(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: (history: )'s length < 400)[<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-4-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[The grand terminal of Plumwald Station bustles. A whistle sounds from the tracks ahead. A family of voles, tickets in hand, rush up the stairs to the platform.
A clock hangs from the high, vaulted ceiling. Beams of daylight warm the tile floor and stone walls. In the center, a statue of a Dormouse king stands dignified and silent.
At the far end of the terminal, near the stairs, there’s a ticket counter. Across from it, a few travelers watch letters clack on a split-flap departures board.
Birds chirp outside, in the Frettchenplatz, outside the revolving doors. A corridor leads to the station markets, and a tramway waits to shuttle visitors to the station’s exhibition hall.](if:visits is 2)[Travelers mill around the terminal floor. Their murmurs, and the regular ‘click’ of the ticket clerk’s punch-machine, echo through the space.
The departures board whirs. The bell of the exhibition hall tram chimes.](if:visits is 3)[A wave of commuters flows through the main terminal. The clerk picks up his pace, punching tickets at brisk speed. The statue of the Dormouse king stands silent amid the clamor.
A new set of times clicks across the departure board. A few delays. The scent of flowers drafts in from the revolving doors to the Frettchenplatz.](if:visits is 4)[There’s a clamor in the terminal as two badgers move a heavy, cloth-wrapped luggage cart onto the exhibition tram. They don’t want to be disturbed.
Two mouse children play at the foot of the statue, then scurry off.](if:visits is 5)[The proud stone walls of the terminal stand stalwart, protecting the statue of the Dormouse king and the desk of the ticket clerk.
A delay clicks across the departures board, then flips back.](if:visits is 6)[The voice of the ticket clerk chatters from his desk. A service door opens near the market corridor, and a smell of smoked meats wafts out. Then the service door shuts again.
The revolving doors spin with a quiet whir.](if:visits is 7)[A tall vole shouts at a rat conductor near the top of the station platform stairs. He’s hard of hearing, and trying to find the right track for his outbound ticket. The two go back and forth, then walk off.
The clock ticks overhead.](if:visits >= 8)[The terminal walls rise five stories high. The statue of the Dormouse king stands still, between the ticket clerk and the departures board.]
(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[It's mid-afternoon. The last day train is still hours away.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[The sun has started to descend behind the windows, casting long shadows on the tile.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[It's the late-afternoon rush.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[Most lines on the departure list have now gone dark. Only a few outgoing trains remain.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[A new sort of crowd has filled the station, long-distance travelers here for the journey east. There are murmurs of the approaching train.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[Distant whistles sound. The Shadow Express is the last train on the departures board.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[You can hear the deep engine of the Shadow Express reverberating through the station halls.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[The last few stragglers for the eastern train collect their tickets, scrambling up the steps to the international platform.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375 and < 400)[There's almost no one left in the station. You can hear the Shadow Express steam engine warming up to depart.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 1"))[[Go up to the ticket stand.->Station 1]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 1"))[[Go back up to the ticket stand.->Station 1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 2"))[[Approach the departures board.->Station 2]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 2"))[[Approach the departures board again.->Station 2]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Area 1"))[[Take the tram to the exhibition hall.->Area 1]](if: ((history:) contains "Area 1"))[[Get back on the tram to the exhibition hall.->Area 1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Area 2"))[[Climb the stairs to the platforms.->Area 2]](if: ((history:) contains "Area 2"))[[Go back up the stairs to the platforms.->Area 2]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Area 3"))[[Head down the hall to the station markets.->Area 3]](if: ((history:) contains "Area 3"))[[Head back down the hall to the markets.->Area 3]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Area 4"))[[Exit the station doors to the Frettchenplatz.->Area 4]]](if: ((history:) contains "Area 4"))[[Go back out to the Frettchenplatz.->Area 4]]
(if: (history: )'s length >= 400)[The sounds of the grand Plumwald terminal go quiet. The last day train has left, and the station is near-empty. Whatever phantom sable Marnie Stout may have seen, he surely left long ago.
A chill cuts through your brown fur as you exit the station, returning to your uncle in the dark. Some mysteries, you realize, are never to be solved.
...of course, you can always close and reopen this story to start again.](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You approach the ticket counter. In a tall chair, a serious black-furred vole with a small official's cap oversees the disbursement of tickets. Creaturefolk wait patiently in line, some tapping their claws on the counter, as the clerk examines each set of identity papers.
With a ‘clack,’ the vole punches a ticket with his machine, then adds a yellow carbon copy to his huge ticket roll. The roll book sits on the side of the counter, near a tall stone wall.](if:visits >= 2)[The clerk ‘clacks’ and distributes tickets, filing every carbon copy in the ticket roll. He eyes you as you loiter to the side.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 1"))[[Try to get a peek at the ticket roll.->Inter 1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 1"))[[Sneak up to the clerk's counter again.->Inter 1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 2"))[[Speak with the clerk.->Inter 2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 2"))[[Speak with the clerk again.->Inter 2]]
[[Walk away.->The Hub]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You near the huge, clicking departures board. Thousands of letters whir and clack, switching out to mark the status of the approaching trains. You don’t know how deep the board must be, to fit all those letters inside, but you imagine it must be substantial.
The last one on the day train list is the Shadow Express.
“Papers!” a bat in a newsboy’s cap calls out, waving the front page of some disreputable journal. He’s got a string-tied stack of similar issues on a stool.
Off to the side, an eyepatched hobferret in a grey uniform glances at you with unease. He stands in the corner, with a jillferret and two kits, presumably theirs.](if:visits >= 2)[The departures board whirs. The young bat sits on his papers, resting, not doing much to sell the rest of the stack.
The ferret in the grey uniform paces.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 3"))[[Talk to the bat.->Inter 3]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 3"))[[Talk to the young bat again.->Inter 3]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4"))[[Speak to the uniformed ferret.->Inter 4]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 4"))[[Speak with the ferret officer again.->Inter 4]]
[[Walk away.->The Hub]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: (history: )'s length < 400)[<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-6-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[The trolley rattles along up a short ramp, under painted arches full of scenes from all over the world. “It’s called a funicular,” a spectacled vole boy tells you, crammed with his seven siblings into the car’s front bench. You’re not sure what he means, but it doesn’t seem important.
At the top of the ramp, the trolley lets out into a color-swept palace of tents and attractions. Pavilions make up the far side, representing creaturefolk from distant lands.
Right before you, a huge papercraft rocket looms across the ‘Realm of Technologies.’ A porcupine in flashy silver clothes stands outside it, beckoning visitors to enter.
Past the porcupine, you hear the music of the masked dance.](if:visits is 2)[Visitors pack the flashy exhibition hall. A small line of meerkats has formed at the Realm of Technologies. They seem to be traveling together.
Red foxes in funny clothes dance together in the distance, by the pavilions. The music from the masked dance goes on, not quite to their beat.](if:visits is 3)[A bold vole boy climbs the exhibition truss, selling tickets to what he claims is a much better show downtown. Two badger workmen soon escort him away.
The paper rocketship above the Realm of Technologies sways in the breeze, but seems secure enough. It’s not like it would be all that heavy, anyway.](if:visits is 4)[A mouse girl cries out for her mother, lost in the labyrinth of the exhibition hall. The two find each other soon enough. Over at the masked dance, the music briefly stops, then resumes.](if:visits >= 5)[(if: (history: )'s length < 325)[The mood is light in the exhibition hall. Barenstadters amble around, eager for a peek at the attractions of the coming World’s Fair.
Visitors pass in and out of the masked dance, some wandering into the Realm of Technologies. Further back, the merriment of the pavilions continues.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325)[The crowd at the exhibition hall has thinned. A few scattered Barenstadters poke around at the attractions for the coming World's Fair.]]
(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[There's plenty of midday commotion.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[A crowd of station-goers fills the hall.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[Commuters mix with families in the busy crowd, stopping to see the sights before returning home.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[The crowd has begun to thin with the dimming sun. Some of the hall workers rub their eyes after a long day's work.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[Barenstadter high society mixes with the waning station crowd, perusing the attractions before their evening departures.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[Electric lights hum in front of dark windows. Most of the day's crowd is gone.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[The rumble of the Shadow Express shakes the far wall, nearest the station.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[Moonlight shines in. A badger from the station announces the last call for the Shadow Express. Hall workers start to pack up their displays.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375 and < 400)[A subtle stillness has begun to creep over the space. Only a few exposition guests remain.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 3"))[[Visit the masked dance.->Station 3]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 3"))[[Return to the masked dance.->Station 3]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 4"))[[Step inside the Realm of Technologies.->Station 4]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 4"))[[Go back into the Realm of Technologies.->Station 4]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 5"))[[Explore the world pavilions.->Station 5]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 5"))[[Walk to the world pavilions again.->Station 5]]
[[Take the tram back down to the terminal.->The Hub]]]
(if: (history: )'s length >= 400)[The clamor of the hall has become a muted lull. Workers pack up boxes and crates, ready to get some sleep before the next day's shows begin. The last day train has left. Whatever phantom sable Marnie Stout may have seen, he surely left long ago.
A chill cuts through your brown fur as you take the empty tram back toward the terminal, ready to meet your uncle in the dark. Some mysteries, you realize, are never to be solved.
...of course, you can always close and reopen this story to start again.](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: (history: )'s length < 400)[<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-9-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[The stairs from the terminal end at a wide concourse. Painted advertisements tout the benefits of paw ointments, ear creams, and fine-toothed winter coat combs. Ahead, a sign points the way to the regional and international train platforms.
You hear the clink of dishes at the Switching Post Station Café nearby. Past it, an unmarked gold-handled door leads down a darkened stairwell.](if:visits is 2)[A lonesome coyote plays a trumpet on an upper concourse balcony. Try as you might, you can’t find a stairway to reach him.
The two platform levels and the Switching Post Café stand nearby.](if:visits is 3)[A beaver waitress pops out of the Switching Post Café, looking peeved, and takes the stairs down toward the terminal. Bright posters for shows and events paper the walls, extending down the corridors toward both train platform levels.](if:visits is 4)[The concourse at the top of the terminal steps is reverberant with sound. A tall badger conductor bustles through, followed by two mole engineers. They continue down the corridor toward the regional platform.
You can hear the sink running through the Switching Post Café door.](if:visits >= 5)[The concourse at the top of the terminal stairs is square and sturdy. The Switching Post Café door stands center, in between the corridors to the two platform levels.]
(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[Voles and mice push past each other, elbowing toward the tracks while checking their tickets. Everyone seems to be in a great hurry.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[The afternoon rush pours through in all directions. A brown bear conductor stands on a box, guiding pedestrian traffic. She smiles at you, but she's too busy to talk.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[A rush of commuters pours out from the platforms, bobbing and chirping with the suits and hats of a hundred weasels.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[The commuter crowd has begun to thin.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[Two dormouse ladies whisper in the corner, then disappear into the gold-handled door.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[A mole janitor trundles along, sweeping up the day's litter by touch. He nods to you, keen of hearing, when you near.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[The roar of the Shadow Express grows louder as it enters the station.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[A conductor almost asks you if you're late to board the express, then lets you be.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375 and < 400)[You're almost alone in the halls. Ahead, you can hear the Shadow Express start to chuff its resting engine.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 6"))[[Go inside the Station Café.->Station 6]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 6"))[[Go back to the Station Café.->Station 6]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 7"))[[Take the hallway up to the regional platforms.->Station 7]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 7"))[[Return to the regional platforms.->Station 7]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 8"))[[Enter the gold-handled door.->Station 8]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 8"))[[Enter the gold-handled door to the first-class lounge.->Station 8]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 9"))[[Head down to the international platform.->Station 9]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 9"))[[Go back to the international platform.->Station 9]]
(if: visits is 1)[[Take the stairs back down to the terminal.->The Hub]](if: visits > 1)[[Take the stairs down to the terminal.->The Hub]]]
(if: (history: )'s length >= 400)[The clamor of the hall has become a muted lull. Workers pack up boxes and crates, ready to get some sleep before the next day's shows begin. The last day train has left. Whatever phantom sable Marnie Stout may have seen, he surely left long ago.
A chill cuts through your brown fur as you take the empty tram back toward the terminal, ready to meet your uncle in the dark. Some mysteries, you realize, are never to be solved.
...of course, you can always close and reopen this story to start again.](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: (history: )'s length < 400)[<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-16-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[The station marketplace teems with life and commerce. Shops and restaurants cram into rows beneath a broad, sloped roof. As you enter, the smell of a delicatessen calls you. Perhaps when you finish the case, you’ll get a sandwich. Uncle Mürrisch would surely appreciate one, too.
