happens when you, say, punch someone in stopped time? Will they move? Will they not?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock padlock with bronze key" | ||||
Floyd | The old bronze key doesn't fit the padlock. Floyd | Floyd | > | maga says, "dude, we stopped time by pressing a magic ring. overanalysis is a little futile" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| RonN says, "um, no. it'd be like punching a statue. Ouch." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | There are no windows here, a fact which I regret every time I come Floyd | through here. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Presumably the magic ring is a communication device of some sort" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Every time we come through here?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "climb cabin" | ||||
Floyd | I don't think much is to be achieved by that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I thought this was our first time." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search cabin" | ||||
Floyd | I lean down to peer through the keyhole, but nothing is readily Floyd | apparent on the other side. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Which sends a signal to a massive time-stopping facility miles away" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | That absurdly loud snap, and my stomach twists as everything goes Floyd | greyscale. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "wait, the ring stopped time? i thought the watch did that?" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Hmmmm..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, it's the watch." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "maga stepped away." | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Wouldn't stopping time make you blind?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Perhaps the ring does it too." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Because no light would be able to reach your eyes" | ||||
| DavidW says, "The ring did turn the Vacant Room monochrome." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to maga), "The ring has disappeared, probably back in the real world, and the button we're pressing is on the watch." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Eeenteresting." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So. Explore more, methinks." | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "the ring activated the watch & painting?" | ||||
| RonN says, "leo said we needed the ring 'to be able to move' or somesuch" | ||||
| RonN shrug | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "move in the paintings" | |||
| DavidW says, "I think the monochrome activated the painting. Perhaps the watch would've worked too." | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Maybe the ring turns into the watch?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | On the Cape (in monochrome) Floyd | The beach swivels out over the water here, creating this little Floyd | headland surrounded by rocky, shallow water on three sides. The beach Floyd | arcs back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Sunning herself in a lawn chair nearby, entirely improbably, is Irene, Floyd | Leo's mother. At the moment, she appears to be frozen in place, gazing Floyd | off into the middle distance. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "oop" | |||
| DavidW says, "No, we had both at the same time." | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Like that other game a bit ago?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Irene." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "PUNCH HER AT INFINITE SPEED" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "touch Irene" | ||||
Floyd | Completely unyielding, and cold as stone. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I think we'll need a driver, yeah." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "At least, when the watch is activated." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "nominates Jaqueline" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Perhaps Irene will explain stuff." | ||||
| Cheddarius exclaims, "Einstein-defying infinite-energy punch go!" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "I'll drive, sure. Should we talk to her?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf5" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "see, aren't you glad we didn't punch her?" | |||
| Jacqueline presses the large red button on the FREE DONUTS machine. Within seconds, the room is flooded with a thousand tiny, happy donuts, running about your feet in an exuberant dance of freedom. They then disappear as quickly as they had arrived. | Cheddarius says, "She's a murderer, she'd rather kill you" | |||
| DavidW says, "I think we should try." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to RonN), "Ha" | ||||
| RonN exclaims, "yay donuts!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ched), "This might be from before she was a murderer, or not really her at all." | ||||
| Lucea says, "I know what happened, I think" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "wrong button" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Maybe just Leo's vision of her." | ||||
| Lucea says, "Leo went into the painting and encountered her here and provoked her somehow" | ||||
| Cheddarius exclaims, "You mean... she's Agent Smith?!?!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DavidW), "Heh. So it was." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Oh noes" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | Gerynar says, "or we're in the past" | |||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | "Oh," she says. Then, quieter, "Oh." Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius exclaims, "Knife her!" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask irene about leo" | ||||
Floyd | "Irene . . . what happened to Leo, earlier?" Floyd | Floyd | A sudden look of pain look crosses her face. Floyd | Floyd | "Irene. What did you do?" Floyd | Floyd | She pauses, and when she speaks her voice is a whisper. "He was going Floyd | to break our rule," she says. "I had no other choice. Perhaps you can Floyd | fix it, though, now that you can go back yourself." Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "See she's a murderer]" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about rule" | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | "Your rule," I repeat derisively. Floyd | Floyd | "My father's rule. No duplicating oneself. He was trying to go into a Floyd | painting he'd just finished. I'd just found the pistol---it was in my Floyd | hand---I was furious---I had no other way to stop him before he used Floyd | the pocketwatch." Floyd | Her eyes are unfocused. "I'm not making excuses," she says, "but I'd Floyd | warned him. And, you know, life is a much less fragile thing when you Floyd | can play tricks with time with those paintings---I've thought he was Floyd | dead before, and then he would waltz out of a canvas cheerful as you Floyd | please. I know you'll find a way." Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Kniiiiiife heeeer" | |||
| Lucea says, "someone is lying." | ||||
| RonN says, "rock beats scissors, ched" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Knife her in real time" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ched), "I'm not going to knife her. I don't think that's the majority desire." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Everyone), "Is it?" | ||||
| Lucea says, "no" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "nope...no knifing" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Man she murdered our possible-husband" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, no knife." | ||||
| Lucea says, "If you want to knife her, download it and knife her to your heart's content" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Slap her around with the watch?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But we need to figure out what happened, and killing her will not help things." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Ask more questions. Ask about watch, time, paintings, gun, padlock" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Okay then" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, retribution is a base human instinct, and we're better than that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about the watch" | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | "I found that pocketwatch of Leo's in my living room. . . that's how I Floyd | was able to get here." Floyd | Floyd | Her eyes widen. "How on earth did he lose that? Leo will want to . . . Floyd | well, never mind. It won't be much good to you, actually, if you can't Floyd | get into the cabin. You'd need the padlock key." Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Ask about Leo" | |||
| RonN says, "she murdered our wannabe-husband" | ||||
| Lucea asks, "Right, but what if Leo's the one who didn't tell the whole truth?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about leo" | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | I think that topic's more or less been exhausted. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "he was breaking the rule" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Lucea), "Yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about watch" | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | I think that topic's more or less been exhausted. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "there's still that unfinished business about the ring" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, so one go per topic." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about ring." | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | "So," says Irene. "Things are going well for you?" Floyd | Floyd | Irene's conversation, I've noticed, tends to be the polar opposite of Floyd | her son's: whereas Leo is so intensely present that I feel slightly on Floyd | edge whenever I speak to him, Irene is so vague that you start to Floyd | wonder whether she's there at all. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius asks, "Ask about me or you or something?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about ring" | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | Floyd | "I found a diamond ring upstairs in yours and Leo's flat," I remark. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | "And by your presence here I gather that you took it? Now there's Floyd | fodder for speculation," Irene says. "Does this mean you've accepted Floyd | him at last? Or are you only using his ring for your own ends?" She Floyd | shakes her head. "Not that I'm in a position to judge." Floyd | > | RonN asks, "i think Irene made a mistake about there being extras Leos running around?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about duplication" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | "It's lovely here, isn't it?" she remarks. Floyd | Floyd | "I thought so," I say. Floyd | Floyd | "Ah. We're agreed, then. Besides," she adds enigmatically, "the music Floyd | is best here." Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "I don't understand this" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about music" | ||||
Floyd | "Music?" I ask. Floyd | Floyd | She smiles. "I gather you haven't seen the music box yet, then." Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius asks, "Is this a parallel world?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about time." | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, indeed . . . yes, indeed," Irene murmurs. Her eyes drift closed. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "We don't know yet." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about paintings" | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | "All this is . . . amazing," I say. "Have you and Leo always been able Floyd | to use paintings like this? You were coming to these places all these Floyd | years and never once thought to tell me?" Floyd | Floyd | "Well, we thought to, of course, many times," she says vaguely. "But I Floyd | think Leo was waiting for the right moment. Besides, not all the Floyd | paintings are really so special." She turns to me suddenly. "Like that Floyd | one that connects to here. The sloppy one, of the ocean. He dashed Floyd | that thing off in about half an hour when he realised we had no easy Floyd | way back to the flat. It's not really such a special thing. More of a Floyd | family trade." Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "i don't think she knows she killed the only Leo? I dunno..." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask her about padlock" | ||||
Floyd | (Irene about that) Floyd | "Is that your cabin down there on the beach, Irene?" I ask. Floyd | Floyd | "In a manner of speaking. It's Leo's studio." Then, seeing the look on Floyd | my face, she adds, "Not too impressive, is it? That's Leo's version of Floyd | 'authentically naturalist.'" Floyd | Floyd | There's something resembling bitterness in her voice. "Is that why Floyd | it's padlocked shut, then?" Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, no," she smiles. "I locked it." She reaches into her collar and Floyd | pulls out something tiny and glittering. I experience an odd sense of Floyd | d?j? vu. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "ask her if she knows a girl named Rume. :)" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x glitter" | ||||
Floyd | Possibly the smallest key I've ever seen. There's no way this would Floyd | fit in any door unless it were something out of Lewis Carroll. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hm. We need that." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | That absurdly loud snap, and my stomach twists as everything goes Floyd | greyscale. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take key" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the tiny copper key, the old bronze key or the Floyd | house key? Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Yes" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Woooot" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take the tiny copper key" | ||||
Floyd | "Irene, could I have the key to the padlock?" Floyd | Floyd | She sighs, then leans forward, extending her hand. "I thought to put Floyd | you through a grand song and dance to get it," she says as she hands Floyd | it over, "but I find I don't really have the heart." Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea asks, "if we ask nicely, can we have it?" | |||
| Cheddarius exclaims, "Wut!" | ||||
| Lucea says, "...guess so" | ||||
| inky says, "ha ha" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Aw man, she isn't affected." | ||||
| Cheddarius exclaims, "But we froze time!" | ||||
| DavidW says, "bug" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't think that's a bug." | ||||
| Lucea asks, "how is it a bug?" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "I think it is - before, she was made of stone" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "And she's not now" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "she was't frozen when we stopped time" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x irene" | ||||
Floyd | I readily admit that in the age hierarchy, I probably qualify as Floyd | "getting on," perhaps even as "over the hill." Irene, by contrast, is Floyd | fast approaching senile with a side of decrepit. She's currently Floyd | reclining in a lawn chair, one hand clutching her cane. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I think it just means humans - oh wait, you're right, she was stone earlier." | |||
| Lucea says, "maybe she unfreezes when we talk to her" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cane" | ||||
Floyd | A long, elegant bamboo affair with a gold handle. She probably Floyd | oughtn't to be doing much walking---in fact, she has a wheelchair Floyd | lying around somewhere, as I recall, but she rejected it in favor of Floyd | this because the wheelchair motor wouldn't do twenty kilometres an Floyd | hour. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Loot everything she's got and run" | |||
| RonN asks, "maybe the watch has an area effect?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, she gave us the key for some weird reason." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a tiny copper key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | an old bronze key Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about my painting" | ||||
Floyd | It's unlikely to be an enlightening conversation with Irene in that Floyd | petrified state. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Yeah" | |||
| RonN says, "I applaud her not-making-the-PC-sing-and-dance." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Definitely a bug then" | ||||
| RonN exclaims, "Other NPCs take note!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I nod farewell to Irene and set off back down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "We should find a pencil and draw a handlebar moustache on her" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock padlock" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, right." | |||
| Jacqueline presses the large red button on the FREE DONUTS machine. Within seconds, the room is flooded with a thousand tiny, happy donuts, running about your feet in an exuberant dance of freedom. They then disappear as quickly as they had arrived. | RonN laughs at Ched | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock padlock with copper key" | ||||
Floyd | The padlock springs open, falling off the door and into the bay. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open cabin" | RonN says, "laughs at donuts" | |||
Floyd | Using the old bronze key, I unlock the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | I open the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius asks, "Wut?" | |||
| Cheddarius asks, "How did the padlock fly off into the ocean?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The donut machine is an object in the Toyshop. I forgot to speak to Floyd." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter cabin" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | After all these years, on finally getting to see Leo's studio, I find Floyd | my only reaction is "No wonder he never let me see this place." Leo's Floyd | studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is a stack of papers impaled Floyd | on a spindle, and across from it stands a tranquilly ticking Floyd | grandfather clock. The door back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "I know, Jacq. It's only funny when a veteran does that."" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x clock" | ||||
Floyd | Solid ash. I have no idea how Leo got this in here---it's taller than Floyd | the door---but it does do rather a lot for the room's ambiance. The Floyd | face, for some reason, is at the bottom of the clock, and the exposed Floyd | pendulum swings freely at eye level. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Ron), "Heh. Well, it's annoying to me when I do it, trust me." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I didn't mean to." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read clock" | ||||
Floyd | Solid ash. I have no idea how Leo got this in here---it's taller than Floyd | the door---but it does do rather a lot for the room's ambiance. The Floyd | face, for some reason, is at the bottom of the clock, and the exposed Floyd | pendulum swings freely at eye level. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "Irene forgot to welcome us to her lacuna." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x face" | ||||
Floyd | (myself) Floyd | I'm the same as I've always been. With more age spots and less Floyd | colourful hair than in times past, I suppose. The purple nightgown I'm Floyd | wearing perhaps can't be said to flatter, but in any case I've found Floyd | people give me more and more leeway with my appearance as the years go Floyd | by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x hammock" | ||||
Floyd | It does look cosy, if a bit claustrophobic, strung practically from Floyd | corner to corner as it is. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x desk" | ||||
Floyd | It might be cherrywood; it's been covered with dozens of swatches of Floyd | paint of every shade so that it's difficult to imagine what it used to Floyd | look like. Off to one side are a stack of papers piled on a spindle, Floyd | and on the other side sits a large, hinged-lidded wooden box. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x papers" | ||||
Floyd | The sheets are covered in Leo's spidery handwriting, and the make of Floyd | paper seems familiar; it looks like they've been torn from the pad Floyd | that I gave Leo for his last birthday, when he was making noises about Floyd | wanting to keep a journal. Floyd | Floyd | It looks like there are monthly entries, dating from last November up Floyd | until this month. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "x pendulum?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read entries" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want me to read in? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read papers" | ||||
Floyd | It looks like the entries are monthly, dating from last November up Floyd | until this month. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | It's of the long, ponderous variety, and fashioned of some kind of Floyd | faux gold, and is swinging in a slow, hypnotic arc. The end of it is Floyd | tarnished by fingerprints, which gleam, iridescent, as it moves. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read november" | ||||
Floyd | (first taking the papers) Floyd | Floyd | Happy birthday to me. Celebrated by springing for doors with locks for Floyd | every room in the flat---an enormous pain to install, but I console Floyd | myself thinking of how much easier it'll be to go back and forth with Floyd | the master key when I'm working. Floyd | Floyd | Along with this journal, an amazing new sable paintbrush from Matilda. Floyd | Perhaps Irene told her I was looking for a new one, but I would never Floyd | have thought to get anything of this quality for myself. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "The box is probably the music box." | |||
| Cheddarius asks, "Wait, who was Matilda again?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Us" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "yeah...what DW said" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Oh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read december" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Finally finished Matilda's "not-from-life" painting, just in time for Floyd | Christmas. Would be sorely tempted to go in if I could think of a way Floyd | to get back once there. Otherwise busy. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Let me read the journal entries, then we'll look at the box. Will that work?" | |||
| DavidW says, "sure" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read january" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Should write this down for reference: have been messing about with Floyd | some of the paintings in the gallery. I realise this ought to be Floyd | dangerous, but as far as I can tell, there's no potential for things Floyd | to go really wrong. If I go back and change something, time proceeds Floyd | forward from that moment without regard to how the future was supposed Floyd | to play out. Was looking forward to causing paradoxes galore, but Floyd | apparently not. Floyd | Floyd | Frankly, would rather be painting than dabbling in metaphysics, but Floyd | there's really no other way to spend the time when it's too cold to Floyd | paint. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "er, Matilda is our body. We're a voice. In Matilda. Just so we're clear." | |||
| RonN says, "it's complicated." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read february" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | I hate not being able to paint outdoors. Inevitably I find myself Floyd | trudging through the gallery, wondering which paintings I might be Floyd | able to get away with entering. But if every painting that hasn't been Floyd | entered before will take me to the time and place it was painted, it Floyd | means that unless I were especially stealthy I'd end up running into Floyd | my former self as he was finishing up the work in question. But it's Floyd | frustrating looking back on a particularly happy work and knowing Floyd | that, however much I long to go in, I'll always be too cautious to Floyd | actually attempt it. Floyd | Floyd | Irene calling. Another night commiserating by candlelight. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius exclaims, "Leo is his own father!" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read march" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | I've lost the master key. Was in the city finishing up with the garden Floyd | painting this morning . . . I thought I heard a guard coming; grabbed Floyd | the painting and ran, only to realise I'd dropped the key somewhere. Floyd | By the time I got back, the gardens were open and the key was long Floyd | gone. Had to walk home with the painting. Should probably be more Floyd | philosophical about it, but in fact I don't think I've ever been Floyd | angrier. Floyd | Floyd | Can't believe the entire gallery is lost. All the paintings are Floyd | inaccessible now except the one in my flat, the one I gave to Matilda, Floyd | and the one I was working on this morning. Thank God I never got Floyd | around to putting that one back in the gallery! Floyd | Floyd | All I can think, over and over, is Life's work. Inaccessible forever. Floyd | Life's work. Forever. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Whoaaaaa. Leo tried to enter one of the old paintings" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "And then Irene shot him" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "This is my interpretation of these events" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read april" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Quarantined in the house; they estimate we'll be able to leave the Floyd | neighbourhood next week. Heard on the wireless this morning that the Floyd | gardens have gone up in flames: arson, they're saying, or looters. Floyd | Floyd | I spent all day today staring at the painting I finished in the Floyd | gardens, but I'm afraid of what could happen if I actually used it. I Floyd | could have lost the key anytime that morning, and if I couldn't find Floyd | it I'd have no way to get back here. Floyd | Floyd | Damn it. Will give the painting to Matilda---she'll appreciate it and Floyd | I won't have to think about it anymore. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Whoa" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Curiouser and curiouser" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read may" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | I think Irene knows where I've hidden the gun; I caught her sneaking Floyd | around in Matilda's flat very early this morning. I haven't told Floyd | either of them that I saw her, but Matilda might do well to lock her Floyd | front door at night. Floyd | Floyd | At this point it serves me right even if she does find it. Helped Floyd | Matilda hang the peace gardens painting upstairs in her flat, then Floyd | gave the gallery key to Irene and told her to keep it safe somewhere Floyd | where I'd never have to look at it again---it's useless now. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read june" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | I can't take this anymore. I've almost finished a new painting in the Floyd | garden behind the house; tomorrow morning, as soon as it's done, I'm Floyd | going in. If Irene catches me, so much the better, because I can't Floyd | stand to wait any longer. Floyd | Floyd | That's the last entry. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hrm." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Music box?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x box" | ||||
Floyd | A sizable rosewood affair, large enough to stand in, and lovingly Floyd | handpainted with little music notes floating around a building---a Floyd | building that looks a lot like our flat, in fact. There's a dark Floyd | scrawl on the side of the box, which, strangely, doesn't seem to have Floyd | a bottom; under the closed lid I can see the paint drawing towards a Floyd | single point, leading down farther and farther, into darkness. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Leo is his own father AND mother" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x scrawl" | ||||
Floyd | A series of totally illegible thin lines, but they're definitely Leo's Floyd | initials. Floyd | Floyd | > | Lucea says, "back" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Back?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "She was afk" | ||||
| RonN asks, "OT: if a game has or requires bold and italic, we won't be able to see it in ClubFloyd, will we?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh. heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I thought you were telling me to go back." | ||||
| Gerynar says (to RonN), "nope" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to RonN), "No." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open lid" | ||||
Floyd | The box springs open, revealing a ring of keys, and a familiar, sweet Floyd | little tune fills the air around me: Pachelbel's Canon, perhaps? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Cheddarius says (to Floyd), "x keys" | ||||
Floyd | An entirely unremarkable little circle of steel. On it are an amber Floyd | key, a ruby key, a sapphire key, a jade key, and the other brass key. Floyd | Floyd | > | Cheddarius says, "Oooh. Swanky." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take keys" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x amber key" | ||||
Floyd | The stone is slightly flawed near the handle, but otherwise it's such Floyd | a beautiful piece of work I'd be reluctant to actually unlock Floyd | something with it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x ruby key" | ||||
Floyd | I'm no jeweler, but I'm pretty certain this is genuine ruby. Where in Floyd | hell did Leo get this? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x sapphire key" | ||||
Floyd | Well, perhaps it isn't real sapphire, but I've never seen any metal Floyd | dyed such a striking shade of blue. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x jade key" | ||||
Floyd | A dusky green key, polished enough so that it shines in the light. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x other brass ey" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to examine the other brass Floyd | key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x other brass key" | ||||
Floyd | A nondescript, standard-sized key. Except for the pattern of ridges, Floyd | it is nearly identical to my house key. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "i want a set. I want feelies." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Seems odd that the gallery key would be in here." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "So. What is the desire of the group now?" | ||||
| inky says, "surely we'll have to teleport via painting to the garden to get the gallery key" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "er, Wasn't the gallery key the tiny copper one?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to inky), "Hm, yeah." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Or is the gallery someplace other than here?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to David), "That's the studio key, methinks." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "the tiny copper was for the padlock, the big key unlocked the shack door" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "The studio and gallery aren't the same place?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't think so, no." | ||||
| RonN is thoroughly confused. | ||||
| DavidW asks, "So what is the 'gallery' then?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Or, at least, I think of a gallery as where you display paintings, and a studio is where you actually work on them." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "There were guards in the gallery that he was afraid of" | ||||
| RonN says, "yeah, that, Jacq" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "Maybe the country's at war?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Cheddarius), "Garden, I thought that said." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open desk" | ||||
Floyd | No drawers. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "close door" | ||||
Floyd | I close the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x holes" | ||||
Floyd | A football-sized opening where the ceiling of the cabin has rotted Floyd | away. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | This roughshod wooden shack would be rustic and charming, say, in the Floyd | middle of the forest, but dropped into the middle of the beach like Floyd | this it's simply jarring. Floyd | Floyd | The last sliver of sun dips below the horizon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look in hole" | ||||
Floyd | Craning upward, I reach through the hole and feel around on the roof. Floyd | Nothing immediately apparent, and a cursory glance doesn't reveal very Floyd | much. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search hole" | ||||
Floyd | Craning upward, I reach through the hole and feel around on the roof. Floyd | Nothing immediately apparent, and a cursory glance doesn't reveal very Floyd | much. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "hm. Up?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Hrm. Okay. Red herring?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt I could even get my head through that hole, let alone my body Floyd | entire. Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says, "this part is one of my favorite puzzles" | |||
| inky says, "(in the game)" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of inky), "Oh, you dog. You've played this, huh?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "he was in the garden before it was open" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I wonder..." | ||||
| inky says, "yeah, though not since it came out" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Maybe we adjust time and find something in this hole then?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "What happens if we stand in the music box?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "get in box" | ||||
Floyd | It's a promising prospect, but I think it works like the paintings; it Floyd | won't let me in unless I've stopped time. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for nothingthe music box, which glimmers like the only thing Floyd | that matters in the world. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "huh" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "get in box" | ||||
Floyd | Going into a painting---well, that's one thing; it's like stepping Floyd | through a window. But a little box? I place my hand inside, not really Floyd | expecting anything to happen . . . Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The pocketwatch has reappeared in my hand. Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | > | (from Jacqueline) Jacqueline says, "Weird." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Undo, or proceed from here?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "So the music box is the way home." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So it would seem." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I say we either undo, or head to our apartment and find our painting." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Or search his apartment more." | ||||
| RonN asks, "wasn't the music box *painted*, though?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to RonN), "Yes." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "yes it was" | ||||
| RonN says, "ok, so it makes sense we can use it to teleport" | ||||
| DavidW says (to RonN), "Yes. So was the hall outside this room." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We haven't checked the bathroom yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf6" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "touch wall" | ||||
Floyd | (the swatches) Floyd | I don't feel anything unexpected. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, ";enter wall/fllor/ceiling?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x swatches" | ||||
Floyd | It continually amazes me that Leo can simply splatter paint at random Floyd | on his walls and create something attractive. One could spill Floyd | spaghetti sauce on the floor and he could simply extend the line of Floyd | the stain and make you think it's part of the existing design. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Okay, so those are just home decor and don't count?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "touch floor" | ||||
Floyd | Completely unyielding, and cold as stone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I am suspicious about this room." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Using the sapphire key, I unlock Leo's toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | I open Leo's toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | I'm more or less used to it by now, but by far the most awkward part Floyd | of my living arrangement continues to be the sharing of this toilet Floyd | with Leo. The house wasn't built to be a duplex, but luckily we got to Floyd | be friends quickly and have long since learned to pretend we don't Floyd | have occasional graceless encounters. The door back to my flat is Floyd | northeast, Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "well apparently the paing must be *of* something." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Aha. The keys." | ||||
| RonN says, "painting*" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Huh." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I want to go find our painting." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "May I?" | ||||
| RonN says (to jacq), "knowck ourselves out." | RonN says, "knock*" | |||
| DavidW says, "sure, but it's curious indeed that a sapphire key was needed to enter the community bathroom." | ||||
| RonN cannot spel tooday | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to David), "Well, no, not exactly curious." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "I mean, it's to keep us from entering his side of the house, isn't it?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Since we share a common bath?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "but sapphire?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "oh. I see. There's two exits?" | ||||
| Jacqueline shrugs. "He's an artist." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Yeah. One exit to our side, the other to his." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | The door rattles irritatingly---the latch on the other side must be Floyd | locked. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "oh, re-reading, it isn't a real sapphire. the ruby was real" | |||
| DavidW says, "ah. And of course, we locked our side from him." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He locked his side for the same reason we've locked ours." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Timing. Yes." | ||||
| RonN says, "yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, we can go around and unlatch it." | ||||
| RonN says, "but there's no adventure in our apartment." | ||||
| RonN asks, "oh wait, he gave us a painting, didn't he?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "Yes, there maybe is." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I believe there's a painting Jacq would like to look at." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He gave us a- right." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Hm. Look around in here first?" | |||
| DavidW asks, "Like the kitchen?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | This room, too, was once a sort of miniature exhibition of Leo's Floyd | paintings, but they, too, have vanished since last I was here. The Floyd | setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no table, Floyd | even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the front room Floyd | is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Someone who likes to implement didn't want to implement inconsequential stuff. heh" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Though in reality it's probably an intentional part of the plot." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Given the rest of what we've seen." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Bizarrely, the door is locked from the outside. There's even a little Floyd | green keyhole next to the door handle. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "of course. all artists are dirt-poor and can't afford material furniture." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with emerald key" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, Leo's back door or Leo's kitchen door? Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Unlock it with the jade key?" | |||
| RonN says, "it's a union rule. or something" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "leo's back door" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, was it jade? That's right." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock back door with jade key" | ||||
Floyd | I stick Leo's key in the lock; it turns normally, but the door doesn't Floyd | budge. I guess the lock mechanism must be broken. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Let's keep it in mind for later." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | I have a number of keys, and it takes me a moment to go through them Floyd | all, but I am immensely disturbed when the key that slips in the lock Floyd | and turns ends up being the key to my own front door. I hope Irene Floyd | isn't aware that she can go in and out of my flat at her leisure, but, Floyd | I realise with a sinking feeling, she almost certainly is, and does. Floyd | Floyd | I open the door to Irene's Room. Floyd | Floyd | Casually, I lean over and peek through the door; no one seems to be Floyd | about. I step cautiously through the doorway. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | This bedroom seems like a room from another flat completely; at any Floyd | rate it's free of Leo's cavalier paint-it-all approach to decor. The Floyd | furniture is spartan to the point of ruthlessness, arranged to frame Floyd | the gigantic four-poster waterbed. The overall effect is one of rather Floyd | severe cleanliness. The front room is back to the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Aha." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "And Leo didn't realize." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Nice touch." | ||||
| RonN? | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | A luxurious and horribly inviting waterbed that I can only imagine Floyd | must be murder upon the spinal cord. With the exception of a large Floyd | quilt that seems to have been banished to the far side of the room, Floyd | the linens are tasteful and colourless; the cumulative effect is to Floyd | make one almost overwhelmingly sleepy just looking at it. Floyd | Floyd | On its edge lies a single sheet of notebook paper. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "I missed the significance here.." | |||
| Jacqueline asks (of RonN), "Of what? The 'nice touch' I mentioned?" | ||||
| RonN says, "the aha" | ||||
| RonN asks, "what didn't leo realize?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The journal said that Leo had seen Irene wandering about in our flat, and that we should lock our door. We *did* lock our door, but it didn't matter." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Q: If Leo makes paintings, does Irene make quilts?" | ||||
| RonN says, "ah, i see." | ||||
| RonN says, "david, good question" | ||||
| RonN asks, "maybe she retired?" | ||||
| RonN says, "from painting i mean" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We should read the paper first, though." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read paper" | ||||
Floyd | (the papers) Floyd | It looks like the entries are monthly, dating from last November up Floyd | until this month. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says (to RonN), "I'm suggesting that the magic or whatever is not necessarily restricted to paint." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x sheet" | ||||
Floyd | A calligraphy pen on unlined paper, and a trembling, angular hand that Floyd | I recognise as Irene's. It reads: Floyd | Floyd | Dear, dear Ivy, I looked up today and realised I'd been gazing at you Floyd | for hours . . . I was thinking, my father used to say you looked just Floyd | like your mother, but he never said the same about me . . . do you Floyd | suppose that's why he painted you right after his wife died, but Floyd | simply sat and cried when I lost mine? But whom do you think he loved Floyd | better, then, mine or yours? Floyd | Floyd | Ivy, do you know how many times I've pushed the button on the Floyd | pocketwatch, just to watch you watch me? and twice I came within Floyd | seconds of leaping into the painting, just to be with you again? I Floyd | miss you . . . I miss you . . . Floyd | Floyd | The rest of the page trails off into ellipsis-laden indecipherability. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says (to yeah), "i know" | |||
| RonN sighs. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, the 'paper' is the papers of Leos? We must have taken them." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "For a moment I thought it was just a weird coincidence." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also... wow." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "This is both creepy and not making sense." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm unclear how Ivy is related to Irene." | ||||
| RonN says, "i should've read _the time-traveler's wife_ to get a clue here." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| RonN asks, "sister?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, hooray for 'ellipsis-laden indecipherability.'" | ||||
| RonN asks, "half-sister?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "My e-mails are often littered with 'ellipsis-laden indecipherability.' It's something I've been trying to work on." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x quilt" | ||||
Floyd | It seems to be hand-crocheted, woven in a spiral of clashing colours Floyd | working their way slowly out from the centre. Ornate and well-crafted, Floyd | but an eyesore, really. It seems to have been thrown over some large, Floyd | awkwardly-shaped object in the corner here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "move quilt" | ||||
Floyd | I pull the blanket to one side of the room, revealing a large painting Floyd | perched on an easel. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yes. Half-sister, I think." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "That makes sense." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | A young girl, perhaps four years old and decked out in a polka-dotted Floyd | dress, gazes directly at me with a frankness that manages to be Floyd | completely disconcerting. I want to say that this is Irene herself, Floyd | eighty years ago, but it's impossible to say for sure. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | The subject of the painting sighs, making me jump. She doesn't turn, Floyd | though. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "yikes" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf7" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Can we talk to Ivy?" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "Whoa" | ||||
| Cheddarius asks, "What happened?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "talk to ivy" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the painting of the young girl or Ivy? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| RonN says (to floyd), "x ivy" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the painting of the young girl or Ivy? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | A young girl, perhaps four years old and decked out in a polka-dotted Floyd | dress, gazes directly at me with a frankness that manages to be Floyd | completely disconcerting. I want to say that this is Irene herself, Floyd | eighty years ago, but it's impossible to say for sure. Floyd | Floyd | The subject of the painting sighs, making me jump. She doesn't turn, Floyd | though. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "talk to ivy" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the painting of the young girl or Ivy? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | A little less hesitantly this time, I clamber into the painting, Floyd | relieved to be surrounded by colour once more. When I turn around, Floyd | Irene's Room has vanished. Floyd | Floyd | Drawing Room Floyd | A somewhat fussily decorated sitting room, all high-flung Queen Anne Floyd | arches and artfully aged brick. Not far in front of me is Irene's Floyd | older sister---Ivy, was it?---perhaps four years old, looking Floyd | unnaturally posed in an uncomfortable-looking white gown and elaborate Floyd | hat. Her father is some distance away, putting the last strokes on the Floyd | painting. Outside, the snow falls. Floyd | Floyd | Ivy has turned and is looking directly at me. She says nothing. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "er, it's like those paintings in Hogwarts?" | |||
| inky has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask ivy about irene" | ||||
Floyd | Before I can move, Ivy speaks. "Da? Look!" Floyd | Floyd | He does. Then he removes his pince-nez and watches me silently for a Floyd | moment. He has Leo's eyes, I notice. Floyd | Floyd | Unwilling to say anything, I stand up and hand him the stone key (the Floyd | same one that Leo took away from me before, surely? but there's no Floyd | time for such thoughts now). Then I lean over to steal a glance at the Floyd | painting---it is complete, exactly as it will be in seventy years but Floyd | for the colours, which are slightly brighter. The real Ivy watches me Floyd | intensely. Her father, meanwhile, is turning the ankh over and over in Floyd | his hands. At last he looks up to stare at me bemusedly. "An Floyd | interesting contraption, I must say. You are to be commended on your Floyd | stealth. I do, however, insist on knowing how you came to be in my Floyd | sitting room without the servants' knowledge. You shall have to Floyd | explain yourself, madam." Floyd | Floyd | In spite of myself, I find myself smiling up at him inanely. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** He has won *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Um." | |||
| DavidW says, "bug" | ||||
| Lucea is completely lost | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Whaaaaaat" | ||||
| RonN is more lost that Lucea | ||||
| DavidW says, "We haven't seen a stone key yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Bug because we never had the stone key." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Right." | ||||
| RonN than* | Jacqueline says, "hrm." | |||
| Cheddarius says, "I'm the most lost. I've been away for the last 30 minutes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ched), "You'll need to read scrollback, then." | ||||
| RonN says, "ched is lostest." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm starving." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf7" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks (of DW), "Fifteen minute break?" | |||
| Cheddarius says, "This only saves a few pages" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Maybe 5 or 6 commands" | ||||
| RonN says, "I think i felt the bug coming on with those disambig questions..." | ||||
| Jacqueline doesn't understand why people use clients that don't have lots of scrollback. | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "Need food, or should we continue?" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "It's the first one I found" | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "The java one on the ifmud website" | ||||
| RonN doesn't understand why he's using telnet instead of a real client. | ||||
| DavidW says, "oh, I can hold on a bit longer." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Cheddarius), "Well, there are ones you can download that give you a lot more versatility." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Okay." | ||||
| Cheddarius says, "Ah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So. Not talking to Ivy again. Creeped out enough and she's buggy." | ||||
| RonN says, "ditto that ah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Let's go back to our apartment." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | This bedroom seems like a room from another flat completely; at any Floyd | rate it's free of Leo's cavalier paint-it-all approach to decor. The Floyd | furniture is spartan to the point of ruthlessness, arranged to frame Floyd | the gigantic four-poster waterbed. The overall effect is one of rather Floyd | severe cleanliness; the painting of the young girl in the corner Floyd | seeming to constitute the only exception to the rule. The front room Floyd | is back to the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | On the waterbed is a page of looseleaf. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "It's not locked anymore." | |||
| RonN asks, "looseleaf? i thought it was a 'sheet'?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "You're right about bugs, but overall I'm trying to overlook them because the game is otherwise pretty stunning and awesome." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I guess it changed." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Jacqueline says (to Ron), "Looseleaf is a type of sheet." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Are you still playing?" | ||||
| RonN says, "yeah, good game, I like it." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Why are you a Sergeant again?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I seem to remember the sapphire key not working from the inside of the bathroom." | ||||
| Doe arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | Jacqueline asks, "Or wait, weren't you a Captain?" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy goes home. | RonN says, "wow, touchy" | |||
| RonN says, "heh" | ||||
| Doe asks, "whatca playing?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hello, Doe." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy arrives, ready to play with the toys. | DavidW says, "Primrose Path" | |||
| Doe says, "hi" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Doe), "Primrose Path" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We're two hours in, though." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "gna...kmuddy crashed" | ||||
| Doe asks, "how long you been going?" | ||||
| RonN says, "hi Doe. good timing. we're on a bug break" | ||||
| Doe says, "heh" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Jacq), "I was going to say I'm on a different ocmputer." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Close to 2 hours now." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x waterfall" | ||||
Floyd | This was a landscape Leo painted for me, of a cliff with a gigantic Floyd | waterfall completely filling the sky behind it. He usually paints from Floyd | life---he gets up before dawn every day to paint in all kinds of Floyd | strange places---but I asked him to do one for me from his mind, and Floyd | as far as I know it was the only one he's ever done. Now the frame is Floyd | shattered and the canvas torn nearly in half. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I doubt this painting is usable while torn." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hrm. Yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Damn" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Try it, of course" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf8" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | RonN asks, "can anyone with a better idea of what's going on than me fill-in the new people?" | |||
Floyd | Maybe I could have a few hours ago, but these fragments are dead as Floyd | dead now. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Try moving the painting. Is there anything behind it?" | |||
| RonN says, "i could use the summary myself, i think" | ||||
| Doe says, "I'm looking up in ifwiki, thanks" | ||||
| RonN says, "'k" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "move painting" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, right." | |||
| Doe says, "course that doesn't tell me much" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says (to Doe), "not yet. Sorry." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "move painting" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing obvious happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "fix painting" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want me to fix the remains of the painting to? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look behind painting" | ||||
Floyd | No behind to speak of. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take painting" | ||||
Floyd | I'll miss the painting, but not so much that I feel compelled to carry Floyd | its fragments around with me. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "doe, we have a ring that allows us to teleport through painting a la Blue Lacuna" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search painting" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe asks (of DavidW), "well, you don't put the whole game plotline online, right?" | |||
| RonN says, "and a stopwatch that stops time (the world goes monochrome)" | ||||
| Doe says, "okay" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Doe), "We haven't done spoiler pages on ifwiki yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess I'll look around our apartment a bit, even though there's probably nothing here." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But we were in a hurry last time we were here, so." | ||||
| Doe says (to DavidW), "aha, well, this will help with that ;-)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe asks, "plastic good for anything?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "How was the painting ruined, again?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take plastic" | ||||
Floyd | That's hardly portable. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Kitchen Floyd | This room also has windows on three sides, and features splendid views Floyd | of the garden and the pond. Aside from the usual kitchen accessories, Floyd | I've got a little table here, and some cabinets. The exit to the Floyd | garden is northeast, and the rest of the house back south. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "finally, our neighbor Leo knocked on our front door before bleeding to death, his mother shot him, and we have to alter the timeline." | |||
| Doe says (to floyd), "look under plastic" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "It happened when we left Leo." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I missed that bit." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I assume *another Leo* grabbed the shot one." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x pond" | ||||
Floyd | Dark and cold all year, and looking particularly tranquil this Floyd | morning---closer to blue than the usual brown. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "i did too. Leo did that in anguish?" | |||
| Doe says (to floyd), "mend painting" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I thought Leo just bled all over our floor." | |||
| Doe says, "need some duct tape" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we're not in that room anymore." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Don't even get me started on the damn slider. It's been swollen shut Floyd | because of the heat for three days now, and I have to sit here and Floyd | watch the garden wither until the weather improves. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think we might explore the back yard from *our* kitchen. Or go out the front door. Or check the windows in our bedroom." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x slider" | ||||
Floyd | A simple single-paned sliding glass door, more or less unusable now. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I guess we can't go out." | |||
| RonN asks, "why are we looking around the house again?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "We've never looked here." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "This is our house, not his." | ||||
| RonN says, "oh" | ||||
| Doe says, "well, it might be possible to mend painting" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Doe), "Yes. Though 'fix' was misunderstood as 'affix.'" | ||||
| RonN says, "yeah, it threw a message, 'fix it with what?'" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Why do we want to mend the painting?" | ||||
| RonN says, "to teleport through it, seargeat" | ||||
| RonN says, "sergeant*" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy goes home. | Doe says, "teleport stop time or stop time and teleport" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy arrives, ready to play with the toys. | RonN says, "touchy. :)" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to RonN), "It did not say that... it said:" | ||||
| Jacqueline | DavidW says (to Floyd), "fix painting" | ||||
| Jacqueline | | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open cabinets" | ||||
Floyd | You'll pardon my French if I say it's awful bloody early to be hungry. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "OK, apparently kmuddy crashes when you use the" | |||
| Jacqueline | | ||||
| Jacqueline | | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "grr" | ||||
| Doe says (to floyd), "look" | ||||
Floyd | Kitchen Floyd | This room also has windows on three sides, and features splendid views Floyd | of the garden and the pond. Aside from the usual kitchen accessories, Floyd | I've got a little table here, and some cabinets. The exit to the Floyd | garden is northeast, and the rest of the house back south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline | | |||
| RonN asks, "lag much, Jacq?" | ||||
| Jacqueline | | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, something weird is up." | ||||
| Doe asks, "trying to do a summary?" | ||||
| RonN is glad to know it isn't just his net connection. | ||||
| Doe says (to floyd), "look under table" | ||||
Floyd | Crumbs. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "And I'm not sure what, but anyway, when we tried to fix the painting it replied 'What do you want me to fix the remains of the painting to?'" | |||
| Doe says (to floyd), "x crumbs" | ||||
Floyd | Looks like last night's dinner: French toast and potato chips. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "And I just figured out what the issue was. Sorry for the mispastes." | |||
| Doe says, "okay maybe painting has served its purpose" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Eeww. We need a better diet." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But anyway, yeah, I don't think we can fix the painting." | ||||
| RonN says, "ah. So it said fix but meant affix. I only read the first half of the sentence. thx." | ||||
| DavidW says, "not a healthy dinner. Even I eat better than Matilda." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Kitchen Floyd | This room also has windows on three sides, and features splendid views Floyd | of the garden and the pond. Aside from the usual kitchen accessories, Floyd | I've got a little table here, and some cabinets. The exit to the Floyd | garden is northeast, and the rest of the house back south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe asks, "any other paintings around?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x garden" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN exclaims, "um, having finished the Chips Ahoy, i don't!" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search cabinets" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "There was the painting outside the cabin." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | I wind my way up to the landing. Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look through window" | ||||
| Doe says (to floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | The pond dominates the view. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | I'm hardly one for sentimentality, but frankly this window, with its Floyd | panoramic view of the pond, is the reason I bought the flat. It's a Floyd | nuisance in the summer, though; it's so huge it makes the building Floyd | into a bloody greenhouse. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Er. This being a landing, the up and down staircases both lie to the Floyd | west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "So the idea is to fix the painting to something different and then teleport there? Like in that weird dream game a couple of weeks ago?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "No." | ||||