A nickelodeon movie theatre blinks with light under a tall marquee. Mice buy crackers and newspapers for lunch at a magazine stand, crowding the market’s high-top tables.
At the end of the aisle, the blinds are shut on a navy-blue government office. Near the entrance, a corrugated staircase leads to the terminal rooftop.](if:visits is 2)[Food counters serve up specialties, straight from the butcher and the süsswarenladen.
A family exits the movie theatre, next to the magazine stand. Lights are on in the government office, but nobody seems to be going in or out.](if:visits is 3)[You notice a bookstore window filled with puzzles and games. Of course, who needs games when there’s a real mystery to solve? The shop seems to be closed for the moment, too.
Past the bookshop, the movie theatre’s clerk announces a showing. The magazine stand and government office all sit nearby.](if:visits is 4)[“Do you have the time?” a worried beaver asks. You don’t, but you remind him there’s a giant clock in the terminal hall. He thanks you, seeming a bit relieved, and continues on.
You stand in the middle of the market aisle. The movie theatre's lights blink ahead, near the government office.](if:visits >= 5)[The market extends in dense aisles under a broad, sloped roof. Near the entrance, a metal staircase spirals upward. The lights of a nickelodeon theatre blink beneath a marquee, near a magazine stand.
At the end of the hall, a light flickers beside a government office.]
(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[The aisles are packed with station workers on their lunch rush.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[Golden sun pours in through the windows. The lunch rush is settling down.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[Commuters form lines at the popular stands, settling for the second-best if they're in a hurry.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[A lady vole taps her claws on the deli counter, waiting for her roast. A happy group of rats cheers and sings at the market's biergarten.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[A boisterous group of tuxedoed dormouse men have taken over the biergarten.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[Purple twilight covers the stall tops. Workers pack up extra food to take home to their families.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[The clamor of the market has grown quiet. The engine of the Shadow Express echoes through the aisles.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[A boarding announcement for the Shadow Express rings out somewhere in the distance.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375 and < 400)[The last of the market stalls are closing up. For the workers here, the day is finally through.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 11"))[[Go up the metal stairs.->Station 11PRE]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 11"))[[Go back up to the terminal roof.->Station 11]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 12"))[[Head up to the movie theatre.->Station 12]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 12"))[[Head back to the nickelodeon.->Station 12]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 25"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 13A"))[[Go take a look inside the government office.->Station 13A]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 13A"))[[Go back to the government office.->Station 13A]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 25"))[[Go back to the government office.->Station 13]]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 14"))[[Go to the magazine stand.->Station 14]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 14"))[[Go back to the magazine stand.->Station 14]]
(if: visits is 1)[[Go back up the hall to the terminal.->The Hub]](if: visits > 1)[[Take the hall to the station terminal.->The Hub]]
(if: (history: )'s length >= 400)[The bustle of the marketplace has gone silent. Shopkeepers pack up food and trinkets, eager to return home to their families and homes. The last day train has left. Whatever phantom sable Marnie Stout may have seen, he surely left long ago.
A chill cuts through your brown fur as you walk the lonesome hall toward the terminal, ready to meet your uncle in the dark. Some mysteries, you realize, are never to be solved.
...of course, you can always close and reopen this story to start again.](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: (history: )'s length < 400)[<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-18-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[You exit the revolving doors of the station and walk out onto the Frettchenplatz. Broad steps lead down to carriages and pedestrians on the street. Past sauntering top-hatted stoats, a large park with a fountain sits in the middle of the roundabout.
In the distance, you can see the brown shape of Uncle Mürrisch at the Bärlinger Biergarten patio. Further down, the Schön Bed and Breakfast shares a side wall with the Club Spectrice.
Off a shaded road, gates to the Barenstadt College Botanical Gardens glint.](if:visits is 2)[A driver helps a noble vole couple down from their carriage, onto the roundabout sidewalk. Uncle Mürrisch reclines in a biergarten patio chair, snoring in bliss.
People shuffle in and out of the Schön Bed and Breakfast. Up in the attic of the Club Spectrice, someone throws open a window.
Birds chirp on the gate of the botanical gardens.(set: $ATTICASK to "YES")](if:visits is 3)[A small commotion breaks out near the Schön Bed and Breakfast’s front steps. Four bobtail cats step out of a carriage, two in suits and two in strange silk robes you don’t quite recognize. Newspaper badgers swarm the four, snapping flashbulb photographs, before a couple of patrolmen shoo them away. The bobtails bow, then continue down the road.](if:visits is 4)[You stand in the fresh air on the Frettchenplatz. Watching carriages stop just outside of Plumwald Station.](if:visits >= 5)[A breeze cuts through the Frettchenplatz. Lights are on in the windows of the bed and breakfast, and the Club Spectrice. Uncle Mürrisch still dozes on the biergarten patio.
In the center of the roundabout, a fountain bubbles in the park. Down a shady road, the gates of the botanical gardens stand open.]
(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[All the while, young couples picnic on the grass in the midday sun.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[Local restaurants close their doors, taking a rest between lunch and dinner.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[A trolley car clangs its bell as it rolls up and down the street, carrying masses of commuters home.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[A line of carriages sits parked outside the station. Dormouse ladies and gentlemen disembark, climbing the broad stone steps.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[The afternoon lull has given way to a dinner swell. Couples and families fill the sidewalks as the sun dips down.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[A brilliant multicolored sunset explodes over the rooftops of Barenstadt.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[A train whistle sounds. From the street, you can hear the Shadow Express in the distance.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[The revolving doors of the station are now locked, closed for the night. Luckily, a brown bear worker leaves the side entrance open.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375 and < 400)[Voles, mice, ferrets, and weasels drink and dine in the night. Moonlight splashes across the Dormouse Kingdom.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 16"))[[Go to the Schön Bed and Breakfast.->Station 16]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 16"))[[Go back to the Schön Bed and Breakfast.->Station 16]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 17"))[[Walk over to the roundabout park.->Station 17]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 17"))[[Walk back to the roundabout park.->Station 17]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 18"))[[Head to the biergarten patio.->Station 18]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 18"))[[Head back to the biergarten.->Station 18]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 19"))[[Go see the botanical garden.->Station 19]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 19"))[[Go back to the botanical garden.->Station 19]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 20"))[[Go inside the Club Spectrice.->Station 20]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 20"))[[Go back to the Club Spectrice.->Station 20]]
(if: visits is 1)[[Go back inside the terminal.->The Hub]](if: visits > 1)[[Go into the station.->The Hub]]]
(if: (history: )'s length >= 400)[The murmur of the Frettchenplatz's nightlife has grown to a happy creaturefolk chorus. Diners share stories under starlight, eager to relax after a long day at work. The last day train has left the station. Whatever phantom sable Marnie Stout may have seen, he surely left long ago.
A chill cuts through your fur as you walk back to Uncle Mürrisch. Some mysteries, you realize, are never to be solved.
...of course, you can always close and reopen this story to start again.](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: $CLUE3ATTEMPT is not "TRUE")[(if:visits is 1)[The ticket roll is a huge, black binder sitting open to the ninetieth page. Each page contains a sheet of carbon copied tickets, probably just from the past few hours. Each ticket is marked with a passenger’s name.
You watch the clerk as he slips another yellow note inside.](if:visits >= 2)[The ticket roll sits open on the counter. The clerk continues to punch tickets, then slip the carbon copies inside.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 1 F1"))[[Flip through the roll while he's not looking.->Inter 1 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 1 F1"))[[Try to flip through the roll again.->Inter 1 F1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 1 F2"))[[Try to get a glimpse of the ticket copies as he adds them.->Inter 1 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 1 F2"))[[Keep watching as the clerk adds the ticket copies.->Inter 1 F2]]
[[Leave the ticket roll alone.->Station 1]]](if: $CLUE3ATTEMPT is "TRUE")[The ticket roll sits out of reach. The clerk scowls at you as you eye it, his suspicion growing.
[[Leave it alone.->Station 1]]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The vole in the ticket clerk’s chair looks down at you. His little brown nose twitches, sniffing the air, as he straightens up in his seat. “Miss,” he says, “if you have a concern about a ticket, please wait in line with the others.”
You explain that you’re actually here on official, investigative business. It shouldn’t take too long, and it’s urgent. Besides, this way the other creaturefolk in line have more time to consider where they’d really like to go.
“Very well,” the vole sighs. His tiny blue clerk’s cap sits on his furry head as he waits for you to continue. On its front, you recognize the seal of the Dormouse Kingdom.](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER2VISITED is not "TRUE")[The vole in the clerk’s chair stares at you. (if: (history: )'s length < 200)[A queue of travelers waits in the ticket line.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[A small queue of aristocrats waits in the ticket line.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250)[There's no one in the ticket line.]](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER2VISITED is "TRUE")[The ticket clerk vole greets you. (if: (history: )'s length < 200)[A queue of travelers waits in the ticket line.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[A small queue of aristocrats waits in the ticket line.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250)[There's no one in the ticket line.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 2 GEN"))[[Ask the clerk about the mysterious sable.->Inter 2 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 2 GEN"))[[Ask again about the sable.->Inter 2 GEN]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 2 FUN"))[[Ask him why his hat is so small.->Inter 2 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 2 FUN"))[[Ask him to to tell you more about being a ticket clerk.->Inter 2 FUN]](if:$KEY1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 2 KEY1"))[[
Flash Genoveva's card.->Inter 2 KEY1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 2 KEY1"))[[
Press him about the card.->Inter 2 KEY1]]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 2 C1"))[[
Ask if he recognizes the gloves.->Inter 2 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 2 C2"))[[
Ask if he's seen anyone with a strange accent.->Inter 2 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 2 C3"))[[
Ask if he knows anything about a special ticket marked 'X.'->Inter 2 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 2 C4"))[[
Ask if he knows of a passenger named 'Oblaka.'->Inter 2 C4]]]
(link: "Let the clerk be.")[(set: $INTER2VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The bat flaps excitedly when you near. He’s just a pup, no older than yourself. His newscap sits on his large, furry head, and a scarf wraps around his neck under his squashed face.
“Do you want to buy a paper?” he asks, tapping a ludicrous cover that announces, ‘Man-Boy Found!’
You’d rather not.](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER3VISITED is not "TRUE")[The young bat scratches his nose with his wing. He hops around on his back claws, stretching and bouncing with endless zest. You can’t help but think he still wants you to buy a paper.](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER3VISITED is "TRUE")[The young bat smiles, glad to see you again. He shifts around in awkward, endearing fidgets.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 3 GEN"))[[Ask if he's seen the sable come through.->Inter 3 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 3 GEN"))[[Ask again about the sable.->Inter 3 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 3 FUN"))[[
Ask why he sells phoney stories.->Inter 3 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 3 FUN"))[[
Ask him more about his family.->Inter 3 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 3 C1"))[[
Ask if he recognizes the gloves.->Inter 3 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 3 C2"))[[
Ask if he's heard any strange accents around.->Inter 3 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 3 C3"))[[
Ask if he knows where to look up an ID number.->Inter 3 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 3 C4"))[[
Ask if he knows someone named 'Oblaka.'->Inter 3 C4]]]
(link: "Bid the bat farewell.")[(set: $INTER3VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The eyepatched ferret officer glances at you with his one good eye. He’s handsome, tall with neatly combed fur. Gold buttons run down his uniform, next to a cluster of ribbons and decorations.
You recognize the Dormouse Royal Thimble, and the mark of the Sewing Pin Order. Many others, perhaps service medals, are unfamiliar.
His wife gathers the two kits, drawing them into an alcove when you near.
“Good afternoon,” the officer says. He’s tense.](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER4VISITED is not "TRUE")[The eyepatched ferret officer watches the departures tick past. There’s an unsteady look in his eyes. Great caution. He’s waiting for something.
His eyes flick to his family, then you.](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER4VISITED is "TRUE")[The split-flap board clacks again. The ferret officer watches its letters turn. His two kits stare at you from a nearby alcove, just out of reach.(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C5"))[
He smiles at you.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 GEN"))[[Ask if he's seen a sable.->Inter 4 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 4 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 4 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 FUN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C5"))[[
Ask about his eyepatch.->Inter 4 FUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 4 FUN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C5"))[[
Ask why he's waiting in the terminal.->Inter 4 FUN]]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 4 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C2"))[[
Ask if he's heard any strange accents around.->Inter 4 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C3"))[[
Ask him about the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 4 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C4"))[[
Ask if he's ever heard the name 'Oblaka.'->Inter 4 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C5"))[[
Ask about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 4 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 4 C6"))[[
Ask him about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 4 C6]]]
(link: "Bid the ferret goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[Creaturefolk of all types dance inside the tent, wearing jeweled masks of black and teal. A rat pushes past you, scurrying behind the coat check, then back out.
Masks of different shapes and sizes hang on pegs by the door. You take the second largest one, fitting it over your nose and eyes, then trundle in.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION3VISITED is not "TRUE")[The music of the masked dance plays, cheery and bright. To the side, a group of creatures dance the Ländler arm-in-arm.
The coat check girl grumbles to her colleague as she works.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION3VISITED is "TRUE")[The dance goes on. The music plays. The coat check workers keep on griping as they carry out their duties.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 5"))[[Go up to the coat check.->Inter 5]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 5"))[[Go back over to the coat check.->Inter 5]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 6"))[[Dance.->Inter 6]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 6"))[[Go dance again.->Inter 6]]
(link: "Leave the tent.")[(set: $STATION3VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“Come inside, one and all!” says the porcupine. He seems delighted when you do.
Passing under the rocket, you enter a world of strange lights and models. An oil rig miniature stands at one side, complete with a cross-section of the derrick’s drill.
On one wall, a painted diagram shows a proposed trip to the moon, complete with little green mouse people waiting on the lunar surface. It all seems rather fantastical to you, but you keep an open mind. The world your mother grew up in, after all, was a far cry from this one.
A tall, black-furred jackal in a burgundy suit stands at the diagram. He holds his paws behind his back as he examines the illustrated stars.
Further down, a white mink works with an unusual machine.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION4VISITED is not "TRUE")[Lights blink on the lunar mission diagram. The black-furred jackal contemplates, lost in the stillness of thought.
The white mink chitters as she adjusts knobs and dials.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION4VISITED is "TRUE")[The white-furred mink plays her strange sort of music on her unusual device.
At the lunar diagram, the black jackal ruminates.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 7"))[[Go up to the white mink.->Inter 7]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 7"))[[Speak with Laurianne again.->Inter 7]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8"))[[Speak with the black-furred jackal.->Inter 8]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 8"))[[Speak with Benjamin.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Leave the Realm of Technologies.")[(set: $STATION4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You amble over to the world pavilions, listening to the click of your shoes on the hall floor. Tents surround a central plaza, where strange creatures of all sorts mingle with Barenstadter guests.
A sign reads, ‘All children must be accompanied by parents in the pavilions.’ What a bunch of nonsense.
As you read it, you see a grumpy beaver patrolman sizing you up from across the space. Luckily, two of the nearby tents have wide, unguarded doors.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION5VISITED is not "TRUE")[You stand between the Siika and Oiseau national pavilions. Both are inviting, and away from the watchful eye of the beaver patrolman.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION5VISITED is "TRUE")[You find yourself back at the national pavilions, near the tents for the Siika and Oiseau nations.(if: (history: )'s length >= 250)[ They're starting to pack up for the night.](if: (history: )'s length < 250)[ There's a show going on at the center stage.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 9"))[[Go to the Oiseau tent.->Inter 9]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 9"))[[Go see the student, Mei Qiú.->Inter 9]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 10"))[[Peek inside the Siika tent.->Inter 10]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 10"))[[Visit with Ketto Innostuni again.->Inter 10]]
(link: "Leave the pavilions.")[(set: $STATION5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-7-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[You recognize the coat check girl as you approach. It’s Annie Verärgert, a teenage vole who used to babysit your good friend, Gunhild. That was before Gunhild and her flock migrated south.
Annie sighs, shoving two coats into the arms of a frowning squirrel. “Ladies’ coats, third row. Not second,” she snaps.](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER5VISITED is not "TRUE")[Annie eats a Schoko-Kat bar while she works. You can see her paws rubbing chocolate on some poor gentleman’s wool coat.](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER5VISITED is "TRUE")[Annie Verärgert rolls her eyes, unamused to see you again. Her squirrel associate gives her a wide berth.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 5 P"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 5 GEN"))[[
Ask about the sable.->Inter 5 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 5 GEN"))[[
Ask about the sable again.->Inter 5 GEN]]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 5 FUN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 5 C5"))[[
Ask her why she's in such a mood.->Inter 5 FUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 5 FUN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 5 C5"))[[
Give her some life advice.->Inter 5 FUN]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 5 C2"))
[[Ask if the sable had an accent.->Inter 5 C2]]](if: $COATFAIL is "TRUE")[[
Ask again for the gloves.->Inter 5 NO]]
(link: "Leave the coat check.")[(set: $INTER5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[A handful of creaturefolk dance to the music, all wearing colorful patterned masks. You join them, tapping your paws to the rhythm. A rat bows to you, then sets off in an impressive jig. Perhaps it's a challenge. You'd rather not be roped into any impromptu dance competitions right now.
Beside you, a burly badger dances with his two young cubs.](if:visits >= 2 and not ((history:) contains "Inter 6 F1"))[A suave rat cuts it up with his pals at the far end.
Nearby, a tired badger dances with his cubs.](if:visits >= 2 and ((history:) contains "Inter 6 F1"))[The suave rat trades rhymes with his pals in the back.
Nearby, a tired badger dances with his cubs.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 6 F1"))[[Talk to the rat.->Inter 6 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 6 F1"))[[Talk to the rat again.->Inter 6 F1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 6 F2"))[[Chat with the badger and his cubs.->Inter 6 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 6 F2"))[[Talk to the badger again.->Inter 6 F2]]
(link: "Stop dancing.")[(set: $INTER6VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The mink makes strange yelps and squeaks as she waves her paws over the metallic device. With each rise and fall of her claws, the machine’s warbling tone goes up and down. It’s like a possessed harpsichord, you think, run by some strange current of the ether.
At first, you think her vocalizations are pain, or perhaps frustration at the bizarre instrument. Then you realize she’s doing it on purpose. It’s an odd sort of spectacle, you think. Hardly the music of the future you expected.
“Y-y-y-y-ah!” she laughs. Then she winks at you. The mink introduces herself as Laurianne, a self-taught musician and amateur scientist. “How do you like my show, bear cub?” she warbles.
You tell her it’s alright.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER7VISITED is not "TRUE")[Laurianne pulls one paw up, snapping. The music shifts into a sort of humming ocean wave.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER7VISITED is not "TRUE")[Nobody seems to be listening as Laurianne draws symbols in the air above her device. Her spirited performance, you must assume, is for her own enjoyment.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER7VISITED is "TRUE")[Laurianne stands at full mink height behind her strange device. She’s deep in the spontaneous composition of yet another eerie melody.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 7 GEN"))[[Ask if she's seen a sable.->Inter 7 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 7 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 7 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 7 FUN"))[[
Ask her how she got a place in the exhibition.->Inter 7 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 7 FUN"))[[
Ask her more about living 'by essence.'->Inter 7 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 7 C1"))[[
Ask if she recognizes the gloves.->Inter 7 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 7 C2"))[[
Ask if she's heard any peculiar accents.->Inter 7 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 7 C3"))[[
Ask her about the carbon-copied ticket.->Inter 7 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 7 C4"))[[
Ask her if she's heard the name 'Oblaka.'->Inter 7 C4]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 7 C6"))[[
Ask if she knows about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 7 C6]]]
(link: "Step away.")[(set: $INTER7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“How do you do?” you say to the jackal. Something about him compels you to be formal, calling on your girls’ school training in a show of respect. “Claudia Braun, bear detective.”
“Benjamin Erstwhile,” he says, in a deep and velvet voice. “How do you do.”
There’s an accent you don’t recognize underneath, and for a moment you consider whether he might be the sable. Of course, he’s not, but the striking canine does stand out from the rest of the hall.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER8VISITED is not "TRUE")[Benjamin traces a line between two stars on the exhibit wall.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER8VISITED is not "TRUE")[The red-suited jackal scowls, studious. The enormous lunar flight illustration sprawls before him.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER8VISITED is "TRUE")[The jackal remains, still studying the stars. His ears twitch as he looks at you.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 GEN"))[[Inquire about the sable.->Inter 8 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 8 GEN"))[[Ask again about the sable.->Inter 8 GEN]](if:visits is 1)[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 FUN"))[[
"Erstwhile?" Who are you now?->Inter 8 FUN]]](if:visits > 1)[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 FUN"))[[
"Is your surname really Erstwhile?"->Inter 8 FUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 8 FUN"))[[
Ask him about his background.->Inter 8 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 8 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 C2"))[[
Ask if he's heard any peculiar accents.->Inter 8 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 C3"))[[
Show him the carbon-copied ticket.->Inter 8 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 C4"))[[
Ask if he knows an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 8 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 C5"))[[
Ask about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 8 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 8 C6"))[[
Ask if he knows about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 8 C6]]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You bump into the shins of a red-furred, glasses-wearing dhole in the doorway. “Pardon me,” she says, surrounded by birds trilling in a language you don’t understand. “Mightn’t you watch where you’re going?”
You size up the notebook and pencil in her paws. Perhaps she’d be bumped less, you suggest, if she did her sketching somewhere past the doorway.
The young dhole snaps her book shut. “I’m not sketching,” she retorts. She speaks in a musical voice, full of spirit. “I’m studying. And I don’t mean to be studying, either. Really, I should try to be a little more in the present. That’s what Jean-Baptiste, my roommate, says.”
The dhole in the Oiseau national tent introduces herself as Mei Qiú.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER9VISITED is not "TRUE")[Mei Qiú walks the displays of the tent, sniffing a perfume vial or pastry basket here and there. You walk with her.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER9VISITED is not "TRUE")[The dhole sits in a wicker chair, just outside the Oiseau tent.
You sit with her.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER9VISITED is "TRUE")[Mei Qiú perks up when she sees you again.
She’s lingering, still with her nose in that dusty textbook.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 9 GEN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 9 FUN"))[[Ask if she's seen the mysterious sable.->Inter 9 GEN]]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 9 GEN"))[(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 9 FUN"))[[Perhaps she's learned about sables in her studies.->Inter 9 GEN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 9 GEN"))[[Ask if she's smelled the sable scent in Barenstadt.->Inter 9 GEN]](if:visits is 1)[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 9 FUN"))[[
Ask what she's studying.->Inter 9 FUN]]](if:visits > 1)[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 9 FUN"))[[
Offer to quiz her.->Inter 9 FUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 9 FUN"))[[
Offer to quiz her on the textbook material.->Inter 9 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 9 C1"))[[
Ask her about the gloves.->Inter 9 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 9 C2"))[[
Ask if she's seen anyone with a strange accent.->Inter 9 C2]]]
(link: "Say goodbye.")[(set: $INTER9VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[A pale blue, wood-sided tent welcomes you to the world of ‘Siikandia.’ Inside, pale-furred minks and shrews chatter in a strange, barking sort of dialect.
One mink offers you a cube of ink-black licorice. It’s sweet, but unpalatably salty. Lesson learned. You pass ice skates, and a large landscape painting of a ‘midnight sun.’ Then a snow-white fox catches your attention.
The fox stands in front of a portrait of himself. ‘Kettu Innostuni, World Aviator,’ the poster proclaims. It shows him, scarved and goggled, at the helm of a canvas plane over snowy marshes.
He wears his aviator’s outfit in the tent. His plane, however, is nowhere to be seen.
As you size him up, the fox turns to you with soul-searching eyes.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER10VISITED is not "TRUE")[The Siikan aviator grooms his paw. He murmurs something to a mink attendant in their odd language, then turns back to you.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER10VISITED is not "TRUE")[Ketto Innostuni stands by his portrait, off to the side of the Siikan tent. Mink and shrew attendants scurry around, making sure each display is in order.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER10VISITED is "TRUE")[The fox sits on a metal stool, drinking black coffee from a tin cup. It doesn’t look too comfortable, or pleasant. Nevertheless, he seems perfectly content.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 10 GEN"))[[Ask if he's seen the mysterious sable.->Inter 10 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 10 GEN"))[[Ask again about the sable.->Inter 10 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 10 FUN"))[[
Ask if he's famous.->Inter 10 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 10 FUN"))[[
Ask about his country.->Inter 10 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 10 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 10 C1]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 10 C4"))[[
Ask if he knows the name 'Oblaka.'->Inter 10 C4]]]
(link: "Leave the tent.")[(set: $INTER10VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[A delicious smell of waffles and strudel fills the station café. Your stomach rumbles as you walk inside. If only you had time for a meal, you sigh.
Oh well. Maybe after the case is through.
A badger waitress asks you if you’re dining alone. You tell her you’re just passing through, and she hurries back into the café kitchen.
A strange, scaly creature slouches in a booth, sipping a cappuccino. Between his fedora and long coat, you wonder if he might be a fellow detective. One of his eyes flicks to you. The other one keeps tabs on the café patrons.