| Doe asks, "ring work on other paintings?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Doe), "Yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Just not this one." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Perhaps the window in Leo's stairway opens?" | ||||
| Doe says, "okay leo's painting to save leo" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Let me finish exploring our flat, then we'll go back." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Also, check south from Foyer." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "Oh, outside, you mean?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Sure. Might be a mailbox." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x leo's painting" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to examine the other brass Floyd | key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "painting" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "heh" | |||
| Doe says, "now that's weird" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | This is some of Leo's most recent work; he only finished it a few Floyd | months ago, and gave it to me for my birthday last May. It depicts a Floyd | garden path winding through a field of yellow flowers, receding into a Floyd | predawn sky. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oho" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf9" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "primrose path" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Shall we?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Anyone opposed?" | ||||
| RonN says, "i'm glad somebody knew that primroses were yellow" | ||||
| Doe asks, "explored whole area?" | ||||
| RonN says, "let's enter" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We haven't used this painting yet." | ||||
| Doe says, "k, go ahead" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we could finish that first, the exploring, or we could enter this painting." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Which?" | ||||
| RonN says, "enter painting. I want plot not puzzles." | ||||
| Doe says, "I'd get everything here first" | ||||
| Doe says, "unless you're pretty sure you got it" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "By 'here,' where? The painting or the house?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "sergeant? inky? maga?" | ||||
| Alex says (to RonN), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that maga is maga_dogg, which is "Mr Prime Minister! What is happenin in de country is not right! People are suffering!"." | ||||
| Cheddarius goes home. | Jacqueline says, "maga's not playing anymore, methinks. He was called away." | |||
| RonN says, "doh. and ched felt left out. I fail." | ||||
| Doe says, "house" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, Ched didn't feel left out." | ||||
| DavidW says, "afk to get laundry. Decide people." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He'd been away for so long I think he couldn't keep up." | ||||
| RonN says, "we can do doe's suggestion" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "I'll explore the rest of the house while you're getting laundry." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Then go in." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Bedroom Floyd | Everything is in perfectly in order here---white and austere, as I Floyd | like it. The door to the hallway lies to the south, and windows border Floyd | the other three sides of the room. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "good idea, this painting might explode too" | |||
| RonN says, "sounds good" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look through window" | ||||
Floyd | Just woods, plus the oak and the pond. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "brb" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x pond" | ||||
Floyd | Dark and cold all year, and looking particularly tranquil this Floyd | morning---closer to blue than the usual brown. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x oak" | ||||
Floyd | Far, far older even than I, the oak towers over the building in a way Floyd | that makes human efforts at architecture seem rather pitiful. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x wood" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x woods" | ||||
Floyd | I rather like our house's situation in the middle of the forest, Floyd | although this particular one isn't exactly a thriving natural Floyd | specimen---most of these trees are less than a century old, having Floyd | only gone to seed after this area ceased to be profitable farmland. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Now to go downstairs and outside, then we'll come back." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way down the stairs, carefully stepping over the one that Floyd | creaks. Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I open the screen door and head out. Floyd | Floyd | Driveway Floyd | Here we have what feels like about two metres of clearance in front of Floyd | the house before the driveway abruptly terminates in the motorway. Floyd | They widened the road about three years ago, and the cars tear by in Floyd | alarming numbers at thoroughly disconcerting speeds. I sigh, reminded Floyd | of the days when I actually possessed a licence, and this proximity Floyd | was a convenience rather than a headache. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x road" | ||||
Floyd | It's one of the thoroughfares into the city, although this last is Floyd | still many miles off. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x front garden" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks (of Jacq), "Sorry for missing the beginning but what's up with the creaking stairs? Is there something under it or was it used earlier?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x driveway" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Creaking stairs?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open the screen door and head in. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | An eardrum-wrenching screech as I ascend: I wince and pull my foot off Floyd | the creaky step. Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, THAT creaking stair." | |||
| DavidW says, "yes, the creaking stair is suspicious." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Yes, that one." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Um, I'm not sure. We could investigate." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way down the stairs, carefully stepping over the one that Floyd | creaks. Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x creaking stair" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | I wind my way up to the landing. Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x creaking stair" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x stair" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x stair" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "'step' maybe?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way down the stairs, carefully stepping over the one that Floyd | creaks. Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x step" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x stair" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Ambiance?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x steps" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x stairs" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "It must be a plot point. Irene or Leo will step on it later." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "And we'll HEAR THEM COMING" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | An eardrum-wrenching screech as I ascend: I wince and pull my foot off Floyd | the creaky step. Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "bak" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, about to enter the painting" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf10" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | A little less hesitantly this time, I clamber into the painting, Floyd | relieved to be surrounded by colour once more. When I turn around, the Floyd | Hallway has vanished. | DavidW asks, "Was the window in Leo's stair opened?" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Sky Pavilion Floyd | Impossible. Floyd | Floyd | This is one of the exhibits in the Peace Gardens downtown, just Floyd | outside of the city . . . but it doesn't exist anymore. They tore the Floyd | entire neighbourhood down four or five months ago, after it burned to Floyd | the ground. Someone's cigarette, right in this pavilion, I think, or Floyd | maybe it turned out to be arson after all; either way, it was big news Floyd | at the time. Floyd | Floyd | And yet, here it is, much colder here than back home. There's a sheer Floyd | precipice just north of this pavilion, and the panoramic view of the Floyd | city and the river has always been---always used to be---to our city Floyd | what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. No tourists here today, though; the Floyd | garden must not be open yet. The pavilion, its entrance formed by two Floyd | towering redwoods, arcs over my head, and the path down to the main Floyd | part of the gardens is south. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden noise behind me, and I turn and see Leo, painting in the main Floyd | garden to the south. I am about to call out when he suddenly snatches Floyd | his still-dripping painting off the easel and darts away out of sight. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "so this is the past" | |||
| DavidW says, "yes" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "the guards are going to be coming" | ||||
| DavidW says, "He dropped his master key here somewhere." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes, yes, and yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | My hand hovers over the button, but hesitates at the last second. If Floyd | I'm in the past, any motion I take to detain Leo could change history, Floyd | surely? I want him to stay behind, to see me, more than anything, but Floyd | prudence---or perhaps cowardice---stops me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Doe says (to floyd), "climb tree" | ||||
Floyd | Pardon me, but the idea is ridiculous. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We need to prevent them showing up and search for the key" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "This seems like a cool game. Pity I missed the beginning." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, Doe, inside the painting let's just have one person enter commands." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "As we're sort of on a timer." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But let me know what you want to do." | ||||
| Doe says, "oh, sure, didn't realize" | ||||
| Doe asks, "do you get yanked back?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "didn't leo just dart away? can't we SEARCH now?" | ||||
| Doe says, "yeah, search" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, I'm up for searching, but I feel as if we should stop time. Wonder why it won't let us." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | My hand hovers over the button, but hesitates at the last second. If Floyd | I'm in the past, any motion I take to detain Leo could change history, Floyd | surely? I want him to stay behind, to see me, more than anything, but Floyd | prudence---or perhaps cowardice---stops me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search grass" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "go n" | |||
| DavidW says, "we probably have to watch what Leo does." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "check the easel" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | The circular wall of enormous hedges is impassable to anyone of my Floyd | meagre athletic talents. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "or Wait" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Centre Garden Floyd | Many of the branches here are covered in a crystal-fine layer of ice, Floyd | the drops are rolling off them as the sunlight hits the upper Floyd | branches---probably the last ice this garden will ever see, in fact. Floyd | Walkways lead off to the north, southeast, and southwest, and the Floyd | garden entrance is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is clambering over the hedge wall at the far end of the pavilion Floyd | to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "x ground?" | |||
| RonN says, "heh" | ||||
| Doe says, "hmmm" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Follow him, or search?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We can always restore." | ||||
| RonN says, "search. that key..." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "search" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search ground" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search grass" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "follow" | |||
| RonN asks, "search hedge he clambered over?" | ||||
| Doe asks, "but isn't it too late to follow?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search hedge" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "go s" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I rush toward Leo, calling his name as he dallies atop the thickest Floyd | part of the hedge, but just as I reach the pavilion he nimbly leaps Floyd | down to the other side. Floyd | Floyd | Earth Pavilion Floyd | This area is the only one that's received any sunlight yet this Floyd | morning. The ice has mostly melted here, and the petals on the rose Floyd | trees, perhaps encouraged by the frost, are cascading down in a Floyd | continuous shower. The rest of the pavilion is covered by all manner Floyd | of overgrown early spring blooms, and trees that have somehow managed Floyd | to be in flower this early in the year. The only exit is back to the Floyd | northwest. Floyd | Floyd | The only evidence of Leo's presence is a large stone key, already Floyd | half-obscured by the falling petals. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "go to hedge" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "The hedge is southeast." | ||||
| DavidW says, "here's the stone key" | ||||
| Doe says, "get key" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take key" | ||||
Floyd | (an ankh-shaped key) Floyd | Chips of mica glimmer as I pick the key up. It's oddly warm, whether Floyd | from someone's body heat or something more mysterious I couldn't say. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "a _stone_ key?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Yes." | ||||
| Doe asks, "is that the master key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It makes sense, trust us." | ||||
| RonN says, "he's an artist." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Sorry." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Doe), "It's sort of a master key, yes." | ||||
| Doe says, "so maybe that is all we can do here" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Irene's father had it, didn't he?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm guessing we can't follow." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "It's the one he took from us when it was buggy and we shouldn't have had it." | ||||
| RonN asks, "per the Bug, but, what are we supposed to know right now?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "We'd know that this is the key to the gallery." | ||||
| RonN asks, "its the key to the gallery where he lost all his paintings, yes?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He lost it, and then could never access the other paintings." | ||||
| RonN says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "and he was sad about being kept from all his life's work." | ||||
| DavidW says, "climb the hedge too, I guess. Or climb .... *something*" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb hedge" | ||||
Floyd | Really, really not feasible by any stretch of the imagination. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb tree" | ||||
Floyd | Pardon me, but the idea is ridiculous. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "i guess we just leave" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I think we got what we needed." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'll tell you ridiculous" | ||||
| RonN says, "i guess we make like a tree, and leaf" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Now we need to change time, somehow." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "heehee" | ||||
| DavidW says, "x petals" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x petals" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x petals" | ||||
Floyd | The breeze is sending the rose petals down so thickly that it's Floyd | difficult to see ahead too far, and they blanket the ground here Floyd | completely. Nearly every colour is represented---a disproportionate Floyd | amount of yellow, perhaps, but lots of pink, red, purple, and even a Floyd | few bright blue. Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | The breeze is sending the rose petals down so thickly that it's Floyd | difficult to see ahead too far, and they blanket the ground here Floyd | completely. Nearly every colour is represented---a disproportionate Floyd | amount of yellow, perhaps, but lots of pink, red, purple, and even a Floyd | few bright blue. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "climb *those*" | |||
| RonN says, "pretty" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "Seriously?" | ||||
| RonN says, "well, our watch can allow us to evade any guards" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb petals" | ||||
Floyd | How? By flapping my arms? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Stop time. They'll be frozen in mid-air, no?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb petals" | ||||
Floyd | Carefully, I put my hand around one of the petals, then clamber my way Floyd | up, slowly but surely. Floyd | Floyd | Up a Tree (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause in the middle of the sea of petals, resting on a branch. The Floyd | petals thin out here, deep among the branches, and the spring blooms Floyd | of a hundred species of plants surround me. Floyd | Floyd | I can see a bird's nest here. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DW), "Yeah" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I got what you meant, just took me a second." | ||||
| Doe says, "cute" | ||||
| Doe says, "really cute" | ||||
| RonN says, "awesome" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x nest" | ||||
Floyd | I see nothing special about the bird's nest. Floyd | Floyd | I blink, disoriented. But no, the nest is empty. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x nest" | ||||
Floyd | I see nothing special about the bird's nest. Floyd | Floyd | It's definitely empty. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x nest" | ||||
Floyd | I see nothing special about the bird's nest. Floyd | Floyd | It's definitely empty. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "No jewel-encrusted egg?" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "This is weird." | ||||
| RonN says, "i feel we're in _House of Flying Daggers_" | ||||
| Doe asks, "seen any birds in this game?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "nO" | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm. Matilda was weird about the ring." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "er, no" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take ring" | ||||
Floyd | I already have that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "hmmm" | |||
| RonN says, "ok, turn on time again./" | ||||
| Doe asks, "get in nest?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can we go higher?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Maybe... something ought to be put into the nest?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Wait. I'll turn on the time when we are down to one driver. But there may be more to explore first." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Hm, possibly." | ||||
| Doe says (to Davidw), "or someting shows up to settle in nest" | ||||
| RonN asks, "i think the nest is just scenery?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | The circular wall of enormous hedges is impassable to anyone of my Floyd | meagre athletic talents. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "or do we put the stone key in it now, and retrieve it at a later time?" | |||
| DavidW says, "The nest message vaguely reminded me of those bits in Back to the Future when the time stream changes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb petals" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb tree" | ||||
Floyd | Pardon me, but the idea is ridiculous. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, I'm headed down and going to try to find a way out." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Earth Pavilion (in monochrome) Floyd | This area is the only one that's received any sunlight yet this Floyd | morning. The ice has mostly melted here, and the petals on the rose Floyd | trees are frozen in midair, forming a labryrinth of petals. The rest Floyd | of the pavilion is covered by all manner of overgrown early spring Floyd | blooms, and trees that have somehow managed to be in flower this early Floyd | in the year. The only exit is back to the northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Centre Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | Many of the branches here are covered in a crystal-fine layer of ice, Floyd | the drops frozen in mid-fall as the sunlight hits the upper branches. Floyd | Walkways lead off to the north, southeast, and southwest, and the Floyd | garden entrance is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "climb ice" | |||
| DavidW says, "frozen drops" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb ice" | ||||
Floyd | I don't think much is to be achieved by that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb drops" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Which way/" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "er ?" | ||||
| Doe says, "okay only time the climbing thing works is petals" | ||||
| RonN asks, "can we return tothe apartment now?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "what's down the other path?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "or do we need to rescue some paintings before the arson?" | ||||
| Doe says, "we came in from the south" | ||||
| DavidW says (to RonN), "We have no exit from here yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Ron), "Were there paintings here?" | ||||
| Doe says, "so se or sw would lead elsewhere" | ||||
| RonN says, "oh i guess not Jacq" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Leo took his with him." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Right. Was just asking which way we wanted to explore. I'll just pick." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Sea Pavilion (in monochrome) Floyd | The river runs immediately outside the hedge here, which is cut into a Floyd | window to reveal it roaring past. The main feature of this area is of Floyd | course the fountains, which rise from everywhere, their waters tinted Floyd | by the plants living in each. It's all very self-consciously Floyd | beautiful, of course, but I can't deny that it pleases even me. The Floyd | path itself winds slowly between them, meandering back around to the Floyd | northeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "also, might try to find out where the fire started." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Very good idea." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search hedge" | ||||
Floyd | City and river, entwined. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x river" | ||||
Floyd | A wide, stately, slow-flowing body of water, the sort songs are Floyd | written about. From here one sees the river before it flows into the Floyd | city; a blessing, since it's usually some shade of brown when it comes Floyd | out the other side Floyd | Floyd | At the moment, of course, it isn't flowing at all. I turn away, Floyd | discomfited. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "but the gardens aren't burned until next month, per Leo's diary, correct?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hrm, true. Something like that." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "We still have the papers. What did they say?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read april" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Quarantined in the house; they estimate we'll be able to leave the Floyd | neighbourhood next week. Heard on the wireless this morning that the Floyd | gardens have gone up in flames: arson, they're saying, or looters. Floyd | Floyd | I spent all day today staring at the painting I finished in the Floyd | gardens, but I'm afraid of what could happen if I actually used it. I Floyd | could have lost the key anytime that morning, and if I couldn't find Floyd | it I'd have no way to get back here. Floyd | Floyd | Damn it. Will give the painting to Matilda---she'll appreciate it and Floyd | I won't have to think about it anymore. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read march" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | I've lost the master key. Was in the city finishing up with the garden Floyd | painting this morning . . . I thought I heard a guard coming; grabbed Floyd | the painting and ran, only to realise I'd dropped the key somewhere. Floyd | By the time I got back, the gardens were open and the key was long Floyd | gone. Had to walk home with the painting. Should probably be more Floyd | philosophical about it, but in fact I don't think I've ever been Floyd | angrier. Floyd | Floyd | Can't believe the entire gallery is lost. All the paintings are Floyd | inaccessible now except the one in my flat, the one I gave to Matilda, Floyd | and the one I was working on this morning. Thank God I never got Floyd | around to putting that one back in the gallery! Floyd | Floyd | All I can think, over and over, is Life's work. Inaccessible forever. Floyd | Life's work. Forever. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, a month went by." | |||
| RonN says, "i think we've done all we need to do here, and is time to return to aparment." | ||||
| RonN says, "or, WAIT ONE MONTH or something." | ||||
| DavidW says, "oh. He *walked* home from here." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Centre Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | Many of the branches here are covered in a crystal-fine layer of ice, Floyd | the drops frozen in mid-fall as the sunlight hits the upper branches. Floyd | Walkways lead off to the north, southeast, and southwest, and the Floyd | garden entrance is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "i'm just unclear on how we save his life." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Wonder if we can just leave via the exit." | ||||
| Doe asks, "this is a month ahead?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "I think we'll do that in a different painting." | ||||
| DavidW says (to RonN), "well, if we get the gun before Irene does..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Which we'll now be able to find because we have this key he lost." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can't we just leave across the stopped river?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But we need to find our way out of here." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "We can't walk on water, no." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Tried to walk on water earlier, yeah." | ||||
| RonN says, "ok, it's all starting to make sense now. Yes, let's explore til we find the exit." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We determined that earlier in another painting." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Sky Pavilion (in monochrome) Floyd | There's a sheer precipice just north of this pavilion, and the Floyd | panoramic view of the city and the river has always been to our city Floyd | what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. No tourists here today, though; the Floyd | garden must not be open yet. The pavilion, its entrance formed by two Floyd | towering redwoods, arcs over my head, and the path down to the main Floyd | part of the gardens is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "We're actually *not* in a painting, y'know. This is just another part of the same city, in the past." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "So, S, S?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Centre Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | Many of the branches here are covered in a crystal-fine layer of ice, Floyd | the drops frozen in mid-fall as the sunlight hits the upper branches. Floyd | Walkways lead off to the north, southeast, and southwest, and the Floyd | garden entrance is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Right." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Pagoda (in monochrome) Floyd | This entrance pavilion is the only man-made thing within the walls of Floyd | the Peace Gardens, but it blends well enough so that it's difficult to Floyd | notice. From a zenith straight overhead, the structure arches down to Floyd | the hedge, terminating in the iron entrance gate to the south. To the Floyd | north is the path leading back into the gardens proper. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Oddly enough, I lack the key to the public gardens. There is a large Floyd | keyhole, however, through which I can stare longingly at the outside Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "heh" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "look through keyhole" | ||||
Floyd | Through the bars and keyhole lies a pathway leading aover the river Floyd | and, eventually, back to the city. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Could the 'master key' unlock this anyway?" | |||
| RonN asks, "how did leo get in?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door" | ||||
Floyd | Ought I to try unlocking it with something specific? Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Through a painting" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Same way we got here" | |||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "Oh?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "And how is that to be reversed?" | ||||
| Jacqueline gives the helm to DW. | ||||
| RonN says (to david), "er, he would have to be here honestly before painting it and returning via painting" | RonN says, "also, unfreeze time" | |||
| DavidW says (to RonN), "oh right. We saw him create the painting we came in through." | DavidW says, "Somehow I thought it was another painting." | |||
| RonN says, "(was my msg to you David in the channel?)" | ||||
| Doe says, "heheh, door just opened and people came through" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "No." | ||||
| Doe says, "supposed to call first, and didn't" | ||||
| Doe says, "bit startling" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So. Hm." | ||||
| RonN says (to david), "er, he would have to be here honestly before painting it and returning via painting"" | ||||
| RonN says, "also, unfreeze time" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can we unlock the door after unstopping time?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Before, we got out via something else that was painted." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "maybe." | ||||
| Doe asks, "does it fast forward time too?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "The guards might catch *us* though." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Maybe, but this isn't the key for that, I don't think. Then again, we have a lot of keys." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Also, maybe somebody is coming and that's why he ran..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf11" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "well, i'm sure the guards would kick us out. :)" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Ron), "Possibly, yeah." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door" | ||||
Floyd | Ought I to try unlocking it with something specific? Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says (to RonN), "Yeah, sounds reasonable." | |||
| DavidW says, "Unlock door with stone key" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | A disconcertingly endless expanse of nothing. Indeed, the only feature Floyd | of this place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "HUH" | |||
| DavidW says, "oops" | ||||
| RonN asks, "wha?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And there we are." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "So the key is magic, too?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Ker-azy." | ||||
| Doe asks, "is this the gallery?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "or we're off the edge of the painting" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Must be." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I think this is nothingness." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I walk away from the door a short distance, but it soon becomes Floyd | abundantly clear that there is nothing else here. Conscious of how Floyd | easy it would be to get lost, I return to the door. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "hey, interesting, gerynar" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Could just be nothing, yeah." | ||||
| Doe says (to floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key Floyd | a ruby key Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The diamond ring is gone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "step through door" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter door" | ||||
Floyd | A little desperately, I yank at the knob, but the door refuses to Floyd | budge. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe asks, "what happens if you go in and stop time?" | |||
| RonN says, "i love the author who inserts what each key is for in the inventory" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Shows you how immersed I was... forgot the proper commands." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "uh, north?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter door" | ||||
Floyd | A little desperately, I yank at the knob, but the door refuses to Floyd | budge. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Well, I could, but I'd be going nowhere. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DW), "No, I just mean that I tried 'step through door'" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing happens. The watch hands spin absently. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "probably need to use the stone key to unlock the door" | |||
| RonN asks, "south?" | ||||
| Alex says (to RonN), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that the South is the greatest region in the whole world." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "I thought the door was north?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, it's stuck." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x door" | Doe says, "or stop time and go through door" | |||
Floyd | A plain, white door with a shiny white doorknob and accompanying Floyd | keyhole. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Can't stop time. Tried." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look through keyhole" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door" | ||||
Floyd | I've got quite a little collection of keys going here; you'll have to Floyd | specify which I ought to try. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "okay" | |||
| Gerynar says, "stone" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with brass key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "stone key" | |||
| DavidW says, "oh. If the sapphire key was used..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Aha." | ||||
| RonN says, "er? ok..." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Interesting.." | ||||
| DavidW says, "The key determined the destination." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We could undo and try a different key." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm thinking they all work." | ||||
| RonN asks, "and the ring tells us... we're in realtime?" | ||||
| Doe says, "sounds right" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Want to try another..." | ||||
| Doe says (to Jac), "yes" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "Yes. When we have the ring, it's real time." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "sure" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Knock yourself out." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "If we used the jade key, we might find the backyard. And who knows where the ruby one goes." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Very sexy." | |||
| RonN says, "ooooh." | ||||
| Doe says, "wonder if the paintings are still there" | ||||
| RonN asks, "undo, ruby?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pond" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "This rocks." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Wait" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unod" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | [Can't "undo" twice in succession. Sorry!] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I guess the pond is east." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/und" | ||||
Floyd | Ambiguous command. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN exclaims, "yay!" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "I need to save there. Or did I?" | ||||
| RonN says, "dunno" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf12" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "save anyway" | |||
| DavidW says, "I don't remember" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Anyway, saved. Green again and explore, or a different key?" | ||||
| RonN now understands the 'driver' etiquette of clubfloyd. | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm trying to pay attention and not starve." | ||||
| Doe says, "this game has interesting imagery and magic anyway" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "Yep" | ||||
| RonN asks, "ruby key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "How long do you need to get food?" | ||||
| Doe asks, "where does the ruby key go?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I could use a quick break myself." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Doe), "We have no idea yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Doe), "We don't know yet." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "break sounds good to me" | ||||
| Doe says, "k, break is fine" | ||||
| RonN says, "DW needs food badly." | ||||
| DavidW says, "That's why we want to use it." | ||||
| Doe says, "I need to clean my kitchen" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "Heh. Yes." | ||||
| Doe asks, "how long?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Eat, man." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "How long do you need?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "two weeks :)" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Roommate made a pizza. He said I could try some." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Okay. Let's take... ten?" | ||||
| RonN says, "cannot you eat and read at the same time? I just did." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Meet back here at ten 'til the hour." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "He needs to go *get* the food." | ||||
| Doe says, "sounds good" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "k." | ||||
| RonN says, "ok, ten miinute break" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "See you all at ten 'til. No one play until then." | ||||
| RonN says, "ah" | ||||
| RonN twiddles thumbs. | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "can we play the version we downloaded?" | ||||
| RonN says, "the paradox will make both universes explode." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "fine, I'll keep the universes safe :)" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "What are we playing?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "Primrose Path" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Touchy, weren't you here already?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Do you have amnesia?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Are you an IF cliche?" | ||||
| RonN says, "he's an IF PC" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Timing. heh" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I wasn't aware that he name was mentioned." | ||||
| RonN says, "well, DW fell prey to a hunger puzzle..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "We're on a break." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Also, I don't know anything about that." | ||||
| Fang arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | DavidW says, "I'm back" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, Primrose Path." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Wow, with 5 seconds to spare." | ||||
| RonN is now dressed. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Let's give it a minute to make sure everyone is back." | ||||
| DavidW says, "His pizza was extremely tasty and spicy and more suitable as a lasagna." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "yay" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "time" | ||||
| DavidW says, "He said it was vegeterian but I wouldn't've been able to tell." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, let's start again." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Which key?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Did you guys explore the backyard?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "ruby. where's Doe?" | ||||
| Alex says (to RonN), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that Doe is the Disco Deer." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Nope. We did nothing while you were pizza-ing." | ||||
| RonN asks, "and why do I have a parrot named Alex hounding me?" | ||||
| Doe says, "bak, kitchen cleaned and got food" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Doesn't not back, but she will be soon enough (also, as she wasn't here until recently, I'm okay with moving along without her)." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And there she is" | ||||
| RonN tries to parse, "doesn't not back" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Doe's not back" | ||||
| Doe says, "doe's not back" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, s/Doesn't/Doe's - silly auto fingers." | ||||
| Doe says, "although I am really, sort of" | ||||
| RonN says, "ok, ruby key" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We didn't do anything yet, Doe." | ||||
| Doe says (to Jac), "I know :-)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, Alex is our bot parrot, who tries to be helpful and often is." | ||||
| Doe asks, "ruby key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we can do ruby, but let's remember to go back and explore the jade at some point." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But yeah, I'm curious where they all go." | ||||
| RonN says, "...and often isn't not" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ruby key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Sapphire and bronze we already know." | |||
| Doe says, "another painting" | ||||
| Doe says, "x painting" | ||||
| RonN says, "well that was anticlimactic" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, we've been here." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "this is the first painting we entered" | ||||
| DavidW says, "There's an amber key" | ||||
| RonN says (to floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "What was Sapphire?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh right" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Toilet" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So that's all of them, then." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Back to the yard, then?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Explore the back yard, I guess." | ||||
| RonN asks, "how did we miss the porch when exploring the house?" | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "did we do the amber key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Timing, yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "We couldn't get out the door from that side." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We didn't miss the porch. It's locked." | ||||
| Doe asks, "haven't explored porch yet?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "ah" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade key" | ||||
Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit the lock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Somehoe jade isn't as sexy as ruby to this crowd." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "ok, then, now that we have full control of our own duplex, what do we do next plot or puzzle -wise?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "well, stop leo's mom" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "We want to explore the back yard first." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "and you guys haven't done amber yet, have you?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "don't think so" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh no, I guess my eyes skimmed over that." | ||||
| Doe says, "no" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh well, we're here now, let's do the yard, then amber." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, ""Jacq wants to do Amber." *giggle*" | |||
| Doe asks, "seen this painting before?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Man, grow up." | ||||
| Jacqueline rolls her eyes. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | It's of the pond due east of here, and it looks to be complete, or Floyd | nearly so. Leo's done it up to be rather nicer than it really is, all Floyd | shimmers and ripples as the sun rises over it, and even a small fox in Floyd | the lower right hand corner, sipping the water. It doesn't seem like Floyd | the paint is even completely dry. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar catches Jacq's eyes and puts them in a jar | |||
| Jacqueline sighs. | ||||
| Doe says, "hmmm, pond" | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "is going into an unfinished painting safe?" | ||||
| Doe says, "window over looking pond" | ||||
| DavidW says, "So this painting will take us back to *here* in the recent past. I doubt we're ready for that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf13" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Enter, or restore to 12 and check out the amber key?" | |||
| DavidW says, "We'll almost either find Leo or Irene." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "I say painting" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm thinking this pond painting might be critical." | ||||
| RonN says, "i agree w/David. I think this is the thing we need for Happy Ending." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Would the gun be hiding here somewhere?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search garden" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says (to jacq), "timing. :)" | |||
| Doe says, "x violets" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x violets" | ||||
Floyd | I really ought to have a word with Leo about painting in the garden. Floyd | These violets' sacrifice for artistic beauty is obscurely poetic, I Floyd | suppose, but still constitutes an insenstive move on Leo's part. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "explore porch" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | RonN exclaims, "tyop!" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x porch" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Using the jade key, I unlock Leo's back door. Floyd | Floyd | I open Leo's back door. Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Well, I guess we can come and go via that now." | |||
| Doe asks (of DavidW), "you think that's it?" | ||||
| Doe asks, "find gun so Mom doesn't get it?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can we explore our own porch?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Should we leave this open, go back through the pavilion to the whiteness and use the amber key?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "ok gang, if you were a gun in the recent past, where would you be hiding?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "We don't have a porch." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We don't have a porch. We have a garden instead." | ||||
| Doe says, "look under porch" | ||||
| DavidW says (to RonN), "Under the squeaky step. :)" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, ""His porch is to the west, mine to the east."" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "No, it says he built a porch on his side and made the place asymmetrical." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "May be a bug though." | ||||
| Doe says (to floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh. I thought of something. If the garden painting goes into the past, that might be before the framed painting is broken." | |||
| Doe says (to floyd), "look under porch" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DW), "Oh, yeah." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Except... hm. yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key Floyd | a ruby key Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Still, we should see amber first. Also the painting outside the cabin." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "So we have no ring, and we're in the past." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf14" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "both amber and ruby have no description" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | RonN says (to doe), "that's cause we keep undoing" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf12" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay. Amber." | |||
| Doe says, "oh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with amber key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "And we're in the present." | |||
| Doe asks, "but present before shot or after?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I suppose there's also the 'other key'." | ||||
| RonN asks, "are there other places of whiteness we could use to teleport around at will?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'll just waltz upstairs and go back to the cabin." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "I thinkt that's the only one we've found." | ||||
| RonN says (to Doe), "if we have the ring, it's after the murder" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says (to RonN), "thanks" | |||
| Doe says, "so we really don't want to be here" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can't we just get to the whiteness by unlocking any door with the ankh key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "You mean 'another brass key'?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "yes" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "I was just thinking that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | RonN says, "interesting, ST" | |||
Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlcok door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "or, by walking off the 'canvas' whenever we're in 'the past'." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hooray." | ||||
| DavidW says, "oh ho" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with brass key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x another brass key" | ||||
Floyd | A nondescript, standard-sized key. Except for the pattern of ridges, Floyd | it is nearly identical to my house key. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN wants to fill in the whole inventory. Just because he's autistic that way. | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the door to Irene's Room, Leo's kitchen door or Floyd | Leo's front door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "irene's room" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock kitchen door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "gotta go upstairs" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ruby key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN exclaims (at Doe), "Take your keys with you!" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "I'm with you on filling out the inventory now that we know how." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with another brass key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe asks, "so nothing unlocks irene's door?" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "When did we get another brass key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Doe), "Oddly enough, our house key unlock's Irene's door." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It was in the music box, I think." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Back near the beginning - yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says (to Jac), "I take it going into her room does nothing" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Actually, there's a creepy ending in that room." | ||||
| Doe asks (of Jac), "in what time frame?" | ||||
| Doe says, "I mean earlier it might not" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Irene's dad." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess we could go do it again, since there are newcomers, and it's quick." | ||||
| RonN says (to Doe), "In programming-bug time." | ||||
| Doe says, "oh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But yeah, it's a buggy ending." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the door to Irene's Room, Leo's kitchen door or Floyd | Leo's front door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock irene's room" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "just go ne" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | This bedroom seems like a room from another flat completely; at any Floyd | rate it's free of Leo's cavalier paint-it-all approach to decor. The Floyd | furniture is spartan to the point of ruthlessness, arranged to frame Floyd | the gigantic four-poster waterbed. The overall effect is one of rather Floyd | severe cleanliness; the painting of the young girl in the corner Floyd | seeming to constitute the only exception to the rule. The front room Floyd | is back to the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | On the waterbed is a page of looseleaf. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, was looking for it." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read looselead" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want me to read in? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read looseleaf" | ||||
Floyd | A calligraphy pen on unlined paper, and a trembling, angular hand that Floyd | I recognise as Irene's. It reads: Floyd | Floyd | Dear, dear Ivy, I looked up today and realised I'd been gazing at you Floyd | for hours . . . I was thinking, my father used to say you looked just Floyd | like your mother, but he never said the same about me . . . do you Floyd | suppose that's why he painted you right after his wife died, but Floyd | simply sat and cried when I lost mine? But whom do you think he loved Floyd | better, then, mine or yours? Floyd | Floyd | Ivy, do you know how many times I've pushed the button on the Floyd | pocketwatch, just to watch you watch me? and twice I came within Floyd | seconds of leaping into the painting, just to be with you again? I Floyd | miss you . . . I miss you . . . Floyd | Floyd | The rest of the page trails off into ellipsis-laden indecipherability. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Man, can't type to day." | |||
| RonN asks, "take it?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "okay, so that's the first creepy part." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "We could, though I'm not sure what good it does." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take looseleaf" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | A young girl, perhaps four years old and decked out in a polka-dotted Floyd | dress, gazes directly at me with a frankness that manages to be Floyd | completely disconcerting. I want to say that this is Irene herself, Floyd | eighty years ago, but it's impossible to say for sure. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN exclaims, "it's IF. Take it all! Damn the consequences!" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf15" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I was going to say that that's the only reason to take all." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for the painting of the young girl. Floyd | Floyd | The painting's subject taps her foot impatiently. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, pay attention to the buggy ending which won't seem buggy because we have the stone key..." | |||
| RonN asks, "maybe Irene's dad made the pocketwatch?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | Drawing Room Floyd | A somewhat fussily decorated sitting room, all high-flung Queen Anne Floyd | arches and artfully aged brick. Not far in front of me is Irene's Floyd | older sister---Ivy, was it?---perhaps four years old, looking Floyd | unnaturally posed in an uncomfortable-looking white gown and elaborate Floyd | hat. Her father is some distance away, putting the last strokes on the Floyd | painting. Outside, the snow falls. Floyd | Floyd | Ivy has turned and is looking directly at me. She says nothing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x ivy" | ||||
Floyd | I try to mentally add three quarter-centuries to her face to see if I Floyd | can come up with Irene, but it's a futile effort. Her Sunday best is Floyd | looking a little wrinkled, the end result of an afternoon's squirming, Floyd | and her hands-clasped-head-cocked "I'm adorable" pose is perhaps a bit Floyd | contrived, but overall she looks eminently paintable. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Lucea is gonna get back baby bad balls to you, love, cretin. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask ivy about irene" | ||||
Floyd | Before I can move, Ivy speaks. "Da? Look!" Floyd | Floyd | He does. Then he removes his pince-nez and watches me silently for a Floyd | moment. He has Leo's eyes, I notice. Floyd | Floyd | Unwilling to say anything, I stand up and hand him the stone key (the Floyd | same one that Leo took away from me before, surely? but there's no Floyd | time for such thoughts now). Then I lean over to steal a glance at the Floyd | painting---it is complete, exactly as it will be in seventy years but Floyd | for the colours, which are slightly brighter. The real Ivy watches me Floyd | intensely. Her father, meanwhile, is turning the ankh over and over in Floyd | his hands. At last he looks up to stare at me bemusedly. "An Floyd | interesting contraption, I must say. You are to be commended on your Floyd | stealth. I do, however, insist on knowing how you came to be in my Floyd | sitting room without the servants' knowledge. You shall have to Floyd | explain yourself, madam." Floyd | Floyd | In spite of myself, I find myself smiling up at him inanely. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** He has won *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So, this same ending happened earlier, except that time we hadn't found the key yet, so it was a bug." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf15" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "and it still makes no sense." | |||
| Doe says, "hmmmm" | ||||
| DavidW says, "And Leo still hasn't taken it from us yet either." | ||||
| Doe asks, "why does irene kill leo?" | ||||
| RonN says, "on account of being dead and all." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Okay. So. Painting in the garden, or painting outside the cabin?" | ||||
| RonN says (to Doe), "Irene says Leo broke 'the rules' of.. magic or whatever." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Irene shoot Leo (not quite dead) to stop him from duplicating himself." | ||||
| DavidW says, "er shot" | ||||
| Doe says (to RonN), "thanks" | ||||
| RonN says (to David), "oh, so he's only *mostly* dead." | ||||
| Doe says (to DavidW), "aha" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But we need to make him entirely not dead because we lurve him." | ||||
| RonN says, "even though we won't marry him... (?)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We don't always marry people we love." | ||||
| Doe says, "okay, on my own I could not solve this game without a hint" | ||||
| DavidW says, "He wanted to go into the painting that is (currently) broken to ... I think ... get the stone key back that he lost." | ||||
| Doe says, "too many time lines, I don't know what we want irene to do" | ||||
| Jacqueline makes an executive decision to go look at the first painting, near the cabin. | ||||
| RonN thinks women are confusing. | ||||
| Gerynar knows that women are confusing | ||||
| DavidW says, "(or do I have it wrong, since the broken painting isn't the one that goes to the gardens)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think we should look at that one first because I think the one in the garden might be an end game thing and we found it later in the game." | ||||
| RonN says, "the broken one is of a waterfall" | ||||
| Doe says (to RonN,), "Gerynar no more confusing then men" | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "if we don't have the ring, how can we enter the painting by the shack?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "He was worried that if he went in, but didn't have access to the Room of Whiteness, he'd be lost forever." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I also think that the upstairs hall of Leo's is a painting that he painted over top." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Anyone care if I go back to the cabin?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "go for it" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | This bedroom seems like a room from another flat completely; at any Floyd | rate it's free of Leo's cavalier paint-it-all approach to decor. The Floyd | furniture is spartan to the point of ruthlessness, arranged to frame Floyd | the gigantic four-poster waterbed. The overall effect is one of rather Floyd | severe cleanliness; the painting of the young girl in the corner Floyd | seeming to constitute the only exception to the rule. The front room Floyd | is back to the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "no, I've lost interest, because I am not getting it" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully rearrange the sheet of paper on the bed before going. Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "The copper key would take you to the cabin, no?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for the abstract painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Probably, but I'm here now." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Unless you want me to try that. It should work." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Except that padlock is gone." | |||
| DavidW asks, "so?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "The old bronze key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "the padlock fell into the bay" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | DavidW asks, "so?" | |||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I'll try it." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with tiny copper key" | ||||
Floyd | Discouragingly, the copper key is too small for the keyhole. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "hmph" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with old bronze key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | There is now just enough light to see by, with more light coming from Floyd | the moon than from the glimmer of purple in the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Moon? Time has progressed." | |||
| RonN says, "oh nice" | ||||
| DavidW says, "It was a sunset earlier." | ||||
| RonN says, "x the clock" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x clock" | ||||
Floyd | Solid ash. I have no idea how Leo got this in here---it's taller than Floyd | the door---but it does do rather a lot for the room's ambiance. The Floyd | face, for some reason, is at the bottom of the clock, and the exposed Floyd | pendulum swings freely at eye level. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh right. This weird clock." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x watch" | ||||
Floyd | It's an attractive open-faced gold fobwatch, equipped with a long, Floyd | thin loop of chain and a small black button just below six o'clock. Floyd | The clock face suggests that it's ten to eight---how time flies and Floyd | all that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "A couple of hours have gone by." | |||
| RonN says, "stop time then x the clock" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Where was this painting? Outside?" | ||||
| RonN says, "i bet there's a message" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for nothingthe music box, which glimmers like the only thing Floyd | that matters in the world. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x clock" | ||||
Floyd | Solid ash. I have no idea how Leo got this in here---it's taller than Floyd | the door---but it does do rather a lot for the room's ambiance. The Floyd | face, for some reason, is at the bottom of the clock, and the exposed Floyd | pendulum waits tranquilly inside at eye level. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Nope." | |||