Near the window, a greying vole adjusts the clothes of a small set of puppets.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION6VISITED is not "TRUE")[A waitress passes through, carrying plates of bratwurst.
The green-skinned creature at the booth scans the room intently. The vole hums as he cares for his puppets.](if:visits is 3 and $STATION6VISITED is not "TRUE")[Conversation fills the cramped café, warm and comforting.
The vole puppeteer sighs, resting his chin on his paws. The scaly creature in the booth licks foam off his cappuccino.](if:visits >= 4 and $STATION6VISITED is not "TRUE")[Conversation fills the cramped café, warm and comforting.
The vole puppeteer rests his chin on his paws. The scaly creature in the booth licks foam off his cappuccino.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION6VISITED is "TRUE")[It’s always breakfast time at the Switching Post. You watch hungry patrons dine, drinking cup after cup of acrid coffee. It’s a mystery to you how they can palate the stuff.
The green, scaly creature rests in his booth, observing. The vole puppeteer packs up his wooden case.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11"))[[Go up to the scaly creature.->Inter 11]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 11"))[[Talk to the iguana again.->Inter 11]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 12"))[[Speak to the vole.->Inter 12]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 12"))[[Talk to the vole again.->Inter 12]](if: not ((history:) contains "Station 6 W"))[[
Question the waitresses.->Station 6 W]]
(link: "Leave the café.")[(set: $STATION6VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 2")]<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-10-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[It’s a lull between departures on the regional platforms of Plumwald Station. Across the tracks, a half-full southbound train leaves for Caninplatz. A family of hedgehogs sits on a bench, watching the cars depart. Then they stand and stroll along, down a station corridor.
The smell of pretzels, sweet and savory, wafts from the Butterhammer’s Pretzel Stand on the corner.
Just past it, a black steam engine sits on a siding, dormant.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION7VISITED is not "TRUE")[A crowd of mouse pups hurries down the platform, led by two young mink nuns dressed in black. One pup gets lost for a moment, then catches up to her friends.
Over at Butterhammer’s, a sole badger buys three pretzels. That’s a creature with his priorities straight.
The idle locomotive creaks.](if:visits is 3 and $STATION7VISITED is not "TRUE")[A wolverine races past you, chased by two badger patrolmen. He’s got a lady’s purse in his paws. Is it his? You find the idea unlikely.(set: $WOLVERINESEEN to "TRUE")
Marnie waves at you from the Butterhammer’s window, near the idle train.](if:visits >= 4 and $STATION7VISITED is not "TRUE")[Another train has pulled up at the regional platforms. Dozens of creaturefolk embark, while others scurry off on their way to the Plumwald terminal.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION7VISITED is "TRUE")[(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[Sun shines in through the ceiling of the station, onto the many sets of tracks and platforms. Creatures of all kinds gather, waiting for their trains.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[An afternoon train chugs into the regional station, spewing thick black smoke into the sky. Creatures of all kinds gather, waiting for their trains.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[Three commuter trains chuff, idling at the platforms. Masses of business travelers pour out, lining up at Butterhammer's or heading straight for the terminal concourse stairs.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[The commuter rush of the afternoon has started to clear from the regional platforms. Marnie sweeps up pretzel bits from the floor outside Butterhammer's, then goes back inside the pretzel stand. Further down, creatures of all kinds wait for their evening trains.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[Two top-hatted voles chat on a quiet regional platform. Other than them, the tracks are mostly empty. A few scattered creatures wait for their evening trains.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[The sun dips low behind the skyline, sending powerful orange beams across the regional platforms. It's a magnificent sight.
A few scattered creatures wait for their evening trains.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[The regional platforms are quiet. Marnie whistles at the Butterhammer's stand as she packs up twelve uneaten pretzels. In the distance, you can see the sleek lines of the Shadow Express steaming toward the international platform. Most creatures from the day's rush are gone.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[A badger worker shoos a few vagrant squirrels off the tracks. It's dark and cool inside the station house. Most creatures from the day's rush are gone.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375)[A few fireworks go off in the distance, splashing color on across a bright and moonlight night. The last regional train has long since departed for the west. Most creatures from the day's rush are gone.
Marnie looks exhausted, closing up the pretzel stand.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 13"))[[Explore the idle locomotive.->Inter 13]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 13"))[[Climb onto the idle train again.->Inter 13]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14"))[[Go to Butterhammer's.->Inter 14]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 14"))[[Go talk to Marnie again.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Go back down the steps to the concourse.")[(set: $STATION7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 2")]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 10"))[[Keep walking to the very farthest end of the platform.->Station 10]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 10"))[[Walk back to the very end of the platform.->Station 10]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-14-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[(if: not ((history: ) contains "Station 9"))[You find yourself in a spiral stairwell leading down to the first class lounge.
]The air of the lounge is smoky and perfumed. Huge, upholstered chairs sit around small wooden tables, filled with secrets and dust from years of aristocratic travelers.
Near the back of the room, three birds play bridge and drink strawberry lemonade.(if: not ((history: ) contains "Station 9"))[ The suave black cat at the host's counter watches you come in. You don't exactly have a first class ticket.](if: ((history: ) contains "Station 9"))[ The suave black cat at the host's counter watches you as you slip through the front door. You don't exactly have a first class ticket, but he doesn't stop you as you enter.
You see a dim stairwell in the back, leading up to the concourse.]](if:visits is 2 and $STATION8VISITED is not "TRUE")[A mouse enters the first class lounge, looking agitated. He's looking for his lost star charts, he announces. He's an astrologer, and he can't finish writing the horoscopes without them.
You consider starting up a new case. Then the mouse discovers his star charts underneath a cushion. "Thank you," he mutters to the black cat, before running out to catch his train.](if:visits is 3 and $STATION8VISITED is not "TRUE")[The three ladies playing cards laugh a little at some inside joke. Then they continue playing. Up front, the host polishes a set of stemmed glasses.](if:visits >= 4 and $STATION8VISITED is not "TRUE")[The chef has come out from the back of the lounge, speaking with a conductor about some private matter. They don't look like they want to be interrupted.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION8VISITED is "TRUE")[(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[A few well-dressed families wander in and out of the first-class lounge, discussing theatre and the day's events. Up front, the host fills out an order form for baguettes. The ladies playing cards in back continue their excitable chit-chat.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[The chef has put out a large, fresh buffet of greens and sausages, complimentary for the first class guests. The host averts his gaze as you munch a bratwurst.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[You feel the shake of the commuter trains entering the regional platform level above. The ladies hold onto their glasses as a large one passes over. Up front, the host polishes a mirror.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[A lost commuter stands outside, asking a conductor for directions to the upper platforms. The host waves at a calico-coated cat in a train car outside.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[A few aristocratic voles have wandered into the lounge. They murmur and chortle in a private room, out of reach. In the back, the ladies playing cards must be on their twentieth game at least.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[Sunset catches the stemmed glasses hanging on the wall of the lounge. The black-furred host takes a moment to rest, grooming himself in the evening light.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[A new milieu of aristocrats fills the lounge, chatting and dining. The host has his work cut out for him as he sets up dinner places.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[Most diners have left the lounge, going out to wait for the Shadow Express to board. The host helps a busboy clean up piles of china.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375)[Everyone who's going aboard the Shadow Express has gone. Aside from the card-playing ladies and the host, the first class lounge is nearly empty.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 15"))[[Speak with the three ladies.->Inter 15]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 15"))[[Listen in on the ladies again.->Inter 15]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16"))[[Speak with the host.->Inter 16]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 16"))[[Speak to the host again.->Inter 16]]
(link: "Go up the stairwell to the concourse.")[(set: $STATION8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 2")]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 9"))[(set: $STATION8VISITED to "TRUE")[[Go out the front door.->Station 9]]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 9"))[(set: $STATION8VISITED to "TRUE")[[Go back out to the international platform.->Station 9]]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-15-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[The international platform is smaller and more cramped than the rest of the station. You can see creaturefolk from all regions mingling at the numbered signposts, waiting to depart Barenstadt for distant lands.
A dormouse in a bright, fluffy dress chats with her entourage near the tracks. Her high voice pierces through the space, unmistakable and sharp. Her rose-pink luggage announces her as ‘Duchess Haselschwanz.’
On one side of her, a group of surly woodbear guards keep the commoners away from the noble. On the other, a large muskrat and his friends chortle and huff. You recognize the splendidly-dressed muskrat as the Spotted Baron, one of the king’s closest and most controversial acquaintances.
What he’s controversial for, you don’t know, but Uncle Mürrisch always grumbles about him after reading the paper.
Further down, past the duchess and the baron, two creatures in suits argue with a third at a platform bench.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION9VISITED is not "TRUE")[Duchess Haselschwanz asks her entourage for their opinion on a matter. Each one agrees with her heartily, to her delight.(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2W"))[
Her guards eye you suspiciously.](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1W"))[
Nearby, the Spotted Baron roars with laughter.]](if:visits is 3 and $STATION9VISITED is not "TRUE")[A small group of voles climbs on a luggage cart, trying to get a peek at the duchess. Her guards shoo them away.](if:visits >= 4 and $STATION9VISITED is not "TRUE")[The duchess continues her conversation with her entourage. She seems positively delighted by whatever they're discussing. Her guards stand stern.(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1W"))[
The Spotted Baron idles close by, grumbling with his friends.]](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION9VISITED is "TRUE")[Duchess Haselschwanz, with her pile of pale pink monogrammed luggage on a cart, chats with her entourage near the tracks of the international platform.(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2W"))[
Her guards eye you as you watch her.](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2W"))[
Her guards nod to you, respectful.](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1W"))[
The Spotted Baron stands nearby with his friends.](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1W"))[
The Spotted Baron is nowhere to be seen.](if: (history: )'s length < 50)[
A handful of well-dressed families wander the platform, whispering as they pass the duchess. The afternoon air is crisp despite the smoke of the steam engines.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[
You can smell a delicious midday meal being cooked in the first class lounge nearby. The afternoon air is crisp despite the smoke of the steam engines.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[
It's less hectic here than in the rest of the station.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[
A green-sided train passes by, shaking the station as it charges through.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[
Top-hatted voles and dormice wander the platform.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[
You can see glimpses of sunset through the far end of the station tunnels. Creatures start to murmur about the arrival time of the Shadow Express.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[
The platform spills over with aristocrats and nobles waiting to board the Shadow Express.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[
The Shadow Express' massive engine chugs as it sits at the platform. Most creaturefolk have already gone onboard. It can't be long now before it leaves.
A row of conductors prevents any chance of you climbing onboard.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375)[
A conductor cries 'all aboard' for the Shadow Express. You can see an ornate, private car being shunted up to the train's caboose.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17D"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17"))[[Try to get through to the duchess.->Inter 17]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17"))[[Try to get through to the duchess again.->Inter 17]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17D"))[[Go speak to the duchess again.->Inter 17D]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 18"))[[Listen to the arguing creatures.->Inter 18]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 18"))[[Speak to Mr. Null again.->Inter 18]]
(link: "Go up the stairs to the concourse.")[(set: $STATION9VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 2")]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Station 8"))[(set: $STATION9VISITED to "TRUE")[[Go inside the first class lounge.->Station 8]]](if: ((history:) contains "Station 8"))[(set: $STATION9VISITED to "TRUE")[[Go inside the first class lounge.->Station 8]]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You walk a long, long way down the concrete platform, past the last benches where tired travelers straggle. Out here, long grass grows around the railroad ties. A freight car, derailed and forgotten, rusts on the other side of a small river.
There’s a single, solitary ferret standing on the edge of the platform. He wears a deep violet suit, with a bowtie and polished wingtip shoes. As you near, he continues to gaze at the steel rails in thought.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION10VISITED is not "TRUE")[The ferret in the violet suit paces, watching the skies. Then his eyes return to the railroad tracks. He seems pensive.](if:visits is 3 and $STATION10VISITED is not "TRUE")[A cold breeze passes through the grass at the far end of the platform. It’s a good thing you’ve got your hardy new detective’s coat.](if:visits >= 4 and $STATION10VISITED is not "TRUE")[Wind moves the grass that grows through the railroad tracks. The velvet-suited ferret stands alone in thought. You feel very far from the grand bustle of Plumwald Station.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION10VISITED is "TRUE")[The velvet-suited ferret remains alone at the end of the platform. Wind rustles the grass that grows through the ties. You feel very far from the grand bustle of Plumwald Station.(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[
Sun beats down, warming the long strip of concrete.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[
An afternoon train chugs past. Pups wave at you from the third class car as it passes.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[
A roaring commuter train approaches under afternoon light.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[
You can see a line of evening trains far off, past the bridges.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[
You can see a fine, green-paneled engine approaching Plumwald. Luckily, it's not the Shadow Express.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[
Blazing sunset turns the concrete strip of platform a bright orange.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[
In the purple haze of twilight, you can see the spotlight beam of the Shadow Express on the horizon. You know you don't have much time.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[
The sun has fallen below the hills. The concrete strip of platform is lonely and frigid in the dark. On the tracks to the international platform, the Shadow Express roars past. You swear you see strange shapes moving in the abandoned freight car on the river.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375)[
Specks of light hit your eyes from the fireworks in the distance. The night is bitterly cold out here on the far end of the platform.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19"))[[Approach the ferret.->Inter 19]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 19"))[[Speak to Monsieur Mignon.->Inter 19]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 20"))[[Go down onto the tracks.->Inter 20]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 20"))[[Explore the tracks some more.->Inter 20]]
(link: "Walk back toward the station.")[(set: $STATION10VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-23-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[The creature flicks one eye to you as you approach. His green, dry skin crinkles and smooths as he breathes.