| DavidW says, "yes, but it'd be the same painting as in Vacant Room." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "well sorta" | |||
| Doe says, "okay, reviews say it's hard to solve" | ||||
| RonN says, "the pendulum 'waits tranquilly'" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Where was the painting, outside?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | It's of the long, ponderous variety, and fashioned of some kind of Floyd | faux gold, and is swinging in a slow, hypnotic arc. The end of it is Floyd | tarnished by fingerprints, which gleam, iridescent, as it moves. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| RootShell arrives, full of fun and funk. | RonN asks, "which painting?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hi, RootShell. We're hours in on a very complex game." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Might those fingerprints be of significance?" | ||||
| RonN wondered that earlier. | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm. I think we need to manipulate the pendulum. Pull, push, turn." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I thought you all said there was a painting nearby. Perhaps I'd heard you wrong." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x fingerprints" | ||||
Floyd | They're big enough to be Leo's, but it's unlike him to treat his Floyd | furniture so callously. Floyd | Floyd | > | RootShell ( I couldn't make it in the past weeks, and today i almost didn't get here too | |||
| DavidW says, "There is a painting outside, but this clock (and the hole in the roof) is more interesting." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "maybe they signify that grabbing the pendulum is important" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for nothingthe music box, which glimmers like the only thing Floyd | that matters in the world. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| RootShell says (to Jacqueline), "Hi :)" | RonN says, "i presume he needed to rewind the clock or something" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | It's of the long, ponderous variety, and fashioned of some kind of Floyd | faux gold, and is currently not in motion. The end of it is tarnished Floyd | by fingerprints, which gleam, iridescent, as I move. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "yeah, gerynar" | |||
| DavidW says, "This is no ordinary clock." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That might be it, Ron, yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I draw the very top of the pendulum to the side and release. There is Floyd | a snapping sound as it resumes its slow ticking, and the world returns Floyd | to normal. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN exclaims, "whoa!" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "mmkay" | ||||
| Doe says, "most couldn't solve it without hints because it got confusing what was going on" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "stop pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Also, I'm down with David driving for awhile. Fingers are tired." | |||
| RonN says, "so, it's a non-portable version of our fobwatch" | ||||
| DavidW says, "yeah." | ||||
| RonN asks, "how is this puzzle-useful?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "OK, so this clock can stop time, too. Not sure what we could use this for since we already have a mobile version." | ||||
| Doe says, "well, good luck" | ||||
| Doe has had her fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | DavidW says, "Let's see outside. Maybe now that it's moonlight time, things are different." | |||
| RonN says, "well gang, perhaps we should return to the duplex's garden with the fresh paint painting, and try to steal the gun" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Irene is probably not sunning herself still." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "that worries me, David" | |||
| RonN says, "she's probably in our house by now. :)" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | I open the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "stop pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "out" | Jacqueline asks, "Well, see, will that matter? So long as we can go back in time?" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x easel" | ||||
Floyd | A somewhat rickety elmwood easel, positioned so as to give the artist Floyd | a good view over the bay. It doesn't seem to have been used for quite Floyd | some time, though---it's soaked through with recent rain, and appears Floyd | to be rotting away in places. Floyd | Floyd | In fact . . . following the easel's line of sight over the ocean, I Floyd | realise with a shock that the painting I've just come through isn't an Floyd | abstract at all: Leo has simply painted the reflection of the setting Floyd | sun on the bay, exactly as it is---the water in the light is throwing Floyd | up dozens of colours, slowly shifting with the current, flowing out Floyd | with the tide. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x moon" | ||||
Floyd | Large cumulus clouds fronting a darkening grey. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x rain" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | On the Cape (in monochrome) Floyd | The beach swivels out over the water here, creating this little Floyd | headland surrounded by rocky, shallow water on three sides. The beach Floyd | arcs back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen in place, looking out over the water. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh. She's still here." | |||
| RonN is having more Blue Lacuna flashbacks. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I nod farewell to Irene and set off back down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bay" | ||||
Floyd | Not like any ocean I've ever seen. Up close the water looks as clear Floyd | as glass, but in the light of the setting sun it seems to gradually Floyd | twist and shift, as if the entire surface is covered with a fine layer Floyd | of oil. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cabin" | ||||
Floyd | This roughshod wooden shack would be rustic and charming, say, in the Floyd | middle of the forest, but dropped into the middle of the beach like Floyd | this it's simply jarring. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "ok, i think there's nothing else to do here. Garden?" | |||
| DavidW says, "There's that hole in the roof still." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "in" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x hole" | ||||
Floyd | A football-sized opening where the ceiling of the cabin has rotted Floyd | away. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Sure, check out the hold in the roof." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Timing" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x hole" | ||||
Floyd | A football-sized opening where the ceiling of the cabin has rotted Floyd | away. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "break ceiling" | ||||
Floyd | Violence isn't the answer to this one. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN misses the significance of one of the ramshackle details of the hut. | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "reach in hole" | ||||
Floyd | Craning upward, I reach through the hole and feel around on the roof. Floyd | Nothing immediately apparent, and a cursory glance doesn't reveal very Floyd | much. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think there's something on the roof." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Can we wind the clock backward?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "maybe in an earlier timeline?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm." | ||||
| Doe says (to DavidW), "yes, on the roof" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "wind clock" | ||||
Floyd | It doesn't seem to be possible. In fact, the clock doesn't have any Floyd | counterweights at all, leaving me to wonder what's powering it. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "maybe that's where the gun was earlier?" | |||
| DavidW says, "or where it is now." | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "try pushing the hands on the clock?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x hands" | ||||
Floyd | I'm the same as I've always been. With more age spots and less Floyd | colourful hair than in times past, I suppose. The purple nightgown I'm Floyd | wearing perhaps can't be said to flatter, but in any case I've found Floyd | people give me more and more leeway with my appearance as the years go Floyd | by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x clock's hands" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "set clock" | ||||
Floyd | (to) Floyd | No, I can't set that to anything. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think we're missing something." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "stand on desk" | ||||
Floyd | In my physical condition? In the desk's physical condition? Not bloody Floyd | likely. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x spindle" | ||||
Floyd | Long, sharp, and irrelevant. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN lols | |||
| RonN asks, "may i drive?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We could talk to Irene. Show her the ankh. Ask about Ivy." | ||||
| RonN says, "sure" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | On the Cape Floyd | The beach swivels out over the water here, creating this little Floyd | headland surrounded by rocky, shallow water on three sides. The beach Floyd | arcs back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Irene dozes in her lawn chair. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf16" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "wake irene" | ||||
Floyd | Probably just talking to her would do the trick. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "heh" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Where does this key come from?" I ask, pulling out the metal ankh. Floyd | Floyd | She takes it from me, turning it over in her hands. "This was my Floyd | father's. He never did tell us where he got it---it took him long Floyd | enough to even tell us it existed." She turns toward me, Floyd | conspiratorially. "Taking a chip off the side, though---that was all Floyd | my idea. He never noticed that. Truth be told, I don't know that he Floyd | actually invented it---I think it might have been given to him as some Floyd | kind of favor; I don't recall the details." Floyd | Floyd | She pauses, an idea seeming to occur to her. "Leo thinks that's Floyd | missing, you know. I should show it to him if I were you; things would Floyd | have turned out quite differently this morning if he'd had it." Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "what an odd antagonist." | |||
| DavidW says, "ask irene about father" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, they did say she was senile." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about father" | ||||
Floyd | "Who was your father? Would I have known him?" I ask. Floyd | Floyd | "Not likely," she says. "He died before you met us. Stroke. Probably Floyd | going to get me, too, one of these days." Her eyes light up suddenly. Floyd | "He used to make us call him Thomas." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about mother" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about brass key" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "ivy" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about ivy" | ||||
Floyd | "Tell me about your sister," I say. Floyd | Floyd | She looks irritated. "What's with all these questions? I'm not some Floyd | sort of machine you can simply pump for information on cue, you know. Floyd | Leave my bloody sister alone. Floyd | > | DavidW says, "yeah, knew that would be a sore point." | |||
| RonN says, "now I'm even more curious" | ||||
| DavidW says, "we could persist" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about ivy" | ||||
Floyd | I think that topic's more or less been exhausted. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "show her the looseleaf" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "show looseleaf to irene" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| RootShell www.ifreviews.org | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about looseleaf" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "eh? Jacq took it." | |||
| Gerynar asks, "journal?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "maybe she undid it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | RonN asks, "inventory?" | |||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "i guess. Papers are the diary" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I did take it, I thought, but maybe it got untook." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about diary" | ||||
Floyd | I can't think of anything worth saying about it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about hole" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says (to Jacq), "Garden gnomes, no doubt." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Show the papers to her?" | ||||
| RonN says, "sure, we can undo" | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "ask about the grandfather clock?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about clock" | ||||
Floyd | "So, is there a story behind the grandfather clock in the cabin?" Floyd | Floyd | She leans back. "A long one. Leo had no easy way to get back and forth Floyd | between here and home, so he stuck a piece of the stone key into the Floyd | pendulum, and now he can use the music box without having to bring the Floyd | pocketwatch along." Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "huh" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "so the ring, pocketwatch, clock ... all have bits of the ankh in them? Maybe?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "so does he mix powdered stone key into his paint? I mean, what's magic and what's mundane in this fiction?" | ||||
| RonN exclaims, "timing!" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about gardens" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "fire?" | |||
| Alex says (to Jacqueline), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that fire is what's for topic." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about fire" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt Irene would know much about that. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "i still wanna do into the garden's painting which leads to the pond, and see if we can move the plot along." | |||
| RonN says, "do -> go" | ||||
| DavidW says, "yeah. I think we could go back in time at the pond, find Leo, give him the ankh." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Let's try that." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I nod farewell to Irene and set off back down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf17" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "hey, can we recurse?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | Jacqueline says, "Porch, methinks." | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "in" | ||||
Floyd | I try to peek inside, but even this early the light is bright enough Floyd | to make that impractical. I cautiously squeak the slider open. I take Floyd | a single step inside . . . Floyd | Floyd | . . . and abruptly find myself face to face with an astonished Leo. Floyd | Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "excellent" | |||
| DavidW asks, "er?" | RonN says, "oh, i guess not cause we'd need the diamond ring." | |||
| RonN exclaims, "Leo! You're not dead yet!" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo stands here, looking healthy but frazzled. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the pocketwatch I Floyd | found in the living room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I'm note sure what happened there, David, with the going and the you can't go, but whatever." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "where did he just 'port from?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "i guess we wait til he returns?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | On the shelf is a diamond ring. Floyd | Floyd | A familiar snapping sound comes from the hallway. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN exclaims, "he's back!" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is waiting here for me, waving the pocketwatch cord about Floyd | violently. He looks desperate, more frightened than I can ever recall Floyd | seeing him. Floyd | Floyd | "Matilda, where's the glass key gone? It should be in the music box, Floyd | with the other keys, but it isn't there. Without it I can't get into Floyd | the gallery." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Glass key." | |||
| RonN blames those meddling kids. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, ";IRENE" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask leo about glass key" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo, tell me about your gallery. Where would I find the key?" Floyd | Floyd | "All my work is in there; I've been gradually moving them there for Floyd | years. I have to get it back---I got over it the first time, but now Floyd | that I have this key again I don't think I could go through this a Floyd | second time." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Answer 'Irene'" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Did she have a glass key?" | ||||
| RonN asks, "Can we tell Leo that that isn't *our* puzzle to solve?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "answer 'irene'" | ||||
Floyd | Whom do you want me to answer that to? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "leo" | ||||
Floyd | (,) Floyd | Fortunately for Leo, you can't order him around the way you do me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "answer irene to leo" | ||||
Floyd | I honestly think extensive discourse is beyond me this morning . . . Floyd | I'd probably be better off just restricting myself to asking and Floyd | telling. Floyd | Floyd | "What I really don't understand," Leo continues, "and you don't have Floyd | to explain if you'd rather not---is how you got the pocketwatch. I'd Floyd | recognise it anywhere, but it can't be mine, because I've got it right Floyd | here." He waves his own, snapping it on and off a few times for good Floyd | measure. "I can only imagine Irene must have given it to you, but I Floyd | can't imagine why." Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN lols | |||
| RonN says, "tell him about the murder and irene" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "tell leo about rule" | ||||
Floyd | No words come. Floyd | Floyd | He sinks slowly to the floor. "Christ, Matilda, I don't know what to Floyd | do. I find my key after thinking it was lost forever, but my gallery Floyd | is gone unless I can find that damn key. And now I can't find Irene Floyd | anywhere." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, we need to do some tell rather than ask." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I understand how people might find this confusing." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask leo about gun" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo, where do you keep your grandfather's pistol?" Floyd | Floyd | He opens his mouth. "Don't lie to me," I add. "I know you didn't get Floyd | rid of it. Tell me where it's hidden." Floyd | Floyd | His mouth opens, closes again. Then he says quietly, "I don't know Floyd | what you're talking about, Matilda." Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I'm actually not confused." | |||
| RonN says, "even the NPC finds it confusing." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "tell leo about irene" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo," I say breathlessly, "You have to be careful. Irene's going to Floyd | have the gun and see you going into the painting and shoot you." Floyd | Floyd | He simply stares. Floyd | > | RonN says, "I was earlier" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I probably wouldn't be if I hadn't missed half of the game so far." | ||||
| RonN says, "True" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "But I can _see_ how people might be..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask leo about my painting" | ||||
Floyd | No words come. Floyd | Floyd | Leo murmurs something incomprehensible under his breath. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask leo about painting" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo, why in hell didn't you tell me about all this? About the Floyd | paintings, and the keys? How couldn't you tell me about this whole Floyd | world?" Floyd | Floyd | He goes pale. "How could I? You refused to marry me." Floyd | > | RonN says, "ouch, point for Leo." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask leo about what marriage has to do with anything" | ||||
Floyd | No words come. Floyd | Floyd | "All right," Leo says finally. "I'm going to keep searching. I Floyd | couldn't find the key on the beach, but if you think you can find it Floyd | you might look there. God knows, if I haven't found it by the time you Floyd | get back I'll have to do something desperate." Floyd | Floyd | And with this, he walks to the bedroom door and turns his stone key in Floyd | the lock. It flies open, and he steps into the complete whiteness Floyd | beyond just before the door snaps shut behind him, leaving me alone. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "ACK" | |||
| RonN says, "Grrr" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "NO NO NO" | ||||
| RonN asks, "undo?" | ||||
| Alex says (to RonN), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that Undo is a command that lusers use." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "LEO?!" | ||||
| Alex says (to Jacqueline), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that LEO is low Earth orbit." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "So if you don't mind...what is up with this glass key?" | ||||
| RonN says, "it's new." | ||||
| DavidW says, "The glass key is for his gallery. A location we've never seen, I guess." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "So we've not seen it before in the game?" | ||||
| RonN says, "i was expecting a cutscene and a happily-ever-after here." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I am now beginning to appreciate how DavidW is annoyed when I ask questions that I should know because I haven't been paying full attention or have been in another window too much." | ||||
| RonN says, "but no, one more puzzle, one more key." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And I will try to never do that again." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "OK, sorry. I'll shut up." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Heh." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It's just... complicated... except not, if you'be been here. It's hours of game to explain." | ||||
| RonN notices ST is confused after all. ~heh~ | ||||
| DavidW says, "Sorry, roommate distracted me" | ||||
| RonN says, "anyway, we gotta find another key" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Right, but what about ... hm." | ||||
| RonN asks, "anywhere we haven't been?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I want to go to the not broken yet painting." | ||||
| RonN asks, "the roof?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess we have to have Leo go away like this, because without the confrontation with him we wouldn't know to even look for the glass key." | ||||
| RonN says, "oh" | ||||
| RonN says, "yes," | ||||
| RonN says, "yes david" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Matilda's still asleep, of course, so we have to be careful." | ||||
| RonN says, "let's explore the waterfall" | ||||
| RonN exclaims, "oho!" | ||||
| RonN says, "let's SAVE and experiment..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf18" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Sure." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "maybe we'll find the reason behind the RULE" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "uh-oh. Irene's there already." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | I hear a soft sound from the corner. Turning, I nearly jump out of my Floyd | skin to see Irene standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding her Floyd | hands clasped behind her back and staring at me in a peculiar way. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, hello, Matilda," she says. "I didn't think you were up yet." Floyd | Her eyes flip back and forth from me to the staircase, confused. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN says, "we'll, we're not dead yet." | |||
| RonN takes that back. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | Hang on; I'm intrigued by what Irene's saying. Floyd | Floyd | "Listen," Irene says. Her voice is quick, intense, nothing like during Floyd | our conversation on the bay. "I'm sorry to trespass on you like this. Floyd | I came to see if Leo's been using you to hide things from me, and it Floyd | turns out that he has." She gestures to the end table by the sofa. Floyd | "Open the drawer there. I want you to see." Floyd | Floyd | A sick feeling develops in the pit of my stomach. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "She has the gun behind her back, doesn't she?" | |||
| RonN says, "ask her" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "the gun's in the drawer" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about gun" | ||||
Floyd | "Irene, where is Leo's gun?" I ask. My voice has become strangely Floyd | uneven. Floyd | Floyd | "Right here, of course. He was trying to keep it from me by hiding it Floyd | in your flat. It's illegal for him to have it at all, of course, but Floyd | apparently he had no compunction about endangering you as well. Go on Floyd | and open the drawer." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open drawer" | ||||
Floyd | Foreboding like nothing I have ever experienced, descending like a Floyd | certain apocalypse. My hand shakes as I pull open the drawer . . . Floyd | Floyd | Oh, God. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look in drawer" | ||||
Floyd | My head turns to peer into the drawer, and I squeeze my eyes shut only Floyd | just in time. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's voice: "I know you know it's there, Matilda. You can't hide it Floyd | from yourself forever." Floyd | Floyd | "Well?" she asks. "No reaction? This isn't some benign happening we Floyd | can just ignore, you know. He's concealing it from me for a reason. I Floyd | won't let you pretend it isn't there." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "OH GOD WHAT" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Timing" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | Stop saying that! I will not tell you what is in that drawer. Floyd | Floyd | "Just take it!" she cries, gesturing to the drawer. "Why does it gall Floyd | you to pay attention to commands from a human being instead of some Floyd | figment of your imagination?" Floyd | Floyd | And yet, I am unable to do anything. I simply stand there, on the Floyd | verge of panic, torn between two forces, either of which would easily Floyd | be strong enough to control me on its own. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Except wait we still don't know." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "TIMING AGAIN" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | What, and leave Irene alone with . . . wait, no, maybe you're right. Floyd | Floyd | While I dither, I look up to see that an expression of horror has Floyd | appeared on Irene's face---directed not at me, I suddenly realise, but Floyd | behind me. Floyd | Floyd | "Leo," she gasps. Grabbing her cane from beside her, she twists Floyd | something on her bracelet and vanishes. I blink, and suddenly Irene is Floyd | on the other side of the kitchen window. Floyd | Floyd | My gaze moves to the drawer, then out the window. My stomach sinks. Floyd | Floyd | > | RonN asks, "wtffff?" | |||
| DavidW says, "I'm just as confused." | ||||
| RonN asks, "what's in the drawer?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look in drawer" | ||||
Floyd | Empty, now. Floyd | Floyd | I hurry to look out the kitchen window, just in time to see Leo is Floyd | standing in front of the painting in the garden, pocketwatch in hand. Floyd | Irene is standing on the porch and has raised the gun on him; she Floyd | seems to be speaking quietly. The window mutes their conversation, but Floyd | I know enough about what's going to happen to realise that I can't be Floyd | here when it finishes. Floyd | Floyd | I barely hear the gunshot. By the time my former self comes innocently Floyd | down the stairs, about to answer her doorbell, I am already deep into Floyd | the woods. Perhaps without my interference she'll be able to sort all Floyd | this out better than I have. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline tries to come up with what all those Fs stand for in wtffff | |||
| inky says, "fweep fweep fweep" | ||||
| RonN says (to jacq), "Volume." | ||||
| inky arrives, full of fun and funk. | RonN says, "well UNDO this thing" | |||
| RonN asks, "can we simply overpower Irene?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "frickiti-frackity-frockity-" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to inky), "I was thinking more like What The Fweepity Fweeping Fweepin' Fweep." | ||||
| RonN says, "i gotta go in a few minutes. I want to see the real ending." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Restore from when we used the pondside painting?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to RonN), "I have no idea how close we are." | ||||
| RonN says, "(the new montthly Seattle I-F meeting starts very soon!)" | ||||
| DavidW says, "(cool!)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Ron), "Sorry, we probably won't be done in a few minutes, I suspect." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I think someone else should drive for the next attempt." | ||||
| RonN says, "in that case, I'm just going to walk away and leave my computer up. I'll read it when I get back." | ||||
| inky asks (of RonW), "wait, there's a seattle monthly IF meeting??" | ||||
| RonN says, "Ciao." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "What are we going to redo?" | ||||
| DavidW asks (of inky), "You're in Seattle and don't know?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "From the meeting with Leo in kitchen?" | ||||
| inky says, "nobody tells me anything!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to inky), "Aw." | ||||
| inky says, "I guess I could have done my part by reading the newsgroup or something" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And... RonN of Seattle is gone to the meeting that inky is not attending." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Maybe they're all at PAX." | ||||
| RonN says, "inky, it's at Bauhaus on capitol hill right now." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So." | ||||
| inky says, "I am totally coming" | ||||
| RonN says, "email me pscion@yahoo.com" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to inky), "Bye, inky." | ||||
| RonN says, "i'll rope you in" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Inky lives near there, if memory serves." | ||||
| inky asks, "how will I recognize you guys?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He'll be wearing a pink corsage." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And a feathered hat." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I have an idea for the game." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So." | ||||
| RonN says, "totally. we'll be the sexy group" | ||||
| inky says, "hee hee" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Can we not go back to an earlier point and look for the gun?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I want a >XYZZY t-shirt *just* in case there's an IF meeting near me." | ||||
| Doe says (to inky), "they'll be wearing pirate eye patches" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We all know how sexy a group of mudders are." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Look for the geekfest." | ||||
| inky asks, "no, seriously, I am going to walk over -- how will I recognize you?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "I have one of those." | ||||
| Doe says, "I hate it when inky gets serious" | ||||
| inky says, "RRRRR" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Just go in and start asking people." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "seriously? neato keen" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I suspect you'll figure it out pretty easily." | ||||
| inky says, "I may have to!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to David), "Yeah, it says JUST GRUE IT across the back." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Jacq), "Go ahead and try." | ||||
| DavidW says, "ha ha ha. Love it" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "RESTORE" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf18" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, so. Guess we restore to right after we get the stone key." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "And then go to our house." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "You want to drive, or shall I?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "This restore is just after using the pondside painting." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Won't it already be too late?" | |||
| DavidW says, "or not. Must be after Leo popped out." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "As that painting hasn't even dried yet?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | On the shelf is a diamond ring. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "I think we need to get the ring, then maybe we can go to the beach to look for the glass key" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "mmkay" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "If we take the ring now, how will future Matilda get it?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "This is kinda why I want someone else to drive for attempt two." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I wanna see one of you swim upstream." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "This is totally off topic, but as if this game isn't weirding me out enough, maga is eating a peanut butter-bamboo-feta sammich." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "bamboo?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes. I evidently was fed some bamboo at lunch and didn't even realize." | ||||
| Doe says, "bamboo is okay, but feta and peanut butter, ugh" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Didn't know that was edible." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I didn't think you could eat bamboo, but I guess you can." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "that is one wierd sandwich" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Bamboo shoots are edible, I think. Not the hard stuff." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to G), "He likes experimenting with food. I'm glad he mostly uses himself as an initial test subject on the more outlandish hypotheses." | ||||
| Doe says, "yeah, they're soft" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Anyway, enough about weird sammiches. Back to the game." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So, you want another driver." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I bet the universe ends if we take the ring." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess I could." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf19" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Or the narrator will forbid it." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't think it will." | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "as to how is the future us getting the ring, didn't leo write about trying to make paradoxes, but not being able to?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "As per his journal entry earlier, I think we can take the ring." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Just like there were two pocketwatches." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to G), "Right." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Leo did write about it, but I dunno..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take ring" | ||||
Floyd | Taken, damn you. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The jewel flashes at me. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Which time are we in?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Like, post meeting Leo in the kitchen?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Morning, pre-shooting." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Is it too late for the gun?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "After meeting Leo in kitchen, yes." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Probably.." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I thinkm we need to go back further." | ||||
| DavidW says, "If the gun is in our own living room, we won't be able to get it earlier." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'd rather go back, but if we want to stay in this time, maybe Gerynar should drive." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "Why not?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We just have to beat Irene to it." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Fine, drive. I shut up." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And the paint on this painting is wet... it's so recent she's already there." | ||||
| Gerynar is a poor driver, he's embarassed himself enough when playing SF with Touchy | ||||
| DavidW says, "I don't think it is possible but this is why someone else must drive." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Then again, my theory involves learning by death, and I don't think this game requires that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So you may well be right." | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "why is the jewel flashing?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I think the instant we arrived in this time period, Irene is already waiting for us in our home." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DW), "What was your plan?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Yes, I agree with you." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I don't have a plan yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, let me try something if no one else has a plan, though I'm not sure it'll work." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I wanted to enter the unbroken painting but Irene interfered with that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf20" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DW), "Ah, right." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf16" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | On the Cape Floyd | The beach swivels out over the water here, creating this little Floyd | headland surrounded by rocky, shallow water on three sides. The beach Floyd | arcs back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Irene dozes in her lawn chair. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I nod farewell to Irene and set off back down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "We could, I suppose, ask Irene about her cane, bracelet, or glass key." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, I can go do that if you want before I walk away, sure." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | On the Cape Floyd | The beach swivels out over the water here, creating this little Floyd | headland surrounded by rocky, shallow water on three sides. The beach Floyd | arcs back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Irene dozes in her lawn chair. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask irene about cane" | ||||
Floyd | "Irene," I say, voicing something I've been thinking for a long time, Floyd | "are you sure that cane is quite sufficient? I worry that one of these Floyd | days you're going to fall over when we aren't there." Floyd | Floyd | "I'd rather break myself than have you catch me dead in a wheelchair," Floyd | she replies. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Leo suggested that the glass key might be lost on the beach." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask irene about glass key" | DavidW says, "Try searching the sand." | |||
Floyd | "Irene, do you know where the key to Leo's gallery is?" Floyd | Floyd | She grins and points down the beach. "I threw it up on the roof of the Floyd | cabin down there when he asked me to hide it somewhere safe. But that Floyd | must have been a month ago. Are you and Leo only just noticing it's Floyd | gone?" Floyd | Floyd | "Mind you," she adds after a pause, "I'm only telling you because I Floyd | know you'll never get up there. No ladders hereabouts, you know." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "aha" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask irene about bracelet" | ||||
Floyd | "Irene, about that bracelet---" Floyd | Floyd | "Ah," she smiles. "You like my jewellery? I invented it myself." She Floyd | twists the setting of one of the charms on the end, and vanishes. I Floyd | hear a chuckle, and spin around to see her sitting immediately behind Floyd | me. Floyd | Floyd | "Very useful indeed." Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "Hm...so learning by death is intended it seems" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "No, I don't think so." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think it's just coincidence." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I nod farewell to Irene and set off back down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | I crane my neck. Yes, there is definitely something on top of the Floyd | cabin---squarish and gleaming---but there's no earthly way for me to Floyd | get up there. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Let's try reaching again, shall we?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Through the hole?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I was hoping it'd rain, so we could climb the raindrops." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh - yeah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push clock" | ||||
Floyd | It is fixed in place. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Like, you have one good trick, use it again." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "aw" | ||||
| Doe says, "I mut admit I am real tempted to use that in a game, myself" | ||||
| DavidW says, "pendulum" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search hole" | ||||
Floyd | Craning upward, I reach through the hole and feel around on the roof. Floyd | Nothing immediately apparent, and a cursory glance doesn't reveal very Floyd | much. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb clock" | ||||
Floyd | I place my foot in the clock hopefully, but the position is awkward Floyd | and there's no way for me to get more than a foot off the ground. In Floyd | any case, the hole at the top of the clock is too small for me to Floyd | climb through. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "What about the pendulum?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Push it?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Doe), "I remember it used in a game called Frozen, I think it was. You could climb a briefcase frozen in time." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "The easel is rickety, if memory serves, and probably too short." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb cabin" | ||||
Floyd | I don't think much is to be achieved by that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x object" | ||||
Floyd | It looks like it might be some kind of box; my vision isn't clear Floyd | enough to see anything more specific. At some point I'll have to find Floyd | a way up there. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "could you throw the pages and climb those?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "throw pages" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "throw papers" | ||||
Floyd | That would be littering. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "LAME" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy chuckles. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "inky did say he loved this puzzle" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "drop paper" | ||||
Floyd | That would be littering. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "well, maybe sand?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take sand" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "Or leaves or whatever?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take sand" | ||||
Floyd | They're hardly portable. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Or petals from the other location -- except we have no stone key anymore." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Sure we do." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "No, we still have it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I went back to 16." | ||||
| DavidW says, "oh. I thought he took it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We're back before that." | ||||
| DavidW says, "oh" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Can we climb the easel when time is stopped? Maybe it can't break then." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Possibly. It's the closest idea I've had. I think it's too short, but who knows." | ||||
| DavidW says, "worth a try" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take easel" | ||||
Floyd | That's hardly portable. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb easel" | ||||
Floyd | I don't think much is to be achieved by that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline shakes her fist at the easel. | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x sky" | ||||
Floyd | Large cumulus clouds fronting a darkening grey. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar asks, "did we look in the hole since talking about the glass key?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes" | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm. Rain does seem like it's coming. Perhaps it won't come until Leo spills the beans." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That may be." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I want to try something else." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Though it may be pointless." | ||||
| Dave arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter cabin" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a silent grandfather clock. The door back Floyd | outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "throw something at the key, hoping it'll fall down the hole (and not break, being glass)?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, we could try that, yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) | Gerynar asks, "what about the hammock?" | |||
Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh, heh. The hammock" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we can't fit *through* the hole, as it's too small, but maybe it'll catch the key or something." | ||||
| DavidW says, "The hammock was tangled, I think, but maybe something could be done with it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "throw house key at object" | ||||
Floyd | Futile. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter cabin" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a silent grandfather clock. The door back Floyd | outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x hammock" | ||||
Floyd | It does look cosy, if a bit claustrophobic, strung practically from Floyd | corner to corner as it is. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take hammock" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take hammock" | ||||
Floyd | That's hardly portable. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "untangle hammock" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter hammock" | ||||
Floyd | I recline back on the hammock, but it turns out to be much less Floyd | comfortable than it looks. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "Too bad, it would have made a nice ladder used vertically." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "get up" | ||||
Floyd | I get out of the hammock. Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "throw house key at object" | ||||
Floyd | Futile. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "What debris is on the desk?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay. Was wondering if having time enabled helped." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter cabin" | Gerynar says, "if the shack is so ramshackle, can it be pushed over? :)" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "f debris" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x debris" | ||||
Floyd | Most of it is entirely useless, and all of it has seen better Floyd | days---pencils without points, dried-up palettes, smudged sketches, Floyd | discarded remnants of still-lifes. A painted wooden box and a spike Floyd | are the only items in reasonably good condition. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x box" | ||||
Floyd | A sizable rosewood affair, large enough to stand in, and lovingly Floyd | handpainted with little music notes floating around a building---a Floyd | building that looks a lot like our flat, in fact. There's a dark Floyd | scrawl on the side of the box, which, strangely, doesn't seem to have Floyd | a bottom; under the open lid I can see the paint drawing towards a Floyd | single point, leading down farther and farther, into darkness. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, right, it's the music box. Duh" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x spike" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take spike" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Dave asks, "can't you climb onto the roof from inside?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "No." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I guess the spike is the spindle." | ||||
| Dave says, "it does say it's really low with holes" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Dave, we can't fit through them." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "hm. Freeze time, stand on hammock, reach through another hole?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "press button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for nothingthe music box, which glimmers like the only thing Floyd | that matters in the world. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "stand on hammock" | ||||
Floyd | Ugh, no. The first time was bad enough. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can we climb on the box when it's closed?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "close box" | ||||
Floyd | Gently, I lower the lid. The music fades to nothing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "stand on box" | ||||
Floyd | (first opening the music box) Floyd | The box springs open and a familiar, sweet little tune fills the air Floyd | around me: Pachelbel's Canon, perhaps? Floyd | Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The pocketwatch has reappeared in my hand. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "ACK" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "intent: fail" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "stand on desk" | ||||
Floyd | In my physical condition? In the desk's physical condition? Not bloody Floyd | likely. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take box" | ||||
Floyd | Bizarrely enough, it refuses to budge from the desk. Instead, the box Floyd | springs open as an enormous clunking sound reverberates through the Floyd | room, and in place of the light glockenspiel sound I was expecting, Floyd | the music rises into a full orchestra that seems to resonate from Floyd | everywhere at once. Floyd | Floyd | The violins ascend higher still, expressiveness revealing itself as Floyd | naked yearning. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x spindle" | ||||
Floyd | Long, sharp, and irrelevant. Floyd | Floyd | The drums suddenly die away, leaving the violins suspended on a Floyd | wavering high note. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take spindle" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | An oboe enters, gently intoning the same melody the strings just left Floyd | off. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "freeze time and climb the music .. heh" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | A clarinet joins, floating a countermelody against the oboe's ascent. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take spindle" | ||||
Floyd | That seems to be a part of the desk. Floyd | Floyd | The oboe solo suddenly leaps the octave as the strings rise still Floyd | farther, until I feel I'm about to weep with longing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "heh" | |||
| DavidW says, "I dunno. Do a rain dance outside." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, let's try what David said." | ||||
| DavidW says, "(hee. Great timing)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Well, I'm thinking of what you said about triggering the rain by talking to Leo." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | It's not as if I can just waltz right into it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | The pond tranquilly waits in the twilight of the painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| theclam arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||||
| Dave has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I try to peek inside, but even this early the light is bright enough Floyd | to make that impractical. I cautiously squeak the slider open. I take Floyd | a single step inside . . . Floyd | Floyd | . . . and abruptly find myself face to face with an astonished Leo. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask leo about stone key" | ||||
Floyd | I hold up the Ankh for Leo's inspection. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | A familiar snapping sound comes from the hallway. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Wait, did I run past him?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is waiting here for me, waving the pocketwatch cord about Floyd | violently. He looks desperate, more frightened than I can ever recall Floyd | seeing him. Floyd | Floyd | "Matilda, where's the glass key gone? It should be in the music box, Floyd | with the other keys, but it isn't there. Without it I can't get into Floyd | the gallery." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "tell Leo about glass key" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo, tell me about your gallery. Where would I find the key?" Floyd | Floyd | "All my work is in there; I've been gradually moving them there for Floyd | years. I have to get it back---I got over it the first time, but now Floyd | that I have this key again I don't think I could go through this a Floyd | second time." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take stone key" | ||||
Floyd | That seems to belong to Leo. Floyd | Floyd | "What I really don't understand," Leo continues, "and you don't have Floyd | to explain if you'd rather not---is how you got the diamond ring. I'd Floyd | recognise it anywhere, but it can't be mine, because I've got it right Floyd | here." He waves his own, snapping it on and off a few times for good Floyd | measure. "I can only imagine Irene must have given it to you, but I Floyd | can't imagine why." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "He ported back. Probably via the bathroom." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "tell Leo about murder" | ||||
Floyd | No words come. Floyd | Floyd | He sinks slowly to the floor. "Christ, Matilda, I don't know what to Floyd | do. I find my key after thinking it was lost forever, but my gallery Floyd | is gone unless I can find that damn key. And now I can't find Irene Floyd | anywhere." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "tell Leo about Irene" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo," I say breathlessly, "You have to be careful. Irene's going to Floyd | have the gun and see you going into the painting and shoot you." Floyd | Floyd | He simply stares. Floyd | > | DavidW says, "This might mean Irene is no longer at the beach." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Right." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm hoping we'll go back and it will be raining." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Though that seems a little too good to be true." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But climbing the petals earlier did nothing." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm hoping it was just a hint of things to come." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ask leo about gallery" | ||||
Floyd | I can't think of anything that hasn't already been said. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Climbing the petals did do something. It took us to the mysterious bird nest." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "tell Leo about murder" | ||||
Floyd | No words come. Floyd | Floyd | Leo murmurs something incomprehensible under his breath. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DavidW), "Right. With nothing in it." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm not sure we can accomplish anything substantive with Leo. I'm going to z through it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | "All right," Leo says finally. "I'm going to keep searching. I Floyd | couldn't find the key on the beach, but if you think you can find it Floyd | you might look there. God knows, if I haven't found it by the time you Floyd | get back I'll have to do something desperate." Floyd | Floyd | And with this, he walks to the bedroom door and turns his stone key in Floyd | the lock. It flies open, and he steps into the complete whiteness Floyd | beyond just before the door snaps shut behind him, leaving me alone. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "It occurs to me that we didn't ask Leo or Irene about the nest. I strongly suspect something was to go in it." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "He took it?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "It won't matter, of course." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | The colours in the painting suddenly sparkle brilliantly---daylight in Floyd | this dingy room---then fade just as quickly. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "he took the ankh, yes" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | Bizarre, how casually I can do this. I walk clean into another world, Floyd | not even pausing to look behind me after I arrive. Floyd | Floyd | Dock's End Floyd | It's much brighter here than last time---evening, rather than Floyd | twilight, but nothing is moving, even the raindrops, and a bolt of Floyd | lightning far off to the west gives a continuous eerie light to the Floyd | horizon. The beach lies to the east, and the drops of water ascend Floyd | into the sky as far as I can see. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | I shiver as a raindrop slips into my eye. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "No, I meant that he took the watch, too? I knew he took the ankh." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter cabin" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, right." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | A thoroughly miserable spot, the tide gradually rising and threatening Floyd | to engulf what little sand remains. A soaked-looking cabin lies to the Floyd | south---padlocked shut again, of course--- and the beach continues to Floyd | the north. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "Good call on the rain, though." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I think you're right, David, about the rain." | ||||
| DavidW says, "You don't have the watch because you used the ring. Or something like that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter cabin" | ||||
Floyd | Using the old bronze key, I unlock the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | Once more, the padlock springs open, executing a graceful parabola and Floyd | landing in the water. Floyd | Floyd | I open the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | An even worse mess than last time I was here. The music box stands Floyd | open, playing a familiar lilting tune, and a fat stream of water is Floyd | gushing into the cabin through the hole in the roof, then soaking out Floyd | through the floor. All in all, a fairly miserable studio. On the Floyd | opposite side of the room, placed, I now realise, as far as possible Floyd | from the corner with the hole, are the desk and hammock, and the exit Floyd | is to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "How did the padlock come back?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says (to Touchy), "This is BEFORE." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy shuts up again. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The padlock - right" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We're apparantly before our visit here too." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "leave" | ||||
Floyd | You'll have to say which compass direction to go in. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "exit cabin" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to exit. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | I stop. Floyd | Floyd | The beach has been completely enveloped by a web of raindrops Floyd | suspended in midair, so closely spaced that to get to the water's edge Floyd | I have to pick my way slowly through them, one step at a time. I grasp Floyd | a nearby droplet, trying to push it out of my way, but it doesn't Floyd | budge, and even supports my weight as I strain against it. The cabin Floyd | is back to the south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to Floyd | the north. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb rain" | ||||
Floyd | Cautiously, I grasp onto a raindrop at eye level, then lift myself up, Floyd | finding a foothold on one of the drops below. It ends up being less Floyd | dangerous than it looks---there's not much chance of falling since a Floyd | mass of riveted-in-place droplets keeps me in caged into a sort of Floyd | column. Eventually my heart rate subsides and I am able to reach roof Floyd | level. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I step lightly onto the roof of the cabin, working my way through the Floyd | web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | On the Roof (in monochrome) Floyd | The summit of the cabin is completely flat, which is unfortunate for Floyd | the cabin on days with weather like this---I can see the grandfather Floyd | clock through one particularly rotten hole in the roof---but I Floyd | appreciate it now, and the roughness of the surface makes it easy to Floyd | gain purchase. I can (reluctantly) step back into the rain to the Floyd | north or west---everything else is rock and water. Floyd | Floyd | A small marble box waits quietly in the shadow of the chimney. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take box" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh damn, right." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The diamond ring is gone. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Damnity damning damn." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Hm..." | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "examine the roof?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can you reach down to the pendulum?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x roof" | ||||
Floyd | Ancient tiles that barely do their job anymore. In many places they Floyd | have rotted away entirely, and in one spot there's a hole nearly large Floyd | enough to fall through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x box" | ||||
Floyd | A polished marble container, perhaps built to hold pencils or Floyd | paintbrushes, still shining but a little warped by several months of Floyd | exposure. No keyhole, God be praised. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter hold" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter hole" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt I could even get my head through that hole, let alone my body Floyd | entire. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says (to Touchy), "Good thinking!" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "hm" | ||||
| DavidW says, "That's an excellent idea." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "What's the wording." | ||||
| DavidW says, "push pendulum" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "reach through hole" | ||||
Floyd | Lying down awkwardly, I reach into the hole---soaking my front Floyd | completely in the process---and feel about in the cabin. My hand Floyd | lights on the top of the grandfather clock. If I stretched I could Floyd | probably reach the pendulum from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Lying down and reaching deep into the hole, I draw the very top of the Floyd | pendulum to the side and release. There is a snapping sound as it Floyd | resumes its slow ticking, and the world returns to normal. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Brilliant, Touchy." | |||
| DavidW says, "yes" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "take box" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "ysy" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "ITYM YAY" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "yay even" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open box" | ||||
Floyd | I open the polished marble box, revealing a glass key. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Don't drop it in the bay on the way down. :)" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf23" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Guess we need to stop it again to get down?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt I could even get my head through that hole, let alone my body Floyd | entire. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Reaching through the hole, I just manage to poke the topmost point of Floyd | the pendulum, arresting its motion. A now-familiar snapping sound Floyd | assaults my ears, and I turn to find my surroundings reverted once Floyd | more to black and white, with only the music box and the pendulum Floyd | remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "climb down" | ||||
Floyd | (the floor) Floyd | I don't think much is to be achieved by that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way to the edge, and, after a ghastly moment of vertigo, Floyd | step off the roof and into the web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I pick my way carefully through a web of frozen raindrops. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The sea and rain, arrested, wait silently. The cabin is back to the Floyd | south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "enter cabin" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | An unsettling glittery light pervades this room, reflected through the Floyd | doorway by the sea of raindrops outside. A cascade of water is stopped Floyd | in midair, gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low ceiling, Floyd | just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box sits Floyd | opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open box" | ||||
Floyd | That's already open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "get in box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | Hearing the loud snap that accompanies my entrance, Leo hurries into Floyd | the room. "Did you find the key?" Floyd | Floyd | When I hold up the box, his face morphs into the happiest expression I Floyd | have ever seen on a human face. "Irene!" he cries. "I . . . you . . . Floyd | " and he pulls me into a fierce hug. After a few moments of this, I Floyd | pull back, and his expression turns solemn. "And there's something I Floyd | need to ask---" Floyd | Floyd | He is interrupted by a distant scream. In the background I can hear Floyd | Irene's voice floating up the stairs. "Leo?" Floyd | Floyd | He rolls his eyes, then shouts back, "Coming!" Then, turning to me: Floyd | "We'll talk in a second. Wait for me." He gently takes the box from my Floyd | hands and zips out to the south. Floyd | Floyd | I simply stand there for a moment, basking in the warm glow of my own Floyd | accomplishment, when I realise with a surge of horror that both Irene Floyd | and whatever weapon she used are still unaccounted for---in fact, she Floyd | probably has the gun already. I have only a few minutes to act. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Might want to check on beach." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "I think she's gone, but want me to go back?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "it might not matter. Leo did say she was gone." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I wondered if she left anything behind." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf24" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar asks, "like her cane?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | DavidW says, "dunno. maybe." | |||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I pick my way carefully through a web of frozen raindrops. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The sea and rain, arrested, wait silently. The cabin is back to the Floyd | south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Squeezing myself through the gaps in the raindrops, I travel slowly Floyd | down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | On the Cape (in monochrome) Floyd | Without the setting sun bringing colour to the landscape, the cape has Floyd | become a dismal place indeed. Irene's Adirondack chair stands alone Floyd | here, looking out morosely over the water. The rain soaks everything Floyd | throughly, the drops glittering eerily as they catch the light, like a Floyd | bridge into the sky. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "I think the cane sounds interesting" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Nothing here except her chair" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "climb rain" | ||||
Floyd | More efficiently this time, I grab a raindrop and carefully work my Floyd | way up a story. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I stop somewhat arbitrarily when it ceases to feel safe to go farther, Floyd | my vantage point perhaps three times higher than what I'm accustomed Floyd | to. I can return to Earth's surface, or continue south over the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "heh. We can climb here too." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "This is very cool." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Squeezing myself through the gaps in the raindrops, I travel slowly Floyd | down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | On the Cape (in monochrome) Floyd | Without the setting sun bringing colour to the landscape, the cape has Floyd | become a dismal place indeed. Irene's Adirondack chair stands alone Floyd | here, looking out morosely over the water. The rain soaks everything Floyd | throughly, the drops glittering eerily as they catch the light, like a Floyd | bridge into the sky. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We can climb or traverse, it would seem." | |||
| DavidW says, "okay. Time to find Leo, I guess." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I could just restore." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | DavidW says, "'k" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf24" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | Doe says, "boy, you guys have a lot of patience" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, now we need to figure how to save the day." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Doe), "We do?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We're almost at the 4 hour mark." | ||||
| Doe says, "yeah, I ran out of it about two hours ago" | ||||
| DavidW says, "no, 5 hours." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, you hadn't been here since the beginning, Doe." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The game is pretty awesome." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I came in late but still think it's awesome and wouldn't want to leave." | ||||
| DavidW says, "No wonder I got hungry midway." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I haven't been this wrapped up in a game in a very long tmie." | ||||
| Doe says, "yes, but I probably still would have, heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "time, even" | ||||
| Doe says, "probably my age :-)" | ||||
| Gerynar just realized what time it was | ||||
| DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "Make sure you thank maga for suggesting this game." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So, how to prevent her killing him." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I'm looking forward to playing it again when we're done and filling in the blanks." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DavidW), "haha - definitely." | ||||
| DavidW says, "The glass key might make a big difference to the plot." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Perhaps, yeah." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Apart from getting the gun, can we maybe stop him from doing whatever made her mad?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "He might not try what he tried before, given that he can reach the gallery now." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "OH WAIT" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Can we get through the bathroom into our house?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "It might not be unlocked, though." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Using the sapphire key, I unlock Leo's toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | I open Leo's toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "It's probably locked, no?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | The door rattles irritatingly---the latch on the other side must be Floyd | locked. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I thought it would be. But wanted to try." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | DavidW says, "There must be a reason for designing the apartments to share the toilet like that." | |||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo and Irene's voices are clearly audible through the door: Floyd | Floyd | A brief silence. "What do you mean?" Floyd | Floyd | I hear the jingle of a key. "I've padlocked the cabin, Leo. You've Floyd | been spending far too much time on that beach, fondling your little Floyd | box on the water." Floyd | Floyd | "Irene, give me that key. And give me that gun." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "It wasn't meant to be a duplex." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "It was transformed into one later." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It was explained at some point." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "ne?" | ||||
| Alex says (to Jacqueline), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that NE is Non Exempt." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
| RonN goes home. | ||||
Floyd | Hand on the doorknob, I hesitate. It's far too late to stop Irene at Floyd | this point; I can listen to their conversation easily from here, and Floyd | if I intervene I risk getting hurt myself. Floyd | Floyd | Leo and Irene's voices are clearly audible through the door: Floyd | Floyd | A long pause. I picture them at a standoff, coldly regarding each Floyd | other from opposite sides of the room. And then I hear Leo's voice Floyd | shout "Give it to me!", followed by a scuffling noise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh dear. We are a panzy." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Pansy, even." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Slowly, I creak the door open. I don't expect them to hear me with Floyd | their argument in full swing, and the bullet to my hip comes as Floyd | something of a shock. Floyd | Floyd | As the room begins to swim, I wonder idly if anyone will think to call Floyd | Emergency. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Foyer Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Crack. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden, tremendous report that dies away, leaving a preternatural Floyd | silence nearly as quiet as the ones induced by Leo's pocketwatch. Floyd | Floyd | Too long. I took too damn long. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, the door swings open, revealing Irene. Floyd | Floyd | "I hope you're happy!" she shouts, her voice loud enough to give me Floyd | the queerest sense that she is addressing not me, but at someone Floyd | directly behind me. "This is what comes of your meddling!" But before Floyd | she can continue, we are both distracted by a deafening creak from the Floyd | staircase. Floyd | Floyd | We turn in unison to see a familiar woman in a fuchsia nightgown Floyd | descending the stairs. It's with an odd sense of resignation that I Floyd | find myself meeting her eyes, then looking away, ashamed. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's own eyes, meanwhile, are travelling thoughtfully from one of Floyd | us to the other. "I see," she says. "So you don't know how the Floyd | paintings work after all. Putting yourself in a position where you Floyd | might meet your former self? Rarely a good idea." With trembling Floyd | hands, she raises the gun to point at me. "You'll forgive me, Floyd | Matilda," she says, "but I can't help holding you responsible for Floyd | what's become of Leo. This is, unfortunately, the best way to avoid Floyd | unpleasant property disputes." She nods to my former self. "Run up and Floyd | call 9-9-9, quickly." Floyd | Floyd | Then she fires. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "She's a wicked one." | |||
| DavidW says, "yeah, she's a bit nutso." | ||||
| Jacqueline thinks for a moment about another way. | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Looks like we really have to remove that gun. Did we try restoring and checking if it's there earlier?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I wanted to, but I don't think we did." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We should, though. I guess try that next." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Wonder how far back I need to go." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf16" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | On the Cape Floyd | The beach swivels out over the water here, creating this little Floyd | headland surrounded by rocky, shallow water on three sides. The beach Floyd | arcs back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Irene dozes in her lawn chair. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I nod farewell to Irene and set off back down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Looks like we really have to remove that gun. Did we try restoring and checking if it's there earlier?" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "sry." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Um. You're repeating yourself now." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn key with stone" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, an ankh-shaped key, the amber key, the ruby key, Floyd | the sapphire key, the jade key, the other brass key, the tiny copper Floyd | key, the old bronze key or the house key? Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "er" | |||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "Try asking again and again. Perhaps you'll get a different answer." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says (to DavidW), ""Repeat action" are very much not my favorite kind of puzzle." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with house key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search" | ||||
Floyd | What do you want me to search? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search couch" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Wasn't there a drawer or something?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open drawer" | ||||
Floyd | Opened. It's empty, though. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Wasn't that in the table?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "There was something other than the gun in the table." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm not sure where the gun was." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm not sure we ever knew." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | This was a landscape Leo painted for me, of a cliff with a gigantic Floyd | waterfall completely filling the sky behind it. He usually paints from Floyd | life---he gets up before dawn every day to paint in all kinds of Floyd | strange places---but I asked him to do one for me from his mind, and Floyd | as far as I know it was the only one he's ever done. Now the frame is Floyd | shattered and the canvas torn nearly in half. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think gun is there. We just don't see it." | |||
| Gerynar says, "I think it was in the drawer in our living room" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "It wasn't the gun? But the drawer was empty when Irene had the gun..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, it's empty now." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We couldn't look into the drawer then." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We ... couldn't ... bring ourselves ... to ... because ... we're so ... EMO" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Man, Matilda annoys me sometimes." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Anyway, what now?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy chuckles. | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Search our kitchen?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't think the gun was in the drawer, to be fair." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Kitchen Floyd | This room also has windows on three sides, and features splendid views Floyd | of the garden and the pond. Aside from the usual kitchen accessories, Floyd | I've got a little table here, and some cabinets. The exit to the Floyd | garden is northeast, and the rest of the house back south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x table" | ||||
Floyd | Fine pine, and more or less identical to Leo's. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "He doesn't have a table, Matilda." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "x cabinets" | ||||
Floyd | Fake mahogany. But at least they're not turquoise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "open cabinets" | ||||
Floyd | You'll pardon my French if I say it's awful bloody early to be hungry. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "hrm" | |||
| theclam says, "fine pine, wish it were mine, Zuckerman's famous tables..." | ||||
| Doe says (to Jac), "for some reason I thought you did this on Sundays" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We did, ages ago." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We used to." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Like, six months ago." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And we may go back to that after the ifCOMP is over." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'd sort of like to go back." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But for now it's on Saturdays." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I need a snack. I will take my netbook with me to the kitchen and pay attention, but someone else should drive." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I kind of wonder why the glass key was in its own box." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Protection?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Was the box itself of any importance?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x box" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I'm still perplexed about that bird's nest. I wonder what would've happened if we put the stone key there. Or the diamond ring." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Could we get to the painting of the waterfall in the past somehow?" | ||||
| maga disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again. | DavidW says, "I wish. But Irene is always there blocking us. Or has been." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Is there a way from the pond to our apartment that doesn't involve meeting Leo? Hoping that Irene won't be there then?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "If the bathroom was unlocked from each side, we could reach the gardens painting in the past." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes" | ||||
| DavidW says, "er the paster past." | ||||
| DavidW says, "(I think)" | ||||
| DavidW says, "ack. We better wait for them to return." | ||||
| Doe says, "six months ago is probably when I was last around" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Did we eventually try recursing through the pond painting?" | ||||
| Doe says, "was working on redmodeling condo" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "One sec... perry's not here." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "No. That might be worth a try too." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "Actually, that's our best idea, I think." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I don't think it will work, though." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I dunno if it will work or not. I simply think your idea is the best we currently have." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "So, what did you guys try, if anything, after we talked about unlocking both bathroom doors?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We've only talked, not tried." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Okay, so what are the ideas? Just so that they're in the transcript?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "The idea is to use the pondside painting again to go back even further in time." | ||||
| DavidW says, "drat. We've lost them again." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Why are they on the same connection?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Oh Perry is the protocol bot, right?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Perry is not a bot at all. Just a 2nd account." | ||||
| DavidW says, "When I use Perry, I sign on as him in one window, and sign in as myself in another window." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "My net connection seems fine." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But I'm freezing and bouncing all of the sudden" | ||||
| DavidW says, "And I just use Pueblo's logging feature from Perry's window." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "we still haven't moved." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And yes, Perry and I are logged into separate windows. For some reason, his account is hanging in a different way from my own." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "One sec." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I reset it entirely this time. Hopefully that will help." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I also have all the intervening recap from the channel." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So, proceed." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "well, I'm wondering when to do the recursive bit with the pondside painting. After giving the glass key to Leo?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Just try it at the most convenient savegame because it won't work." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Just because the picture is fresh it still shows the same scene so it shouldn't get us anywhere else." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think he was looking for some more helpful advice than that, Touchy." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, worst case is we meet ourself in the garden and scream and faint." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Hm, it was really negative. Sorry." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "heehee" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Given Matilda's past behavior, I'm pretty sure we'll dramatically bite our fist before we screem and faint, but yes." | ||||
| DavidW says, "But I'm thinking we might meet up with Leo as he's painting it. (Also, why is he painting it?)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "scream, even" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I haven't been recording which save is which." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, IRTA 'I have been recording which save is which.' Oops." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What do you want to know?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I can find it." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, I'd like to have given Leo the glass key, but instead of following him to our living room, head for the pond instead." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, let me look." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "CF24 is right after we gave him the key and he's dashed off at the sound of Irene's voice." | ||||
| Fang has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf24" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Crack. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden, tremendous report that dies away, leaving a preternatural Floyd | silence nearly as quiet as the ones induced by Leo's pocketwatch. Floyd | Floyd | Too long. I took too damn long. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, the door swings open, revealing Irene. Floyd | Floyd | "I hope you're happy!" she shouts, her voice loud enough to give me Floyd | the queerest sense that she is addressing not me, but at someone Floyd | directly behind me. "This is what comes of your meddling!" But before Floyd | she can continue, we are both distracted by a deafening creak from the Floyd | staircase. Floyd | Floyd | We turn in unison to see a familiar woman in a fuchsia nightgown Floyd | descending the stairs. It's with an odd sense of resignation that I Floyd | find myself meeting her eyes, then looking away, ashamed. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's own eyes, meanwhile, are travelling thoughtfully from one of Floyd | us to the other. "I see," she says. "So you don't know how the Floyd | paintings work after all. Putting yourself in a position where you Floyd | might meet your former self? Rarely a good idea." With trembling Floyd | hands, she raises the gun to point at me. "You'll forgive me, Floyd | Matilda," she says, "but I can't help holding you responsible for Floyd | what's become of Leo. This is, unfortunately, the best way to avoid Floyd | unpleasant property disputes." She nods to my former self. "Run up and Floyd | call 9-9-9, quickly." Floyd | Floyd | Then she fires. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | DavidW says, "bug" | |||
| Jacqueline arrives, full of fun and funk. | Jacqueline says, "I, um, wasn't here." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "But it's okay, because Perry was." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I can go read it in his window..." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Irene shot at us again as if we were in the living room, even though I was heading towards the porch." | ||||
| You do not have a default channel set. | Jacqueline asks, "Can we freeze the bullet in time with the ring?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Shooting at us, or at Leo?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, right." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Man." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Front Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So, we have the ring." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Does she have any way to undo us stopping time?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I know Leo does, but don't think he would restart it." | ||||
| DavidW says, "She can timewalk too." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I know it won't affect Irene, but it will affect her gun." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "okay. here's a dumb idea. What if: when we find the glass key, we break it, and give the pieces to Leo?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "And make him cry like a little girl?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sure, why not." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It's better than being shot." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "But won't that just make him do what he would have done without the key?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Anyway, it's worth a shot." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "I'm not sure. He might be locked out from his gallery forever." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Well, are we trying?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'd also like another look at the glass key's box." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I still don't know the restore numbers." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I want to go to when we have the glass key but haven't given it to Leo yet." | ||||
| Jacqueline gets bored and wanders off to the Toyshop. | ||||
| Jacqueline arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Let's just try 22 then, shall we?" | |||
| DavidW says, "ok" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sorry. Was just making sure I was here." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo stands here, looking healthy but frazzled. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "23 then?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf23" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | On the Roof Floyd | The summit of the cabin is completely flat, which is unfortunate for Floyd | the cabin on days with weather like this---I can see the grandfather Floyd | clock through one particularly rotten hole in the roof---but I Floyd | appreciate it now, and the roughness of the surface makes it easy to Floyd | gain purchase. I can (reluctantly) step back into the rain to the Floyd | north or west---everything else is rock and water. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden extra-strong gust of wind throws me completely off balance Floyd | for a moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a polished marble box (open) Floyd | a glass key Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "polished" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x polished" | ||||
Floyd | A polished marble container, perhaps built to hold pencils or Floyd | paintbrushes, still shining but a little warped by several months of Floyd | exposure. No keyhole, God be praised. Floyd | Floyd | The wind redoubles its force, then fades again. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "break glass key" | ||||
Floyd | Violence isn't the answer to this one. Floyd | Floyd | The wind abates for a second, the rain momentarily slackening. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "aw" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I doubt I could even get my head through that hole, let alone my body Floyd | entire. Floyd | Floyd | My hair becomes plastered to my face by the waves of rain. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "A bit of the stone is in the clock, no?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | The law of gravity is unfortunately back in effect, and stepping off a Floyd | rooftop is once again an incredibly bad idea. Floyd | Floyd | I shiver as a raindrop slips into my eye. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "maybe that's just the default answer to "break"?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Reaching through the hole, I just manage to poke the topmost point of Floyd | the pendulum, arresting its motion. A now-familiar snapping sound Floyd | assaults my ears, and I turn to find my surroundings reverted once Floyd | more to black and white, with only the music box and the pendulum Floyd | remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Can we use the bit of stone in the clock to get to the white room?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "yes, which means my plan to break it failed." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "It's the default unless you change it, yes. And if he hasn't changed it, it won't work." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way to the edge, and, after a ghastly moment of vertigo, Floyd | step off the roof and into the web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I pick my way carefully through a web of frozen raindrops. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The sea and rain, arrested, wait silently. The cabin is back to the Floyd | south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | An unsettling glittery light pervades this room, reflected through the Floyd | doorway by the sea of raindrops outside. A cascade of water is stopped Floyd | in midair, gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low ceiling, Floyd | just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box sits Floyd | opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I draw the very top of the pendulum to the side and release. There is Floyd | a snapping sound as it resumes its slow ticking, and the world returns Floyd | to normal. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | It's more or less impossible to escape a complete drenching here, with Floyd | the sea threatening to engulf the beach, the trees, and even the Floyd | studio. The cabin is back to the south, the dock to the west, and the Floyd | beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dock's End Floyd | It's much brighter here than last time---evening, rather than Floyd | twilight, but the weather has rather deteriorated; a steady, heavy Floyd | rain is falling, occasionally punctuated by distant flashes of Floyd | lightning. The wind has picked up considerably, the water roiling over Floyd | the edges of the dock. It occurs to me that I'm probably a walking Floyd | lightning rod standing out over the water like this, and perhaps ought Floyd | to retreat to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Wait" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | As I say, I can't swim. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "hm?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Can we search the clock for a bit of the stone key?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Didn't Irene mention that?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Okay. You drive." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I don't know how you'll manage it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, I just was curious if we could search the clock is all." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | It's more or less impossible to escape a complete drenching here, with Floyd | the sea threatening to engulf the beach, the trees, and even the Floyd | studio. The cabin is back to the south, the dock to the west, and the Floyd | beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | My hair becomes plastered to my face by the waves of rain. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | The cliff rises too sharply for me to simply ascend it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | The studio is a thoroughly uncomfortable spot just at the moment. A Floyd | cascade of water is gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low Floyd | ceiling, just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box Floyd | sits opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The rain beats on the roof, louder here than outside. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search clock" | DavidW says, "I didn't think Matilda's nightie had a clockmaker's kit in it." | |||
Floyd | Nothing but the pendulum. No counterweights, even---how this clock Floyd | powers itself is a mystery. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "heehee" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess we'll have to search her nightie, then." | ||||
| Jacqueline wiggles her eyebrows. | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, okay, There are counterweights there." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, point. I don't think we can get in." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, no counterweights." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was just hoping we could use the glass key before he gets it." | ||||
| DavidW says, "in the nightie" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But I guess not." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DavidW), "Ha!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, point." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Anyway, proceed with your plan. My curiosity is satiated on this issue." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a polished marble box (open) Floyd | a glass key Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The rain beats on the roof, louder here than outside. Floyd | Floyd | > | inky says, "woooo seattle if meet" | |||
| inky says, "now I am going to the seattle ifmud meet" | ||||
| inky says, "I am quite the social butterfly!" | ||||
| inky falls into hopeless despair for about half a page. | DavidW says, "I have no plan at this point. The game is structured so Leo has the ankh when we get the glass key." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes. Purposely and annoyingly." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Hm...can we somehow get out of the garden without meeting leo?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "So we can't get to the whiteness and use the glass key to reach the gallery." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm guessing we have to meet Leo to trigger the rainstorm." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Can we go further in the past and unlock the toilet doors? Damn, I have no clue." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I don't think we ever got our own back door unstuck." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, I was curious about unlocking the toilet doors, yeah." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Huh, but wasn't it just shut because of all the sun?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, we didn't get our door unstuck." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy goes home. | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy arrives, ready to play with the toys. | DavidW says, "so, we could try the double back in the pond before meeting Leo." | |||
| Jacqueline sweeps her hand out to David as if to say, "Be my guest." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "What did I miss?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "hm. That would mean both ring and pocketwatch would be gone, no?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Nothing, Touchy. Just us weeping pitifully at your departure." | ||||
| DavidW asks (of Jacq), "number?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "So can we try opening our own door in the morning? Maybe it's not swollen shut then." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm. Well, we may have to go back pre-all-that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh wait." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was thinking of the bathroom door thing, not this." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Let me get my brain adjusted to this..." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "What restore number is pond?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Right before we enter the pond painting and meet Leo?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "One sec." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I saved just after entering the pond painting once." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We ought to be able to enter the painting a second time before meeting Leo in the kitchen." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Try 21." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The oboe fades, the clarinet dimming as it echoes its melody. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The woodwinds cadence as the strings fall to the bottom of their Floyd | registers. Distantly, the percussion rumbles. Floyd | Floyd | The western horizon has gone entirely black; the stars twinkle near Floyd | the half-moon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The back yard ends here, terminating at the shore of a small, grey Floyd | pond. The prospect of living so close to nature thrilled me when I Floyd | bought the flat, but unfortunately it seems that as far as the local Floyd | wildlife is concerned the pond is chiefly interesting as a mosquito Floyd | paradise. From here I get a pleasant view of the old oak tree behind Floyd | me and the grey pond before me. Running parallel to the fence that Floyd | insulates us from the traffic is the back door to my flat, to the Floyd | southwest, and the yard continues to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Don't even get me started on the damn slider. It's been swollen shut Floyd | because of the heat for three days now, and I have to sit here and Floyd | watch the garden wither until the weather improves. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "okay, that doesn't open." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "Alright. Should we check out the oak from up close/" | |||
| DavidW asks, "where's the oak?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I thought it might be climbable umpteen hours ago but forgot all about it." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "You mean the one outside our window?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x oak" | ||||
Floyd | Far, far older even than I, the oak towers over the building in a way Floyd | that makes human efforts at architecture seem rather pitiful. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "climb oak" | ||||
Floyd | Obviously I can't reach it from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The back yard ends here, terminating at the shore of a small, grey Floyd | pond. From here I get a pleasant view of the old oak tree behind me Floyd | and the grey pond before me. Running parallel to the fence that Floyd | insulates us from the traffic is the back door to my flat, to the Floyd | southwest, and the yard continues to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "climb oak" | ||||
Floyd | Which would be an excellent idea if some of us hadn't crossed to the Floyd | far side of middle-aged several years ago. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Excuses, excuses." | |||
| DavidW says, "This gal needs exercisin'." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sure, she'll climb RAINDROPS, but not a solid tree." | ||||
| * Lucea has left the channel. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DavidW), "heh. Yeah, I was going to say that, too." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x oak" | ||||
Floyd | It's probably been here longer than all of us put together; its Floyd | brethren in the woods beyond are nothing like as good in terms of Floyd | shade. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x woods" | ||||
Floyd | Not exactly dark and forbidding---in fact, they're rather sparse---but Floyd | the trees are rather polluted-looking, and in any case journeys Floyd | through the woods are ill-advised in this neighbourhood. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "okay: the plan is to use the pocketwatch and go through, then use the diamond ring and go through again." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy watches. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | Jacqueline says, "mmkay" | |||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | The pond waters ripple in a sudden breeze. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Don't even get me started on the damn slider. It's been swollen shut Floyd | because of the heat for three days now, and I have to sit here and Floyd | watch the garden wither until the weather improves. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | It's harder to make out in the half-light, but it looks to be of the Floyd | pond due east of here, and it looks to be complete, or nearly so. Floyd | Leo's done it up to be rather nicer than it really is, all shimmers Floyd | and ripples as the sun rises over it, and even a small fox in the Floyd | lower right hand corner, sipping the water. The paint is still Floyd | dripping wet. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "a fox?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I saw that earlier." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Not sure it's significant." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | Bizarre, how casually I can do this. I walk clean into another world, Floyd | not even pausing to look behind me after I arrive. Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | Again, my stomach lurches as the garden vanishes from under me and I Floyd | find myself next to the pond. The surroundings darken subtly as the Floyd | sun retreats slightly in the east. I take stock: I can go back into to Floyd | the garden---again---to the west, and my worthless sliding door is to Floyd | the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | I watch in silence as my former self heads west, into the garden. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Woah. Did we just stop time in the past? Can't we get past Leo like this?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Interesting." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "And therefore get the glass key while keeping the ankh..." | ||||
| DavidW says, "So we got to be recursive and there's two of us." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "well, our past self will disappear soon, no?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "This is like that new Blurst game Time Donkey where you create multiple donkeys in multiple times to collect all the velociraptor tacos." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Except, you know, with more class." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And less 3-D graphics." | ||||
| DavidW says, "And we ought to move, since she'll be right behind us." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "You're the Time Traveler, Tim." | ||||
| DavidW says, "(this so confusing)" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | I pause a moment first, waiting for my former self to exit my line of Floyd | vision. But, irritatingly, she doesn't: instead she wanders aimlessly Floyd | around the back of the house for a bit, then the painting in the Floyd | garden seems to spark her interest, and just as she is about to enter Floyd | it, she suddenly turns and sees me. Floyd | Floyd | As she walks toward me with a curious, frightened look on her face, I Floyd | realise that through my former self's inaction I've somehow managed to Floyd | doom Leo. I idly wonder for a moment how on earth I thought this could Floyd | ever possibly work out. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline wonders if anyone will get the Time Traveler Tim reference... | |||
| Jacqueline says, "ACK" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I pause a moment first, waiting for my former self to exit my line of Floyd | vision. But, irritatingly, she doesn't: instead she wanders aimlessly Floyd | around the back of the house for a bit, then the painting in the Floyd | garden seems to spark her interest, and just as she is about to enter Floyd | it, she suddenly turns and sees me. Floyd | Floyd | As she walks toward me with a curious, frightened look on her face, I Floyd | realise that through my former self's inaction I've somehow managed to Floyd | doom Leo. I idly wonder for a moment how on earth I thought this could Floyd | ever possibly work out. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | I pause a moment first, waiting for my former self to exit my line of Floyd | vision. But, irritatingly, she doesn't: instead she wanders aimlessly Floyd | around the back of the house for a bit, then the painting in the Floyd | garden seems to spark her interest, and just as she is about to enter Floyd | it, she suddenly turns and sees me. Floyd | Floyd | As she walks toward me with a curious, frightened look on her face, I Floyd | realise that through my former self's inaction I've somehow managed to Floyd | doom Leo. I idly wonder for a moment how on earth I thought this could Floyd | ever possibly work out. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Two undos?" | |||
| DavidW says, "I guess the recursive thing is permitted but guaranteed to be a failing ending." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Well, otherwise it'd be sort of pain in the ass to keep up with, code-wise, wouldn't it?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "or, hm. Can we hide behind the oak?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Weird. All three muds bounced that time (including maga's)." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "What happened?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I tried to swim" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What about hiding behind the oak?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "It doesn't know the verb 'hide'." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "ah. Darn." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Any action triggers the losing ending at that juncture." | ||||
| Jacqueline nods. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It was cool, though." | ||||
| Jacqueline gets bored and wanders off to the Toyshop. | ||||
| Jacqueline arrives, ready to play with the toys. | DavidW says, "I'm glad Touchy thought ot it." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "mmhmm" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Have we tried using our ring while waiting outside the door right before the shooting?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "no" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "RESTORE" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf24" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "this is pre-glass key?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take ring" | Jacqueline says, "Pre-glass save, do you mean? I'm not sure I understand your question." | |||
Floyd | I already have that. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "I mean, Leo has the ankh, but the glass key is still on the cabin roof?" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "What was your opinion on using the ring before entering Leo's apartment to get to the glass key?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "uh, what?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think we may want CF23, but I'm checking." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Stop time so he doesn't take the ankh away..." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I don't know if that's possible. And if it is, that means we change nothing, and he's shot." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "cf23 is right after we get the box, still standing on the roof." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Before you interrupted me on the dock earlier, I wanted to try tossing the glass key in its marble box into the lake." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "sure" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf23" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | On the Roof Floyd | The summit of the cabin is completely flat, which is unfortunate for Floyd | the cabin on days with weather like this---I can see the grandfather Floyd | clock through one particularly rotten hole in the roof---but I Floyd | appreciate it now, and the roughness of the surface makes it easy to Floyd | gain purchase. I can (reluctantly) step back into the rain to the Floyd | north or west---everything else is rock and water. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Reaching through the hole, I just manage to poke the topmost point of Floyd | the pendulum, arresting its motion. A now-familiar snapping sound Floyd | assaults my ears, and I turn to find my surroundings reverted once Floyd | more to black and white, with only the music box and the pendulum Floyd | remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way to the edge, and, after a ghastly moment of vertigo, Floyd | step off the roof and into the web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I pick my way carefully through a web of frozen raindrops. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The sea and rain, arrested, wait silently. The cabin is back to the Floyd | south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | An unsettling glittery light pervades this room, reflected through the Floyd | doorway by the sea of raindrops outside. A cascade of water is stopped Floyd | in midair, gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low ceiling, Floyd | just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box sits Floyd | opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I draw the very top of the pendulum to the side and release. There is Floyd | a snapping sound as it resumes its slow ticking, and the world returns Floyd | to normal. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | It's more or less impossible to escape a complete drenching here, with Floyd | the sea threatening to engulf the beach, the trees, and even the Floyd | studio. The cabin is back to the south, the dock to the west, and the Floyd | beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The wind abates for a second, the rain momentarily slackening. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Dock's End Floyd | It's much brighter here than last time---evening, rather than Floyd | twilight, but the weather has rather deteriorated; a steady, heavy Floyd | rain is falling, occasionally punctuated by distant flashes of Floyd | lightning. The wind has picked up considerably, the water roiling over Floyd | the edges of the dock. It occurs to me that I'm probably a walking Floyd | lightning rod standing out over the water like this, and perhaps ought Floyd | to retreat to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | As I say, I can't swim. Floyd | Floyd | My hair becomes plastered to my face by the waves of rain. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "close box" | ||||
Floyd | I close the polished marble box. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "throw box into bay" | ||||
Floyd | Without extracting the contents? I think not. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Ah well" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open box" | ||||
Floyd | I open the polished marble box, revealing a glass key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take glass key" | ||||
Floyd | Enthusiastically taken. Floyd | Floyd | Cold water trickles down the back of my neck. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "throw box into bay" | ||||
Floyd | I set the box down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Dock's End Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "put box into water" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the rain or the bay? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "bay" | ||||
Floyd | I set the box down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take box" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | The wind abates for a second, the rain momentarily slackening. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "seems I can't get rid of things that way." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't think it's meant to happen, no." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Maybe next is to try the ring thing?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "which ring thing" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Where we give the glass key to him, then when we're outside the door listening to their conversation we turn our ring to keep her from using the gun." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I think we're correct up to giving the glass key to Leo, but after that it's unclear what's correct." | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm. okay." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | It's more or less impossible to escape a complete drenching here, with Floyd | the sea threatening to engulf the beach, the trees, and even the Floyd | studio. The cabin is back to the south, the dock to the west, and the Floyd | beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | The studio is a thoroughly uncomfortable spot just at the moment. A Floyd | cascade of water is gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low Floyd | ceiling, just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box Floyd | sits opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The rain beats on the roof, louder here than outside. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | It's a promising prospect, but I think it works like the paintings; it Floyd | won't let me in unless I've stopped time. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | Hearing the loud snap that accompanies my entrance, Leo hurries into Floyd | the room. "Did you find the key?" Floyd | Floyd | When I hold up the glass key, his face morphs into the happiest Floyd | expression I have ever seen on a human face. "Irene!" he cries. "I . . Floyd | . you . . . " and he pulls me into a fierce hug. After a few moments Floyd | of this, I pull back, and his expression turns solemn. "And there's Floyd | something I need to ask---" Floyd | Floyd | He is interrupted by a distant scream. In the background I can hear Floyd | Irene's voice floating up the stairs. "Leo?" Floyd | Floyd | He rolls his eyes, then shouts back, "Coming!" Then, turning to me: Floyd | "We'll talk in a second. Wait for me." He gently takes the key from my Floyd | hands and zips out to the south. Floyd | Floyd | I simply stand there for a moment, basking in the warm glow of my own Floyd | accomplishment, when I realise with a surge of horror that both Irene Floyd | and whatever weapon she used are still unaccounted for---in fact, she Floyd | probably has the gun already. I have only a few minutes to act. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Want me to?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, hm. That's potentially even more interesting." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "(idea for later: recurse now to get more time)" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "start time to open the door?" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "sure" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | Jacqueline says, "Yeah. I wasn't thinking of turning the ring until we were listening to their conversation anyway." | |||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the door to Irene's Room, Leo's kitchen door or Floyd | Leo's front door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "front" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer (in monochrome) Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | It seems to be frozen in place. It's as if the knob were made of Floyd | stone. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Just listen?" | |||
| DavidW asks, "now what?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "If we start time and open the door we're shot." | ||||
| Doe asks, "getting there?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "How many turns do we get inside the room before the shooting?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Any?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I don't know." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, you either get shot opening the door..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "I think you should drive for this part." | Jacqueline says, "...or you hear the shot, then open the door and the game ends." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh wait. Hm." | ||||
| Doe says, "hang a painting the door" | ||||
| Doe says, "er on" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Now I'm back to the open both the bathroom doors bit." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And coming down from behind her." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Are there any portable paintings?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "No" | ||||
| Doe says, "funny it did ask what did you want to afix the painting to" | ||||
| DavidW says, "That was a standard message, I think." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "May I?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "yes. please." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I have no idea what your plan is." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Bathrooms." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | DavidW says, "Still don't know how you'll manage that." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The oboe fades, the clarinet dimming as it echoes its melody. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The woodwinds cadence as the strings fall to the bottom of their Floyd | registers. Distantly, the percussion rumbles. Floyd | Floyd | The western horizon has gone entirely black; the stars twinkle near Floyd | the half-moon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I head outside, but the music maintains its volume, as if radiating Floyd | from the sky rather than the music box. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | The sound dies down to a quiet string pulse, with some instrument I Floyd | don't recognise beneath---another guitar, perhaps? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | As I walk, the sounds smoothen under a sudden wash of piano arpeggios. Floyd | Floyd | On the Cape Floyd | The beach swivels out over the water here, creating this little Floyd | headland surrounded by rocky, shallow water on three sides. The beach Floyd | arcs back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | Irene dozes in her lawn chair. Floyd | Floyd | The piano loudens, then fades. Flowing water. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I nod farewell to Irene and set off back down the beach. Floyd | Floyd | I head outside, but the music maintains its volume, as if radiating Floyd | from the sky rather than the music box. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | The shore here is little more than an abbreviated stretch of sand, Floyd | with the oncoming darkness and the height of the cliffs opposite Floyd | combine to produce an oddly desolate effect. The tide itself is quite Floyd | high up: water is beginning to engulf the trees, as well as the legs Floyd | of a small easel planted in the sand. I can continue up the beach to Floyd | the north, the dock extends over the water to the west, and to the Floyd | south, situated dangerously close to the water, is a small cabin built Floyd | perpendicular to the beach. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | A breeze starts up, augmenting the music slightly. Yes, definitely a Floyd | guitar. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | A strengthening pulse, and a sudden long wail from a distant Floyd | saxophone. Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The drums suddenly die away, leaving the violins suspended on a Floyd | wavering high note. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Doe arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ruby" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | An eardrum-wrenching screech as I ascend: I wince and pull my foot off Floyd | the creaky step. Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | I flip the latch out of the hook. Floyd | Floyd | I open my toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, so. They're both unlocked." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "But - they're unlocked in the future. Not the past." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "You know what?" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Jacq), "but they are only unlocked now, not this morning..." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "..timing" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was just typing OH NO because I'd just freakin' realized that." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "You know what we need to do now, don't you?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Right. Which is why I couldn't understand." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Use a lot of profanity." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I am smiling at how I didn't freakin' grrrrr ahhhhhhh AHHHHHHHH" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I should have gotten that in advance." | ||||
| Jacqueline sighs. | ||||
| DavidW asks, "What was the dream at the very very beginning? Leo falling?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "yes" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "and we were trying to save him, but couldn't" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm surprised we didn't hear the shot in our dream." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We heard the doorbell, but not the shot, true." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "This is too good a game to go seeking hints." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Though at this point I am tempted to suggest that" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can we go any further back in time to do bathroom magic?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Man, I was so excited about that stupid bathroom idea!" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "Not that we know of." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Sure, but not to before him getting shot, that I know of." | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm. We could possibly reach the pond if time is frozen. Maybe see Irene through our kitchen window." | ||||
| DavidW says, "like, freeze time the instant Leo takes the glass key." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Can we .....hm....drop the stone key so Leo can't take it from us and then get the glass key? I'm still not sure if it's of any use but we might get new stuff in the gallery." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "no. That's quite impossible." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "How can freezing time help when all the players are immune to the time freeze thing?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We can move faster when time is frozen. And we might see something that might help us." | ||||