You can tell from his crest he’s an iguana. How unusual.
“Hello,” he says. He talks smoothly, like he just scampered up from some sunkissed beach.
“Hello,” you say. “Claudia Braun, bear detective.”
He tips his hat to you.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER11VISITED is not "TRUE")[The waitress brings another cappuccino for the iguana. “Coffee?” he asks you, stopping her before she can go. You tell the iguana you’re alright.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER11VISITED is not "TRUE")[The iguana sips foam from his coffee. A little bit gets stuck to his scaly lip. Then he licks it off. All the while, he’s watching the patrons.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER11VISITED is "TRUE")[The iguana raps his claws lightly on the wood tabletop. Thinking.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 GEN"))[[Ask if he's seen the mysterious sable.->Inter 11 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 11 GEN"))[[Ask if he has any tips.->Inter 11 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 FUN"))[[
Ask if he's a detective, too.->Inter 11 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 11 FUN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 CLUE"))[[
Ask him about spycraft.->Inter 11 CLUE]]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 11 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 C2"))[[
Ask if he's heard any strange accents.->Inter 11 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 C3"))[[
Show him the carbon-copied ticket.->Inter 11 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 C4"))[[
Ask if he knows the name 'Oblaka.'->Inter 11 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 C5"))[[
Ask him what 'Magnolie' means.->Inter 11 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 11 C6"))[[
Ask about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 11 C6]]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The tawny-haired vole smiles at you as you near. He looks like he hasn’t had a real chat with anyone in a long time.
“Hello,” he says, and slides his puppets to the side of the table. “How are you, bear cub?”
He’s a strong, well-built creature, but you can tell his energy’s starting to wane as the years go by.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER12VISITED is not "TRUE")[The vole adjusts the arms on one of the puppets. He takes a napkin from his lap, polishing its face.](if:visits is 3)[(if: $INTER12VISITED is not "TRUE")[The vole stops a moment, catching sight of someone in the hall outside. “Sorry,” he says. “I thought I recognized him. But I was mistaken.”]](if:visits >= 4)[(if: $INTER12VISITED is not "TRUE")[The vole packs a few puppets into their felt drawers, making sure the hems of their dresses aren't creased.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER12VISITED is "TRUE")[The tawny-haired vole smiles at you. He's pushed his puppet box aside.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 12 GEN"))[[
Ask if he's seen the sable.->Inter 12 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 12 GEN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 12 FRIEND"))[[
Ask where Nikita is now.->Inter 12 FRIEND]]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 12 FUN"))[[
Ask about his puppets.->Inter 12 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 12 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 12 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 12 C2"))[[
Ask if he's heard any strange accents.->Inter 12 C2]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 12 C4"))[[
Ask if he knows the name 'Oblaka.'->Inter 12 C4]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 12 FUN"))[(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 12 FRIEND"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 12 V"))[[
Tell him he should go find Nikita.->Inter 12 V]]]]
(link: "That's all.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The huge, black locomotive sits at an empty siding. You feel a bit naughty as you climb aboard it, stepping off the platform into its sooty cab.
Four identical wheels line each side, followed by two smaller ones up front. Steel pistols run across each set of drive wheels.
A conductor almost catches you, but you hide behind the huge iron boiler. You don’t have time to explain the finer points of your investigative needs.](if:visits >= 2)[The locomotive rests. It reminds you of some sort of great, sleeping giant. The thought of it roaring down the tracks is hard to imagine, here on a quiet siding.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 13 F1"))[[Poke around the cab.->Inter 13 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 13 F1"))[[Look around the cab some more.->Inter 13 F1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 13 F2"))[[Go to the front of the train.->Inter 13 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 13 F2"))[[Go back to the front buffer.->Inter 13 F2]]
[[Climb down off the train.->Station 7]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-12-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[Marnie, wearing her baker’s apron, pulls and kneads pretzel dough into its eponymous shape. Her name tag, in questionable penmanship, reads, ‘M. Stout.’
“Hello, Claudia,” she says as you approach. “I hope you’re not really going all over the station, just to find this sable. I’m half convinced I imagined him.”
You explain the high standards of a detective’s commitment. Walking away, at this point, would simply be unprofessional.
“Well, alright,” the baker says, selling someone a pretzel. “In that case, what’ve you got?”](if:visits is 2 and $INTER14VISITED is not "TRUE")[Marnie sprinkles salt across a batch of pretzels. Then she pulls another golden-brown batch from the oven. Your stomach growls. You could eat all the pretzels in the world.](if:visits is 3)[(if: $INTER14VISITED is not "TRUE")[Marnie makes a pushing gesture that you don’t understand. Then, an older badger comes out from the back of the stall. “Marnie,” he says, in a cross tone. “These folk have places to be! Don’t dawdle with their pretzels, now. Chop-chop.”
“Yes, sir,” she says, and the old badger goes back into his office. Marnie turns back to you, rolling her eyes.]](if:visits > 3)[(if: $INTER14VISITED is not "TRUE")[Butterhammer stands nearby, grumbling while you speak with Marnie. You're amazed at her defiance in the face of his simmering temper.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER14VISITED is "TRUE")[Marnie Stout, flour on her tired face, stands at the register of Butterhammer’s counter. They’ve sold a tremendous amount of stock by now.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 GEN"))[[Ask for more details on the case.->Inter 14 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 14 GEN"))[[Ask for any more details she recalls.->Inter 14 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 FUN"))[[
Ask how much a pretzel costs.->Inter 14 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 14 FUN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 CLUE"))[[
Give her some notes on the pretzels.->Inter 14 FUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 14 FUN"))[[
Ask for another pretzel.->Inter 14 PRETZEL]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 C1"))[[
Show her the gloves.->Inter 14 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 C2"))[[
Ask if the sable had an accent.->Inter 14 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 C3"))[[
Show her the carbon-copied ticket.->Inter 14 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 C4"))[(if: $KEY2 is not "TRUE")[[
Tell her you have a name, 'Oblaka.'->Inter 14 C4]]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 C5"))[[
Tell her you've got the guards' passcode for the day.->Inter 14 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 C6"))[[
Tell her you've learned some gossip about about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 14 C6]]](if:$KEY2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 14 KEY2"))[[
Tell her you've got his full name. 'Aleksei Oblaka.'->Inter 14 KEY2]]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You step toward the ladies with care, clearing your throat. You're already worried about being caught in the first class lounge without a ticket. After a few tries, you give up on joining in their conversation.
They're birds, all in large and fluffy dresses. One is a blue jay, and another a magpie. The third, you're not sure, but you think she may be a type of chickadee.
The blue jay and magpie whisper about something, both in quite an animated flutter. The chickadee, meanwhile, speaks with a striped cat waiter.](if:visits >= 2)[The magpie and blue jay keep on chirping about aristocratic secrets. The chickadee sips her lemonade, chatting with the striped cat waiter.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 15 F1"))[[Listen to the blue jay and magpie's conversation.->Inter 15 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 15 F1"))[[Listen to the blue jay and magpie again.->Inter 15 F1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 15 F2"))[[Eavesdrop the chickadee and the waiter.->Inter 15 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 15 F2"))[[Eavesdrop on the chickadee and waiter again.->Inter 15 F2]]
[[Step away from the ladies.->Station 8]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You’ve always had a peculiar feeling about cats. They’ve seemed friendly, but distant. You’ve always felt a bit like there were some social rules for cat friendship that you just didn’t understand.
There’s no such sense of distance with this host. He bows to you, finely dressed and groomed in his tuxedo. The young, black cat is a dashing character, and by far the most vital individual anywhere near the platform.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER16VISITED is not "TRUE")[The black, tuxedoed cat straightens out the menu cards at his host’s stand. He listens to you while he works, patient and quiet.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER16VISITED is not "TRUE")[Something about the cat in front of you seems incredibly approachable. The more you talk to him, the more you feel that someday both of you could become best friends.
Well, maybe everyone feels that way about him.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER16VISITED is "TRUE")[The black cat looks happy to see you again. He makes no motion to check you for a first class ticket, or any other valid form of entry to the lounge. He probably understands that good detective work requires certain rules to be bent.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16 GEN"))[[Ask if he's seen the mysterious sable.->Inter 16 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 16 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 16 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16 FUN"))[[
Introduce yourself.->Inter 16 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 16 FUN"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16 CLUE"))[[
Ask him about himself.->Inter 16 FUN]]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16 C1"))[[
Ask him about the gloves.->Inter 16 C1]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16 C3"))[[
Show him the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 16 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16 C4"))[[
Ask if he's heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 16 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16 C5"))[[
Ask him about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 16 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 16 C6"))[[
Ask him about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 16 C6]]]
(link: "Leave the host's stand.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 8")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You do your best to get close to the duchess. The guards, and the baron's entourage, have done a good job blocking her in. You call to her, but try as you might you can't seem to get her attention. You'll need to get closer to speak with her.](if:visits >= 2)[A wall of creatures surrounds Duchess Haselschwanz. Royal guards stand on the nearer side, stonefaced and brusk. On the farther side, the Spotted Baron and his friends swap tales of feasts and plunder.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1"))[[Try to get past the Spotted Baron.->Inter 17 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1"))[[Try to sneak past the baron.->Inter 17 F1]](if: $CLUE6 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the Spotted Baron his wife is running away with a quail.->Inter 17 F1W]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2"))[[Try to get past the guards.->Inter 17 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2"))[[Try to sneak past the guards.->Inter 17 F2]](if: $CLUE5 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the guards the passcode, 'Magnolie.'->Inter 17 F2W]](if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 17 KEY1"))[(if: $KEY1 is "TRUE")[[
Show the guards Genoveva's card.->Inter 17 KEY1]]](if: $KEY2 is "TRUE")[[
Yell the sable's name to the duchess.->Inter 17 K2F]]
[[Walk away.->Station 9]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[One mouse fends off a couple of suited weasels. “I’m done!” He tells them, throwing a ring of keys at the taller weasel. “Find someone else to do your dirty work.”
“Come now, buddy boy,” one weasel croons. “Don’t get so hot under the collar.”
The mouse folds his arms. He looks like he’s truly had enough. The weasels turn to each other, nod, then continue down the platform. “Your loss,” one murmurs as they pass.
Then the mouse notices you. “Whatever you’re begging for, you’ve got the wrong mark,” he tells you. “I’m as flat-footed broke as a creaturefolk can be.”
You tell him you’re not here to beg for anything. You’re Claudia Braun, bear detective. He tells you he’s Claw-Claw Null. Up until a second ago, he was the chief assistant overseer for Waterinhouse Insurance.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER18VISITED is not "TRUE")[The mouse fidgets with his tie. Then he paces quickly around the platform bench. You get a little dizzy trying to follow his path, so you let him scurry around till he comes back up to you.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER18VISITED is not "TRUE")[Claw-Claw Null looks like he's just had the worst day of his life. You wish there was more you could do for him, but there really isn't much.(if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 4"))[ At least he isn't missing an eye, like that ferret in the terminal.]]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER18VISITED is "TRUE")[Mr. Null sits on a station bench, picking at one of the splinters that's come loose on the bench's back. You wish the suited mouse would leave it alone.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 18 GEN"))[[Ask him about the mysterious sable.->Inter 18 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 18 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 18 GEN]](if: visits is 1)[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 18 FUN"))[[
"Waterinhouse?"->Inter 18 FUN]]](if: visits > 1)[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 18 FUN"))[[
Ask about his former employers.->Inter 18 FUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 18 FUN"))[(if: $NULLQUESTION is not "TRUE")[[
Ask what he'll do now.->Inter 18 FUN]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 18 C2"))[[
Ask if he's seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 18 C2]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 18 C4"))[[
Ask if he's heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 18 C4]]]
(link: "Bid Mr. Null farewell.")[(set: $INTER18VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 9")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The ferret looks positively morose. After some prodding, he introduces himself as Monsieur Mignon. He has a thin, kind face. You can imagine that he used to be quite handsome, before whatever has befallen him befell him.