| Jacqueline sits back to watch the master. | ||||
| DavidW says, "I still don't remember the restore number. My eyes are burning." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Okay, let me look. But do you mean that your eyes are burning as in you-need-a-break?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We could take a break or resume tomorrow morning." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We've been playing for almost 7 hours." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | Jacqueline says, "Maga has been tryingm to get me to go buck some wood." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf23" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | On the Roof Floyd | The summit of the cabin is completely flat, which is unfortunate for Floyd | the cabin on days with weather like this---I can see the grandfather Floyd | clock through one particularly rotten hole in the roof---but I Floyd | appreciate it now, and the roughness of the surface makes it easy to Floyd | gain purchase. I can (reluctantly) step back into the rain to the Floyd | north or west---everything else is rock and water. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Reaching through the hole, I just manage to poke the topmost point of Floyd | the pendulum, arresting its motion. A now-familiar snapping sound Floyd | assaults my ears, and I turn to find my surroundings reverted once Floyd | more to black and white, with only the music box and the pendulum Floyd | remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way to the edge, and, after a ghastly moment of vertigo, Floyd | step off the roof and into the web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I pick my way carefully through a web of frozen raindrops. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The sea and rain, arrested, wait silently. The cabin is back to the Floyd | south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | An unsettling glittery light pervades this room, reflected through the Floyd | doorway by the sea of raindrops outside. A cascade of water is stopped Floyd | in midair, gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low ceiling, Floyd | just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box sits Floyd | opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | Hearing the loud snap that accompanies my entrance, Leo hurries into Floyd | the room. "Did you find the key?" Floyd | Floyd | When I hold up the box, his face morphs into the happiest expression I Floyd | have ever seen on a human face. "Irene!" he cries. "I . . . you . . . Floyd | " and he pulls me into a fierce hug. After a few moments of this, I Floyd | pull back, and his expression turns solemn. "And there's something I Floyd | need to ask---" Floyd | Floyd | He is interrupted by a distant scream. In the background I can hear Floyd | Irene's voice floating up the stairs. "Leo?" Floyd | Floyd | He rolls his eyes, then shouts back, "Coming!" Then, turning to me: Floyd | "We'll talk in a second. Wait for me." He gently takes the box from my Floyd | hands and zips out to the south. Floyd | Floyd | I simply stand there for a moment, basking in the warm glow of my own Floyd | accomplishment, when I realise with a surge of horror that both Irene Floyd | and whatever weapon she used are still unaccounted for---in fact, she Floyd | probably has the gun already. I have only a few minutes to act. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf25" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So if we take a break or adjourn he will be happy because he has never used a chainsaw and it is not the thing one would want to learn by trial and error so he needs me." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "But it looks as though you're making a push for it." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's picture window catches the sun going down instead of up, which I Floyd | think not nearly so inspirational, and his window looks out on a hill, Floyd | making the view rather inferior as well . . . but his flat still has Floyd | that extra room, so I'd still trade if I got the chance. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch (in monochrome) Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | On the easel is the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond (in monochrome) Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Don't even get me started on the damn slider. It's been swollen shut Floyd | because of the heat for three days now, and I have to sit here and Floyd | watch the garden wither until the weather improves. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | On the easel is the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step lightly into the painting. Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | Again, my stomach lurches as the garden vanishes from under me and I Floyd | find myself next to the pond. The surroundings darken subtly as the Floyd | sun retreats slightly in the east. I take stock: I can go back into to Floyd | the garden---again---to the west, and my worthless sliding door is to Floyd | the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | I watch in silence as my former self heads west, into the garden. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Garden Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch (in monochrome) Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | If you're suggesting I hop the fence, forget it; it comes fully up to Floyd | my chest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x fence" | ||||
Floyd | A medium-to-hideous green picketed affair that clashes with the Floyd | grass---well, most of the time. Since both are grey now, the harmony Floyd | is actually fairly striking. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "bet not too many see that description" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "in" | Jacqueline says, "heh" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "What happens when you enter Leo's kitchen with time frozen?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I doubt you can" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Doors don't work, for instance." | ||||
| DavidW says, "There's a closed door." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy sighs. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Irene's Room (in monochrome) Floyd | This bedroom seems like a room from another flat completely; at any Floyd | rate it's free of Leo's cavalier paint-it-all approach to decor. The Floyd | furniture is spartan to the point of ruthlessness, arranged to frame Floyd | the gigantic four-poster waterbed. The overall effect is one of rather Floyd | severe cleanliness; the painting of the young girl in the corner Floyd | seeming to constitute the only exception to the rule. The front room Floyd | is back to the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | On the easel is the painting of the young girl. Floyd | Floyd | On the waterbed is a page of looseleaf. Floyd | Floyd | The subject of the painting sighs, making me jump. She doesn't turn, Floyd | though. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Going through without the key?" | |||
| DavidW says, "I dunno." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step lightly into the painting. Floyd | Floyd | Drawing Room Floyd | A somewhat fussily decorated sitting room, all high-flung Queen Anne Floyd | arches and artfully aged brick. Not far in front of me is Irene's Floyd | older sister---Ivy, was it?---perhaps four years old, looking Floyd | unnaturally posed in an uncomfortable-looking white gown and elaborate Floyd | hat. Her father is some distance away, putting the last strokes on the Floyd | painting. Outside, the snow falls. Floyd | Floyd | Ivy has turned and is looking directly at me. She says nothing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, wait, it won't work because of that bug." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask ivy about irene" | ||||
Floyd | Before I can move, Ivy speaks. "Da? Look!" Floyd | Floyd | He does. Then he removes his pince-nez and watches me silently for a Floyd | moment. He has Leo's eyes, I notice. Floyd | Floyd | Unwilling to say anything, I stand up and hand him the stone key (the Floyd | same one that Leo took away from me before, surely? but there's no Floyd | time for such thoughts now). Then I lean over to steal a glance at the Floyd | painting---it is complete, exactly as it will be in seventy years but Floyd | for the colours, which are slightly brighter. The real Ivy watches me Floyd | intensely. Her father, meanwhile, is turning the ankh over and over in Floyd | his hands. At last he looks up to stare at me bemusedly. "An Floyd | interesting contraption, I must say. You are to be commended on your Floyd | stealth. I do, however, insist on knowing how you came to be in my Floyd | sitting room without the servants' knowledge. You shall have to Floyd | explain yourself, madam." Floyd | Floyd | In spite of myself, I find myself smiling up at him inanely. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** He has won *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Drawing Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | [Can't "undo" twice in succession. Sorry!] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We should just kill the little moppet before she gives us away." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "We can only get to our apartment by using keys and the whiteness, right?" | |||
| DavidW says, "I guess we should be certain the bathroom doors are locked" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "or is there a picture path to our apartment, too?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the door to Irene's Room, Leo's kitchen door or Floyd | Leo's front door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "front" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer (in monochrome) Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "What was south of here, btw?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Outside." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The very tiny front yard." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Any items?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I don't remember seeing it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Go check it out." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I open the screen door and head out. Floyd | Floyd | Driveway (in monochrome) Floyd | Here we have what feels like about two metres of clearance in front of Floyd | the house before the driveway abruptly terminates in the motorway. At Floyd | the moment all is fairly still---it's long before rush hour, but those Floyd | cars that do go by seem to feel at liberty to go twice as fast. Floyd | Floyd | . . . Well, they don't right at this moment, since all the cars are Floyd | frozen in place. One car seems to have stopped right next to the end Floyd | of our driveway. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x car" | ||||
Floyd | It's a grey Volkswagen, quite new-looking. The driver is a young Floyd | woman, thirty perhaps. She's looking at the road ahead with a Floyd | frighteningly intense stare---one of those early-morning commuters, Floyd | doubtless---but her head is flung to the side as if she'd been Floyd | interrupted in the process of tossing her hair back. Floyd | Floyd | A chill runs down my spine. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oho" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "This part's new, though." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x woman" | ||||
Floyd | Even without colour I it's obvious that the light tone of her hair Floyd | isn't natural, although it's oddly lovely the way her hair streams out Floyd | behind her in the wind. I think she must have been about to pass Floyd | somebody; she's manoeuvred her vehicle between the lanes and is Floyd | utterly focused on the road ahead of her. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x road" | ||||
Floyd | It's one of the thoroughfares into the city, although this last is Floyd | still many miles off. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I wonder if any of this is helpful." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I am suspecting it is just very, very shiny icing on the cake, but perhaps not." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x hair" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "stand on car" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something I can stand on. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open car" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look in car" | ||||
Floyd | In the car is a lady. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search lady" | ||||
Floyd | The car isn't open. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "hm" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway (in monochrome) Floyd | Here we have what feels like about two metres of clearance in front of Floyd | the house before the driveway abruptly terminates in the motorway. At Floyd | the moment all is fairly still---it's long before rush hour, but those Floyd | cars that do go by seem to feel at liberty to go twice as fast. Floyd | Floyd | . . . Well, they don't right at this moment, since all the cars are Floyd | frozen in place. One car seems to have stopped right next to the end Floyd | of our driveway. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | There's nothing on the other side of the road but woods---a petrified Floyd | forest, I guess you might call it now. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "har" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Where would I go? There's nothing within walking distance of here, and Floyd | frankly the prospect of walking among all those frozen people in their Floyd | cars frightens me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x people" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cars" | ||||
Floyd | You can't use multiple objects with that verb. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x car" | ||||
Floyd | It's a grey Volkswagen, quite new-looking. The driver is a young Floyd | woman, thirty perhaps. She's looking at the road ahead with a Floyd | frighteningly intense stare---one of those early-morning commuters, Floyd | doubtless---but her head is flung to the side as if she'd been Floyd | interrupted in the process of tossing her hair back. Floyd | Floyd | A chill runs down my spine. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I say it again: Matilda is a pansy." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "I have a question. May I try somethign for fun?" | ||||
| Doe says, "sounds a little scary to me :-)" | ||||
| DavidW says, "turn the diamond and cause a car crash/" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Turn the diamond, then turn it again and see if we get a different commuter to gawk at." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Since we're completely stomped you may try absolutely anything." | ||||
| Doe asks, "kill irene?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Through the open window I can faintly make out Leo and Irene's voices: Floyd | Floyd | There's a silence before Leo says, "Irene, I don't know why you're Floyd | acting this way. Please, put that down; it's making me nervous." Floyd | Floyd | "Leo, do you understand that you have divulged a family secret? That Floyd | this constitutes a betrayal of a confidence we have kept for nearly a Floyd | century?" Floyd | Floyd | Leo's tone grows irritated. "Irene, what makes you think I told her? Floyd | Do you think she's blind? She must have known we were keeping Floyd | something from her all these years." Pause. "Or perhaps you're in one Floyd | of your moods today and nothing I say is going to make any difference? Floyd | Because in that case I'm going to retrieve the rest of the keys." Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, well, by all means do so. Given you can find them." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "Oho - open window!" | |||
Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x window" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x car" | ||||
Floyd | I see nothing special about the autos. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Guess it's just the one, but I want to know about this window dealie." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Probably just a bug. Maybe it thinks we're in the garden." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter window" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf26" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Driveway (in monochrome) Floyd | Here we have what feels like about two metres of clearance in front of Floyd | the house before the driveway abruptly terminates in the motorway. At Floyd | the moment all is fairly still---it's long before rush hour, but those Floyd | cars that do go by seem to feel at liberty to go twice as fast. Floyd | Floyd | . . . Well, they don't right at this moment, since all the cars are Floyd | frozen in place. One car seems to have stopped right next to the end Floyd | of our driveway. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Man, we did a lot with that volkswagon." | |||
| DavidW says, "well, yes." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "save" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf26" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I want to just hear them out" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Through the open window I can faintly make out Leo and Irene's voices: Floyd | Floyd | There's a silence before Leo says, "Irene, I don't know why you're Floyd | acting this way. Please, put that down; it's making me nervous." Floyd | Floyd | "Leo, do you understand that you have divulged a family secret? That Floyd | this constitutes a betrayal of a confidence we have kept for nearly a Floyd | century?" Floyd | Floyd | Leo's tone grows irritated. "Irene, what makes you think I told her? Floyd | Do you think she's blind? She must have known we were keeping Floyd | something from her all these years." Pause. "Or perhaps you're in one Floyd | of your moods today and nothing I say is going to make any difference? Floyd | Because in that case I'm going to retrieve the rest of the keys." Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, well, by all means do so. Given you can find them." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | Through the open window I can faintly make out Leo and Irene's voices: Floyd | Floyd | A brief silence. "What do you mean?" Floyd | Floyd | I hear the jingle of a key. "I've padlocked the cabin, Leo. You've Floyd | been spending far too much time on that beach, fondling your little Floyd | box on the water." Floyd | Floyd | "Irene, give me that key. And give me that gun." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, it's a done deal, perhaps, but let's let it play out." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | Through the open window I can faintly make out Leo and Irene's voices: Floyd | Floyd | A long pause. I picture them at a standoff, coldly regarding each Floyd | other from opposite sides of the room. And then I hear Leo's voice Floyd | shout "Give it to me!", followed by a scuffling noise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Crack. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden, tremendous report that dies away, leaving a preternatural Floyd | silence nearly as quiet as the ones induced by Leo's pocketwatch. Floyd | Floyd | Too long. I took too damn long. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, the door swings open, revealing Irene. Floyd | Floyd | "I hope you're happy!" she shouts, her voice loud enough to give me Floyd | the queerest sense that she is addressing not me, but at someone Floyd | directly behind me. "This is what comes of your meddling!" But before Floyd | she can continue, we are both distracted by a deafening creak from the Floyd | staircase. Floyd | Floyd | We turn in unison to see a familiar woman in a fuchsia nightgown Floyd | descending the stairs. It's with an odd sense of resignation that I Floyd | find myself meeting her eyes, then looking away, ashamed. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's own eyes, meanwhile, are travelling thoughtfully from one of Floyd | us to the other. "I see," she says. "So you don't know how the Floyd | paintings work after all. Putting yourself in a position where you Floyd | might meet your former self? Rarely a good idea." With trembling Floyd | hands, she raises the gun to point at me. "You'll forgive me, Floyd | Matilda," she says, "but I can't help holding you responsible for Floyd | what's become of Leo. This is, unfortunately, the best way to avoid Floyd | unpleasant property disputes." She nods to my former self. "Run up and Floyd | call 9-9-9, quickly." Floyd | Floyd | Then she fires. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, um, yeah." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf26" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Next idea?" | |||
| DavidW says, "so, perhaps we need to burst in on them as early as possible." | ||||
| Doe asks, "hmmm, wonder waht the secret is?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I had a save upstairs. But I wasn't planning on so many saves inbetween." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Doe), "I believe they're refering to all the magical fantasy hocus pocus nonsense." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of DavidW), "Okay, when, precisely?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "and maybe you've overriden my save." | ||||
| Doe says, "or leo is just a copy of his former self :-)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, I haven't." | ||||
| DavidW says, "At the point when the glass key is handed over." | ||||
| Doe says, "or he didn't get a building permit for that porch" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I only over rid one save, and that was my own." | ||||
| DavidW says, "that's the last point where I feel we're okay." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Okay, right when you give him the key and he disappears." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'll go look." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I haven't been writing anything down for hours." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No need." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Try cf22" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, wait." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo stands here, looking healthy but frazzled. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "That's the stone key, not the glass key." | |||
| DavidW says, "yeah, that's the wrong one." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I had a save made all on purpose." | ||||
| DavidW says, "and you went save happy on me." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, I only used the autosaver, which doesn't save over anything." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "One sec." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "24 maybe?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf24" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | The colours in the painting suddenly sparkle brilliantly---daylight in Floyd | this dingy room---then fade just as quickly. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room (in monochrome) Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the abstract painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | The abstract fills the room with the sound of water, sloshing busily Floyd | about. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| You do not have a default channel set. | Jacqueline says, "cf25" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "You've just given him the key and he's walked away." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | Jacqueline says, "And it's a save you made." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf25" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "How about restoring 22 and turning the ring?" | |||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | The colours continue to merge and divide in rhythm with the sounds of Floyd | the ocean. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, the door to Irene's Room, Leo's kitchen door or Floyd | Leo's front door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "front" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer (in monochrome) Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Also, I think 26 saves is perhaps some sort of CF record, but I could be wrong." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Leo and Irene's voices are clearly audible through the door: Floyd | Floyd | There's a silence before Leo says, "Irene, I don't know why you're Floyd | acting this way. Please, put that down; it's making me nervous." Floyd | Floyd | "Leo, do you understand that you have divulged a family secret? That Floyd | this constitutes a betrayal of a confidence we have kept for nearly a Floyd | century?" Floyd | Floyd | Leo's tone grows irritated. "Irene, what makes you think I told her? Floyd | Do you think she's blind? She must have known we were keeping Floyd | something from her all these years." Pause. "Or perhaps you're in one Floyd | of your moods today and nothing I say is going to make any difference? Floyd | Because in that case I'm going to retrieve the rest of the keys." Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, well, by all means do so. Given you can find them." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Hand on the doorknob, I hesitate. It's far too late to stop Irene at Floyd | this point; I can listen to their conversation easily from here, and Floyd | if I intervene I risk getting hurt myself. Floyd | Floyd | Leo and Irene's voices are clearly audible through the door: Floyd | Floyd | A brief silence. "What do you mean?" Floyd | Floyd | I hear the jingle of a key. "I've padlocked the cabin, Leo. You've Floyd | been spending far too much time on that beach, fondling your little Floyd | box on the water." Floyd | Floyd | "Irene, give me that key. And give me that gun." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Slowly, I creak the door open. I don't expect them to hear me with Floyd | their argument in full swing, and the bullet to my hip comes as Floyd | something of a shock. Floyd | Floyd | As the room begins to swim, I wonder idly if anyone will think to call Floyd | Emergency. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | DavidW says, "hm. we did this one before." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "yes" | ||||
| DavidW says, "ok. Let's listen from the pond or try to." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Even if we could get upstairs to come down from behind, we'd run into ourselves and go all insane." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | Jacqueline says (to DW), "Sure." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf25" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | The abstract fills the room with the sound of water, sloshing busily Floyd | about. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch (in monochrome) Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | On the easel is the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond (in monochrome) Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Crack. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden, tremendous report that dies away, leaving a preternatural Floyd | silence nearly as quiet as the ones induced by Leo's pocketwatch. Floyd | Floyd | Too long. I took too damn long. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, the door swings open, revealing Irene. Floyd | Floyd | "I hope you're happy!" she shouts, her voice loud enough to give me Floyd | the queerest sense that she is addressing not me, but at someone Floyd | directly behind me. "This is what comes of your meddling!" But before Floyd | she can continue, we are both distracted by a deafening creak from the Floyd | staircase. Floyd | Floyd | We turn in unison to see a familiar woman in a fuchsia nightgown Floyd | descending the stairs. It's with an odd sense of resignation that I Floyd | find myself meeting her eyes, then looking away, ashamed. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's own eyes, meanwhile, are travelling thoughtfully from one of Floyd | us to the other. "I see," she says. "So you don't know how the Floyd | paintings work after all. Putting yourself in a position where you Floyd | might meet your former self? Rarely a good idea." With trembling Floyd | hands, she raises the gun to point at me. "You'll forgive me, Floyd | Matilda," she says, "but I can't help holding you responsible for Floyd | what's become of Leo. This is, unfortunately, the best way to avoid Floyd | unpleasant property disputes." She nods to my former self. "Run up and Floyd | call 9-9-9, quickly." Floyd | Floyd | Then she fires. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | DavidW says, "ok. We can't hear from the pond." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Also, how can we hear the creaky step from the yard?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "we can't. The ending is buggy." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm betting we can hear the creaky step from on top of the cabin in the rain." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "it's rubbing against some of the external joist" | ||||
| DavidW says, "It's assuming our location incorrectly." | ||||
| Jacqueline nods. | ||||
| (from Jacqueline) Jacqueline says, "If Stewie were here, we'd have this thing solved by now." | ||||
| DavidW says, "hae" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "One of these days I will no longer be tempted to make that joke." | ||||
| DavidW says, "er har" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy exclaims, "And we would never have looked up any clues ever!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Nope. Honest." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we may be at that point. But I defer to you gentlemen." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy exclaims, "Aww. I don't want to!" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't want to either, trust me." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I just want a bathroom break." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Can we at least try restoring 22 and twisting the ring?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I'm taking a bathroom break, too." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Let us pee, then you can." | ||||
| Jacqueline has now peed. (#tmi) | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Once David's back..." | ||||
| DavidW says, "back" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Go for it." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "drive" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I reach for the diamond ring, but a sudden cry from Leo stops me. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "Yeah, well..." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "All that waiting." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And then failure." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Immediate and crushing." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I. Love. This. Game." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Yeah, it's really good." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm reasonably confident that we're fine up until Leo gets the glass key." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I think so." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | I hear a soft sound from the corner. Turning, I nearly jump out of my Floyd | skin to see Irene standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding her Floyd | hands clasped behind her back and staring at me in a peculiar way. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, hello, Matilda," she says. "I didn't think you were up yet." Floyd | Her eyes flip back and forth from me to the staircase, confused. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | I can't exactly waltz right into the painting. Floyd | Floyd | "Listen," Irene says. Her voice is quick, intense, nothing like during Floyd | our conversation on the bay. "I'm sorry to trespass on you like this. Floyd | I came to see if Leo's been using you to hide things from me, and it Floyd | turns out that he has." She gestures to the end table by the sofa. Floyd | "Open the drawer there. I want you to see." Floyd | Floyd | A sick feeling develops in the pit of my stomach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Hang on; I'm intrigued by what Irene's saying. Floyd | Floyd | "An edge creeps into Irene's voice. "I know you're not listening to me Floyd | because you're being told to do something else," she whispers. "I know Floyd | you don't know I know, but I do. I'm not stupid. That stupid ring that Floyd | you try to pretend isn't there. Whatever you're being told to do right Floyd | now, you don't have to listen." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "x painting" | ||||
Floyd | It was a present from Leo a few years ago. He usually paints from Floyd | life---he gets up before dawn every day and paints in all sorts of Floyd | strange places---but I asked him to do one for me from his mind, and Floyd | as far as I know it's the only imaginary landscape he's ever done. It Floyd | depicts a waterfall so wide that it completely fills the sky, as seen Floyd | from a promontory in the foreground that juts out over the water's Floyd | edge. Floyd | Floyd | The nail that's holding this painting up appears to be coming loose. I Floyd | make a mental note to fix that at some point. Floyd | Floyd | "Matilda. Whatever you're hearing, it isn't real. Stop it." Floyd | Floyd | I hesitate. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Freaky fun." | |||
| DavidW says, "Irene knows WE are talking to Matilda." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Yeah, it's weird." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | For God's sake, give me a second first; I'm trying to listen. Floyd | Floyd | "Well?" she asks. "No reaction? This isn't some benign happening we Floyd | can just ignore, you know. He's concealing it from me for a reason. I Floyd | won't let you pretend it isn't there." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "x irene" | ||||
Floyd | I feel as though I've interrupted Irene while she was in the process Floyd | of systematically searching my flat; she's hovering over an end table Floyd | now and her of eyes are fixated right on me. Floyd | Floyd | "Just take it!" she cries, gesturing to the drawer. "Why does it gall Floyd | you to pay attention to commands from a human being instead of some Floyd | figment of your imagination?" Floyd | Floyd | And yet, I am unable to do anything. I simply stand there, on the Floyd | verge of panic, torn between two forces, either of which would easily Floyd | be strong enough to control me on its own. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Shut up a moment, will you? I'm sick of this. Floyd | Floyd | While I dither, I look up to see that an expression of horror has Floyd | appeared on Irene's face---directed not at me, I suddenly realise, but Floyd | behind me. Floyd | Floyd | "Leo," she gasps. Grabbing her cane from beside her, she twists Floyd | something on her bracelet and vanishes. I blink, and suddenly Irene is Floyd | on the other side of the kitchen window. Floyd | Floyd | My gaze moves to the drawer, then out the window. My stomach sinks. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I can't bring myself to do it. I run to the kitchen window . . . Floyd | Floyd | I hurry to look out the kitchen window, just in time to see Leo is Floyd | standing in front of the painting in the garden, pocketwatch in hand. Floyd | Irene is standing on the porch and has raised the gun on him; she Floyd | seems to be speaking quietly. The window mutes their conversation, but Floyd | I know enough about what's going to happen to realise that I can't be Floyd | here when it finishes. Floyd | Floyd | I barely hear the gunshot. By the time my former self comes innocently Floyd | down the stairs, about to answer her doorbell, I am already deep into Floyd | the woods. Perhaps without my interference she'll be able to sort all Floyd | this out better than I have. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "TURN iT YOU - grr" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I hate Matilda." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "Disobeying the player is a sure way to people agitated." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "7.5 hours and counting...wow" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Although that's the best losing ending yet!" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I showed savoir faire to somebody at work a couple of weeks back and she would keep entering stuff like "do it anyway"" | ||||
| Nate arrives, full of fun and funk. | DavidW says, "heh" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I say nothing. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh!" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy asks, "Idea?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "When Leo takes the stone key and runs, you can stop time before HE does." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I say nothing. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "You ought to be able to beat him to wherever he's going to." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "hm...doesn't look like it" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is frozen here, eyes locked on the middle distance. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "x leo" | ||||
Floyd | He is frozen, looking in the direction where I was until a few moments Floyd | ago. His eyes have a haunted expression in them that makes me Floyd | profoundly nervous. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "tada" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "You ought to be able to beat him..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "...senseless." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "OHO" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "search leo" | ||||
Floyd | That would be a fabulous idea if I were some kind of criminal. Instead Floyd | of, you know, his friend. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Get to the painting first" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy shuffles over. "You drive." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "I don't even know which painting." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Leo streaks past me and bursts into the room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I say nothing. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is frozen here, eyes locked on the middle distance. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "Debugging this must have been a nightmare." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Yes." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Leo streaks past me and bursts into the room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo stands here, looking healthy but frazzled. Floyd | Floyd | Without a glance at me, Leo snatches everything off the shelf and Floyd | clicks the button on the pocketwatch. There is a loud snap, and he Floyd | vanishes. Floyd | Floyd | A familiar snapping sound comes from the hallway. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "drat" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hey, I had a novel idea." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "yes?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Can we get that bracelet from Irene when she's on the beach?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I don't see how." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It would be a nifty thing to have." | ||||
| (from Jacqueline) Jacqueline says, "Well, it's quite simple. We kill her." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I am obviously beyond rational puzzle solving at this point." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Everything seems to be RAR KILL" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "might have to break down and ask for a hint" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Well, inky is apparently still out partying with Seattlites." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room (in monochrome) Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still | Jacqueline says, "I wonder who else we could ask." | |||
Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is frozen here, eyes locked on the middle distance. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the abstract painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "How about we open the toilet door with a credit card?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I like the idea of a hint rather than checking online though." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take all from shelf" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "the game? it might have hints" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take ring" | ||||
Floyd | I already have that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, it might." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | Bizarre, how casually I can do this. I walk clean into another world, Floyd | not even pausing to look behind me after I arrive. Floyd | Floyd | Dock's End Floyd | It's much brighter here than last time---evening, rather than Floyd | twilight, but nothing is moving, even the raindrops, and a bolt of Floyd | lightning far off to the west gives a continuous eerie light to the Floyd | horizon. The beach lies to the east, and the drops of water ascend Floyd | into the sky as far as I can see. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | Cold water trickles down the back of my neck. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy asks, "What happens if we go back without the glass key?" | |||
| DavidW says, "hm. I was wondering if we could find him here." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | A thoroughly miserable spot, the tide gradually rising and threatening Floyd | to engulf what little sand remains. A soaked-looking cabin lies to the Floyd | south---padlocked shut again, of course--- and the beach continues to Floyd | the north. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Using the old bronze key, I unlock the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | Once more, the padlock springs open, executing a graceful parabola and Floyd | landing in the water. Floyd | Floyd | I open the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | An even worse mess than last time I was here. The music box stands Floyd | open, playing a familiar lilting tune, and a fat stream of water is Floyd | gushing into the cabin through the hole in the roof, then soaking out Floyd | through the floor. All in all, a fairly miserable studio. On the Floyd | opposite side of the room, placed, I now realise, as far as possible Floyd | from the corner with the hole, are the desk and hammock, and the exit Floyd | is to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Outside, the storm continues its tantrum. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | Hearing the loud snap that accompanies my entrance, Leo hurries into Floyd | the room. "Did you find the key?" Floyd | Floyd | Then he sees my expression, and his face falls. I put a hand on his Floyd | arm, not quite sure what to say. His hands begin to shake. Floyd | Floyd | "I don't know what to do," he says. "The gallery is all I had---it's Floyd | everything I've worked for, since I was eighteen---" Floyd | Floyd | He pauses, taking a deep breath. "Listen. You can stay here if you Floyd | want to---I'm going to---I have to be alone for a second." And he Floyd | takes his pocketwatch off the shelf and walks out, leaving me alone in Floyd | the blank room. Floyd | Floyd | I am on the point of calling after him, of making some speech to Floyd | reassure him---but just as quickly I realise how futile this would be, Floyd | and slump to the floor, feeling utterly lost. Where did I go wrong? Floyd | Floyd | I am hardly surprised when, after a few moments, Leo appears at the Floyd | back window. A moment later, Irene appears on the porch, gun in hand. Floyd | Their conversation is muted by the glass, which I am grateful for. In Floyd | the end, it turns out, I am just as helpless as the Matilda who is Floyd | sleeping innocently in her bedroom, except she isn't responsible for Floyd | what is about to happen, but I am. But you are. After a moment, Irene Floyd | raises the pistol on Leo. I close my eyes. Floyd | Floyd | The sound of the gunshot carries clearly through the glass, as does, a Floyd | few minutes later, the sound of my doorbell ringing. Floyd | Floyd | A familiar snapping sound comes from the hallway. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "Gah." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "All I am checking is the availability..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "hint" | ||||
Floyd | Okay, here's how hints work: Floyd | Floyd | Non-spoilery advice is accessible using THINK. If that isn't cutting Floyd | it, typing HINT will give you a much more explicit clue about how to Floyd | proceed. If you're still stuck, type HINT once more to receive a Floyd | minimalist walkthrough for the section you're currently in. Floyd | Floyd | Type THINK now to be gently nudged in the right direction; type HINT Floyd | to be shoved. Alternately, type HINTS OFF if you're easily tempted and Floyd | would prefer to disable hints entirely. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Think?" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "heh." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I like that HINTS OFF feature." | ||||
| DavidW says, "at cf25 with time frozen, then think." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "okay" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf25" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "I should undo, turn the ring?" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "yeah, better" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "think" | DavidW says, "now think" | |||
Floyd | Well, if I were to sum it up, I'd say that since I went back in time, Floyd | I've managed to encounter Leo in his kitchen, run into Leo again Floyd | upstairs, travel to the beach in search of the gallery key, and get Floyd | Leo's gallery key off the cabin roof, in that order. Floyd | Floyd | I also have no more than a few minutes to take action before something Floyd | dire happens in my living room. Floyd | Floyd | The colours in the painting swirl, kaleidoscopic and eerily alive. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Matilda), "THANK YOU FOR THE HELPFUL SUMMARY" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, we knew all that." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy grins wrily. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar asks, "what's with that grin?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x swatches" | ||||
Floyd | It continually amazes me that Leo can simply splatter paint at random Floyd | on his walls and create something attractive. One could spill Floyd | spaghetti sauce on the floor and he could simply extend the line of Floyd | the stain and make you think it's part of the existing design. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Gerynar), "He has a deathwish." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "touch swatches" | ||||
Floyd | Completely unyielding, and cold as stone. Floyd | Floyd | > | Sergeant_Touchy says, "Nothing, just the most useful hint ever." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Heh. Yes, it was." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search swatches" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "search dkfjldjf" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Okay, just checking." | |||
| DavidW says, "I dunno. Maybe there's an unlatching tool hiding in the toilet bowl." | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "xyzzy" | ||||
Floyd | What utter nonsense. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "ha" | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Using the sapphire key, I unlock Leo's toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | I open Leo's toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DavidW), "Remember to add that to your list." | |||
| DavidW asks, "list?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "the xyzzy list?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Weren't you keeping a Xyzzy Response - yeah" | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "close door" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, Leo's toilet door or my toilet door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "leo" | ||||
Floyd | (,) Floyd | Fortunately for Leo, you can't order him around the way you do me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "close leo's door" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to close the other brass Floyd | key. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "It might be in there already." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "close door" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, Leo's toilet door or my toilet door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "leo's" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to close the other brass Floyd | key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy has had its fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Sergeant_Touchy says, "grml." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | The door rattles irritatingly---the latch on the other side must be Floyd | locked. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "look in toilet" | ||||
Floyd | There is nothing on the toilet. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Sergeant_Touchy says (to Floyd), "open door with papers" | ||||
Floyd | Crack. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden, tremendous report that dies away, leaving a preternatural Floyd | silence nearly as quiet as the ones induced by Leo's pocketwatch. Floyd | Floyd | Too long. I took too damn long. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, the door swings open, revealing Irene. Floyd | Floyd | "I hope you're happy!" she shouts, her voice loud enough to give me Floyd | the queerest sense that she is addressing not me, but at someone Floyd | directly behind me. "This is what comes of your meddling!" But before Floyd | she can continue, we are both distracted by a deafening creak from the Floyd | staircase. Floyd | Floyd | We turn in unison to see a familiar woman in a fuchsia nightgown Floyd | descending the stairs. It's with an odd sense of resignation that I Floyd | find myself meeting her eyes, then looking away, ashamed. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's own eyes, meanwhile, are travelling thoughtfully from one of Floyd | us to the other. "I see," she says. "So you don't know how the Floyd | paintings work after all. Putting yourself in a position where you Floyd | might meet your former self? Rarely a good idea." With trembling Floyd | hands, she raises the gun to point at me. "You'll forgive me, Floyd | Matilda," she says, "but I can't help holding you responsible for Floyd | what's become of Leo. This is, unfortunately, the best way to avoid Floyd | unpleasant property disputes." She nods to my former self. "Run up and Floyd | call 9-9-9, quickly." Floyd | Floyd | Then she fires. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Why did you change your name back? This name keeps making me think Sargent's playing with us." | |||
| Sergeant_Touchy says, "I didn't, I'm at work and have different account here." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Why?" | ||||
| Touchywrk asks, "Why I have a different account?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "I don't like entering passwords on these machines." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Ah." | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchywrk asks, "Any objections to THINKing?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Other than the fact that it's useless?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "none from me" | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "Yes." | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "think" | ||||
Floyd | Well, if I were to sum it up, I'd say that since I went back in time, Floyd | I've managed to encounter Leo in his kitchen, in that order. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| theclam someday we'll cash it/the rainbow investment/the bankers, dead leprechauns, and me | Touchywrk says, "Really, so incredibly useless..." | |||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | (the diamond ring) Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchywrk says, "hm..." | |||
| DavidW says, "oh! Hurray!" | ||||
| Touchywrk shuffles over again. | ||||
| DavidW says, "ENTER THE PAINTING" | ||||
| Touchywrk asks, "Don't you want to drive?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | Bizarre, how casually I can do this. I walk clean into another world, Floyd | not even pausing to look behind me after I arrive. Floyd | Floyd | Cliff's Edge Floyd | I am momentarily disoriented as my head fills with the roar of water. Floyd | I open my eyes to mist, positioned by a cliff which comes to a point Floyd | some distance ahead of me. The vista beyond the cliff is dominated by Floyd | the waterfall, unnaturally close behind, so near that it's utterly Floyd | impossible to see anything beyond it. Up at the far edge is Leo, Floyd | leaning dangerously over the falls. Floyd | Floyd | "Leo!" I shout. But of course he can't hear me with the water as loud Floyd | as it is. He's drawn these falls from his imagination, and they are Floyd | far larger than anything I can conceive of in the real world, the Floyd | water falling from a point far above our heads, and dissolving into Floyd | mist far below, the cloud of mist so large it becomes impossible to Floyd | see anything in the distance---there is only water, me, Leo and a line Floyd | of small yellow flowers that seems to be thriving in the mist off the Floyd | falls. Floyd | Floyd | I begin running toward him. "Leo! Wait for me!" But my voice seems to Floyd | be unable to carry. And, then, suddenly, a bell rings overhead. I Floyd | continue to run, the motion slower and slower, but now I am perplexed. Floyd | As it rings again, I am hit by a rush of utter horror. Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, no," I say dizzily. "No, no, no . . ." but the world is already Floyd | dissolving into white, and through the whiteness the mist is already Floyd | coalescing into the shape of my bedroom . . . Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** Cyclicality has won. *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Touchywrk says, "We should have noticed that the door was already open..." | |||
| DavidW says, "we did notice" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Man, I step away for a snack and you find a new ending?" | ||||
| Jacqueline goes back to read. | ||||
| DavidW says, "We can try going into the gardens painting too, I guess." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "We could still try new stuff with this. Like searching for the gun or opening the door from the other side..." | ||||
| Touchywrk asks, "Gardens painting?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Upstairs." | ||||
| Touchywrk leans back and watches. | ||||
| DavidW says, "oh and this is also our chance to unlock the bathroom door." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Irene is blocking the way. Floyd | Floyd | Standing here, I feel a sudden sense of vertigo as the water plunging Floyd | over the cliff falls away from me rather than down. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So that was our dream." | |||
| Touchywrk says, "Let's wait for Jacq to catch up reading..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That last ending." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I'm back." | ||||
| DavidW says, "ack. Irene blocking us." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x irene" | ||||
Floyd | Irene is frozen here, eyes riveted on the spot where I was standing a Floyd | moment ago. Floyd | Floyd | Standing here, I feel a sudden sense of vertigo as the water plunging Floyd | over the cliff falls away from me rather than down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x drawer" | ||||
Floyd | My head turns to peer into the drawer, and I squeeze my eyes shut only Floyd | just in time. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's voice: "I know you know it's there, Matilda. You can't hide it Floyd | from yourself forever." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "so buggy" | |||
| Touchywrk says, "I wonder if we missed something obvious. If other people had been stuck here like us all these bugs would have been discovered." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, this is version 3" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sits back and waits for them to use the hint command." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Pretend I posed that." | ||||
| DavidW says, "if we turn the diamond, Irene will start talking and probably won't let us turn the diamond again." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | I hear a soft sound from the corner. Turning, I nearly jump out of my Floyd | skin to see Irene standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding her Floyd | hands clasped behind her back and staring at me in a peculiar way. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, hello, Matilda," she says. "I didn't think you were up yet." Floyd | Her eyes flip back and forth from me to the staircase, confused. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Hang on; I'm intrigued by what Irene's saying. Floyd | Floyd | "Listen," Irene says. Her voice is quick, intense, nothing like during Floyd | our conversation on the bay. "I'm sorry to trespass on you like this. Floyd | I came to see if Leo's been using you to hide things from me, and it Floyd | turns out that he has." She gestures to the end table by the sofa. Floyd | "Open the drawer there. I want you to see." Floyd | Floyd | A sick feeling develops in the pit of my stomach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | For God's sake, give me a second first; I'm trying to listen. Floyd | Floyd | "An edge creeps into Irene's voice. "I know you're not listening to me Floyd | because you're being told to do something else," she whispers. "I know Floyd | you don't know I know, but I do. I'm not stupid. That stupid ring that Floyd | you try to pretend isn't there. Whatever you're being told to do right Floyd | now, you don't have to listen." Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchywrk says, "Wait a second." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "hm?" | ||||
| Touchywrk asks, "Didn't we get to this ending from upstairs once?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "How, possibly?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think it's impossible." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We haven't been able to get upstairs from here." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "Yeah, I probably just thought we're upstairs from the description of her standing at the stairs...nvm" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Touchy), "Are you sure that you're not sleepytime Matilda, just waking up and hearing all this with groggy ears?" | ||||
| Doe says, "maybe he's got a new thing" | ||||
| Doe says, "someone has to win it sometime" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "Primrose's xyzzy response is not on the list" | ||||
| Doe says, "heh" | ||||
| Doe says, "well good luck with the game" | ||||
| Doe says, "ta da" | ||||
| Doe goes home. | DavidW says, "About the only hint we got from 'think' was that tasks can potentially be done in different orders." | |||
| Touchywrk says, "Mh..yes" | ||||
| Touchywrk asks, "Can we try giving the glass key to Leo and stopping time afterwards and going over to our apartment?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "It doesn't work, I don't think." | ||||
| Touchywrk asks, "You said we can't drop the stone key, right?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No, we probably can, just not in the pond or whatnot." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Once Leo has the glass key, he seems to port instantly to our living room and our front door is now closed." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "Yeah, you're probably right." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "I'm flat out of ideas." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He's just concious of energy conservation and doesn't like drafts." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm not thinking very clearly. It's 8 hours of play now." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, if we don't adjourn soon, I shall be tempted to ask for a hint." | ||||
| Gerynar wishes the time would pass this quickly when he's at work. | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm sure we're close to the end. Maybe we should get a hint." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "This game had better be finishable." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "winnable" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We've got to be at the end, unless we irrevocably screwed something up." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf25" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "hint" | ||||
Floyd | Okay, here's how hints work: Floyd | Floyd | Non-spoilery advice is accessible using THINK. If that isn't cutting Floyd | it, typing HINT will give you a much more explicit clue about how to Floyd | proceed. If you're still stuck, type HINT once more to receive a Floyd | minimalist walkthrough for the section you're currently in. Floyd | Floyd | Type THINK now to be gently nudged in the right direction; type HINT Floyd | to be shoved. Alternately, type HINTS OFF if you're easily tempted and Floyd | would prefer to disable hints entirely. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "think" | ||||
Floyd | Well, if I were to sum it up, I'd say that since I went back in time, Floyd | I've managed to encounter Leo in his kitchen, run into Leo again Floyd | upstairs, travel to the beach in search of the gallery key, and get Floyd | Leo's gallery key off the cabin roof, in that order. Floyd | Floyd | I also have no more than a few minutes to take action before something Floyd | dire happens in my living room. Floyd | Floyd | The colours continue to merge and divide in rhythm with the sounds of Floyd | the ocean. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "think" | ||||
Floyd | Well, if I were to sum it up, I'd say that since I went back in time, Floyd | I've managed to encounter Leo in his kitchen, run into Leo again Floyd | upstairs, travel to the beach in search of the gallery key, and get Floyd | Leo's gallery key off the cabin roof, in that order. Floyd | Floyd | I also have no more than a few minutes to take action before something Floyd | dire happens in my living room. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hint." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "hint" | ||||
Floyd | The final sequence has been triggered, and you have five turns to Floyd | start saving Irene if you haven't already. Stopping time will make Floyd | your job a great deal easier, but note that it's already too late to Floyd | catch Irene alone, since she's with Leo now. Luckily, you've dealt Floyd | with this problem once already. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Saving IRENE?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I do not want to save Irene." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That is not our goal. Please tell me it is not." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I've obviously been playing too long." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "another hint?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, no." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The next one is a walkthrough hint." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "When have we dealt with this before?" | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "I have no clue what's going on." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Does it mean we've dealt with two people together before, or we've dealt with ... ?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm not sure what it's getting at." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I dunno what it means." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I mean, I'm on my last rope, and I'm starting to consider tying it into a noose, so if you want to type hint again, that would be fine with em." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "er, me" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Though I'm sure Emily approved too." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "hm. When we open our front door, can we stop time before entering?" | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "No" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Possibly, yeah." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "we get shot in the hip...." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Touchy), "Can't we?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "OH RIGHT" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "How could I forget being shot in the hip?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But he's right." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Do we ring our own doorbell?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We have not tried that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I do not think." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I didn't see a doorbell but it must be there." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh - that would maybe wake Matilda and then she would distract Irene." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sleepy Matilda, that is." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It's an idea we haven't tried at least." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm betting the doorbell isn't implemented, but go for it." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open front door" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Through the door to the southeast comes the murmur of voices, not Floyd | quite audible from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer (in monochrome) Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x doorbell" | ||||
Floyd | The doorbell really isn't enjoying my particular favour at the moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | Leo and Irene's voices are clearly audible through the door: Floyd | Floyd | There's a silence before Leo says, "Irene, I don't know why you're Floyd | acting this way. Please, put that down; it's making me nervous." Floyd | Floyd | "Leo, do you understand that you have divulged a family secret? That Floyd | this constitutes a betrayal of a confidence we have kept for nearly a Floyd | century?" Floyd | Floyd | Leo's tone grows irritated. "Irene, what makes you think I told her? Floyd | Do you think she's blind? She must have known we were keeping Floyd | something from her all these years." Pause. "Or perhaps you're in one Floyd | of your moods today and nothing I say is going to make any difference? Floyd | Because in that case I'm going to retrieve the rest of the keys." Floyd | Floyd | "Yes, well, by all means do so. Given you can find them." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ring doorbell" | ||||
Floyd | An obscenely perky chiming from above the door. I shudder. Floyd | Floyd | Leo and Irene's voices are clearly audible through the door: Floyd | Floyd | A brief silence. "What do you mean?" Floyd | Floyd | I hear the jingle of a key. "I've padlocked the cabin, Leo. You've Floyd | been spending far too much time on that beach, fondling your little Floyd | box on the water." Floyd | Floyd | "Irene, give me that key. And give me that gun." Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "oho" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Aaaaaand... they ignore the doorbell." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "oho?" | ||||
| Touchywrk waits. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "oho it's implemented, argh that it doesn't seem to matter." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ring doorbell" | ||||
Floyd | An obscenely perky chiming from above the door. I shudder. Floyd | Floyd | Leo and Irene's voices are clearly audible through the door: Floyd | Floyd | A long pause. I picture them at a standoff, coldly regarding each Floyd | other from opposite sides of the room. And then I hear Leo's voice Floyd | shout "Give it to me!", followed by a scuffling noise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Foyer Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Foyer Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchywrk asks, "Do you want me to check the walkthrough and try to give a more useful hint?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open my front door" | ||||
Floyd | Hand on the doorknob, I hesitate. It's far too late to stop Irene at Floyd | this point; I can listen to their conversation easily from here, and Floyd | if I intervene I risk getting hurt myself. Floyd | Floyd | Leo and Irene's voices are clearly audible through the door: Floyd | Floyd | A brief silence. "What do you mean?" Floyd | Floyd | I hear the jingle of a key. "I've padlocked the cabin, Leo. You've Floyd | been spending far too much time on that beach, fondling your little Floyd | box on the water." Floyd | Floyd | "Irene, give me that key. And give me that gun." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open my front door" | ||||
Floyd | Slowly, I creak the door open. I don't expect them to hear me with Floyd | their argument in full swing, and the bullet to my hip comes as Floyd | something of a shock. Floyd | Floyd | As the room begins to swim, I wonder idly if anyone will think to call Floyd | Emergency. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Then you're no good to play." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Foyer Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We could let Touchy look, or we would type hint a second time." | |||
| Touchywrk says, "I don't really want to look I was just offering." | ||||
| Touchywrk asks, "We didn't find that open window that is mentioned did we?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "no" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "No." | ||||
| Touchywrk asks, "Can we just give all the keys we have to Leo?" | ||||
| Touchywrk goes home. | Jacqueline says, "Maybe." | |||
| DavidW says, "no." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "At some point I really need to go cut up some wood for maga." | ||||
| DavidW says, "He snatches and leaves us both times re stone key and glass key." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Like it not, I think we have to stop." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Should we stop, or just get another hint?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It seems like we're uber close." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It's either quit or full spoilers at this point." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Quit with a restart after sleep?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Sleep on it?" | ||||
| Touchywrk arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Touchywrk says, "Stupid kmuddy." | |||
| Gerynar says, "wb...we finally won" | ||||
| Touchywrk says (to Gerynar), "I believed you for about half a second." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "...still cruel." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Gerynar), "HAHAHA YAY" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm not thinking any more. I go lie down now. Bye." | ||||
| DavidW says, "good luck" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "So, sleep on it and resume in the AM, or blow the spoilers open?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess that means sleep." | ||||
| DavidW has disconnected. | ||||
| DavidW goes home. | Touchywrk says, "I think it's a good idea. It will make us feel better." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I also think we have enough saves, so I'll just save the transcript and see you all in the AM." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "but it's really hard to stop now." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Yeah, we have to stop." | ||||
| Touchywrk says, "I'll just go home and play from the beginning." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I wonder if this is finishable, or if it got second because the first two hours rock but the last five are way hard and no one kept playing to find out." | ||||
| ********* Next Day's Session ********* | ||||
| Touchy says, "Where is that pesky ring? Not that I have any use for it so far...." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "Right where Leo said it was" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Hm...I found something that seems rather useless but gives another end." | ||||
| Cathy asks, "how'd the game go yesterday?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, mixed." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The game was/is awesome." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But a bit buggy." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And possibly in a showstopping way" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We're near the end and will hopefully finish later today." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We played for ever yesterday, though. Seven or eight hours, and most of it struggling with the last puzzle." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But it's been so good that we felt the need to hang in there." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "wow" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "yeah" | ||||
| Cathy says, "is there background that I'd need to know, or could I join in today? (What time?)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm, we're pretty much five turns from the end." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And I'm not sure we set a time, so I'm guessing 11." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "er, 11 my time." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "3 eastern" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It's worth playing, certainly." | ||||
| Cathy says, "so 1.5 hours from now" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Dave's still playing, I guess." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think, had it not been so buggy, it would have given Floatpoint a run for its money in that comp." | ||||
| Touchy asks, "Huh? What are you guys playing?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Oh, and good morning btw." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Nothing right now." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "We're finishing up from yesterday later on, remember?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We never set a time, but I'm guessing 1.5 hours from nmow." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Yes, I'm looking forward to it. I haven't quite gotten to where we were yet, though." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, keep it up..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "You have time yet." | ||||
| Touchy says, "hehe." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I tend to forget how easily one gets stuck when playing alone." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "ha ha" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yes, I've gotten through a lot more games thanks to CF" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "It's the DavidW-factor, I guess" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, often, but not always." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I had some bright ideas yesterday, thankyouverymuch." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "I wasn't there!" | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "as you might have noted, thankYOUverymuch" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Great. I fucked up completely and don't have a recent savegame." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What did you do?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "(trying to keep this spoilerfree for TS) I don't have the second "thingy" yet but went to the pond in the morning." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "I'm awake! What's happening?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I was chatting with roommate." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Did anyone come up with new ideas?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "If you don't consider it spoiling I have found two things we can try." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Spoil away." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I didn't think of much to try. Something that is unlikely to work." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Well, that applies to my ideas, too. hehe" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh I read that wrong." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Anyway, sure, let's try stuff." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Since we're all here." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We didn't set a time, so I was thinking an hour from now, but now is great." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Let me start perry..." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "The thing that bugs me is: if Irene used our front door to get into our place, why was she descending our stairs?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Like, what's up there?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, maybe she was checking that Matilda was asleep." | ||||
| Touchy asks, "What really botheres me right now is: Why can I not close the door to Leo's toilet?" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "You want his door closed?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "I don't know I'm just ravaging the apartment looking for the second "thing"." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm thinking that after Leo has the first item, we stop time, then we have an opportunity to do *something* even if it's unclear what." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "hm, true" | ||||
| DavidW says, "If there's a way to get past Irene on our stairs so we can unlock the toilet from our side, then we have the chance to do the second item and sneak back on them via the bathroom. But I don't know if there's ever a time we can get past Irene." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay. That's worth trying, definitely. Sounds plausible (but then, so many things have sounded that way... heh)" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm also wondering if the first item can be filched from Leo even when time has stopped. I know that everything is normally frozen, but the first item may be an exception, considering how critical it is." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm also wondering if the 2nd item can be retrieved, before Leo can disappear with the 1st item." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, that would be very awesome." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm thinking a little too awesome to be possible." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I dreamt of that yesterday, and just assumed it was an unattainable fantasy." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, I'm not sure. While Leo is frozen on his stairs, we can race past him to the dock -- but time will start up again until we reach the pendulum." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we'll see how it goes." | ||||
| Jacqueline smiles. | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, if we use the ring to go through the pool painting, we might be able to re-grab the ring off the shelf before Leo can." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Pool=pond?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Or do you mean a different one?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "er, yes. pond. sorry." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm also curious what happens if we leave the 1st thing in the nest. Let ourselves be caught by the guards, if necessary." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "You know." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That nest has to be there for SOME reason." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So yes, we should play with the nest." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I was thinking it was just a tutorial on climbing things that float in the air, but perhaps it's something more." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, if might've been as a hint for the rain later, so maybe the nest is just a cute thing like the woman driver. But I'm not sure." | ||||
| Gerynar arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Jacqueline nods. | |||
| Touchy asks, "OK, now with all that talk about the ring, can I get a little hint where it can be found?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, ""on the shelf" | ||||
| Touchy asks, "I can't find it. It should be in the vacant room, right?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "yes, on the shelf" | ||||
| DavidW says, "The ring is on the shelf in the vacant room in the past." | ||||
| DavidW arrives, full of fun, but no funk. | Touchy says, "Yeah, I suspected that. I just can't get there." | |||
| DavidW asks, "where and when are you?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Somehow when I use the stone key and the whiteness to go back to the house in the past I'm in the present again" | ||||
| Touchy arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | DavidW says, "If you're in the present the ring is in your inventory -- unless you used it to go through a painting, if which case you have to make the return trip to get the ring back." | |||
| Touchy says (to DavidW), "No, I don't have it in the present." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I haven't found it yet. that's my point." | ||||
| DavidW says, "oh. Well, if you're at the beginning of the game, Leo tells you that the ring is on the shelf in the Vacant Room." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Matilda will resist this." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Matilda resists a lot of things." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Matilda has issues with denial." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I know, he told me. When I get to the room there is a) no shelf and b) if I x it anyway nothing on it..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Keep looking" | ||||
| DavidW says, "*Matilda* doesn't want to acknowledge the existence of the shelf. She doesn't *see* it but it *is* there." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It's the whole Unreliable Protagonist thing." | ||||
| DavidW says, "You must act as if it is there." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Jacq), "Have you found the "easter egg" in Irene's room? I'm not sure if you haven't found it or just didn't carry it when I joined..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Somehow, despite all this, I think she took best PC." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Touchy), "The letter to her sister?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "No, not that." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Or the painting of Ivy?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Also talking about Irene's room. The painting of her sister I can't see either." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It's under the quilt." | ||||
| Touchy says, "OK, that stunt with the ring was just mean." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Are you played without Floyd?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "er playing" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, he's playing offline" | ||||
| DavidW says, "ah. okay." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "VERY old skool" | ||||
| Touchy says, "It makes things easier." | ||||
| Touchy says, "After playing with Floyd for a while I tend to start every comand I enter anywhere with 'f'." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "yeah, it's weird. The fingers start to do it without you wanting to." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay, so Dave seems to be done." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load primrose" | ||||
Floyd | Are you sure you want to quit? Welcome to the Cheap Glk Floyd | Implementation, library version 0.9.0. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | * * * Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | It's been a bad night. I think I finally struggled into sleep at Floyd | something like half-past two, and since then it's been more or less a Floyd | continuous string of nightmares. Time and again I dream of Leo, Floyd | standing at the end of a distant cliff, peering down over the edge. I Floyd | run towards him, shouting at random, trying to warn him---willing to Floyd | say anything, so long as it reaches his ears. But inevitably, just as Floyd | I am near enough for him to hear my voice, a bell sounds from Floyd | somewhere above us, and he doesn't turn. And then suddenly he is gone Floyd | over the cliff's edge, and the entire world is going white, nothing Floyd | remaining but me, the cliff, and the sound of the bell ringing, and Floyd | ringing, and ringing . . . Floyd | | Jacqueline asks, "Okay, which save?" | |||
| Jacqueline pushes the green 'space' button. | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | T h e P r i m r o s e P a t h Floyd | By Nolan Bonvouloir Floyd | (First-time players might type ABOUT.) Floyd | Release 3 / Serial number 080322 / Inform 7 build 3T38 (I6/v6.31 lib Floyd | 6/10N) Floyd | Floyd | Bedroom (on the bed) Floyd | I awake with a start, and after a half-second of pure "Where the hell Floyd | am I," place myself in my bedroom. I've no idea what time it is---at Floyd | least the sun's up---but the pounding in my head suggests that it's Floyd | several hours earlier than anyone with any sense ought to rise. The Floyd | door to the hallway lies to the south, and windows border the other Floyd | three sides of the room. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell is ringing downstairs. Bloody hell. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "I have no idea." | |||
| DavidW says, "22, I guess." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, can someone else drive? My hands started to ache with typing yesterday." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | Touchy says, "I have two things I want to try one needs a savegame in the present." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I can try to ferret out save points for us." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo stands here, looking healthy but frazzled. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "hm. This is a potential problem." | |||
| DavidW says, "We used the watch to get here, but one of my ideas requires that we use the ring to get here instead." | ||||
| Touchy says, "My ideas need us to go back farther, too." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Go back further?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "eh..further" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm. farther/further" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Certainly my nest idea needs to go further back." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm actually not sure, Touchy. heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Maybe they're the same." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I think they're both acceptable." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I can't tell the diferenct from the dictionary.." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Anyway, go back more?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I forget the farther/further rule." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What conditions are you looking for, David?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "There is one, but only grammar queens remember it." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Dave says, "thanks - I'll come back later" | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Dave has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | Jacqueline says, "Grammar queens and THE INTERNET" | |||
| DavidW says, "For the nest one, we want to enter the gardens for the first time." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Dave), "Sorry! We didn't mean to kick you out." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The oboe fades, the clarinet dimming as it echoes its melody. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline | FARTHER denotes physical advancement in distance. | |||
| Jacqueline | FURTHER denotes advancement to greater degree, as in time. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So it was further." | ||||
| Touchy says, "OK." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And that's... one to grow on." | ||||
| Touchy asks (of DavidW), "Does it matter if we enter the park for the first time or just earlier?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "At least we solved *that* problem." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It might be the only one we solve today!" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "I don't understand the question." | ||||
| Touchy says, "For your nest idea..." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I still don't know what you mean. Of course the nest idea takes place in the park." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "hold pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | The woodwinds cadence as the strings fall to the bottom of their Floyd | registers. Distantly, the percussion rumbles. Floyd | Floyd | The western horizon has gone entirely black; the stars twinkle near Floyd | the half-moon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "enter box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | The door rattles irritatingly---the latch on the other side must be Floyd | locked. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "hmpf" | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. The Floyd | walls are now entirely bare, the waterfall painting scattered over the Floyd | floor as it is. The front door lies to the southwest. The stairs up to Floyd | the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | My waterfall painting lies ruined on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | I wind my way up to the landing. Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This is the landing of the stairwell, which makes a broad 180-degree Floyd | turn between upstairs and downstairs. A wide shaft of morning Floyd | sunlight streams in through the picture window which makes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall, and the staircases lie to the west. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks, "What do you want to use? Would you rather drive yourself?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "hm. We've never tried to revisit the park after getting the ankh so this is unknown territory." | |||
| Touchy says, "Hm..indeed it might make a difference since after entering for the first time, time progresses normally." | ||||
| DavidW says, "If it's like the beach, Leo and our previous self will be long gone. If it's like the pond, we'll run into ourself." | ||||
| Touchy says, "And I think we triggered some event that progressed time." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock toilet" | ||||
Floyd | Not to seem disparaging, but the toilet is a room to the southwest, Floyd | not an actual object in my hallway. One would almost think you Floyd | American. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock toilet door" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "The difference is just how long you wait before re-entering." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, my toilet door or my door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock my toilet door" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to unlock the faketoilet. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks, "Fake?" | |||
| Ellison arrives, full of fun and funk. | Jacqueline says, "You know, this might be a bit buggy, but it's impressive as heck given then mechanics." | |||
| Gerynar says, "fa....yeah...what Touchy said" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | I flip the latch out of the hook. Floyd | Floyd | I open my toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Hallway Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks (of Jacq), "What is?" | |||
| DavidW says, "the game is buggy" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Just the whole thing - what the game's keeping track of." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for the garden painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I think it would blow up my little brane just trying to keep up with it as a coder, let alone a player." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | Sky Pavilion Floyd | There's a sheer precipice just north of this pavilion, and the Floyd | panoramic view of the city and the river has always been to our city Floyd | what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. No tourists here today, though; the Floyd | garden must not be open yet. The pavilion, its entrance formed by two Floyd | towering redwoods, arcs over my head, and the path down to the main Floyd | part of the gardens is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says (to Jacq), "Use your brain instead. It helps." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x precipice" | ||||
Floyd | A melange of skyscrapers and noise and bustle, soaring ostentatiously Floyd | into the sky. I've never loved the city the way Leo does, but viewing Floyd | it from afar like this, I have to concede its impressiveness, if not Floyd | its beauty. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x city" | ||||
Floyd | A melange of skyscrapers and noise and bustle, soaring ostentatiously Floyd | into the sky. I've never loved the city the way Leo does, but viewing Floyd | it from afar like this, I have to concede its impressiveness, if not Floyd | its beauty. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pavilion" | ||||
Floyd | The arch constituting the entrance to each pavilion is formed entirely Floyd | of vines and trees, intertwined in some odd way that my eye can't Floyd | follow. At the far end of each, the hedge wall opens, allowing a view Floyd | of the city's skyline. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Centre Garden Floyd | Many of the branches here are covered in a crystal-fine layer of ice, Floyd | the drops are rolling off them as the sunlight hits the upper Floyd | branches. Walkways lead off to the north, southeast, and southwest, Floyd | and the garden entrance is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks, "Hm..so same day later on the morning?" | |||
| DavidW says, "yeah, I think it's later, after Leo and previous self left." | ||||
| DavidW says, "So it's like the beach; we won't run into ourselves." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Earth Pavilion Floyd | This area is the only one that's received any sunlight yet this Floyd | morning. The ice has mostly melted here, and the petals on the rose Floyd | trees, perhaps encouraged by the frost, are cascading down in a Floyd | continuous shower. The rest of the pavilion is covered by all manner Floyd | of overgrown early spring blooms, and trees that have somehow managed Floyd | to be in flower this early in the year. The only exit is back to the Floyd | northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "climb petals" | ||||
Floyd | Carefully, I put my hand around one of the petals, then clamber my way Floyd | up, slowly but surely. Floyd | Floyd | Up a Tree (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause in the middle of the sea of petals, resting on a branch. The Floyd | petals thin out here, deep among the branches, and the spring blooms Floyd | of a hundred species of plants surround me. Floyd | Floyd | I can see a bird's nest here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "put ankh in nest" | ||||
Floyd | Time was when I would gad about dropping keys wherever the fancy Floyd | struck me, but it's not until your short-term memory starts to go that Floyd | you realise what a bad idea it is. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "huh. Wasn't expecting a denial." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take nest" | ||||
Floyd | No point in depriving some poor bird of its home. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I mean, I can totally appreciate her response." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The diamond ring and the pocketwatch are gone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "put ring in nest" | ||||
Floyd | Unfortunately, now that I know it can be used to stop time I'm Floyd | starting to realise that I'd probably better hang on to it. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "bug in the inventory. The ring is there, not gone." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | The circular wall of enormous hedges is impassable to anyone of my Floyd | meagre athletic talents. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Well, it shows both. h" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Touchy says, "I'm assuming nobody ever tried to drob either ring or watch." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | Jacqueline says, "But yeah." | |||
Floyd | That would be monumentally stupid. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | The circular wall of enormous hedges is impassable to anyone of my Floyd | meagre athletic talents. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I wonder if the author will come back and find this transcript and do some debugging." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | The circular wall of enormous hedges is impassable to anyone of my Floyd | meagre athletic talents. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | The circular wall of enormous hedges is impassable to anyone of my Floyd | meagre athletic talents. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "That would be awesome. This is such a great game." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Earth Pavilion (in monochrome) Floyd | This area is the only one that's received any sunlight yet this Floyd | morning. The ice has mostly melted here, and the petals on the rose Floyd | trees are frozen in midair, forming a labryrinth of petals. The rest Floyd | of the pavilion is covered by all manner of overgrown early spring Floyd | blooms, and trees that have somehow managed to be in flower this early Floyd | in the year. The only exit is back to the northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Yeah, it's pretty awesome." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Centre Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | Many of the branches here are covered in a crystal-fine layer of ice, Floyd | the drops frozen in mid-fall as the sunlight hits the upper branches. Floyd | Walkways lead off to the north, southeast, and southwest, and the Floyd | garden entrance is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x drops" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Sea Pavilion (in monochrome) Floyd | The river runs immediately outside the hedge here, which is cut into a Floyd | window to reveal it roaring past. The main feature of this area is of Floyd | course the fountains, which rise from everywhere, their waters tinted Floyd | by the plants living in each. It's all very self-consciously Floyd | beautiful, of course, but I can't deny that it pleases even me. The Floyd | path itself winds slowly between them, meandering back around to the Floyd | northeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x fountains" | ||||
Floyd | Carved stone, fashioned into shapes of plants, with the waters which Floyd | until a moment ago were running every colour I can imagine. Many are Floyd | still crusted with ice from the frost, and real plants grow around and Floyd | into them in rather surreal ways, in some cases the waterfalls frozen Floyd | mid-flow. In several places full-grown trees erupt from the water, Floyd | their leaves merging with their reflections. Right now the scene is Floyd | like an old photograph, all the colours lost in shades of grey, and Floyd | everything completely, oppressively silent. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
| DavidW arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Centre Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | Many of the branches here are covered in a crystal-fine layer of ice, Floyd | the drops frozen in mid-fall as the sunlight hits the upper branches. Floyd | Walkways lead off to the north, southeast, and southwest, and the Floyd | garden entrance is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I hate when I do that." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Pagoda (in monochrome) Floyd | This entrance pavilion is the only man-made thing within the walls of Floyd | the Peace Gardens, but it blends well enough so that it's difficult to Floyd | notice. From a zenith straight overhead, the structure arches down to Floyd | the hedge, terminating in the iron entrance gate to the south. To the Floyd | north is the path leading back into the gardens proper. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Happens to me all the time." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I'm almost of the opinion that we should get someone, whoever dug this, to remove the cardinal direction exits from this room." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Pagoda Floyd | This entrance pavilion is the only man-made thing within the walls of Floyd | the Peace Gardens, but it blends well enough so that it's difficult to Floyd | notice. From a zenith straight overhead, the structure arches down to Floyd | the hedge, terminating in the iron entrance gate to the south. To the Floyd | north is the path leading back into the gardens proper. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "And maybe move the donut machine." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open gate" | ||||
Floyd | Ought I to try unlocking it with something specific? Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "I don't know. Should we really shape the world so it fits our stupidity? heh" | |||
| DavidW asks, "I never saw any guards in these gardens. I wonder if we wait, would they show up?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "of course we should, man has been altering his enviroment forever" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar asks, "is the garden opened or closed?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "knock on gate" | ||||
Floyd | I knock vigourously on the door. Unsuprisingly, no one answers. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Still closed, I think." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Oddly enough, I lack the key to the public gardens. There is a large Floyd | keyhole, however, through which I can stare longingly at the outside Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, we never saw guards." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "We only know of them from Leo." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "But man, maybe WE spooked Leo?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We never actually open this gate. The ankh ports us to the Whiteness." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Of course, what he heard could have just been us." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing obvious happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "rub it" | ||||
Floyd | I achieve nothing by this. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x it" | ||||
Floyd | An ornate, rather cumbersome-looking stone key fashioned into the Floyd | shape of a looped cross. It's certainly elegant, but it's difficult to Floyd | imagine that this actually would unlock anything. | Jacqueline says, "We might be the reason - right" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh. I hadn't thought of that." | |||
| DavidW asks, "So it looks like returning here -- we can't do anything new?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Could be wrong, but it seems rather plausible." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "There I go again, using that word." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ruby key" | ||||
Floyd | That doesn't seem to fit the lock. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to DW), "Perhaps not." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Especially if it's denying us the nest." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with my key" | ||||
| Ellison has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
Floyd | (an ankh-shaped key) Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says (to Jacq), "It's like Lucea using ridiculous. hehe" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heehee" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | A plain, white door with a shiny white doorknob and accompanying Floyd | keyhole. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look through keyhole" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | I've got quite a little collection of keys going here; you'll have to Floyd | specify which I ought to try. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ankh" | ||||
Floyd | At first I think it's going to fit, but the key turns out to be far Floyd | too large for the lock. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "okay, I don't see any reason to continue this setup. Perhaps jump to cf21 and work from there." | |||
| Touchy says, "We started playing at cf21 all you have to do is" | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "unlock door with brass key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | The pocketwatch has reappeared in my hand. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "And there we go again." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "mmkay" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Next idea?" | ||||
| DavidW asks (of Touchy), "were there ideas you wanted to try before we scope out some of mine?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "There is that one ending I can show you..." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "ne" | DavidW says, "okay" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | This bedroom seems like a room from another flat completely; at any Floyd | rate it's free of Leo's cavalier paint-it-all approach to decor. The Floyd | furniture is spartan to the point of ruthlessness, arranged to frame Floyd | the gigantic four-poster waterbed. The overall effect is one of rather Floyd | severe cleanliness; the painting of the young girl in the corner Floyd | seeming to constitute the only exception to the rule. The front room Floyd | is back to the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | On the waterbed is a page of looseleaf. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Find the item." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "move quilt" | ||||
Floyd | I've already revealed what there is to see; not much to be gained by Floyd | concealing it again. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "It's a little trick Gerynar showed me when playing SF." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take all" | ||||
Floyd | quilt: I've already revealed what there is to see; not much to be Floyd | gained by concealing it again. Floyd | page of looseleaf: Taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | I push the blankets aside and get slowly to my knees. I reach my hand Floyd | under the bed and, after foraging for a moment, comes up with a small Floyd | plastic tab. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh!" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x tab" | ||||
Floyd | It's a raisin-sized tab of plastic enclosing a small green pill. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pill" | ||||
Floyd | I squint my eyes to read the writing on it: RIS 4. Floyd | Floyd | Wait. This is my Risperdal prescription. What on earth is it doing in Floyd | Irene's room? Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "We never found this!!!" | |||
| DavidW asks (of Touchy), "Is this what you meant?" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "trick? looking under something isn't a trick" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Yeah.." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Gerynar), "It is if you never do it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Interesting." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "heh" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Always look under beds. I assumed someone had tried it." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "So, is this a mere Easter egg, or plot-critical?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Since then I find myself randomly looking under and behind everything when I'm stuck..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "I was driving." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We can't trust me to do these things." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "What does Risperdal do?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "It's for schizophrenia..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That makes sense." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Man, this is both clever and amusing and clever." | ||||
| Touchy asks, "Well, are you going to pop it?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "SAVE" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cf27" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW asks, "So, if we ate this pill, we won't be schizo, and Matilda will stop hearing voices, ie us?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "I take it she'll stop listening to us?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "eat pill" | Touchy says, "Indeed. I just like the message who wins." | |||
Floyd | (first taking the small green pill) Floyd | I rip off the plastic cover and extract the pill. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x cover" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x tab" | ||||
Floyd | It's a raisin-sized tab of plastic. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | This bedroom seems like a room from another flat completely; at any Floyd | rate it's free of Leo's cavalier paint-it-all approach to decor. The Floyd | furniture is spartan to the point of ruthlessness, arranged to frame Floyd | the gigantic four-poster waterbed. The overall effect is one of rather Floyd | severe cleanliness; the painting of the young girl in the corner Floyd | seeming to constitute the only exception to the rule. The front room Floyd | is back to the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully rearrange the sheet of paper on the bed before going. Floyd | Before going, I replace the pill and tab where I found them. Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "(replace the pill?)" | |||
| Touchy says, "I think she didn't really take it just took it out..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a small green pill Floyd | a medicine tab (open but empty) Floyd | a page of looseleaf Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "eat pill" | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, she removed it from its packaging, but didn't consume it, I don't think." | |||
Floyd | In a practised motion, I throw back my head and gulp the pill. Floyd | Floyd | After a moment, a very queer sensation begins to come over me. My skin Floyd | prickles. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "out" | ||||
Floyd | Actually . . . no. No, I'd rather not. Floyd | Floyd | Without waiting for further instructions, I stand and walk out of Floyd | Irene's room. After a moment I find myself doing a little spin, right Floyd | in the middle of Leo's front room, relishing my sudden and complete Floyd | freedom of motion. And then I start walking as fast as I can towards Floyd | the exit, towards anywhere in the world that is not this house. Floyd | Floyd | By the time I reach the front door, you have faded completely. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** Modern medicine has won *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | ||||
| Ellison arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Jacqueline says, "heehee" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "That's pretty good." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Well, one of my ideas was to give the pill to Irene..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But it's not our winning ending." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "hm" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "hm. But we can't leave the room with it?" | ||||
| Touchy asks, "We can't?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Oh, indeed." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, we auto-put-it-back." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh, right." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Damn. Schizophrenic *and* OCD" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I suppose we could try to ankh out of the room, but that would probably end up buggy." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'll bet it still works." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We could ask Irene about the pill." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But I don't think it'd be meant to, yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So while it might 'work' it wouldn't be anticipated." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So yeah, I guess that'd be buggy." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Yeah, that doesn't work. I mean she's putting it back so Irene won't know that we've been here..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, I type 'bugger' automatically when trying to type 'buggy'" | ||||
| DavidW says, "(If Irene was sipping lemonade on the beach, I'd consider dropping it into her drink.)" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Well, if we can't take it away there goes that idea." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I wonder if Irene stole it for Leo. I'm not getting why Irene would steal our pill." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I have no idea why she has it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, you'd think she'd be force-feeding them to us." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Since she's very much on to the fact that we hear a voice." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, we can go to the Beach and ask Irene about the pill." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Please give one of the answers above. Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Please give one of the answers above. Floyd | > | Touchy says, "I did. No reaction." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "uh, I didn't see you do it." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It may be conditional on finding the pill first." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The oboe fades, the clarinet dimming as it echoes its melody. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Yeah, that was local. heh" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | The woodwinds cadence as the strings fall to the bottom of their Floyd | registers. Distantly, the percussion rumbles. Floyd | Floyd | The western horizon has gone entirely black; the stars twinkle near Floyd | the half-moon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | It's a promising prospect, but I think it works like the paintings; it Floyd | won't let me in unless I've stopped time. Floyd | Floyd | There is a thunderous crash of drums as the melody from the music box Floyd | fills the room. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | An invisible string section thunders out a lyrical melody over the Floyd | roaring drums. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Irene's Room Floyd | This bedroom seems like a room from another flat completely; at any Floyd | rate it's free of Leo's cavalier paint-it-all approach to decor. The Floyd | furniture is spartan to the point of ruthlessness, arranged to frame Floyd | the gigantic four-poster waterbed. The overall effect is one of rather Floyd | severe cleanliness; the painting of the young girl in the corner Floyd | seeming to constitute the only exception to the rule. The front room Floyd | is back to the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | On the waterbed is a page of looseleaf. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | I push the blankets aside and get slowly to my knees. I reach my hand Floyd | under the bed and, after foraging for a moment, comes up with a small Floyd | plastic tab. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under bed" | ||||
Floyd | I push the blankets aside and get slowly to my knees. I reach my hand Floyd | under the bed and, after foraging for a moment, comes up with a small Floyd | plastic tab. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x tab" | ||||
Floyd | It's a raisin-sized tab of plastic enclosing a small green pill. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pill" | ||||
Floyd | I squint my eyes to read the writing on it: RIS 4. Floyd | Floyd | Wait. This is my Risperdal prescription. What on earth is it doing in Floyd | Irene's room? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "what is risperdal" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "what is pill" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "I looked it up on wikipedia." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "who is ivy" | ||||
Floyd | Ivy is Irene's sister. I don't actually know very much about her; she Floyd | kept very much to herself and only visited the flat once. She lived in Floyd | the city---right next to the peace gardens, in fact---and died during Floyd | the epidemic. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "about" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | The Primrose Path uses a couple of verbs not found in every game; one Floyd | of these that you might find useful is CONTEMPLATE (or THINK ABOUT, or Floyd | REMEMBER), which will give you background information on a number of Floyd | things the protagonist is already familiar with. Floyd | Floyd | If you're conversing with a character who happens to be the only other Floyd | person in the room with you, ASK or TELL JANE ABOUT MONSTER and so on Floyd | can be abbreviated to A or T MONSTER. Floyd | Floyd | If you're new to interactive fiction, you might find it helpful to Floyd | type INSTRUCTIONS. In-game gentle nudges can be accessed with the Floyd | THINK command. Also available are CREDITS, HINTS, and a full list of Floyd | ABBREVIATIONS. Floyd | Floyd | Bug reports, questions, comments, and the like are welcomed at Floyd | nolan@alumni.unh.edu. Floyd | Floyd | > | * vaporware has left the channel. | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "abbreviations" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | N, S, E, W: go north, go south, etc. Floyd | Floyd | NE, NW, SE, SW: go northeast, go northwest, etc. Floyd | Floyd | U: go up Floyd | D: go down Floyd | L: look Floyd | X: examine (something) Floyd | G: again (repeat the last command you entered) Floyd | Q: quit the game Floyd | I: take inventory (get a list of things you're carrying) Floyd | Z: wait Floyd | Floyd | And a few less common ones: Floyd | C: contemplate (something) Floyd | A: ask the nearest character about (a topic) Floyd | T: tell the nearest character about (a topic) Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We haven't been remembering a ton." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c pill" | Jacqueline says, "Maybe we should do that more." | |||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c gardens" | ||||
Floyd | They mean---they meant---a great deal to me. Every day, on lunch Floyd | break, when I was living in the city, I would come to these gardens Floyd | and read away the full hour. I even used to rotate which pavilion I Floyd | would read in, lest any of the plants' feelings get hurt. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "But it'll probably just round out the plot, not help us figure out the bloody endgame." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c violets" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c pond" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c matilda" | ||||
Floyd | Me? What's to say? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c me" | ||||
Floyd | No further thoughts come to mind. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c irene" | ||||
Floyd | Irene is Leo's mother; she's only been my neighbour for the last three Floyd | or four years, since she ceased to be capable of living on her own. Floyd | It's hard to deny she's rather senile at this point, and perhaps a bit Floyd | paranoid . . . but a murderess? Surely not. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c leo" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's my next-door neighbour; he moved into the building perhaps a Floyd | dozen years ago. What a frightening thought---I'm pretty sure that Floyd | when we met, I was younger than he is now. Our relationship has been Floyd | everywhere from icy hostility to unabashed longing (on both of our Floyd | parts, at different times, naturally), and every emotion in between. Floyd | It stabilised at "good friends" around the time his mother moved in Floyd | with us, and has remained steadfast since. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c gun" | ||||
Floyd | I think Leo does own a pistol---or did, at least, some years ago. It Floyd | was a Great War relic, belonging to his grandfather. I remember he Floyd | used to try to tell me about its illustrious history, and I'd have to Floyd | shout at him to stop; I hated the thing. I knew someday he'd be Floyd | cleaning it and, whoops, it'd just happen to be loaded and then bang. Floyd | It never happened, but I still can't stand the sight of it. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "I didn't know this game supported remembering." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c ring" | ||||
Floyd | It was last winter, I think right before Christmas. That's never a Floyd | good time of year for me, which I think had more to do with my Floyd | reaction than I thought at the time. Also, Leo took me by surprise; Floyd | never a good idea. We were sitting in my living room, just as always, Floyd | and was saying something about how he'd tried answering someone's Floyd | personal advertisement in the paper and it had gone flamingly badly; Floyd | he was upset because the woman thought he'd misrepresented his age. Floyd | Fairly standard Leo existential angst, in fact. Floyd | Floyd | "I used to want to go as long as possible without settling down," he Floyd | finished, "because from what I could see most people in relationships Floyd | spent half their time wanting out; I didn't realise that once I was Floyd | permanently single I'd be spending most of my time wanting in." Floyd | Floyd | "I've already decided to be an old spinster," I said. "For the common Floyd | good, really. Someone needs to break down the stereotype that we're Floyd | all genteel, ancient ladies with thousands of cats." Floyd | Floyd | "You don't need to put such a bright face on it," he said. "Not with Floyd | me. You must be so lonely." Floyd | Floyd | On any other day I would have been furious with this bit of Floyd | effrontery, but on this particular day as it happens he wasn't so far Floyd | off. "Sometimes." Floyd | Floyd | "More than that." Floyd | Floyd | "Sometimes," I said firmly. Floyd | Floyd | "More than sometimes. For me, anyway. What's the good of voluntarily Floyd | staying on your own when are people out there who'd be willing to link Floyd | their lives with yours, if only you'd ask? There's not enough time Floyd | left to justify wasting any of it away longing out windows." Floyd | Floyd | "That's true," I said, and in truth it was exactly what I'd been Floyd | thinking earlier that afternoon. "But if the right person doesn't Floyd | come, he doesn't come." Floyd | Floyd | "Will you marry me?" Floyd | Floyd | I was shocked, even though in retrospect he must have had this entire Floyd | conversation mapped out in advance. But more than that I was repulsed Floyd | that he would act like this was such a casual act, arising from Floyd | convenience, or better yet from jealousy, fear that I might default to Floyd | someone else. And the fact that he had the ring all ready made it ten Floyd | thousand times worse. Did he really think it would be that easy? He Floyd | must have bought it on his way back from his disastrous little date, a Floyd | thousand-pound ego boost in a little box. Pathetic, really. But at the Floyd | time I felt nothing but fury. Floyd | Floyd | "Put that away, Leo." Floyd | Floyd | "Listen a second before you decide: this ring---" Floyd | Floyd | My voice did not break, I'm relieved to say. Instead I stood up and Floyd | said, "You'd better go." Floyd | Floyd | He did, and it was a week before we were able to speak to each other Floyd | again. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "aha - so that's why she can't look in the drawer" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c epidemic" | ||||
Floyd | I remember the first night of quarantine, when we were holed up here Floyd | for a week, the day after the gardens were burned. Leo and I were Floyd | sitting in his front room---his painting of the peace gardens was Floyd | hanging on the wall there at that point---we stared at this artwork Floyd | for most of the evening. "How can they have done this?" I said, Floyd | several times. "How can our elected officials so depraved as to Floyd | destroy a work of art that belongs to half a million people?" Floyd | Floyd | "It's for the greater good, Matilda. Gardens can be rebuilt. We're Floyd | alive. We're healthy. Besides, we still have the painting." Floyd | Floyd | "If you burn the gardens, quarantine or not, you're destroying the Floyd | soul of the city." Floyd | Floyd | "That's silly, Matilda. Cities are soulless to begin with; it's only Floyd | the people who matter. All you're saying is that you won't be content Floyd | until you have a city where everyone is educated, affluent, happy, Floyd | safe, and healthy." Floyd | Floyd | "Don't mock me. You find me stupidly idealistic to ask for our Floyd | government to stop committing arson upon our own cities? Maybe it is Floyd | possible for everyone to be educated, healthy . . . all five." Floyd | Floyd | "Will we?" He paused for a moment. "What if you had to choose four out Floyd | of five? Or what if the entire city could be all those things, at the Floyd | expense of a one person who had to undergo unimaginable tortures? Floyd | Would you live there?" Floyd | Floyd | "Of course not." Floyd | Floyd | "Really?" He leaned back in his chair. "I would." Floyd | Floyd | "You wouldn't," I replied. "The idea just appeals to your sense of Floyd | irony." Floyd | Floyd | "Well, for 499,999 people there would be no difference." Floyd | Floyd | I lost my patience then. "Leo, that's idiotic; of course there's a Floyd | difference. What if you were the one person who had to die?" Floyd | Floyd | He shrugged. "Tough luck, I suppose." Floyd | Floyd | I stared at the flowers in the painting, and had a bad taste in my Floyd | mouth the rest of the evening. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "That's quite a bit for 'c epidemic'." | |||
| Touchy says, "I can't pick out anything useful, though." | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, foreshadowing, I think." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Hm...maybe yeah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And very lovely rounding out of the backstory." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Leo would be willing to sacrifice himself for some greater good and Matilda wouldn't let him." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c gallery" | ||||
Floyd | What, all of them at once? I haven't seen Leo's oeuvre all in one Floyd | place for a year or two, but it's a pretty diverse collection, Floyd | especially considering that they're all painted from life save one. Floyd | I've always thought reality was pass? in art these days, but Floyd | apparently that's not a universal opinion. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c cane" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c watch" | ||||
Floyd | It used to embarrass me that Leo wore an old-fashioned open-faced Floyd | pocketwatch everywhere he went---it seemed unbearably pretentious, Floyd | like he were pretending at being some sort of old-time rail conductor. Floyd | I've grown used to it, though; I think it holds genuine meaning for Floyd | him, rather than being the affectation I always took it for. I've Floyd | always wondered if perhaps it held some kind of symbolic fascination Floyd | for him---unlikely, I know, in such a thoroughly practical man, but I Floyd | can come up with no other explanation for his carting it about with Floyd | him everywhere. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c primrose" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c primroses" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Taleslinger arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c beach" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c cabin" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c childhood" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c home" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c waterfall" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c voices" | ||||
Floyd | No further thoughts come to mind. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c dream" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "We already asked about voices? I must have missed that." | |||
| Jacqueline scrolls back. | ||||
| Touchy says, "You two are contemplation _machines_." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Nothing comes to mind; I've never seen this key before in my life. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "heh" | |||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "well, it's a stone unturned." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, Touchy, we're pensive sorts." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And what D said." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c game" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c author" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c inform" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c pond" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c porch" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c city" | ||||