You don’t know what you expected from a creature at the very far end of the platform, but you can’t help feeling sorry for him.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER19VISITED is not "TRUE")[Monsieur Mignon takes a step back from the concrete lip of the platform. His fancy wingtip shoes tap on the ground as he does. “Hey,” you say, pointing to your own feet. “We both have clickity-clack shoes.”
“So we do,” he says, and smiles.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER19VISITED is not "TRUE")[The ferret in the violet velvet suit brushes his own fur back. He looks out, as far as he can, toward the western horizon. You join him in doing so.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER19VISITED is "TRUE")[The velvet-suited ferret stands at the end of the platform, just as before. His black eyes look out to the distance, where a smoke rises from the chimney of a few country homes.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19 GEN"))[[Ask him about the mysterious sable.->Inter 19 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 19 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 19 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19 FUN"))[[
Ask why he's so sad.->Inter 19 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 19 FUN"))[[
Try to cheer him up.->Inter 19 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19 C1"))[[
Ask him about the gloves.->Inter 19 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19 C2"))[[
Ask if he's seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 19 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19 C3"))[[
Show him the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 19 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19 C4"))[[
Ask if he's heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 19 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19 C5"))[[
Ask him about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 19 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 19 C6"))[[
Ask him about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 19 C6]]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You climb down the waist-high concrete of the platform, onto the steel rails. Gosh, your mother would be furious if she saw this.
"Be careful!" the velvet-suited ferret calls to you, watching you out of the corner of his eye. You can tell there are no trains coming on this line.
You touch the long, cool rails, crouching down to examine their imperfections. All-in-all, the tracks are remarkably straight.
The derailed freight car sits on the opposite side of the river ahead.](if:visits >= 2)[You roll on your belly off the platform, trying not to scuff your new shoes on the railroad ties. The ferret watches you, concerned, as you sit on the rails. There are no trains on this line.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 20 F1"))[[Go farther down the tracks.->Inter 20 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 20 F1"))[[Walk down the tracks again.->Inter 20 F1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 20 F2"))[[Walk toward the freight car by the river.->Inter 20 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 20 F2"))[[Walk back toward the river.->Inter 20 F2]]
[[Climb back up onto the platform.->Station 10]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[It's tricky, but you make it across, onto a flat stone roof. It’s the top of Plumwald Station terminal.
On the far side of the roof, a strange paper mural stands against the sky. It’s an underwater scene, complete with seashell-wearing folk and fantastic creatures from the depths. Papier-mâché coral sits around it, braced by sandbags.
On a wood crate, a vole operates a large grey camera. A mink with a trident and ‘fishtail’ stands idle, waiting to act. In the center of it all, a beautiful spot-marked cat gives instructions to her crew.
A sole raven in a suit is perched beside you, looking out on the city. He pays the nearby cinema commotion no interest.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION11VISITED is not "TRUE")["Action!" the small vole shouts. Then the sable corrects him. "Forget that," he yells again, switching out the big grey can on the top of the camera.
The suited raven preens. A clock tower chimes in the distance.](if:visits >= 3 and $STATION11VISITED is not "TRUE")[There's a zeppelin about to dock in the distance, at the top of the palace. Or, perhaps it's taking off, you wonder. It's hard to believe those huge, slow things really cross whole oceans.
A badger at the film set waits for a train to pass below. Then he waves his arms to the camera vole.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION11VISITED is "TRUE")[The hustle and bustle of the film set carries on at the far end of the roof. The suited raven stands still, staring out at the distant fields of Barenstadt. You envy his fearlessness in the face of heights.(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[
The sun shines brightly above, warming the terminal stone.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[
The smell of food wafts through, perhaps from the markets below. It's soon carried off by a refreshing afternoon breeze.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[
Up here, the madness of the commuter rush sounds like a distant river.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[
You see a proud, green train charging down the tracks four stories below. From all the way up here, it looks like a child's toy.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[
The sun's quite low now. You can see a cluster of carriages on the roundabout of the Frettchenplatz.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[
A fiery sun sits right behind the underwater mural, turning its subtle blues to brilliant red.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[
A light chill touches the evening air. You see the headlight of the Shadow Express on the tracks below.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[
The tracks are quiet and dark. You hear the whistle of the Shadow Express at its platform, many stories below.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375)[
It's difficult to get your bearings up her, in the moonlight night. You take extra care not to go near the side.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21"))[[Take a look at the film set.->Inter 21]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 21"))[[Speak with Marie Remarque.->Inter 21]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22"))[[Speak to the raven.->Inter 22]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 22"))[[Speak to Jürgen again.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Go back downstairs to the market.")[(set: $STATION11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The vole in the ticket booth looks up from his magazine as you near. "Free admission today," he says. "Have a blast."
You ask why in the world that could be. "Owner got married today," he tells you. "Wanted to share the joy. 'Course, I got married and still had to open the next day."
You don't know what he had to open, or why, but it doesn't seem to important.
Ahead, two doors lead to two small theatres. At the first, a splashy red poster shows a funny looking mole hanging from a ship's broken mask. "Help me, I'll drown!" the sightless creature shouts, in a cartoon bubble. Beneath him, dry ground is only inches away.
At the second, a black and white graphic announces 'News of the Kingdom.'](if:visits >= 2)[The vole in the booth nods at you as you linger outside the flashing lights. Ahead, the posters for the newsreel and the comedy are posted outside their respective doors.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 23"))[[Watch the newsreel.->Inter 23]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 23"))[[Watch the newsreel again.->Inter 23]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 24"))[[Watch the comedy film.->Inter 24]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 24"))[[Watch the comedy film again.->Inter 24]]
(link: "Leave the nickelodeon.")[(set: $STATION12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole inspector gives you a respectful nod, surrounded by looming towers of unsorted files. You can hear someone getting up to trouble in the back.
[[Speak with the inspector.->Inter 25]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 26"))[[Explore the back of the office.->Inter 26]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 26"))[[Go speak to the monkey again.->Inter 26]]
(link: "Leave the office.")[(set: $STATION13VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The smell of bitter coffee swirls around the newsstand. At a tiny counter, a dark-furred tayra sits alone. She looks quite tough.
Further down, a tall weasel in a plain jacket flips through the pages of a sunny travel magazine. He can't seem to pick one to buy.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION14VISITED is not "TRUE")["Huh," the weasel at the magazines murmurs, perhaps after reading some novel fact. Then he keeps flipping.
A vole pushes past you quite rudely, buying a wax-wrapped chocolate bar. Then he hurries off. At the coffee counter, the lone tayra grumbles at his lack of manners.](if:visits >= 3 and $STATION14VISITED is not "TRUE")[A train whistle blows loudely, reaching the markets all the way from the upper platforms. A family of squirrels runs off to catch their train.
The tayra doesn't move. The weasel whistles a song to himself as he picks between two different types of breath mints.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION14VISITED is "TRUE")[The magazine stand is cramped and cozy, filled with periodicals and each morning paper. At the coffee counter, a lone tayra sits in thought. Past her, a weasel in a black jacket leans against a train station pillar.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 27"))[[Speak to the tayra.->Inter 27]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 27"))[[Speak to the tayra again.->Inter 27]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28"))[[Talk with the weasel.->Inter 28]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 28"))[[Talk with the weasel again.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave the newsstand.")[(set: $STATION14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 29"))[[Speak to the tayra.->Inter 29]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 29"))[[Speak to the tayra again.->Inter 29]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 30"))[[Talk with the weasel.->Inter 30]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 30"))[[Talk with the weasel again.->Inter 30]]
(link: "Leave the newsstand.")[(set: $STATION15VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[Two grey creatures run past you, carrying a wooden crate. They’ve got long ring-tails, and dark black fur around their eyes. You’ve never seen anyone like them.
A few more, similar creatures work to assemble a model of a sea palace. The spot-marked cat observes. She’s tall, with small gold rings pierced down the side of her ear. She looks like she’s focused on a million things at once.
“Hey kid!” a vole shouts. Then he shouts it again. Soon, his little paws are pushing you back. “We don’t need any more lookie-loos.”
After a moment, the cat dismisses him. Then she comes over to speak with you. You learn she’s a serval, that she’s come a long way to make a picture here, and that her name is Marie Remarque.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER21VISITED is not "TRUE")[The mink with the fishtail and trident slips beside Remarque, paying no attention to you or your line of questioning. “Marie,” she says, hushed. “I don’t feel so good about, ‘Away, spirits.’ Can it perhaps be, ‘Be gone, spirits?’ Or even, ‘Adieu, spirits?’”
The serval considers the sun, and the shape of the artificial rocks. “That’s fine,” she says. “That’s fine.”](if:visits is 3)[(if: $INTER21VISITED is not "TRUE")[To your shock, the serval hops up onto the roof’s edge. “Miss Remarque,” you blurt out, scared she might fall. The director walks one length of the eaves, then steps off before a wobbly shingle.
Cats, you suppose, do have excellent balance.]](if:visits >= 4)[(if: $INTER21VISITED is not "TRUE")[The ring-tailed creatures have returned, carrying a box of sapphire-blue rock candy. Marie Remarque paces the set, overseeing preparations of a foam clam shell.(set: $CANDYBOX to "TRUE")]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER21VISITED is "TRUE")[The camera vole shouts at two tired badgers. The funny-sounding vole, meanwhile, furiously scribbled on a clipboard. Marie Remarque stands beside you, her earrings glinting, and purrs.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21 GEN"))[[Ask if she's seen the sable.->Inter 21 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 21 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 21 GEN]](if: visits is 1)[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21 FUN"))[[
Ask what the film's about.->Inter 21 FUN]]](if: visits > 1)[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21 FUN"))[[
Ask about her film.->Inter 21 FUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 21 FUN"))[(if: $ROBOTA is not "TRUE")[[
Ask why they're filming on a train station.->Inter 21 FUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 21 FUN"))[(if: $ROBOTA is "TRUE")[[
Ask again about the film.->Inter 21 FUN]]](if: $ROBOTA is "TRUE" and $ROBOTB is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21 ROBOT"))[[
Suggest that Fritz Brindash could play Bammerama.->Inter 21 ROBOT]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21 C2"))[[
Ask if she's seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 21 C2]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21 C4"))[[
Ask if she's heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 21 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21 C5"))[[
Ask her about 'Magnolie.'->Inter 21 C5]]](if: $CANDYBOX is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 21 CANDY"))[[
Ask for a piece of rock candy.->Inter 21 CANDY]]](if: $CANDYBOX is "TRUE")[(if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 21 CANDY"))[[
Ask for another piece of rock candy.->Inter 21 CANDY]]]
(link: "Leave the set.")[(set: $INTER21VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The raven turns his gaze from the fields beyond. He’s got a well-pressed suit, with a tie woven in elegant houndstooth. You can tell that he, like you, is a dignified professional.
You tell him your trade, to put the bird at ease. “Jürgen Schwarzfeder,” he says, introducing himself. “Well met, young detective.”](if:visits is 2 and $INTER22VISITED is not "TRUE")[Jürgen steps down off the lip of the terminal roof. His black, glossy eyes reflect your brown nose and ears. It’s funny to see what he sees, as you look at him.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER22VISITED is not "TRUE")[The raven blinks, stretching and preening at times. He seems amenable to your questions, even if he’s not so naturally outgoing.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER22VISITED is "TRUE")[The raven has moved from the edge of the roof, toward the metal catwalk. Perhaps he was thinking about walking back down to the markets. Could he fly down? Or is that suit too constricting?]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22 GEN"))[[Ask him about the mysterious sable.->Inter 22 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 22 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 22 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22 FUN"))[[
Ask what he's doing up here.->Inter 22 FUN]](if: $PUNCHCARD is not "TRUE")[(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 22 FUN"))[[
Ask why he takes the train when he can fly.->Inter 22 FUN]]](if: $PUNCHCARD is "TRUE")[(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 22 FUN"))[[
Ask for advice on rail travel.->Inter 22 FUN]]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 22 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22 C2"))[[
Ask if he's seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 22 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22 C3"))[[
Show him the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 22 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22 C4"))[[
Ask if he's heard the name 'Oblaka.'->Inter 22 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22 C5"))[[
Ask him about 'Magnolie.'->Inter 22 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 22 C6"))[[
Ask if he's heard about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 22 C6]]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You watch a very silly film from the New Countries about a mole who takes his family out to sea in a homemade boat. Every manner of accident seems to befall them, and he handles each one with the most preposterous solutions. It's rather stressful, and you're glad when the whole thing comes to a happy ending.](if:visits >= 2)[The film from the New Countries about the boating mole plays again. This time, you're able to look past the irresponsible nonsense of the characters' actions, focusing instead on the work it must have taken to film some of the sequences at sea. Why anyone would spend so much money on such a dreadful story, you don't know.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 23"))[[Watch the newsreel.->Inter 23]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 23"))[[Watch the newsreel again.->Inter 23]]
(link: "Leave the nickelodeon.")[(set: $STATION12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[Inventions, announcements, and troop movements flash across the screen in an overwhelming sequence. Then, you recognize the steps of a train station! Shaky grey footage shows Duchess Haselschwanz of Käse disembarking from her private railcar. Intertitles explain that she's visiting all of Dormouse on a tour for peace, tradition, and budget reform.](if:visits >= 2)[The stories in the newsreel make a bit more sense on a second viewing. The country of Nietoperz, it seems, has done some things to make the Dormouse king quite angry. What those things are is still unclear.