Floyd | Ah, the city. I lived there for most of my life, and yet I count my Floyd | days from when I moved away from it. The only time I felt real in the Floyd | city was when I was visiting the peace gardens---which was most Floyd | afternoons. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "perhaps review the papers from the cabin for topics." | |||
| DavidW says, "but I think we've seen the important topics." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Well, we have the papers, no?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a medicine tab (closed) Floyd | a small green pill Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "yes" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read november" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Happy birthday to me. Celebrated by springing for doors with locks for Floyd | every room in the flat---an enormous pain to install, but I console Floyd | myself thinking of how much easier it'll be to go back and forth with Floyd | the master key when I'm working. Floyd | Floyd | Along with this journal, an amazing new sable paintbrush from Matilda. Floyd | Perhaps Irene told her I was looking for a new one, but I would never Floyd | have thought to get anything of this quality for myself. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Well, wait." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "No point it me putting them all back on the screen." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c paintbrush" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Unless you want me to, but I could look through our transcript" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c birthday" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Enh, yeah, let's go through it month by month." | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read december" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Finally finished Matilda's "not-from-life" painting, just in time for Floyd | Christmas. Would be sorely tempted to go in if I could think of a way Floyd | to get back once there. Otherwise busy. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c christmas" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read january" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Should write this down for reference: have been messing about with Floyd | some of the paintings in the gallery. I realise this ought to be Floyd | dangerous, but as far as I can tell, there's no potential for things Floyd | to go really wrong. If I go back and change something, time proceeds Floyd | forward from that moment without regard to how the future was supposed Floyd | to play out. Was looking forward to causing paradoxes galore, but Floyd | apparently not. Floyd | Floyd | Frankly, would rather be painting than dabbling in metaphysics, but Floyd | there's really no other way to spend the time when it's too cold to Floyd | paint. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Hrm. Nothing much there except the explanation of why we're not screwing up the fabric of space-time" | |||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read feb" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | I hate not being able to paint outdoors. Inevitably I find myself Floyd | trudging through the gallery, wondering which paintings I might be Floyd | able to get away with entering. But if every painting that hasn't been Floyd | entered before will take me to the time and place it was painted, it Floyd | means that unless I were especially stealthy I'd end up running into Floyd | my former self as he was finishing up the work in question. But it's Floyd | frustrating looking back on a particularly happy work and knowing Floyd | that, however much I long to go in, I'll always be too cautious to Floyd | actually attempt it. Floyd | Floyd | Irene calling. Another night commiserating by candlelight. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read mar" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | I've lost the master key. Was in the city finishing up with the garden Floyd | painting this morning . . . I thought I heard a guard coming; grabbed Floyd | the painting and ran, only to realise I'd dropped the key somewhere. Floyd | By the time I got back, the gardens were open and the key was long Floyd | gone. Had to walk home with the painting. Should probably be more Floyd | philosophical about it, but in fact I don't think I've ever been Floyd | angrier. Floyd | Floyd | Can't believe the entire gallery is lost. All the paintings are Floyd | inaccessible now except the one in my flat, the one I gave to Matilda, Floyd | and the one I was working on this morning. Thank God I never got Floyd | around to putting that one back in the gallery! Floyd | Floyd | All I can think, over and over, is Life's work. Inaccessible forever. Floyd | Life's work. Forever. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I think that was us." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "I don't suppose we can wait and wait and wait for him to come back?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He says he comes back." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Each wait is half a minute." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We'd have to wait 120 times for an hour to go by, and he might be away for days." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "ugh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Nevermind that idea." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I didn't know time was implemented that rigorously." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sounds like he's only away hours." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Until the garden opens, but yeah." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "It probably isn't." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "It is by default, usually a turn a minute, but you can adjust it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "If memory serves the default is 1 min/turn, but it's been awhile since I've coded time." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Anyway... April" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read april" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Quarantined in the house; they estimate we'll be able to leave the Floyd | neighbourhood next week. Heard on the wireless this morning that the Floyd | gardens have gone up in flames: arson, they're saying, or looters. Floyd | Floyd | I spent all day today staring at the painting I finished in the Floyd | gardens, but I'm afraid of what could happen if I actually used it. I Floyd | could have lost the key anytime that morning, and if I couldn't find Floyd | it I'd have no way to get back here. Floyd | Floyd | Damn it. Will give the painting to Matilda---she'll appreciate it and Floyd | I won't have to think about it anymore. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read may" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | I think Irene knows where I've hidden the gun; I caught her sneaking Floyd | around in Matilda's flat very early this morning. I haven't told Floyd | either of them that I saw her, but Matilda might do well to lock her Floyd | front door at night. Floyd | Floyd | At this point it serves me right even if she does find it. Helped Floyd | Matilda hang the peace gardens painting upstairs in her flat, then Floyd | gave the gallery key to Irene and told her to keep it safe somewhere Floyd | where I'd never have to look at it again---it's useless now. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "So it's on the roof because he asked her to put it somewhere." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I'd forgotten that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "read june" | DavidW says, "right. That's how we knew to ask Irene about it." | |||
Floyd | Floyd | I can't take this anymore. I've almost finished a new painting in the Floyd | garden behind the house; tomorrow morning, as soon as it's done, I'm Floyd | going in. If Irene catches me, so much the better, because I can't Floyd | stand to wait any longer. Floyd | Floyd | That's the last entry. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline nods. | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c glass key" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Do we know that yet?" | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "In this save version?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a medicine tab (closed) Floyd | a small green pill Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Possibly not." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Anyway, that's all the papers." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "That was interesting, though." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open tab" | ||||
Floyd | I rip off the plastic cover and extract the pill. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "I'm glad we reread." | |||
| Touchy asks, "Also, how would she have any memories we don't know if she found out about it while we were playing?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, it's not that." | ||||
| Touchy says, "OK, so what else do we have? I have one more thing in mind that we play with." | ||||
| DavidW says, "okay" | ||||
| Touchy says, "uh..+could" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It's that her recounting of those memories that we incurred might point out a detail we hadn't thought of, that's all." | ||||
| Touchy says, "True." | ||||
| DavidW says, "It was a section of the game we missed and we need all the help we can get." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Touchy), "What's your other thing?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c back door" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks, "Can you go back to this morning through the pond painting?" | |||
| Ellison goes back to Squeamhurst.. | DavidW says, "go ahead" | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a small green pill Floyd | a medicine tab (open but empty) Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says, "w" | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Before going, I replace the pill and tab where I found them. Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | I stick Leo's key in the lock; it turns normally, but the door doesn't Floyd | budge. I guess the lock mechanism must be broken. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "You have to get there via the Whiteness then jade key." | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "unlock door with stone key" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Using the jade key, I unlock Leo's back door. Floyd | Floyd | I open Leo's back door. Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | It's not as if I can just waltz right into it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden noise: I turn. Leo has emerged from the house onto the porch, Floyd | the pocketwatch in his hand. I retreat into the shadows; he doesn't Floyd | see me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | Irene emerges stealthily from the open slider, a gun clutched in her Floyd | right hand. Leo hasn't seen her; he's busily contemplating the new Floyd | painting in the garden, pocketwatch in hand. Floyd | Floyd | "Don't move!" shouts Irene. I freeze, but she hasn't seen me; she Floyd | raises the gun on Leo instead. "I know what you're thinking, Leo, and Floyd | you can't do it. That's our rule, remember? No recursions. No loops." Floyd | Her voice is steady. Floyd | Floyd | The look on Leo's face isn't the horror I expect---in fact, he looks Floyd | guilty. "All right, Irene, I'm sorry. Just put the gun down, all Floyd | right?" Floyd | Floyd | "You still want to go, don't you, Leo? Don't go." There is a brief Floyd | moment of utter silence, the tension so high I can taste it. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "whoa" | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Utter fear paralyses me. I've dawdled for so long and the crisis point Floyd | is so close that I can no longer bring myself to intervene. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, Leo turns and rushes directly at Irene, reaching for the Floyd | gun. She gasps, and her hand tightens. Floyd | Floyd | There is a tremendous report. I squeeze my eyes shut against Leo's Floyd | scream, and when I open them both he and Irene have vanished. I sit, Floyd | paralyzed. Perhaps for the better, I realise . . . if I don't Floyd | interfere any more, perhaps my former self will be able to do better Floyd | than I could. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell in the house begins to ring. I wait alone, shivering, Floyd | enraged at having been allowed to stand idly by, inches away, as my Floyd | oldest friend is shot. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Damn." | |||
| Touchy says, "This woman is so useless." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden noise: I turn. Leo has emerged from the house onto the porch, Floyd | the pocketwatch in his hand. I retreat into the shadows; he doesn't Floyd | see me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Utter fear paralyses me. I've dawdled for so long and the crisis point Floyd | is so close that I can no longer bring myself to intervene. Floyd | Floyd | Irene emerges stealthily from the open slider, a gun clutched in her Floyd | right hand. Leo hasn't seen her; he's busily contemplating the new Floyd | painting in the garden, pocketwatch in hand. Floyd | Floyd | "Don't move!" shouts Irene. I freeze, but she hasn't seen me; she Floyd | raises the gun on Leo instead. "I know what you're thinking, Leo, and Floyd | you can't do it. That's our rule, remember? No recursions. No loops." Floyd | Her voice is steady. Floyd | Floyd | The look on Leo's face isn't the horror I expect---in fact, he looks Floyd | guilty. "All right, Irene, I'm sorry. Just put the gun down, all Floyd | right?" Floyd | Floyd | "You still want to go, don't you, Leo? Don't go." There is a brief Floyd | moment of utter silence, the tension so high I can taste it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "ask irene about gun" | ||||
Floyd | Utter fear paralyses me. I've dawdled for so long and the crisis point Floyd | is so close that I can no longer bring myself to intervene. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, Leo turns and rushes directly at Irene, reaching for the Floyd | gun. She gasps, and her hand tightens. Floyd | Floyd | There is a tremendous report. I squeeze my eyes shut against Leo's Floyd | scream, and when I open them both he and Irene have vanished. I sit, Floyd | paralyzed. Perhaps for the better, I realise . . . if I don't Floyd | interfere any more, perhaps my former self will be able to do better Floyd | than I could. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell in the house begins to ring. I wait alone, shivering, Floyd | enraged at having been allowed to stand idly by, inches away, as my Floyd | oldest friend is shot. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Alright. I'm out of ideas...again." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Touchy says, "This game is very effectively crushing my spirit." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "How did Irene get the slider working?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "I think they came out through Leo's kitchen." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Irene came in via our kitchen." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "Aw. There there." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to David), "She's crafty like that. It's yet another reason to despise her." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I think, anyway" | ||||
| DavidW says, "ok, what if you go through the pond painting, SMEAR it in the past, and wait in the shadows at Porch." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "interesting idea" | ||||
| DavidW says, "The paint is wet then. We might be able to ruin it." | ||||
| Touchy says, "But she shoots him when he tries to disarm her not when he goes through the picture.." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "I don't think it'd hurt to try" | ||||
| DavidW says, "If Leo sees the painting is ruined, he won't want to go back in time (again)." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "What restore point are we working from? 21?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "We should definitely try." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The oboe fades, the clarinet dimming as it echoes its melody. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Yeah, 21 is before we met Leo in the past." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "touch pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | The woodwinds cadence as the strings fall to the bottom of their Floyd | registers. Distantly, the percussion rumbles. Floyd | Floyd | The western horizon has gone entirely black; the stars twinkle near Floyd | the half-moon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "smear painting" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "rub painting" | ||||
Floyd | I achieve nothing by this. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "destroy painting" | ||||
Floyd | Violence isn't the answer to this one. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "touch painting" | ||||
Floyd | Definitely not yet dry. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden noise: I turn. Leo has emerged from the house onto the porch, Floyd | the pocketwatch in his hand. I retreat into the shadows; he doesn't Floyd | see me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | Utter fear paralyses me. I've dawdled for so long and the crisis point Floyd | is so close that I can no longer bring myself to intervene. Floyd | Floyd | Irene emerges stealthily from the open slider, a gun clutched in her Floyd | right hand. Leo hasn't seen her; he's busily contemplating the new Floyd | painting in the garden, pocketwatch in hand. Floyd | Floyd | "Don't move!" shouts Irene. I freeze, but she hasn't seen me; she Floyd | raises the gun on Leo instead. "I know what you're thinking, Leo, and Floyd | you can't do it. That's our rule, remember? No recursions. No loops." Floyd | Her voice is steady. Floyd | Floyd | The look on Leo's face isn't the horror I expect---in fact, he looks Floyd | guilty. "All right, Irene, I'm sorry. Just put the gun down, all Floyd | right?" Floyd | Floyd | "You still want to go, don't you, Leo? Don't go." There is a brief Floyd | moment of utter silence, the tension so high I can taste it. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Unable to comment for a few, but still here and following along..." | |||
| DavidW says, "I wasn't able to ruin the painting." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I'm back to the point "meeting Leo in the past was necessary"." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "hit irene" | ||||
Floyd | Utter fear paralyses me. I've dawdled for so long and the crisis point Floyd | is so close that I can no longer bring myself to intervene. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, Leo turns and rushes directly at Irene, reaching for the Floyd | gun. She gasps, and her hand tightens. Floyd | Floyd | There is a tremendous report. I squeeze my eyes shut against Leo's Floyd | scream, and when I open them both he and Irene have vanished. I sit, Floyd | paralyzed. Perhaps for the better, I realise . . . if I don't Floyd | interfere any more, perhaps my former self will be able to do better Floyd | than I could. Floyd | Floyd | The doorbell in the house begins to ring. I wait alone, shivering, Floyd | enraged at having been allowed to stand idly by, inches away, as my Floyd | oldest friend is shot. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Let's see what happens if we give Leo the ankh and then wait in the garden" | |||
| DavidW asks, "The actual shoot-out is out in the back here, always, yes?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "I'm wondering if we give Leo the ankh, then glass key, THEN wait in the garden." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Let's try it." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I'm a bit desperate by now" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "my version?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Sure." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "touch pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | The oboe fades, the clarinet dimming as it echoes its melody. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "The shoot-out seems to happen in our apartment under certain conditions. I have no clue why." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | A cricket chirp from the painting, then a bird call in response. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | If you're suggesting I hop the fence, forget it; it comes fully up to Floyd | my chest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I try to peek inside, but even this early the light is bright enough Floyd | to make that impractical. I cautiously squeak the slider open. I take Floyd | a single step inside . . . Floyd | Floyd | . . . and abruptly find myself face to face with an astonished Leo. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I say nothing. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the pocketwatch I Floyd | found in the living room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is frozen here, eyes locked on the middle distance. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take ankh" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c leo" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's my next-door neighbour; he moved into the building perhaps a Floyd | dozen years ago. What a frightening thought---I'm pretty sure that Floyd | when we met, I was younger than he is now. Our relationship has been Floyd | everywhere from icy hostility to unabashed longing (on both of our Floyd | parts, at different times, naturally), and every emotion in between. Floyd | It stabilised at "good friends" around the time his mother moved in Floyd | with us, and has remained steadfast since. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "another bug...he didn't pass us" | |||
| DavidW says, "hm. That's weird." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open door" | ||||
Floyd | Which do you mean, Leo's bedroom door or Leo's toilet door? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "leo's door" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open leo's bedroom door" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | On the shelf is a diamond ring. Floyd | Floyd | A familiar snapping sound comes from the hallway. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take diamond ring" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to take the setting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take all from shelf" | ||||
Floyd | (the diamond ring from the shelf) Floyd | Taken, damn you. Floyd | Floyd | "What I really don't understand," Leo continues, "and you don't have Floyd | to explain if you'd rather not---is how you got the diamond ring and Floyd | the pocketwatch. I'd recognise it anywhere, but it can't be mine, Floyd | because I've got it right here." He waves his own, snapping it on and Floyd | off a few times for good measure. "I can only imagine Irene must have Floyd | given it to you, but I can't imagine why." Floyd | Floyd | Leo bursts into the room, waving the pocketwatch cord about violently. Floyd | He looks desperate, more frightened than I can ever recall seeing him. Floyd | Floyd | "Matilda, where's the glass key gone? It should be in the music box, Floyd | with the other keys, but it isn't there. Without it I can't get into Floyd | the gallery." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| ********* Very Brief Disconnect ********* | ||||
| Note: The next 13 lines are recap from during the time that PerrySimm was disconnected: | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm. That's weird." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "ack. should we wait for Jacq?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "I'm sure she won't mind if we do the all known preparations." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm hoping I haven't confused the game by taking the 2nd ring." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Extrapolating from past experience. You totally have." | ||||
| DavidW says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "damn" | ||||
| DavidW says, "we waited. I entered the painting." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm still figuring out where the wireless goes poof in this house." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Can we redo what we missed in that short bit?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "tada" | ||||
Floyd | Using the old bronze key, I unlock the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | Once more, the padlock springs open, executing a graceful parabola and Floyd | landing in the water. Floyd | Floyd | I open the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | An even worse mess than last time I was here. The music box stands Floyd | open, playing a familiar lilting tune, and a fat stream of water is Floyd | gushing into the cabin through the hole in the roof, then soaking out Floyd | through the floor. All in all, a fairly miserable studio. On the Floyd | opposite side of the room, placed, I now realise, as far as possible Floyd | from the corner with the hole, are the desk and hammock, and the exit Floyd | is to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | Jacqueline says, "And there's perry again" | |||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | I stop. Floyd | Floyd | The beach has been completely enveloped by a web of raindrops Floyd | suspended in midair, so closely spaced that to get to the water's edge Floyd | I have to pick my way slowly through them, one step at a time. I grasp Floyd | a nearby droplet, trying to push it out of my way, but it doesn't Floyd | budge, and even supports my weight as I strain against it. The cabin Floyd | is back to the south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to Floyd | the north. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Cautiously, I grasp onto a raindrop at eye level, then lift myself up, Floyd | finding a foothold on one of the drops below. It ends up being less Floyd | dangerous than it looks---there's not much chance of falling since a Floyd | mass of riveted-in-place droplets keeps me in caged into a sort of Floyd | column. Eventually my heart rate subsides and I am able to reach roof Floyd | level. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I step lightly onto the roof of the cabin, working my way through the Floyd | web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | On the Roof (in monochrome) Floyd | The summit of the cabin is completely flat, which is unfortunate for Floyd | the cabin on days with weather like this---I can see the grandfather Floyd | clock through one particularly rotten hole in the roof---but I Floyd | appreciate it now, and the roughness of the surface makes it easy to Floyd | gain purchase. I can (reluctantly) step back into the rain to the Floyd | north or west---everything else is rock and water. Floyd | Floyd | A small marble box waits quietly in the shadow of the chimney. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Jacqueline arrives, ready to play with the toys. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take box" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Lying down and reaching deep into the hole, I draw the very top of the Floyd | pendulum to the side and release. There is a snapping sound as it Floyd | resumes its slow ticking, and the world returns to normal. Floyd | Floyd | I shiver as a raindrop slips into my eye. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take box" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | Cold water trickles down the back of my neck. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Reaching through the hole, I just manage to poke the topmost point of Floyd | the pendulum, arresting its motion. A now-familiar snapping sound Floyd | assaults my ears, and I turn to find my surroundings reverted once Floyd | more to black and white, with only the music box and the pendulum Floyd | remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way to the edge, and, after a ghastly moment of vertigo, Floyd | step off the roof and into the web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I pick my way carefully through a web of frozen raindrops. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The sea and rain, arrested, wait silently. The cabin is back to the Floyd | south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | An unsettling glittery light pervades this room, reflected through the Floyd | doorway by the sea of raindrops outside. A cascade of water is stopped Floyd | in midair, gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low ceiling, Floyd | just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box sits Floyd | opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| You do not have a default channel set. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open marble box" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a polished marble box (closed) Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | The diamond ring is gone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open polished marble box" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "There." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open box" | ||||
Floyd | That's already open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I pick my way carefully through a web of frozen raindrops. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The sea and rain, arrested, wait silently. The cabin is back to the Floyd | south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open box" | ||||
Floyd | I open the polished marble box, revealing a glass key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | An unsettling glittery light pervades this room, reflected through the Floyd | doorway by the sea of raindrops outside. A cascade of water is stopped Floyd | in midair, gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low ceiling, Floyd | just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box sits Floyd | opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take glass key" | ||||
Floyd | Enthusiastically taken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is frozen here, eyes locked on the middle distance. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | Floyd | At my appearance, Leo stands, eyes wide. "Did you find the key?" Floyd | Floyd | When I hold up the glass key, his face morphs into the happiest Floyd | expression I have ever seen on a human face. "Irene!" he cries. "I . . Floyd | . you . . . " and he pulls me into a fierce hug. After a few moments Floyd | of this, I pull back, and his expression turns solemn. "And there's Floyd | something I need to ask---" Floyd | Floyd | He is interrupted by a distant scream. In the background I can hear Floyd | Irene's voice floating up the stairs. "Leo?" Floyd | Floyd | He rolls his eyes, then shouts back, "Coming!" Then, turning to me: Floyd | "We'll talk in a second. Wait for me." He gently takes the key from my Floyd | hands and zips out to the south. Floyd | Floyd | I simply stand there for a moment, basking in the warm glow of my own Floyd | accomplishment, when I realise with a surge of horror that both Irene Floyd | and whatever weapon she used are still unaccounted for---in fact, she Floyd | probably has the gun already. I have only a few minutes to act. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | A noise comes from the mess of colour---utterly incongruous and Floyd | completely unmistakable, a duck quacking. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), " ne" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch (in monochrome) Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | On the easel is the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I think we determined that we couldn't hear the confrontation from here." | |||
| Touchy says, "I'm not sure." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond (in monochrome) Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Don't even get me started on the damn slider. It's been swollen shut Floyd | because of the heat for three days now, and I have to sit here and Floyd | watch the garden wither until the weather improves. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | On the easel is the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Crack. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden, tremendous report that dies away, leaving a preternatural Floyd | silence nearly as quiet as the ones induced by Leo's pocketwatch. Floyd | Floyd | Too long. I took too damn long. Floyd | Floyd | Abruptly, the door swings open, revealing Irene. Floyd | Floyd | "I hope you're happy!" she shouts, her voice loud enough to give me Floyd | the queerest sense that she is addressing not me, but at someone Floyd | directly behind me. "This is what comes of your meddling!" But before Floyd | she can continue, we are both distracted by a deafening creak from the Floyd | staircase. Floyd | Floyd | We turn in unison to see a familiar woman in a fuchsia nightgown Floyd | descending the stairs. It's with an odd sense of resignation that I Floyd | find myself meeting her eyes, then looking away, ashamed. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's own eyes, meanwhile, are travelling thoughtfully from one of Floyd | us to the other. "I see," she says. "So you don't know how the Floyd | paintings work after all. Putting yourself in a position where you Floyd | might meet your former self? Rarely a good idea." With trembling Floyd | hands, she raises the gun to point at me. "You'll forgive me, Floyd | Matilda," she says, "but I can't help holding you responsible for Floyd | what's become of Leo. This is, unfortunately, the best way to avoid Floyd | unpleasant property disputes." She nods to my former self. "Run up and Floyd | call 9-9-9, quickly." Floyd | Floyd | Then she fires. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have lost *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Touchy says, "So much for that." | |||
| Touchy says, "The only time we really get to do anything is before we try to get the glass key for Leo. But Irene is blocking our stairs" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I tried to take the ankh from Leo when he was frozen, but it wouldn't budge." | ||||
| ********* ANOTHER Very Brief Disconnect (Sorry!) ********* | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Man." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sorry." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "All I did was try to wash my hair." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm back in the settled-in spot where the wireless seems eternally good, though." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Yeah, computers don't like that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, it was just that I moved rooms." | ||||
| Touchy asks, "You never noticed how all the bad-ass nerds and BofH have super dirty, disgusting, greasy hair?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "That's what computers are used to from power users." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "But the computer hadn't been in that room much, and I guess despite it being RIGHT ACROSS THE HALL from the router, it doesn't work there." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Touchy), "haha" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, I was starting to feel like one of those, and it was bothering me." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm clean now." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "What's our next thing to try? Or are we out of ideas again?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "back" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Uh..I guess we could still try to give the ankh to leo and then fuzz about." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I think until we go looking for the glass key we can do what we want." | ||||
| Touchy says, "But stupid Irene is blocking our stairs..." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I think we already tried this yesterday but what the hell.." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | Leo's studio is an utter shambles. The ceiling is alarmingly low and Floyd | pockmarked with holes, the hammock strung across the rear of the room Floyd | is all tangled up in itself, and the writing-desk beside it is Floyd | completely covered in debris. On the desk is an empty spindle, and Floyd | across from it stands a tranquilly ticking grandfather clock. The door Floyd | back outside lies to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The oboe fades, the clarinet dimming as it echoes its melody. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "hold pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | The woodwinds cadence as the strings fall to the bottom of their Floyd | registers. Distantly, the percussion rumbles. Floyd | Floyd | The western horizon has gone entirely black; the stars twinkle near Floyd | the half-moon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "enter box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "du" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | We've been neighbours for at least a decade, but I can count the Floyd | number of times I've been in this room on one hand. It's attractively Floyd | done up, though a bit austere in the furniture department. The walls Floyd | here used to be completely covered in his paintings, but apparently Floyd | he's removed them all since last I was here, and the room looks oddly Floyd | bare. Floyd | Floyd | The stairs up are to the west, the kitchen north, and a locked door Floyd | which I assume leads to Irene's room northeast. The foyer lies back to Floyd | the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | I stick Leo's key in the lock; it turns normally, but the door doesn't Floyd | budge. I guess the lock mechanism must be broken. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade key" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "yeah, if Irene wasn't in the way, I'd give the ankh to Leo, freeze time, unlock our bathroom door, get the glass key, reenter our apt via bathroom." | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I try to peek inside, but even this early the light is bright enough Floyd | to make that impractical. I cautiously squeak the slider open. I take Floyd | a single step inside . . . Floyd | Floyd | . . . and abruptly find myself face to face with an astonished Leo. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I reach for the diamond ring, but a sudden cry from Leo stops me. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden noise: I turn. Leo has emerged from the house onto the porch, Floyd | the pocketwatch in his hand. I retreat into the shadows; he doesn't Floyd | see me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Utter fear paralyses me. I've dawdled for so long and the crisis point Floyd | is so close that I can no longer bring myself to intervene. Floyd | Floyd | Irene emerges stealthily from the open slider, a gun clutched in her Floyd | right hand. Leo hasn't seen her; he's busily contemplating the new Floyd | painting in the garden, pocketwatch in hand. Floyd | Floyd | "Don't move!" shouts Irene. I freeze, but she hasn't seen me; she Floyd | raises the gun on Leo instead. "I know what you're thinking, Leo, and Floyd | you can't do it. That's our rule, remember? No recursions. No loops." Floyd | Her voice is steady. Floyd | Floyd | The look on Leo's face isn't the horror I expect---in fact, he looks Floyd | guilty. "All right, Irene, I'm sorry. Just put the gun down, all Floyd | right?" Floyd | Floyd | "You still want to go, don't you, Leo? Don't go." There is a brief Floyd | moment of utter silence, the tension so high I can taste it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden noise: I turn. Leo has emerged from the house onto the porch, Floyd | the pocketwatch in his hand. I retreat into the shadows; he doesn't Floyd | see me. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "yaaay, another bug" | |||
| Touchy says, "If I had a dollar *sing*" | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | No time at all goes by. Floyd | Floyd | Irene emerges stealthily from the open slider, a gun clutched in her Floyd | right hand. Leo hasn't seen her; he's busily contemplating the new Floyd | painting in the garden, pocketwatch in hand. Floyd | Floyd | "Don't move!" shouts Irene. I freeze, but she hasn't seen me; she Floyd | raises the gun on Leo instead. "I know what you're thinking, Leo, and Floyd | you can't do it. That's our rule, remember? No recursions. No loops." Floyd | Her voice is steady. Floyd | Floyd | The look on Leo's face isn't the horror I expect---in fact, he looks Floyd | guilty. "All right, Irene, I'm sorry. Just put the gun down, all Floyd | right?" Floyd | Floyd | "You still want to go, don't you, Leo? Don't go." There is a brief Floyd | moment of utter silence, the tension so high I can taste it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden noise: I turn. Leo has emerged from the house onto the porch, Floyd | the pocketwatch in his hand. I retreat into the shadows; he doesn't Floyd | see me. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Porch Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "You either give the ankh to Leo or watch a gunfight." | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "/undo" | ||||
Floyd | Garden Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch (in monochrome) Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden noise: I turn. Leo has emerged from the house onto the porch, Floyd | the pocketwatch in his hand. I retreat into the shadows; he doesn't Floyd | see me. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "I think we can't stop his time for some reason..." | |||
| Touchy says, "this reason may very well be a bug.." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Utter fear paralyses me. I've dawdled for so long and the crisis point Floyd | is so close that I can no longer bring myself to intervene. Floyd | Floyd | Irene emerges stealthily from the open slider, a gun clutched in her Floyd | right hand. Leo hasn't seen her; he's busily contemplating the new Floyd | painting in the garden, pocketwatch in hand. Floyd | Floyd | "Don't move!" shouts Irene. I freeze, but she hasn't seen me; she Floyd | raises the gun on Leo instead. "I know what you're thinking, Leo, and Floyd | you can't do it. That's our rule, remember? No recursions. No loops." Floyd | Her voice is steady. Floyd | Floyd | The look on Leo's face isn't the horror I expect---in fact, he looks Floyd | guilty. "All right, Irene, I'm sorry. Just put the gun down, all Floyd | right?" Floyd | Floyd | "You still want to go, don't you, Leo? Don't go." There is a brief Floyd | moment of utter silence, the tension so high I can taste it. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I'm guessing our arrival in the past started a daemon/scene and stopping time doesn't stop it." | |||
| Touchy says, "Yeah, something like that." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I say nothing. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | (the diamond ring) Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "x staircase" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "x stairs" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Irene is blocking the way. Floyd | Floyd | Out of nowhere, a sudden spray of mist from the waterfall wets my Floyd | face. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take painting" | ||||
Floyd | It's firmly affixed to the wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take nail" | ||||
Floyd | It's firmly affixed to the wall. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "hm.." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "hammer nail" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | This room also has windows on three sides, and features splendid views Floyd | of the garden and the pond. Aside from the usual kitchen accessories, Floyd | I've got a little table here, and some cabinets. The exit to the Floyd | garden is northeast, and the rest of the house back south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "climb irene" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "haha" | |||
| Touchy says, "let's try that" | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "climb irene" | ||||
Floyd | I don't think much is to be achieved by that. Floyd | Floyd | Out of nowhere, a sudden spray of mist from the waterfall wets my Floyd | face. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Aww." | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | This room also has windows on three sides, and features splendid views Floyd | of the garden and the pond. Aside from the usual kitchen accessories, Floyd | I've got a little table here, and some cabinets. The exit to the Floyd | garden is northeast, and the rest of the house back south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | A squirrelly-looking creature skitters by the edge of the cliff and Floyd | out of the painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | This room also has windows on three sides, and features splendid views Floyd | of the garden and the pond. Aside from the usual kitchen accessories, Floyd | I've got a little table here, and some cabinets. The exit to the Floyd | garden is northeast, and the rest of the house back south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Damn. Move it old hag." | |||
| DavidW asks, "oh. Hide out in the kitchen until Leo arrives?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Worth a shot. Hit it." | ||||
| (from Jacqueline) Jacqueline says, "C'mon, Irene... Oh, I swear..." | ||||
| DavidW says, "no, you continue, please." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | This room also has windows on three sides, and features splendid views Floyd | of the garden and the pond. Aside from the usual kitchen accessories, Floyd | I've got a little table here, and some cabinets. The exit to the Floyd | garden is northeast, and the rest of the house back south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I stand placidly, willing to wait as long as it takes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I stand placidly, willing to wait as long as it takes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I stand placidly, willing to wait as long as it takes. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "hm..." | |||
| DavidW says, "I suspect nothing will happen." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | A squirrelly-looking creature skitters by the edge of the cliff and Floyd | out of the painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "x couch" | ||||
Floyd | I think there's enough going on at the moment that I can safely say Floyd | the state of the furniture is immaterial. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "search gun" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "Leo needs to see us, with or without glass key." | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I can't go that way. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer (in monochrome) Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo stands here, looking healthy but frazzled. Floyd | Floyd | A familiar snapping sound comes from the hallway. Floyd | Floyd | "What I really don't understand," Leo continues, "and you don't have Floyd | to explain if you'd rather not---is how you got the diamond ring. I'd Floyd | recognise it anywhere, but it can't be mine, because I've got it right Floyd | here." He waves his own, snapping it on and off a few times for good Floyd | measure. "I can only imagine Irene must have given it to you, but I Floyd | can't imagine why." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | He sinks slowly to the floor. "Christ, Matilda, I don't know what to Floyd | do. I find my key after thinking it was lost forever, but my gallery Floyd | is gone unless I can find that damn key. And now I can't find Irene Floyd | anywhere." Floyd | Floyd | Leo bursts into the room, waving the pocketwatch cord about violently. Floyd | He looks desperate, more frightened than I can ever recall seeing him. Floyd | Floyd | "Matilda, where's the glass key gone? It should be in the music box, Floyd | with the other keys, but it isn't there. Without it I can't get into Floyd | the gallery." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | Leo murmurs something incomprehensible under his breath. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "ask leo about ankh" | ||||
Floyd | "Leo, will you give me back that stone key? You don't seem to be Floyd | making much use of it." Floyd | Floyd | "Leave it, Matilda," he says flatly. "I don't know where you found Floyd | that key, but the whole reason it exists is to access the gallery. It Floyd | would be better if you just went back home and forgot about all Floyd | this---I'm ashamed that you've managed to get involved." Floyd | Floyd | "Damn it, Leo!" I shout, ready to cry with frustration. "I want Floyd | answers! Why won't you listen?" Floyd | Floyd | He turns away. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take ankh" | ||||
Floyd | That seems to belong to Leo. Floyd | Floyd | "All right," Leo says finally. "I'm going to keep searching. I Floyd | couldn't find the key on the beach, but if you think you can find it Floyd | you might look there. God knows, if I haven't found it by the time you Floyd | get back I'll have to do something desperate." Floyd | Floyd | And with this, he walks to the bedroom door and turns his stone key in Floyd | the lock. It flies open, and he steps into the complete whiteness Floyd | beyond just before the door snaps shut behind him, leaving me alone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask leo for ankh" | ||||
Floyd | It hardly looks as if Leo is up to being ordered around right now. Floyd | Floyd | "All right," Leo says finally. "I'm going to keep searching. I Floyd | couldn't find the key on the beach, but if you think you can find it Floyd | you might look there. God knows, if I haven't found it by the time you Floyd | get back I'll have to do something desperate." Floyd | Floyd | And with this, he walks to the bedroom door and turns his stone key in Floyd | the lock. It flies open, and he steps into the complete whiteness Floyd | beyond just before the door snaps shut behind him, leaving me alone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask leo about ankh" | ||||
Floyd | No words come. Floyd | Floyd | "All right," Leo says finally. "I'm going to keep searching. I Floyd | couldn't find the key on the beach, but if you think you can find it Floyd | you might look there. God knows, if I haven't found it by the time you Floyd | get back I'll have to do something desperate." Floyd | Floyd | And with this, he walks to the bedroom door and turns his stone key in Floyd | the lock. It flies open, and he steps into the complete whiteness Floyd | beyond just before the door snaps shut behind him, leaving me alone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "dse" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Foyer (in monochrome) Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks, "Check if Irene's still ther?" | |||
| Touchy says, "Of course she is." | ||||
| DavidW says, "she is" | ||||
| Touchy sighs. | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "sigh" | ||||
| Bert arrives, ready to play with the toys. | Jacqueline says, "Welcome to Hell, Bert." | |||
| Touchy asks, "Is that Jotabert?" | ||||
| Bert says, "Yeah, I've played it before." | ||||
| Bert says (to Touchy), "Yes." | ||||
| Bishop asks, "What is JotaBert for, anyways?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm. Jotabert, you may be our new best friend." | ||||
| Touchy says, "How about some more thinking? It's probably useless anyway." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Bert), "We're pretty much at the frustratingly difficult endgame." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We may ask for a gentle nudge." | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm. I suppose giving the glass key to Leo, then eating the pill won't help." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "The in-game nudges seem pretty ineffectual, and we're scared of the walk-through-strength hints." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "We assume we're at the endgame." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I don't see how." | ||||
| Bert says (to Bishop), "It's just a spare account I use for testing things, or if I want to do stuff in a separate TF window (like this)." | ||||
| Bert says (to Jacq), "I'm not sure that I actually *remember* any of it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Aw." | ||||
| DavidW says, "If we stop Irene, that doesn't necessarily stop Leo." | ||||
| Bert says, "If I did, I probably wouldn't have bothered to come in to watch you play it :)" | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | Bert says, "(I also remember needing hints originally.)" | |||
| Jacqueline frowns at Bert. | ||||
| Bert exclaims, "Just giving you full disclosure!" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > Floyd | Irene is frozen here, eyes riveted on the spot where I was standing a Floyd | moment ago. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Oh, I realize. I'm just... disappointed." | |||
| DavidW asks, "hm. Does the game know the verbs 'marry' or 'propose'?" | ||||
| Bert asks, "So, uh... who was Irene, again?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Man, you don't remember. heh" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It's Leo's mother" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Irene is upset that we, not a member of the family, knows about the time tricks." | ||||
| Bert says, "Oh, OK. That sounds somewhat familiar." | ||||
| DavidW says, "If we propose to Leo, perhaps that will negate some of her fury." | ||||
| Touchy says, "So basically it's one of those causality jokes. She shoots him putting in action what we do which in turn makes her shoot him.." | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "x waterfall" | ||||
Floyd | (the waterfall painting) Floyd | It was a present from Leo a few years ago. He usually paints from Floyd | life---he gets up before dawn every day and paints in all sorts of Floyd | strange places---but I asked him to do one for me from his mind, and Floyd | as far as I know it's the only imaginary landscape he's ever done. It Floyd | depicts a waterfall so wide that it completely fills the sky, as seen Floyd | from a promontory in the foreground that juts out over the water's Floyd | edge. Floyd | Floyd | The nail that's holding this painting up appears to be coming loose. I Floyd | make a mental note to fix that at some point. Floyd | Floyd | Standing here, I feel a sudden sense of vertigo as the water plunging Floyd | over the cliff falls away from me rather than down. Floyd | Floyd | > | Bert asks, "What have we done with the waterfall painting so far?" | |||
| Touchy says (to Bert), "Nothing. If we walk in we lose." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Not much. If we enter it, the game ends in Circularity." | ||||
| Touchy says, "And we have not encountered it before because it was broken in the future." | ||||
| Bert says, "It *may* be relevant here." | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "touch waterfall" | ||||
Floyd | (the waterfall painting) Floyd | Probably a bad idea; I rehung this painting on a single nail after Floyd | Quentin painted the walls, and it really isn't terrifically stable. Floyd | Floyd | Out of nowhere, a sudden spray of mist from the waterfall wets my Floyd | face. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "x nail" | ||||
Floyd | It was a present from Leo a few years ago. He usually paints from Floyd | life---he gets up before dawn every day and paints in all sorts of Floyd | strange places---but I asked him to do one for me from his mind, and Floyd | as far as I know it's the only imaginary landscape he's ever done. It Floyd | depicts a waterfall so wide that it completely fills the sky, as seen Floyd | from a promontory in the foreground that juts out over the water's Floyd | edge. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "get it" | ||||
Floyd | It's firmly affixed to the wall. Floyd | Floyd | Out of nowhere, a sudden spray of mist from the waterfall wets my Floyd | face. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "x papers" | ||||
Floyd | It looks like the entries are monthly, dating from last November up Floyd | until this month. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "We've stopped time; we can't take anything." | |||
| Bert asks, "And if we unstop it, does the game end instantly?" | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "enter waterfall" | ||||
Floyd | (the waterfall painting) Floyd | Bizarre, how casually I can do this. I walk clean into another world, Floyd | not even pausing to look behind me after I arrive. Floyd | Floyd | Cliff's Edge Floyd | I am momentarily disoriented as my head fills with the roar of water. Floyd | I open my eyes to mist, positioned by a cliff which comes to a point Floyd | some distance ahead of me. The vista beyond the cliff is dominated by Floyd | the waterfall, unnaturally close behind, so near that it's utterly Floyd | impossible to see anything beyond it. Up at the far edge is Leo, Floyd | leaning dangerously over the falls. Floyd | Floyd | "Leo!" I shout. But of course he can't hear me with the water as loud Floyd | as it is. He's drawn these falls from his imagination, and they are Floyd | far larger than anything I can conceive of in the real world, the Floyd | water falling from a point far above our heads, and dissolving into Floyd | mist far below, the cloud of mist so large it becomes impossible to Floyd | see anything in the distance---there is only water, me, Leo and a line Floyd | of small yellow flowers that seems to be thriving in the mist off the Floyd | falls. Floyd | Floyd | I begin running toward him. "Leo! Wait for me!" But my voice seems to Floyd | be unable to carry. And, then, suddenly, a bell rings overhead. I Floyd | continue to run, the motion slower and slower, but now I am perplexed. Floyd | As it rings again, I am hit by a rush of utter horror. Floyd | Floyd | "Oh, no," I say dizzily. "No, no, no . . ." but the world is already Floyd | dissolving into white, and through the whiteness the mist is already Floyd | coalescing into the shape of my bedroom . . . Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** Cyclicality has won. *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | DavidW says, "No, we get trapped into Irene's script." | |||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Bert says, "I'm not sure what that means." | |||
| DavidW says, "She'll want us to get the gun from the drawer." | ||||
| DavidW says, "A scene will trigger. A daemon. And we won't be able to interfere or leave. There's a possibility that we might get the gun, I suppose." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah and we get all 'I can't bring myself to stop listening to her oh god she is so fascinating in what she is saying I am powerless'" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, Irene starts telling Matilda to ignore the voice in her head, which is not useful." | ||||
| Touchy asks, "And Jacq is quite fed up with that, you see?" | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "can we take the pill when Irene tells her to stop listening?" | ||||
| Bert says, "Oh yeah, the PC/player division" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We need to plug our ears so we can't listen to *Irene*." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Nah, we can't leave the room with the pill." | ||||
| Bert says, "I didn't like how this game did that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "You didn't? I sort of think it clever." | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "x pill" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks, "Hehe. Does anybody have any gum?" | |||
| Taleslinger has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | Jacqueline says, "Except for in this scene where it's clever the first time, then frustrating." | |||
| Bert says, "It annoyed me the way this game handled it. But YMMV." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "Check the medicine cabinet." | ||||
| Bert asks, "Would you like me to read the walkthrough?" | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "version" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | T h e P r i m r o s e P a t h Floyd | By Nolan Bonvouloir Floyd | Release 3 / Serial number 080322 / Inform 7 build 3T38 (I6/v6.31 lib Floyd | 6/10N) Floyd | Identification number: //9A72E4B2-77D5-4198-B77C-918DA6FB3452// Floyd | Standard interpreter 1.0 (2N) / Library serial number 991113 Floyd | Standard Rules version 1/060430 by Graham Nelson Floyd | Basic Screen Effects version 2 by Emily Short Floyd | Punctuation Removal by Emily Short Floyd | Locksmith version 2 by Emily Short Floyd | Extended Banner version 1 by Stephen Granade Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy's shoulders slump. | |||
| Touchy says, "Yes, yes, I think I would." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Could you, then gently ever so gently hint us?" | ||||
| Bert says, "Sure. As soon as I locate it..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "plug ears" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "marry leo" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "propose to leo" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Hehe He's going to be back in a minute telling us there is no good ending." | |||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "make love to leo" | ||||
Floyd | That isn't a verb I recognise. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, ">eat lead / nom nom nom *** Leo is saved; You dead girl! ****" | |||
| Bert says, "Erm. I'm sure there must have been some sort of hints or walkthrough, but I can't find them." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Noooooooooooo" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, Bert." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I think they're in-game." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "There's hints in the - right." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "If you could run it offline." | ||||
| Bert says, "Oh, OK. I'll download it." | ||||
| Bert says, "Hmm, odd. You seem to be playing R3, but I only see R2 on ifdb." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "You're swell." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Bert), "Yeah, I found that odd, too." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "It's also all that's mentioned on ifWiki." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "And, I think, baf's" | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, maybe r3 was uploaded to IF Archive and put on Floyd and no one at Baf's, ifWiki, or IFDB noticed." | ||||
| Bert asks, "Hmm. Do I need to replay through the game to this point in order to see the hints for this section?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yea" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "er, yeah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh man." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Possibly." | ||||
| Jacqueline cries. | ||||
| DavidW asks, "isn't there a walkthrough in-game without playing it through?" | ||||
| Touchy asks, "There is no walkthrough for this game? Is that even possible?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sure." | ||||
| Touchy asks, "The walkthrough hints you get for HINTing?" | ||||
| Gerynar asks, "how about we leave the toyroom, have him run the built-in walkthrough, then tell us when he's done?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oho" | ||||
| Bert says, "And the commands in the piecewise in-game walkthrough aren't even accurate..." | ||||
| Jacqueline heads for the lounge | ||||
| Jacqueline disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again. | Jacqueline says, "Let us know when to come back." | |||
| DavidW has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | DavidW says, "This is weird." | |||
| Gerynar has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | Jacqueline says, "heh" | |||
| olethros asks, "is it the end?" | ||||
| Taleslinger asks, "couldn't he just get v3 from the archive?" | ||||
| Touchy disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again. | Jacqueline says, "Sure, but I think the hints are context-specific." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "And he shouldn't have to play through the whole thing for us." | ||||
| Taleslinger says, "Hah" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Touchy), "The glass key" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We didn't get the glass key for Jota." | ||||
| DavidW says, "If it's context-specific, he might be reading how to get that key instead of how to win." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I've tried some hints locally. So far nothing useful." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks (of Touchy), "Do you have the same version?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "I don't know." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Type 'version'" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Yeah, I do." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "huh" | ||||
| Touchy asks, "Hm?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Just interesting that you got the hard to find version." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I sort of hate going directly to the archive." | ||||
| Gerynar says, "I'm thinking that maybe ifdb says two, but links to three" | ||||
| Bert has been idle here re-playing in another window and didn't see everyone leave. | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | Gerynar says, "that's wehre I think I got my copy, and it too is version 3" | |||
| DavidW says, "What Gerynar said." | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "x drawer" | ||||
Floyd | My head turns to peer into the drawer, and I squeeze my eyes shut only Floyd | just in time. Floyd | Floyd | Irene's voice: "I know you know it's there, Matilda. You can't hide it Floyd | from yourself forever." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says (to Bert), "Oops. Heehee" | |||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "open drawer" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | I hear a soft sound from the corner. Turning, I nearly jump out of my Floyd | skin to see Irene standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding her Floyd | hands clasped behind her back and staring at me in a peculiar way. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, hello, Matilda," she says. "I didn't think you were up yet." Floyd | Her eyes flip back and forth from me to the staircase, confused. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "save" | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "whereICameIn" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | Bert tries something while you're out of the room. | |||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | I hear a soft sound from the corner. Turning, I nearly jump out of my Floyd | skin to see Irene standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding her Floyd | hands clasped behind her back and staring at me in a peculiar way. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, hello, Matilda," she says. "I didn't think you were up yet." Floyd | Her eyes flip back and forth from me to the staircase, confused. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "open drawer" | ||||
Floyd | Foreboding like nothing I have ever experienced, descending like a Floyd | certain apocalypse. My hand shakes as I pull open the drawer . . . Floyd | Floyd | Oh, God. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "take gun" | ||||
Floyd | I crumple. From somewhere behind me, Irene begins to laugh. "They Floyd | know," she says. "They always know. You'd better go on and take it; Floyd | you won't be able to help yourself." Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "If IF Archive gets a new version of a game that replaces an old one, they update IF Archive and nowhere else. Emails aren't auto-sent to IFWiki or anywhere else saying please update." | |||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "g" | ||||
Floyd | My hand is shaking: taken. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is looking at me, not quite sure what to say. I have a horrible Floyd | feeling of possibility, the sense that anything in the world could Floyd | happen in the next moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Sure." | |||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "sw" | ||||
Floyd | I stumble blindly out of the room. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Even out of her presence, Irene's words are twisting, working their Floyd | way through my mind. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "They only mail the uploader." | |||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I hear Irene behind me, screaming Leo's name. Something gives, Floyd | somewhere, and in my last moment of self-possession, all my fear and Floyd | loathing and revulsion of this weapon bubbles to the surface, and I Floyd | block you out long enough to throw open the screen door and hurl the Floyd | gun with all my force into the motorway. Floyd | Floyd | There's a pause, then a satisfying crack as a car hits it and spins it Floyd | into the woods on the far side of the road. I collapse back against Floyd | the wall, exhausted. Floyd | Floyd | As I savour my triumph, Irene emerges, bemused, from the living room. Floyd | Some kind of spell seems to have been broken. "Well, that's that, Floyd | then. Silly of me, really, to make such a fuss over such a small Floyd | thing." She is interrupted by the sound of stairs being loudly Floyd | descended: Leo. Floyd | Floyd | I turn my attention to Irene, who has slipped off her bracelet and is Floyd | pulling at it thoughtfully. Abruptly, she leans in to me and begins to Floyd | whisper rapidly. "Listen. I'm sorry about the mistake with the key---I Floyd | had no idea it would cause so much trouble. If you want to get it, I Floyd | can distract him for you. But there won't be much time. If he can't Floyd | find his silly glass key I can't be held responsible for what he'll do Floyd | next. Try the roof of the cabin on the bay." Floyd | Floyd | Leo appears in the foyer, waving the pocketwatch wildly. "Irene," he Floyd | gasps, "the gallery key's missing---I don't know what---I wanted you Floyd | to---" Floyd | Floyd | "I know, Leo. Come in here; there's something we need to discuss." But Floyd | before she goes, she leans in close, squeezes my wrist, and whispers a Floyd | single word: "Run." Floyd | Floyd | Then she drags Leo northeast, into my living room. The door slams. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "whereICameIn" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| Bert says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | The roar of water comes from the painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | Bert says, "OK, I think you can come back in." | |||
| Touchy says, "Things I hate: zoom allows only undoing once." | ||||
| DavidW says, "And the filenames are often the same in that case, so links from IFDB or Baf's will still work. The links don't know that the file they point to is different now." | ||||
| DavidW arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | ||||
| Gerynar arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Touchy says, "I think I found something." | |||
| Touchy arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | Jacqueline says, "Okay. Hold on to that thought." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Don't spoil us outright. I think we're hoping for nudges." | ||||
| DavidW says, "x plea for Jacq's return" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Just, y'know, more helpful nudges than the game provides." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Time to return." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Okay." | ||||
| Jacqueline arrives, full of funk, but no fun. | Bert asks, "OK. So do we know what Irene plans to do here?" | |||
| Touchy says (to Jacq), "I installed using Zoom. It has a built in browser and let's you just click play on IFDB." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Jacq), "I wasn't going to spoil I only played locally." | ||||
| Touchy says, "I didn't read any hints we haven't already read yesterday." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Irene intends to shoot Leo with the gun that Leo hid in our drawer." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room (in monochrome) Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The turquoise of the walls, however, is mercifully Floyd | invisible, though all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. | Bert asks, "OK. So what are some ways to stop her from doing that?" | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Irene is frozen here, at the bottom of the staircase. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the waterfall painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | A sudden movement from the painting draws my eye, down by the log Floyd | cabin, but is gone by the time I look. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "This is to prevent Leo from duplicating himself by using a recent painting." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Well, we could get the gun from her." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Or we could sneak up behind her if we could figure out how and boink her on the head and drag her into a closet." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "We've never managed to do that." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to DW), "Oh, I realize." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm just answering Bert's question." | ||||
| Bert says (to Jacq), "OK, one of those two things is probably possible." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "He's using the Socratic hinting method, it would seem." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I am guessing we get the gun away from her." | ||||
| Bert says, "I would recommend starting with the one that seems simpler." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We can't unlock the toilet door on our side because we can't get past Irene here." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Getting the gun is potentially simpler." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "So. We can't get the gun from her with time stopped." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Because it'll be like stone." | ||||
| DavidW says, "That's right." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We have to wait for her to tell us where it is anyway." | ||||
| Touchy says, "We also were never able to even look for the gun." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Do we need to save?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Because she denies the import of furniture in her situation." | ||||
| Bert asks (of W), "I thought you just said you knew where it was?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Bert), "We've played this a lot." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We have 26 or so saves." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Which has got to be some kind of CF record." | ||||
| Touchy says, "We know where it is but Matilda doesn't..." | ||||
| DavidW says, "We know where it.. yes that" | ||||
| Touchy says, "I just noticed something." | ||||
| Touchy asks, "Do you want to hear it?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "sure" | ||||
| Gerynar says, "why not" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Sure" | ||||
| Touchy says, "There seem to be interesting messages when I go get the key for leo and then enter the pondpainting again..." | ||||
| Bert asks, "Whom do you want to be in control here, you or Matilda?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "So I think we might need to recurse after all.." | ||||
| Bert says, "If *you* know where it is..." | ||||
| Touchy says (to Bert), "has a very good point though. We had to force her before..." | ||||
| Touchy says, "And it would fit in with the whole PC vs Player paradigm." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | Jacqueline says, "Whole new definition of PvP" | |||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | I hear a soft sound from the corner. Turning, I nearly jump out of my Floyd | skin to see Irene standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding her Floyd | hands clasped behind her back and staring at me in a peculiar way. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, hello, Matilda," she says. "I didn't think you were up yet." Floyd | Her eyes flip back and forth from me to the staircase, confused. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x irene" | ||||
Floyd | I feel as though I've interrupted Irene while she was in the process Floyd | of systematically searching my flat; she's hovering over an end table Floyd | now and her of eyes are fixated right on me. Floyd | Floyd | "Listen," Irene says. Her voice is quick, intense, nothing like during Floyd | our conversation on the bay. "I'm sorry to trespass on you like this. Floyd | I came to see if Leo's been using you to hide things from me, and it Floyd | turns out that he has." She gestures to the end table by the sofa. Floyd | "Open the drawer there. I want you to see." Floyd | Floyd | A sick feeling develops in the pit of my stomach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open drawer" | ||||
Floyd | Foreboding like nothing I have ever experienced, descending like a Floyd | certain apocalypse. My hand shakes as I pull open the drawer . . . Floyd | Floyd | Oh, God. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take gun" | ||||
Floyd | I crumple. From somewhere behind me, Irene begins to laugh. "They Floyd | know," she says. "They always know. You'd better go on and take it; Floyd | you won't be able to help yourself." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take gun" | ||||
Floyd | My hand is shaking: taken. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is looking at me, not quite sure what to say. I have a horrible Floyd | feeling of possibility, the sense that anything in the world could Floyd | happen in the next moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "woot" | |||
| Touchy says, "oh my..." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Whoa" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Well, let's do her and be done with it." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "shoot irene" | ||||
Floyd | "Oh, no," I say aloud. "Irene, I'm being told to shoot you." Floyd | Floyd | She holds her composure. "You are under no obligation to obey, Floyd | Matilda," she says. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "shoot irene" | ||||
Floyd | Stop . . . I can't. I won't. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "shoot irene" | ||||
Floyd | My thumb, moved by a will stronger than mine, cocks the hammer. "Get Floyd | out, Irene!" I shout. "Get out!" Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "shoot irene" | ||||
Floyd | My hand is shaking so badly, I don't even realise my finger is pulling Floyd | the trigger until I hear the report knocks me off balance. Irene makes Floyd | a noise, but I am sobbing too hard to even tell whether she's been Floyd | hit. I pull the trigger again; there is silence. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | Leo draws toward me, wild-eyed. Floyd | Nearby, Irene's body is splayed out on the floor. Floyd | Floyd | With uncanny timing, Leo bursts into the room. It seems to take him Floyd | only a second to take in what's happened---from admiration to hatred, Floyd | in a single second---and, characteristically, he reacts nearly Floyd | instantly. Time seems to slow as he makes a rush for my gun . . . Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "hehe" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | A squirrelly-looking creature skitters by the edge of the cliff and Floyd | out of the painting. Floyd | Floyd | In a flash, Leo is upon me, and I realise I have pulled the trigger Floyd | again---surely I meant to drop it, before?---but the range makes the Floyd | shot too close to miss, and Leo falls on the ground at my feet. Floyd | Floyd | The world spins . . . Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | I listen to your words for a moment, but something else is rising in Floyd | me: a delicious knowledge. With sudden clarity, I see the futility of Floyd | your words: I have the freedom to ignore your voice completely. Floyd | Floyd | Slowly, I lift my hand and turn the setting on my engagement ring. In Floyd | seeming slow motion, colour drains from the world. Floyd | Floyd | Standing here, I feel a sudden sense of vertigo as the water plunging Floyd | over the cliff falls away from me rather than down. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Bad, bad Matilda..." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Relishing my freedom, I lean down briefly to kiss Leo. His lips are Floyd | frozen, steely marble. Then I leap into the painting on the wall, Floyd | barely hearing the crash as the frame falls to the ground and shatters Floyd | behind me . . . Floyd | Floyd | Cliff's Edge Floyd | I am momentarily disoriented as my head fills with the roar of water. Floyd | I open my eyes to mist, positioned near a cliff which comes to a point Floyd | some distance ahead of me. The vista beyond the cliff is dominated by Floyd | the waterfall, unnaturally close behind, too near to see anything Floyd | beyond it. Floyd | Floyd | The roar of water comes from the painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | I look out over the landscape, which is dominated by falling water, Floyd | the shape of the horizon only just visible beyond. I take a deep Floyd | breath. Floyd | | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | You know what? Don't even bother. Floyd | Floyd | I lean down and take up one of the primroses. It smells only faintly. Floyd | The sky here is wider than I have ever seen it. I walk up to the very, Floyd | very edge to look down at the water below. Floyd | | Jacqueline says, "So, we're stuck here." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | Touchy says, "Not for long." | |||
Floyd | > Floyd | Floyd | Yes. Floyd | Floyd | I run forward and cast myself over the edge . . . Floyd | Floyd | . . . and suddenly, I am flying. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** You have won. *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "Aha" | |||
| DavidW asks, "buh wuh?" | ||||
| Touchy asks, "OK, let's go back and try not to shoot anybody, hm?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "That didn't even involve the glass key." | ||||
| Bert says, "Huh, that is a very different 'You have won' than the one I got." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'd like to not kill Leo at least." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Irene can bite it, though." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I'm open to suggestions." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Well, we can a) not shoot Irene, b) shoot ourselves." | ||||
| Touchy says, "self" | ||||
| DavidW says, "Yes, that's an option." | ||||
| Touchy says, "man all that schizophrenia is getting to me.." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| DavidW says, "We could also try to leave the room or enter the painting with the gun." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Absolutely." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Ideally, I'd want to return the glass key to Leo as well." | ||||
| Bert asks, "Would it be a spoiler to mention which of those particular sets of options the in-game walkthrough lead me toward?" | ||||
| Bert says, "(Since I presume several of them are valid 'winning' endings.)" | ||||
| DavidW says, "well, I assume we have to enter the waterfall painting eventually if only because to get rid of this version of Matilda before present-Matilda comes down the stairs." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm, true." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Also, eating lunch, but watching the conversation/game." | ||||
| Touchy says, "OK. I think I have found a very satisfying ending." | ||||
| Touchy says, "But I will be quiet for now." | ||||
| DavidW says, "good lord. the time." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Indeed. I have to leave in twenty minutes." | ||||
| DavidW says, "whimper" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf21" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | The oboe fades, the clarinet dimming as it echoes its melody. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter box" | ||||
Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with ankh" | ||||
Floyd | Confidently, I slip the key into the lock and stride forward into pure Floyd | alabaster. Floyd | Floyd | Whiteness Floyd | Again, the endless white in every direction. The only feature of this Floyd | place seems to be the door I came in through. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "unlock door with jade" | ||||
Floyd | There is a satisfying snap as the key turns in the lock, and as soon Floyd | as I withdraw the key the door flies open with an ostentatious flash Floyd | of light. Feeling profoundly nervous, I walk through to the other Floyd | side. Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo built this porch himself, five or six years ago, ruining the Floyd | building's symmetricality and making me quite rabidly jealous. His Floyd | kitchen is accessible to the southeast, and our garden is east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | A garden, co-grown by Leo and me, although it generally seems like I Floyd | end up doing most of the work. Currently the centrepiece of the garden Floyd | is an easel of Leo's, which at the moment is ruthlessly engaged in Floyd | crushing my violets, a very recent-looking painting of the pond to the Floyd | east perched upon it. His porch is to the west, mine to the east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn diamond" | ||||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | A thin mist is setting in within the painting, and a grey cloud of Floyd | moisture drifts out of the canvas. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "You can just play from cf22." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step gingerly into the art, closing my eyes just in time to avoid Floyd | the blinding flash of light . . . Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | The pond is a much more mysterious place at sunrise, all grays and Floyd | ripples and dappled twilight---I find myself wishing I had the time to Floyd | simply stand and look. I can access the garden to the west, and the Floyd | fence marking the edge of the property stretches along the southern Floyd | perimeter of the pond. My kitchen lies to the southwest, inaccessible Floyd | behind the sliding door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Maybe even later but 22 is the last I know what's going on." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I try to peek inside, but even this early the light is bright enough Floyd | to make that impractical. I cautiously squeak the slider open. I take Floyd | a single step inside . . . Floyd | Floyd | . . . and abruptly find myself face to face with an astonished Leo. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | ||||
Floyd | I say nothing. Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the pocketwatch I Floyd | found in the living room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "This is exactly the point of cf22.h heh." | |||
| DavidW asks, "Do we get the gun now? Before Leo asks for the glass key?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks, "Sure, why not?" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | I hear a soft sound from the corner. Turning, I nearly jump out of my Floyd | skin to see Irene standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding her Floyd | hands clasped behind her back and staring at me in a peculiar way. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, hello, Matilda," she says. "I didn't think you were up yet." Floyd | Her eyes flip back and forth from me to the staircase, confused. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "z" | Touchy asks, "Save?" | |||
Floyd | Half a minute or so goes by. Floyd | Floyd | "Listen," Irene says. Her voice is quick, intense, nothing like during Floyd | our conversation on the bay. "I'm sorry to trespass on you like this. Floyd | I came to see if Leo's been using you to hide things from me, and it Floyd | turns out that he has." She gestures to the end table by the sofa. Floyd | "Open the drawer there. I want you to see." Floyd | Floyd | A sick feeling develops in the pit of my stomach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open drawer" | ||||
Floyd | Foreboding like nothing I have ever experienced, descending like a Floyd | certain apocalypse. My hand shakes as I pull open the drawer . . . Floyd | Floyd | Oh, God. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take gun" | ||||
Floyd | I crumple. From somewhere behind me, Irene begins to laugh. "They Floyd | know," she says. "They always know. You'd better go on and take it; Floyd | you won't be able to help yourself." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take gun" | ||||
Floyd | My hand is shaking: taken. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is looking at me, not quite sure what to say. I have a horrible Floyd | feeling of possibility, the sense that anything in the world could Floyd | happen in the next moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw" | Touchy asks, "Save?" | |||
Floyd | I stumble blindly out of the room. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Even out of her presence, Irene's words are twisting, working their Floyd | way through my mind. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Alright, I'll just watch." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "save" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "gun" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to store: All right. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | I hear Irene behind me, screaming Leo's name. Something gives, Floyd | somewhere, and in my last moment of self-possession, all my fear and Floyd | loathing and revulsion of this weapon bubbles to the surface, and I Floyd | block you out long enough to throw open the screen door and hurl the Floyd | gun with all my force into the motorway. Floyd | Floyd | There's a pause, then a satisfying crack as a car hits it and spins it Floyd | into the woods on the far side of the road. I collapse back against Floyd | the wall, exhausted. Floyd | Floyd | As I savour my triumph, Irene emerges, bemused, from the living room. Floyd | Some kind of spell seems to have been broken. "Well, that's that, Floyd | then. Silly of me, really, to make such a fuss over such a small Floyd | thing." She is interrupted by the sound of stairs being loudly Floyd | descended: Leo. Floyd | Floyd | I turn my attention to Irene, who has slipped off her bracelet and is Floyd | pulling at it thoughtfully. Abruptly, she leans in to me and begins to Floyd | whisper rapidly. "Listen. I'm sorry about the mistake with the key---I Floyd | had no idea it would cause so much trouble. If you want to get it, I Floyd | can distract him for you. But there won't be much time. If he can't Floyd | find his silly glass key I can't be held responsible for what he'll do Floyd | next. Try the roof of the cabin on the bay." Floyd | Floyd | Leo appears in the foyer, waving the pocketwatch wildly. "Irene," he Floyd | gasps, "the gallery key's missing---I don't know what---I wanted you Floyd | to---" Floyd | Floyd | "I know, Leo. Come in here; there's something we need to discuss." But Floyd | before she goes, she leans in close, squeezes my wrist, and whispers a Floyd | single word: "Run." Floyd | Floyd | Then she drags Leo northeast, into my living room. The door slams. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Hm..." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | I click the button. Normality resumes. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | On the shelf is a diamond ring. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | The familiar snapping sound, and the world goes black and white, Floyd | except for the abstract painting. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | A sudden premonition brings me up short. My mind is running through Floyd | everything I've seen on the beach, and the sheer amount of time it Floyd | would take to find and retrieve the key. I can't go now---not with my Floyd | neighbours arguing downstairs, not with how little time I have Floyd | left---if only there were a way to get more! Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "well, this is new" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Do it, Matilda. LISTEN TO DW." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Is Matilda suggesting that we go through the pond painting again/" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm. Maybe. My first reaction was that she was just being her flaky self again." | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Save and try both?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "I just saved 5 turns ago." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | Touchy says, "I'd say go through the painting again." | |||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy says, "Seems like a blatant hint to me." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen (in monochrome) Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch (in monochrome) Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden (in monochrome) Floyd | I'd forgotten how different the garden looks in the early morning, all Floyd | the trees leaning and the droplets all bedewed and whatnot. The canvas Floyd | I recently came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still Floyd | dripping in places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | On the easel is the pond painting. Floyd | Floyd | A cool breeze blows in from circa six a.m. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "ha ha" | |||
| Touchy says, "hehe" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | I step lightly into the painting. Floyd | Floyd | By the Pond Floyd | Again, my stomach lurches as the garden vanishes from under me and I Floyd | find myself next to the pond. The surroundings darken subtly as the Floyd | sun retreats slightly in the east. I take stock: I can go back into to Floyd | the garden---again---to the west, and my worthless sliding door is to Floyd | the southwest. Floyd | Floyd | I watch in silence as my former self heads west, into the garden. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Garden Floyd | Once again, I tread over my plants in the dark. The canvas I recently Floyd | came through is still here, so fresh the paint is still dripping in Floyd | places. The porch lies west, the pond east. Floyd | Floyd | Looking preoccupied with something, former Matilda continues west, Floyd | onto the porch. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "w" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Porch Floyd | Leo's porch is decidedly less congenial in the dark. There's not Floyd | enough light inside to make out what's happening in Leo's kitchen, to Floyd | the southeast, and even the gardens just east of here are shrouded in Floyd | shadow. Floyd | Floyd | My former self vanishes into the house. Carefully, I pause, giving my Floyd | former self enough time to encounter Leo in his kitchen and discover Floyd | Irene in my living room. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a bracelet (being worn) Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "oh. We have Irene's bracelet now" | |||
| Touchy says, "How clever..." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn bracelet" | ||||
Floyd | I hardly even hear the snap; I only have eyes for the colour change. Floyd | Floyd | The unicorn's horn glows red; everything else, black and white all Floyd | over. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bracelet" | ||||
Floyd | Irene's favorite piece of jewellery: a thin silver loop, studded with Floyd | four pewter charms evenly spaced around the bracelet: a dove in Floyd | flight, a flower in bloom, a damsel in distress . . . and a unicorn Floyd | with a tiny red horn. The bracelet's clasp seems to made of stone. Floyd | Floyd | > | Touchy asks, "Unicorn? What unicorn?" | |||
| Touchy says, "Oh..." | ||||
| Touchy says, "haha" | ||||
| Bert asks, "Shouldn't that be 'black and white and red all over'?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "We are in Crackland" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Oh." | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm. There's probably fancy ways to play with this bracelet." | ||||
| Touchy asks, "Alright, so we can get the key now?" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x unicorn" | ||||
Floyd | Irene's favorite piece of jewellery: a thin silver loop, studded with Floyd | four pewter charms evenly spaced around the bracelet: a dove in Floyd | flight, a flower in bloom, a damsel in distress . . . and a unicorn Floyd | with a tiny red horn. The bracelet's clasp seems to made of stone. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | If you're suggesting I hop the fence, forget it; it comes fully up to Floyd | my chest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn unicorn" | ||||
Floyd | I hardly even hear the snap; I only have eyes for the colour change. Floyd | Floyd | The horn dims back to green. Floyd | Floyd | Nothing happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's back door. Floyd | Floyd | Leo's Kitchen Floyd | The setup here is even more minimalist than in the front room---no Floyd | table, even. The door out to his back porch is northwest, and the Floyd | front room is south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn unicorn" | ||||
Floyd | I hardly even hear the snap; I only have eyes for the colour change. Floyd | Floyd | The unicorn's horn glows red; everything else, black and white all Floyd | over. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase (in monochrome) Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "u" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs (in monochrome) Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching spectrums of subtly graduated grey, and the walls are covered Floyd | with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the west, Floyd | the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn bracelet" | ||||
Floyd | I hardly even hear the snap; I only have eyes for the colour change. Floyd | Floyd | The horn dims back to green. Floyd | Floyd | Nothing happens. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's bedroom door. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | On the shelf is a diamond ring. Floyd | Floyd | A familiar snapping sound comes from the hallway. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn bracelet" | ||||
Floyd | I hardly even hear the snap; I only have eyes for the colour change. Floyd | Floyd | I am reaching for the bracelet when suddenly Leo bursts into the room, Floyd | waving the pocketwatch cord about violently. He looks desperate, more Floyd | frightened than I can ever recall seeing him. Floyd | Floyd | "Matilda, where's the glass key gone? It should be in the music box, Floyd | with the other keys, but it isn't there. Without it I can't get into Floyd | the gallery." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | It's not as if I can just waltz right into it. Floyd | Floyd | "What I really don't understand," Leo continues, "and you don't have Floyd | to explain if you'd rather not---is how you got the bracelet. I'd Floyd | recognise it anywhere, but it can't be mine, because I've got it right Floyd | here." He waves his own, snapping it on and off a few times for good Floyd | measure. "I can only imagine Irene must have given it to you, but I Floyd | can't imagine why." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn bracelet" | ||||
Floyd | I hardly even hear the snap; I only have eyes for the colour change. Floyd | Floyd | The unicorn's horn glows red; everything else, black and white all Floyd | over. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter painting" | ||||
Floyd | Throwing caution to the wind, I once again step boldly into the Floyd | painting. Floyd | Floyd | Dock's End Floyd | It's much brighter here than last time---evening, rather than Floyd | twilight, but nothing is moving, even the raindrops, and a bolt of Floyd | lightning far off to the west gives a continuous eerie light to the Floyd | horizon. The beach lies to the east, and the drops of water ascend Floyd | into the sky as far as I can see. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "e" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach Floyd | A thoroughly miserable spot, the tide gradually rising and threatening Floyd | to engulf what little sand remains. A soaked-looking cabin lies to the Floyd | south---padlocked shut again, of course--- and the beach continues to Floyd | the north. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Using the old bronze key, I unlock the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | Once more, the padlock springs open, executing a graceful parabola and Floyd | landing in the water. Floyd | Floyd | I open the cabin door. Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin Floyd | An even worse mess than last time I was here. The music box seems to Floyd | be getting a thorough drenching, and a fat stream of water is gushing Floyd | into the cabin through the hole in the roof, then soaking out through Floyd | the floor. All in all, a fairly miserable studio. On the opposite side Floyd | of the room, placed, I now realise, as far as possible from the corner Floyd | with the hole, are the desk and hammock, and the exit is to the north. Floyd | Floyd | The rain beats on the roof, louder here than outside. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | I grab the pendulum by the bulb on the end, arresting its motion. A Floyd | now-familiar snapping sound assaults my ears, and I turn to find my Floyd | surroundings reverted once more to black and white, with only the Floyd | music box and the pendulum remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | I stop. Floyd | Floyd | The beach has been completely enveloped by a web of raindrops Floyd | suspended in midair, so closely spaced that to get to the water's edge Floyd | I have to pick my way slowly through them, one step at a time. I grasp Floyd | a nearby droplet, trying to push it out of my way, but it doesn't Floyd | budge, and even supports my weight as I strain against it. The cabin Floyd | is back to the south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to Floyd | the north. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "climb rain" | ||||
Floyd | Cautiously, I grasp onto a raindrop at eye level, then lift myself up, Floyd | finding a foothold on one of the drops below. It ends up being less Floyd | dangerous than it looks---there's not much chance of falling since a Floyd | mass of riveted-in-place droplets keeps me in caged into a sort of Floyd | column. Eventually my heart rate subsides and I am able to reach roof Floyd | level. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | The reflective object glimmers enticingly from the roof of the cabin. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | I step lightly onto the roof of the cabin, working my way through the Floyd | web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | On the Roof (in monochrome) Floyd | The summit of the cabin is completely flat, which is unfortunate for Floyd | the cabin on days with weather like this---I can see the grandfather Floyd | clock through one particularly rotten hole in the roof---but I Floyd | appreciate it now, and the roughness of the surface makes it easy to Floyd | gain purchase. I can (reluctantly) step back into the rain to the Floyd | north or west---everything else is rock and water. Floyd | Floyd | A small marble box waits quietly in the shadow of the chimney. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take box. open it" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Lying down and reaching deep into the hole, I draw the very top of the Floyd | pendulum to the side and release. There is a snapping sound as it Floyd | resumes its slow ticking, and the world returns to normal. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take box. open it. push pendulum" | ||||
Floyd | Taken. Floyd | Floyd | I open the polished marble box, revealing a glass key. Floyd | Floyd | The wind abates for a second, the rain momentarily slackening. Floyd | Floyd | Reaching through the hole, I just manage to poke the topmost point of Floyd | the pendulum, arresting its motion. A now-familiar snapping sound Floyd | assaults my ears, and I turn to find my surroundings reverted once Floyd | more to black and white, with only the music box and the pendulum Floyd | remaining unchanged. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | I make my way to the edge, and, after a ghastly moment of vertigo, Floyd | step off the roof and into the web of rain. Floyd | Floyd | In Midair (in monochrome) Floyd | I pause a moment, slightly dazzled by the sheer distance to the Floyd | ground, and the illusion of being suspended with absolutely nothing Floyd | beneath my feet. The roof of the cabin is right at my feet, due south Floyd | from here. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | I pick my way carefully through a web of frozen raindrops. Floyd | Floyd | Along the Beach (in monochrome) Floyd | The sea and rain, arrested, wait silently. The cabin is back to the Floyd | south, the dock to the west, and the beach continues to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | In the Cabin (in monochrome) Floyd | An unsettling glittery light pervades this room, reflected through the Floyd | doorway by the sea of raindrops outside. A cascade of water is stopped Floyd | in midair, gushing through a gaping hole in the cabin's low ceiling, Floyd | just above the grandfather clock. The desk with its music box sits Floyd | opposite, and the exit is back to the north. Floyd | Floyd | Everything in the room has been bleached of colour except the music Floyd | box and grandfather clock, whose pendulum shines like burnished gold. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter music box" | ||||
Floyd | (first opening the music box) Floyd | The box springs open and a familiar, sweet little tune fills the air Floyd | around me: Pachelbel's Canon, perhaps? Floyd | Floyd | I carefully slip my hand into the box and try not to cry out at the Floyd | sudden sensation of being forcibly pulled into an entirely different Floyd | world. Floyd | Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is frozen here, eyes locked on the middle distance. Floyd | Floyd | The ring has reappeared on my ringer. Floyd | The bracelet has reappeared on my wrist. Floyd | Floyd | At my appearance, Leo stands, eyes wide. "Did you find the key?" Floyd | Floyd | When I hold up the box, his face morphs into the happiest expression I Floyd | have ever seen on a human face. "Irene!" he cries. "I . . . you . . . Floyd | " and he pulls me into a fierce hug. After a few moments of this, I Floyd | pull back, and his expression turns solemn. "And there's something I Floyd | need to ask---" Floyd | Floyd | He is interrupted by a distant scream. In the background I can hear Floyd | Irene's voice floating up the stairs. "Leo?" Floyd | Floyd | He rolls his eyes, then shouts back, "Coming!" Then, turning to me: Floyd | "We'll talk in a second. Wait for me." He gently takes the box from my Floyd | hands and zips out to the south. Floyd | Floyd | I wait for what seems like an appropriate length of time. Then I Floyd | descend the stairs and arrive in the foyer just as my front door is Floyd | opening. Floyd | Floyd | " . . . But it should be pretty easy to repair; I mean, sliders aren't Floyd | especially complicated doors, and I know a lot about broken locks," Floyd | Leo is saying as he exits. He stops short on seeing me: "Matilda! How Floyd | on earth did you get down here so fast, before? When I came down the Floyd | stairs and saw you running into the front room I was completely Floyd | flummoxed . . . " Floyd | Floyd | I shoot a surreptitious grateful nod at Irene, who smiles. "Apparently Floyd | you two have a little explaining to do," she remarks, withdrawing into Floyd | my flat. "I'll just leave you two to yourselves." The door shuts Floyd | behind her with a soft click. Floyd | Floyd | I am about to make a mordant comment about Irene's shamelessness, but Floyd | bite it back when I see the serious expression on Leo's face. Floyd | Floyd | And then he bends, awkwardly, to one knee, bringing himself to eye Floyd | level with my chin. He reaches out and takes my hand, slips a familiar Floyd | ring onto my finger. And, unexpectedly, he twists the diamond. All Floyd | colour drains out of the room, and suddenly it's just the two of us, Floyd | staring at each other. Floyd | Floyd | For the first time I become aware of a sinking feeling, somewhere far Floyd | beneath the surface. The knowledge that I shouldn't be in this Floyd | situation; my own will seems to have merged utterly with one larger Floyd | and powerful than mine. I stare at Leo, helpless. Floyd | Floyd | "Will you marry me?" he asks. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline asks, "Why not?" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "heh" | ||||
| Touchy exclaims, "hell yeah!" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "yes" | ||||
Floyd | "Yes," I say, then, more strongly, "Yes, Leo. I will marry you." He Floyd | beams, and hugs me to him. When I pull away, he has pushed something Floyd | angular and warm into my hands: the glass gallery key. Floyd | Floyd | "After all that work: your engagement present," he says. "I hope you Floyd | don't mind having had to go through so much work to fetch your own Floyd | gift." Floyd | Floyd | Something about this turn of phrase . . . a sudden spark of memory, Floyd | somewhere in my subconscious. Vexation? Doubt? I pause a moment, Floyd | trying to place it. But finally I change my mind and push the impulse Floyd | aside---random whims from mysterious sources, after all, are one thing Floyd | I'm fully capable of coping with. Floyd | Floyd | Leo is still looking at me anxiously. All of a sudden, I smile. "Let Floyd | me see it." Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** We have won *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Touchy says, "we're both nutjobs..." | |||
| olethros arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. | Jacqueline says, "heehee" | |||
| Bert exclaims, "Congratulations!" | ||||
| Bert says, "(You also have the option of declining.)" | ||||
| Touchy says, "hehe I did it the other way round, works too." | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Foyer Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "no" | ||||
Floyd | I regard him for a moment, allowing a long, tactful pause. "I'm sorry, Floyd | Leo," I say gently. "My feelings haven't changed since last you Floyd | asked." A pause. "But, you know, I'm in on your secret now. I'd be Floyd | willing to help, if you like. I want to see all these places you Floyd | visit---you paint, I'll explore. You need to start painting from you Floyd | imagination more often, I think. We'll be partners." Floyd | Floyd | "Partners," he repeats. But he won't look me in the eye. I take his Floyd | hand and pull him to his feet. Floyd | Floyd | "Will you be all right?" Floyd | Floyd | He makes a helpless gesture. "I guess I'm just unsure as to---If Floyd | there's anything I can do---" Floyd | Floyd | "Well," I say briskly, "You can start by giving me a tour of this Floyd | gallery of yours." Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** I have won *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, see some suggestions Floyd | for AMUSING things to do, or QUIT? Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "amusing" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Have you ever: Floyd | Floyd | Entered Irene's bedroom? Floyd | Discovered any boxed quotations, besides the one at the beginning? Floyd | Learned the circumstances of Leo's original proposal? Floyd | Had a box fall on your head? Floyd | Gotten away with murder? Floyd | Broken your picture window? Floyd | Been a witness to Irene's shooting Leo? Floyd | Met your nephew Quentin in person? Floyd | Re-experienced the dream in the opening sequence? Floyd | Had three Matildas in the same room at the same time? Floyd | Had four Matildas in the same room at the same time? Floyd | Floyd | Have you ever scored a victory for . . . Floyd | . . . modern medicine? Floyd | . . . Matilda's career prospects? Floyd | . . . Matilda's nephew? Floyd | . . . Irene's father? Floyd | . . . yourself? Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, see some suggestions Floyd | for AMUSING things to do, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Bert says, "Note that the three winning endings have different pronouns." | |||
| Jacqueline asks, "Quentin?" | ||||
| Touchy says, "Did you try shooting yourself? Because you can. And it's cool." | ||||
| DavidW says, "I think we missed quite a few of this Amusing stuff." | ||||
| olethros asks, "but is it as cool as smoking?" | ||||
| Jacqueline asks, "Shouldn't be too hard to restore and off ourselves, should it?" | ||||
| Touchy says (to DavidW), "Yeah, none of this seems familiar." | ||||
| Touchy says, "Gotta go. Thanks guys, was fun." | ||||
| DavidW says, "bye Touchy" | ||||
| DavidW asks, "I wonder where Quentin comes into things?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Bye, T." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I don't even remember hearing about Quentin." | ||||
| DavidW asks, "Is there a photo of Quentin in our bedroom?" | ||||
| DavidW says, "(There could be tons of stuff in the bedroom; I don't remember searching it)" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf22" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring (being worn) Floyd | an ankh-shaped key Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | "Wait a moment," says Leo, his voice suddenly strained. I follow his Floyd | line of vision, realising that he has fixated on the diamond ring I Floyd | found in his room. I watch interestedly as his face attempts to Floyd | resolve itself into a single emotion. He seems to be about to say Floyd | something when suddenly his gaze shifts to the stone key in my hand. Floyd | "Dear God, Matilda. Where did you find this? Do you---wait, never Floyd | mind." Floyd | Floyd | Before I realise what's happening he has seized the key from my hand. Floyd | I let out a shocked exclamation, but before I can object he has blazed Floyd | off to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | Jacqueline says, "Yeah, we sort of ran out of here." | |||
Floyd | I twist the diamond, which produces a familiar snapping sound, and the Floyd | surroundings again turn chromatically inside out. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room (in monochrome) Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | It won't move. It's like trying to manipulate solid rock. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | A piercingly loud snapping sound comes from upstairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | From nearby comes the sound of someone pounding up the stairs. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Living Room Floyd | What until last week was my main living space is at the moment a Floyd | complete disaster. The walls are painted a sickly turquoise, new as of Floyd | two days ago, and all the furniture is still covered with plastic. Floyd | Currently the only thing I've put back up is another of Leo's Floyd | paintings, on the west wall. The front door lies to the southwest. The Floyd | stairs up to the bedroom are to the east, the kitchen north. Floyd | Floyd | I hear a soft sound from the corner. Turning, I nearly jump out of my Floyd | skin to see Irene standing at the bottom of the staircase, holding her Floyd | hands clasped behind her back and staring at me in a peculiar way. Floyd | Floyd | "Well, hello, Matilda," she says. "I didn't think you were up yet." Floyd | Her eyes flip back and forth from me to the staircase, confused. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x furniture" | ||||
Floyd | I think there's enough going on at the moment that I can safely say Floyd | the state of the furniture is immaterial. Floyd | Floyd | "Listen," Irene says. Her voice is quick, intense, nothing like during Floyd | our conversation on the bay. "I'm sorry to trespass on you like this. Floyd | I came to see if Leo's been using you to hide things from me, and it Floyd | turns out that he has." She gestures to the end table by the sofa. Floyd | "Open the drawer there. I want you to see." Floyd | Floyd | A sick feeling develops in the pit of my stomach. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open drawer" | ||||
Floyd | Foreboding like nothing I have ever experienced, descending like a Floyd | certain apocalypse. My hand shakes as I pull open the drawer . . . Floyd | Floyd | Oh, God. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take gun" | ||||
Floyd | I crumple. From somewhere behind me, Irene begins to laugh. "They Floyd | know," she says. "They always know. You'd better go on and take it; Floyd | you won't be able to help yourself." Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take gun" | ||||
Floyd | My hand is shaking: taken. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is looking at me, not quite sure what to say. I have a horrible Floyd | feeling of possibility, the sense that anything in the world could Floyd | happen in the next moment. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "shoot me" | ||||
Floyd | I stop dead. Floyd | Floyd | An elegant solution you've come up with, then, isn't it? You know how Floyd | it tempts me to be rid of you forever, to leave Leo and Irene and all Floyd | this mess behind. Floyd | Floyd | Irene looks on glazedly as I slowly raise the gun to point at my own Floyd | temple. But my mind doesn't stop reeling: what sort of game could you Floyd | be playing at, asking me to do this? How did I fail to notice when Floyd | your intentions ceased to be good, when they turned destructive? Is it Floyd | some kind of test? Or could it be that this is what you've had in mind Floyd | all along? A horrible vision crosses my mind---of myself, waking this Floyd | morning, trusting you implicitly, totally unaware of what's to come--- Floyd | Floyd | Enough. I pull the trigger. Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | *** You have won *** Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, or QUIT? Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "yikes" | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Interesting, the whole you/we win/lose" | ||||
| DavidW says, "hm" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "undo" | ||||
Floyd | Living Room Floyd | [Previous turn undone.] Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "shoot window" | ||||
Floyd | Please, don't. I have no desire to shoot any of my possessions. Floyd | Floyd | And I'm still holding this filthy weapon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "shoot window" | ||||
Floyd | I beg of you, please don't ask me to do this. Floyd | Floyd | The pistol scorches my hands, seeming to twist and contort Floyd | nightmarishly as I look at it. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "shoot window" | ||||
Floyd | I take aim, but the shot goes wide and winds up burrowing itself in Floyd | the wall. Irene cries out involuntarily. Floyd | Floyd | I am filled with pure abhorrence---of you, of myself, of Irene---but Floyd | overwhelmingly, of the pistol. Of their own accord, my fingers loosen Floyd | and the gun falls to the ground. The subsequent tide of relief makes Floyd | me lightheaded. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take gun" | ||||
Floyd | My resolve strengthens: No. I will do anything you want to that bloody Floyd | machine, but my hands, at least, are mine, and you cannot make them Floyd | touch it. Floyd | Floyd | Irene is staring fixedly at the gun on the floor, an odd gleam in her Floyd | eye. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask irene about gun" | ||||
Floyd | I'd say we more or less exhausted that one earlier. Floyd | Floyd | I look up to see that an expression of horror has appeared on Irene's Floyd | face---directed not at me, I suddenly realise, but behind me. Floyd | Floyd | "Leo," she gasps. Grabbing her cane from beside her, she twists Floyd | something on her bracelet and vanishes. I blink, and suddenly Irene is Floyd | on the other side of the kitchen window. Floyd | Floyd | My gaze moves to the floor where the gun lay until a moment ago, then Floyd | out the window. My stomach sinks. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "eep" | |||
| DavidW asks, "I'm curious if Quentin is in our room. What save did we use to return to the gardens?" | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Hm. One sec." | ||||
| DavidW says, "Probably 19 or 20" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | Jacqueline says, "Well, maybe." | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf20" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Vacant Room Floyd | This room is completely empty. The floor and ceiling are still Floyd | painted, and the windows still becurtained, suggesting that Leo made Floyd | use of this room at some point, but the walls are absolutely bare Floyd | except for one of his canvases---an abstract---which takes up most of Floyd | the eastern wall. The hallway lies back to the south. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "But 10" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "i" | ||||
Floyd | It seems that I'm carrying: Floyd | a diamond ring Floyd | a pocketwatch Floyd | a key ring Floyd | an amber key (which opens Leo's kitchen door) Floyd | a ruby key (which opens Leo's bedroom door) Floyd | a sapphire key (which opens Leo's toilet door) Floyd | a jade key (which opens Leo's back door) Floyd | another brass key Floyd | some papers Floyd | a tiny copper key (which opens the padlock) Floyd | an old bronze key (which opens Leo's bayside cabin) Floyd | my house key Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "s" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | Using the sapphire key, I unlock Leo's toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | I open Leo's toilet door. Floyd | Floyd | Water Closet Floyd | Just your standard toilet-doubling-as-a-hallway-between-flats, Floyd | equipped with all the usuals. The door back to my flat is northeast, Floyd | Leo's northwest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne" | ||||
Floyd | The door rattles irritatingly---the latch on the other side must be Floyd | locked. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Upstairs Floyd | Unlike me, Leo has managed to fashion his shady little passageway into Floyd | an attractive space. The floor and ceiling have been painted in Floyd | matching rainbows of subtly graduated colour, and the walls are Floyd | covered with a riot of paint swatches. The stairs back down lie to the Floyd | west, the community toilet southeast, and the empty room to the north. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Staircase Floyd | This staircase is the mirror of mine except that his picture window Floyd | looks out on the neighbours' rooftops. I can continue up or down. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open window" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something I can open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "break window" | ||||
Floyd | Violence isn't the answer to this one. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "d" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Front Room Floyd | In the early-morning darkness this room isn't quite as inviting as it Floyd | was earlier. The major geography, however, is unchanged: kitchen to Floyd | the north, Irene's room to the northeast, stairs to the west, and the Floyd | foyer to the southeast. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "se" | ||||
Floyd | I open Leo's front door. Floyd | Floyd | Foyer Floyd | This is the hallway between my flat and Leo's. Leo's inhabits 717A, Floyd | to the northwest, while mine, 717B, is to the northeast. The door Floyd | outside is to the south. Floyd | Floyd | Somewhat alarmingly, my front door stands wide open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "restore" | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "cf10" | ||||
Floyd | Enter saved game to load: Very well. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Hallway (in monochrome) Floyd | A tiny, dank space beyond my decorative abilities to remedy. Leo's Floyd | painting on the west wall is just sufficiently distracting so that one Floyd | might not notice the total lack of windows, at least. The stairs down Floyd | lie to the east, my bedroom is north, and the toilet is southwest. Floyd | Floyd | Curiously, the garden painting has failed to go black and white. Floyd | Floyd | I sneeze as a sudden blast of pollen is borne through the painting Floyd | into the hallway. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "n" | ||||
Floyd | Floyd | Bedroom (in monochrome) Floyd | Everything is in perfectly in order here---white and austere, as I Floyd | like it. The door to the hallway lies to the south, and windows border Floyd | the other three sides of the room. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "push button" | ||||
Floyd | Strangely, the button won't push. Perhaps the diamond ring and the Floyd | pocketwatch are mutually exclusive? Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn ring" | ||||
Floyd | Snap: colours. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bed" | ||||
Floyd | It's a queen-size canopied four-poster, and damn comfy. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| olethros has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look under it" | ||||
Floyd | Just a dust bunny colony that's been flourishing undisturbed for Floyd | several decades now. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bunny" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "j;heh" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search bed" | ||||
Floyd | There is nothing on the bed. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x furniture" | ||||
Floyd | I think there's enough going on at the moment that I can safely say Floyd | the state of the furniture is immaterial. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "l" | ||||
Floyd | Bedroom Floyd | Everything is in perfectly in order here---white and austere, as I Floyd | like it. The door to the hallway lies to the south, and windows border Floyd | the other three sides of the room. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x door" | ||||
Floyd | A completely unremarkable white pine door. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look behind door" | ||||
Floyd | No behind to speak of. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "look behind bed" | ||||
Floyd | No behind to speak of. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x windows" | ||||
Floyd | Due to an architectural quirk, the north side of my bedroom juts out Floyd | an extra six feet from of the building, allowing a view of the entire Floyd | back of the building via the west window. I ought to be able to see Floyd | directly into Leo's bedroom from that window, but no; he's curtained Floyd | it off. The north window is mostly obscured by the oak in the back Floyd | garden, and the east window overlooks the pond. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x oak" | ||||
Floyd | Far, far older even than I, the oak towers over the building in a way Floyd | that makes human efforts at architecture seem rather pitiful. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open window" | ||||
Floyd | Ugh, no. If I open the windows now the house will be like an oven this Floyd | afternoon. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x pond" | ||||
Floyd | Dark and cold all year, and looking particularly tranquil this Floyd | morning---closer to blue than the usual brown. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x building" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x leo's bedroom" | ||||
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting me to examine the other brass Floyd | key. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x dresser" | ||||
Floyd | I think there's enough going on at the moment that I can safely say Floyd | the state of the furniture is immaterial. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "open dresser" | ||||
Floyd | That's not something I can open. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "search dresser" | ||||
Floyd | I don't find anything of interest. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "take all" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see anything notable. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "I have no clue where Quentin might be hiding." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "I guess we did search her room earlier." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "Now that I think about it." | ||||
| Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "c quentin" | ||||
Floyd | Quentin's my nephew---my short, pasty, befreckled, overweight, Floyd | acne-plagued nephew. Despite all the favours he's done for me, I think Floyd | he rather loathes me, but since his wife very sensibly left him last Floyd | month he's flat broke, and he knows what he has to do if he wants to Floyd | receive any kind of pittance in the will. Floyd | Floyd | > | Jacqueline says, "my" | |||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c sister" | ||||
Floyd | Ivy is Irene's sister. I don't actually know very much about her; she Floyd | kept very much to herself and only visited the flat once. She lived in Floyd | the city---right next to the peace gardens, in fact---and died during Floyd | the epidemic. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c brother" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "c aunt" | ||||
Floyd | I've no particular memories associated with that. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x wallet" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | ||||
| DavidW says (to Floyd), "x purse" | ||||
Floyd | I don't see any such thing. Floyd | Floyd | > | DavidW says, "well, I'm kinda out of ideas and I should get tea or something." | |||
| Jacqueline says, "Yeah, I think I'm done." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "This was all very awesome, though." | ||||
| Jacqueline says, "I'm very glad we played." | ||||
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