You smile again when you see Duchess Haselschwanz stepping out of her splending rail car on her national tour.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 24"))[[Watch the comedy film.->Inter 24]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 24"))[[Watch the comedy film again.->Inter 24]]
(link: "Leave the nickelodeon.")[(set: $STATION12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-24-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
The vole sets his pen down. As the light hits the holographic glimmer of the card, he looks at you for the first time yet. "That's no small thing," he says, simmering with an emotion you can't place. Is it fear? No. It's some sort of respect.
"Miss Seer," he says. "Please excuse my behavior earlier. It's just, we're so understaffed, you see, with the new budget cuts."
You tell him it's alright. Then you explain your predicament with the case of the disappearing sable. "I see," he says. "I see, yes. That's fascinating. Of course, this office will do whatever you need."
He glances at the huge stacks of unsorted records around him. "I wish I had better news," he tells you, "but the fact is I'll need something complete. A name, even partial, or government PIN. Those are the only two ways we have our records sorted at present."](if:visits is 2 and $INTER25VISITED is not "TRUE")[The vole inspector pulls out a compact mirror, making sure his fur is properly combed. He seems suddenly quite concerned with putting on a good face. "I'm Felix, by the way," he says. "Inspector Felix Frohe at your service."](if:visits is 3)[(if: $INTER25VISITED is not "TRUE")[Inspector Frohe flips through another pack of records, muttering. "Perhaps," he says, then shakes his head. "No. No, that wouldn't work."]](if:visits > 3)[(if: $INTER25VISITED is not "TRUE")[Inspector Frohe busies himself with another stack of records. He's doing the best he can, you can tell, under arduous circumstances.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER25VISITED is "TRUE")[The vole inspector stands, bowing a bit to you. It's a more cordial treatment than you've ever been afford.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 25 FUN"))[[
Ask why he's suddenly making time for you.->Inter 25 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 25 FUN"))[[
Ask some more about the Silver Order.->Inter 25 FUN]](if: $KEY2 is not "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 25 C1"))[(if: $CLUE1 is "TRUE")[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 25 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 25 C2"))[[
Tell him the sable had an accent.->Inter 25 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 25 C3"))[[
Show him the ticket with the ID code.->Inter 25 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 25 C4"))[[
Tell him the sable's surname is 'Oblaka.'->Inter 25 C4]]]]
(link: "Leave the inspector's desk.")[(set: $INTER25VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 13")] (enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You pass the inspector, passing through a dimly lit hallway deep within the station markets. You hear the door lock shut behind you, a one way trip. Luckily, there's a path to the markets ahead, out the back. Then you discover an open steel door.
Inside, a blond monkey sits on a metal chair, his right arm chained to a bolted-down table. "Drat!" he says, jumping as you enter. A bobby pin falls to the ground at his feet.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER26VISITED is not "TRUE")[The monkey scratches at his head, thinking. He sizes up your coat and brand new shoes.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER26VISITED is not "TRUE")[You can see some rust at the bolts connecting the shackles to the table. They don't seem to be worn enough to break.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER26VISITED is "TRUE")[The monkey sits shackled to the metal table, alone in the unmarked room at the end of the hall.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 26 GEN"))[[Ask him if he's seen the sable.->Inter 26 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 26 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 26 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 26 FUN"))[[
Ask why he's locked up here.->Inter 26 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 26 FUN"))[[
Ask about the chicken.->Inter 26 FUN]]
(link: "Leave through the back.")[(set: $INTER26VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Be brief, bear cub," the tayra says. "I'm here on important business."
She has an accent, alright, but one more like turmeric than honey. You see thin scars below her fur, marking her face and sides. A few of the claws on her right paw are half-covered by metallic casings.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER27VISITED is not "TRUE")[The tayra sips black coffee from a paper cup. It looks far too hot for you to drink, even if you did like the taste.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER27VISITED is not "TRUE")[A loud 'clang' rattles through the markets, most likely a crate of frozen fish being dropped at the nearby deli. The tayra jumps, spooked. Then she returns to brooding at the counter.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER27VISITED is "TRUE")[The scarred, dark-furred tayra sits at the counter, drinking from a never-empty paper cup of coffee. She doesn't look all that sociable.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 27 GEN"))[[Ask her about the mysterious sable.->Inter 27 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 27 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 27 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 27 FUN"))[[
Ask about her metal claw-tips.->Inter 27 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 27 FUN"))[[
Ask about her important business.->Inter 27 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 27 C1"))[[
Show her the gloves.->Inter 27 C1]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 27 C3"))[[
Show her the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 27 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 27 C4"))[[
Ask if she knows an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 27 C4]]]
(link: "Leave the tayra alone.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 14")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Hey kid," the weasel says to you, cracking an amused smile. "I heard you've been shaking this whole place up and down, looking for some lost soul."
You're surprised to hear that your investigation is well known.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER28VISITED is not "TRUE")[(set: $REVOLVER to "TRUE")The weasel adjusts, taking a step away from the hustle and bustle of the markets. You notice a brown holster under his jacket, with what appears to be a revolver pistol underneath.
You've never seen something like that in person before.](if:visits is 3)[(if: $INTER28VISITED is not "TRUE")[The weasel polishes off the last two bites of a sandwich, and licks his fingers. He looks a bit out of place in the crowd, like he's not sure whether to go back home or hurry up and board his train.]](if:visits > 3)[(if: $INTER28VISITED is not "TRUE")[The weasel stands with folded arms, leaning against a pillar. He seems happy to talk to you, at least to get his mind off of things.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER28VISITED is "TRUE")[(set: $REVOLVER to "TRUE")The weasel stands up straight, happy to chat. A silver revolver in a brown holster sits under his jacket, barely visible.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28 GEN"))[[Tell him about the case.->Inter 28 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 28 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 28 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28 FUN"))[[
Ask him where he's headed.->Inter 28 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 28 FUN"))[[
Ask about his family.->Inter 28 FUN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28 GUN"))[(if: $REVOLVER is "TRUE")[[
Ask about his holster.->Inter 28 GUN]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 28 GUN"))[(if: $GUNCHOICE is not "TRUE")[[
Tell him to leave his pistol here.->Inter 28 GUNB]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 28 GUN"))[(if: $GUNCHOICE is not "TRUE")[[
Tell him to take his pistol.->Inter 28 GUNA]]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 28 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28 C2"))[[
Ask if he's noticed anyone with a peculiar voice.->Inter 28 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28 C3"))[[
Show him the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 28 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28 C4"))[[
Ask if he's heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 28 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 28 C5"))[[
Ask him about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 28 C5]]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER28VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 14")]A pointer to pinch two.
[[Inter 29 GEN]]
[[Inter 29 FUN]]
(if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[[Inter 29 C1]]
(if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[[Inter 29 C2]]
(if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[[Inter 29 C3]]
(if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[[Inter 29 C4]]
(if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[[Inter 29 C5]]
(if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[[Inter 29 C6]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")]A pointer to pinch one.
[[Inter 30 GEN]]
[[Inter 30 FUN]]
(if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[[Inter 30 C1]]
(if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[[Inter 30 C2]]
(if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[[Inter 30 C3]]
(if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[[Inter 30 C4]]
(if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[[Inter 30 C5]]
(if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[[Inter 30 C6]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-19-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[You step inside the near-empty bed and breakfast lobby. A small desk stands by the entrance, next to an empty chair. A bar wraps toward the building’s large front windows. At it, a grey cat with a notch in his ear sits on a high wood stool. He drinks something bubbly and clear from a hazy glass. There’s no bartender in sight.
Past him, a meerkat in a big coat and skirt reads Dormouse magazines in a dusty den. She sits near an unlit hearth, surrounded by shelves of books.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION16VISITED is not "TRUE")[The grey cat walks behind the bar, pouring himself another drink. He leaves a few gold marks in the till, then returns to his spot on the tall wood stool. Outside, a fire engine rolls past, down the cobblestone street.(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length < $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
Francine is gone, off to the Barenstadt library.(if: ((history:)'s length > $FRANCINETRIP + 60))[ You start to wonder if she's ever coming back at all.]]]](if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length >= $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
You can see Francine has returned to the den. She waves at you, eagerly flipping through a large borrowed tome.]]](if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length >= $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
Francine sits in the den, reading. She smiles at you.]]]](if:visits >= 3 and $STATION16VISITED is not "TRUE")[A vole family enters through the front door, looking to check in for the night. Of course, there’s no one on duty. After a few confused moments, they wander upstairs.(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length < $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
Francine is gone, off to the Barenstadt library.(if: ((history:)'s length > $FRANCINETRIP + 60))[ You start to wonder if she's ever coming back at all.]]]](if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length >= $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
You can see Francine has returned to the den. She waves at you, eagerly flipping through a large borrowed tome.]]](if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length >= $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
Francine sits in the den, reading. She smiles at you.]]]](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION16VISITED is "TRUE")[The notch-eared cat sits at the bar with a newspaper in his hands. The ceiling creaks, perhaps as the evening’s guests settle in. A lamp illuminates the dust that swirls near the floor of the den.(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length < $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
Francine is gone, off to the Barenstadt library.(if: ((history:)'s length > $FRANCINETRIP + 60))[ You start to wonder if she's ever coming back at all.]]]](if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length >= $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
You can see Francine has returned to her spot by the bookshelves. She waves at you, eagerly flipping through a large borrowed tome.]]](if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length >= $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[
Francine sits by the unlit hearth, reading. She smiles at you.]]]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32"))[[Approach the cat at the bar.->Inter 32]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 32"))[[Speak with Maxwell again.->Inter 32]](if: $FRANCINEGONE is not "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31"))[[
Speak to the meerkat in the den.->Inter 31]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 31"))[[
Speak to Francine again.->Inter 31]]](if: $FRANCINEGONE is "TRUE")[(if: ((history:)'s length >= $FRANCINETRIP + 80))[[
Go meet Francine.->Inter 31A]]](if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[[
Chat with Francine again.->Inter 31A]]
(link: "Go back out to the street.")[(set: $STATION16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[A spectacled shrew sits on a bench, watching the water bubble in the garden fountain. Nearby, a vole in a torn dress pieces together her old, broken shoes. Then she catches a cable car heading south.
"Bread, sir?" a gosling asks, approaching the shrew. "Any bread, sir?"
The shrew gives the young goose half a sandwich, and the goose wanders off. Aross the way, you see a golden-spined mouse in a private courtyard staring at the shrew. Occasionally, the shrew looks over at the mouse, and the mouse turns away.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION17VISITED is not "TRUE")[The shrew holds a newspaper in his hands, marking it in pencil. He's finishing a crossword puzzle. Nearby, the golden mouse in the courtyard watches him, stonefaced.](if:visits >= 3 and $STATION17VISITED is not "TRUE")["Perhaps," the shrew murmurs, then scratches something onto a small scrap of paper. You can see his mind working as he navigates a tricky problem.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION17VISITED is "TRUE")[The spectacled shrew sits on a bench, watching the fountain bubble. The golden-spined mouse across the way watches him from a private courtyard.(if: (history: )'s length < 50)[
Warm sun bakes the colorful tile of the roundabout park.](if: (history: )'s length >= 50 and < 100)[
A group of vole children plays in the mark, singing and making up silly games for themselves.](if: (history: )'s length >= 100 and < 150)[
A few gentlefolk stroll the park, wearing suits and ties. They discuss business matters and the state of the world. Others stand quiet, waiting for the next cable car.](if: (history: )'s length >= 150 and < 200)[
A train whistle sounds in the distance, near the station. The sun has begun to dip low over the roundabout park.](if: (history: )'s length >= 200 and < 250)[
The sun shines orange just above the roof of the bed and breakfast.](if: (history: )'s length >= 250 and < 300)[
The fountain reflects the colors of the sunset, red and bold.](if: (history: )'s length >= 300 and < 325)[
It's cold now, in the shadow of the Frettchenplatz buildings. You can feel the night coming in.](if: (history: )'s length >= 325 and < 375)[
A few young couples sit in the moonlit park, chatting and smiling. Some have brought blankets for a night-time picnic.](if: (history: )'s length >= 375)[
The pop of occasional fireworks lights up the darkened roundabout park. You've never been out on the Frettchenplatz this late.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33"))[[Speak with the shrew on the bench.->Inter 33]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 33"))[[Speak with the shrew on the bench again.->Inter 33]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 34"))[[Go up to the fountain.->Inter 34]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 34"))[[Go to the fountain again.->Inter 34]]
(link: "Leave the roundabout park.")[(set: $STATION17VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The Bärlinger Biergarten is a sprawling mess of talkative, amicable Barenstadters. Most of the patrons are brown bears, with a few badgers thrown in for good measure. Compared to the more petit stationgoers in Plumwald, the folk on the biergarten patio are quite large.
Your uncle, Mürrisch Braun, snoozes at a table with an empty pint and a half-eaten plate of bratwurst. Further down, past the patio gates, a strange looking mink in a grey suit twitches and jerks on the streetcorner.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION18VISITED is not "TRUE")[Uncle Mürrisch snores, but the sound is lost among the clamor of the patrons. He couldn't have found a better place to slumber.
Past the patio, the mink in the grey suit continues his unusual dance.](if:visits >= 3 and $STATION18VISITED is not "TRUE")[A drinking song breaks out among the bears inside, loud of and boisterous. Soon, it spreads to the diners on the patio. "To you!" a young boy shouts, raising his apple juice. You smile, but can't stop to chat. After all, you're on business.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION18VISITED is "TRUE")[The relaxed goings-on of the biergarten continue to flourish, alternating from warm conversation to bursts of exuberant song. Amidst it all, Uncle Mürrisch sleeps, and the mink on the streetcorner keeps on refining his unusal dance.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 35"))[[Speak with Uncle Mürrisch.->Inter 35]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 35"))[[Speak with Uncle Mürrisch again.->Inter 35]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36"))[[Speak with the strange performer.->Inter 36]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 36"))[[Speak with Fritz again.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Leave the biergarten.")[(set: $STATION18VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You slip through the open gates, into the botanical gardens of the university. A sense of reverent calm overtakes you right away. This is a sacred space of learning, you immediately understand. It's also a far cry from the noise of Plumwald Station.
A hedge maze stands to one side, grown high and impeccably pruned. Near the lake, you see four creatures having a meal at a picnic table.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION19VISITED is not "TRUE")[A tiny, brightly-colored beetle buzzes through the air above your nose. In the distance, the distinguished halls of the university line garden's far edge, past the lake.](if:visits >= 3 and $STATION19VISITED is not "TRUE")[A small outcry of indignation cuts through the scene, emanating from the two couples at the picnic table. Then calm overtakes the garden once again.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION19VISITED is "TRUE")[The botanical gardens of the university are vast and lush. Two couples dine at a picnic table, down by the edge of the lake. Beside you, the entrance to the hedge maze stands inviting.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37"))[[Enter the maze.->Inter 37]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 37"))[[Go find the hedgehog again.->Inter 37]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 38"))[[Go speak with the two couples at the lake.->Inter 38]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 38"))[[Speak with the four at the lake again.->Inter 38]]
(link: "Leave the botanical gardens.")[(set: $STATION19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-21-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[You've never been in a place like this before. Large, tin-domed lights hang from the ceiling of the Club Spectrice, wrapped in multicolored sheets of transparent gel. An empty wood floor, smelling of old apple cider, extends from the entrance to a short, shallow stage.
Sawdust hangs in the air. Behind the stage, a painting of a huge spired house in a lightning storm reaches to the ceiling. It gives you a funny feeling in your stomach when you see it.
Standing in front of the mural, all in black, is a gloved and pearl-necklaced lynx. She holds a dusty microphone, watching the movements of club workers as they assemble a hanging, moon-shaped seat.
In the back, her dressing room door sits ajar.](if:visits is 2 and $STATION20VISITED is not "TRUE")[The lynx paces on stage, deep in thought. The working folk, mostly badgers, keep on getting the club in shape for the night.](if:visits >= 3 and $STATION20VISITED is not "TRUE")["How do I look?" the lynx asks, stopping a badger carrying two black benches. "Tell me, is this on straight?"
He mumbles something about a mirror on the far side of the room, but she pays him no mind.
The wind makes the door of her dressing room creak, but it does not shut.](if:visits >= 2 and $STATION20VISITED is "TRUE")[Work for tonight's performance at the Club Spectrice is progressing nicely. Piece-by-piece, the lynx and her workers are transforming the space into a moody, black-shrouded lair.
In the back, a warm light shines from a cramped dressing room.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 39"))[[Speak with the lynx.->Inter 39]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 39"))[[Speak with the singer again.->Inter 39]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 40"))[[Sneak into the dressing room.->Inter 40]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 40"))[[Sneak into the dressing room again.->Inter 40]]
(link: "Leave the club.")[(set: $STATION20VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The meerkat pops up in her seat as you near. “Hello,” she says, thrusting a paw forward to shake. Not too many folk shake paws around here. “I’m Francine. What’s your name?”
You give her the name and the rundown. She seems appropriately impressed. “I’m from the New Countries,” she says, fluffing a raggedy pillow. “I’m just here to visit.”](if:visits is 2 and $INTER31VISITED is not "TRUE")[Francine puts one foot over the other, then switches. “I’ve been thinking of coloring my fur red,” she says. “Wouldn’t that be something? No. No, I’d look like a ladybug.”
She dismisses the notion before you can weigh in.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER31VISITED is not "TRUE")[She tells you a story about a best friend she’s fallen out with, and a dance routine she wants to develop. It feels like her thoughts are racing in a hundred directions at once.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER31VISITED is "TRUE")[The meerkat circles Barenstadt monuments and plazas in her magazine, trying to determine which ones are the most crucial to visit. A grandfather clock ticks out in the hall.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 GEN"))[[
Ask her about the mysterious sable.->Inter 31 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 GENB"))[(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 31 GEN"))[[
Press her about the sable.->Inter 31 GEN]]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 FUN"))[[
Ask why she came to Dormouse.->Inter 31 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 31 FUN"))[[
Ask what she's going to do now.->Inter 31 FUN]](if: $FRANCINETALK is "TRUE")[[
Ask her to go get the Khomyak dictionary from the library.->Inter 31GO]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 31 GEN"))[(if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C1"))[[
Show her the gloves.->Inter 31 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C2"))[[
Ask if the sable had an accent.->Inter 31 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C3"))[[
Show her the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 31 C3]]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C5"))[[
Ask her about 'Magnolie.'->Inter 31 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C6"))[[
Ask if she's heard about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 31 C6]]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The grey cat stares at the far wall of the bar, where a few dozen dusty bottles sit half-empty on the shelf. He's got beautiful markings, with streaks of black running across his face and the top of his head. His ears are tinged black, and you can see a clean line where a notch was taken out of one.
"What happened to your ear?" you ask him, to be sociable. He tells you a portion was removed, "as a precaution." A precuation against what, you're not sure.
Then the cat asks if you're old enough to be in a bar. "It's not a bar, it's a bed and breakfast," you tell him. "And I'm here on official detective business."
He relents. You introduce yourself, watching him drink. "Maxwell Mino, at your service," he tells you. He's got an odd, crisp voice.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER32VISITED is not "TRUE")[Maxwell Mino listens to you, folding a small napkin into a peculiar shape all the while. When he finishes, you can see it's a small aeroplane. That's quite clever.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER32VISITED is not "TRUE")[Maxwell Mino pulls out a paper rectangle from his pocket. It's a business card, from a dormouse at the Tappen Steel headquarters. The cat examines the business card under the light, then returns it to his coat.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER32VISITED is "TRUE")[The cat grooms himself. He's working on a drawing in a small, black-covered journal. It looks like a bouquet of flowers.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 GEN"))[[Ask him about the sable.->Inter 32 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 32 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 32 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 FUN"))[[
Ask what he's doing here alone.->Inter 32 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 32 FUN"))[[
Ask about his assignment.->Inter 32 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 C1"))[[
Ask him about the gloves.->Inter 32 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 C2"))[[
Ask if he's seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 32 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 C3"))[[
Show him the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 32 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 C4"))[[
Ask if he's heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 32 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 C5"))[[
Ask him about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 32 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 C6"))[[
Ask him about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 32 C6]]](if: $MINOCHAT is "TRUE" and $FRANCINECHAT is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 32 F"))[[
Tell him about the meerkat, Francine.->Inter 32 F]]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER32VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The shrew clears his throat. He has a kind, agreeable face, with long lashes and a genuine smile. "Hello," he says. "I'm afraid I don't have any more sandwich left to give, or I won't have lunch left for myself."
You assure him that you're not here to ask for sandwich halves, no matter how scrumptious they may smell. You're a professional, after all.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER33VISITED is not "TRUE")[The shrew takes his glasses off, cleaning them with a patterned handkerchief. He holds them at a distance, to inspect them, then puts them on.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER33VISITED is not "TRUE")[The shrew opens a brown wallet, to place his glasses-cleaning cloth back inside. When he does so, you notice a picture of a shrew family twenty strong. "Are those all your brothers and sisters?" you gasp, and he tells you they are.
It's hard to imagine living with such a great big family.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER33VISITED is "TRUE")[The spectacled shrew on the bench continues reading, making little marks on his scratch paper when an idea strikes. He shows no sign of going anywhere.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33 GEN"))[[Ask him about the mysterious sable.->Inter 33 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 33 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 33 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33 FUN"))[[
"That mouse keeps staring at you."->Inter 33 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 33 FUN"))[[
Ask about his life.->Inter 33 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 33 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33 C2"))[[
Ask if he's seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 33 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33 C3"))[[
Show him the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 33 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33 C4"))[[
Ask if he's heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 33 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33 C5"))[[
Ask him about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 33 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 33 C6"))[[
Ask him about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 33 C6]]]
(link: "Let the shrew be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[Clear, sparkling water pours from the center of the fountain, cascading down its sides. A mouse girl stands on the other side, tossing a coin as she makes a wish.
She looks up at you and waves. Then she runs off to catch up to her mother.](if:visits > 1)[Cool water bubbles down the basins of the stone central fountain. You can see flickering reflections of the nearby shops and stores in its surface.(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F2"))[(if: $INTER34VISITED is not "TRUE")[
Your wet feet drip onto the warm park tile.]]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F1"))[[Toss a coin in the fountain.->Inter 34 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F1"))[[Toss another coin in the fountain.->Inter 34 F1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F2"))[[Splash around in the fountain.->Inter 34 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F2"))[[Splash around some more.->Inter 34 F2]]
(link: "Leave the fountain.")[(set: $INTER34VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You nibble some sausage and mustard off Uncle Mürrisch's plate, then rouse him awake.
He grumbles indistinctly, snorting as he sits up. Then his face softens as he sees you. "Claudia," he says, patting you on the head. "How go your adventures?"](if:visits is 2 and $INTER35VISITED is not "TRUE")[Your uncle raises a paw to a waitress, ordering another drink. Then he pokes at his remaining sausage. "Have you eaten?" he asks. "Do you want a meal?"
You tell him you'll join him here once you've solved your case.](if:visits is 3)[(if: $INTER35VISITED is not "TRUE")[Some of your uncle's friends pass by, waving at you as they go. "Claudia!" they shout. "Give our best to your mother!"
You nod politely. Their antics have always seemed a bit juvenile, to you.]](if:visits > 3)[(if: $INTER35VISITED is not "TRUE")[Your uncle's friends have passed by, and the owner has come out to offer the patrons of the biergarten free desserts. He seems to be in quite a giving mood.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER35VISITED is "TRUE")[Uncle Mürrisch sits at his seat in the biergarten, newly roused from sleep. He has his usual fuzzy, affable air.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 35 GEN"))[[Ask if he's seen the sable.->Inter 35 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 35 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 35 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 35 FUN"))[[
Ask how long you can take to finish your case.->Inter 35 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 35 FUN"))[[
Ask if he's worried about you running around alone.->Inter 35 FUN]]
(link: "Let him sleep.")[(set: $INTER35VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $ROBOTB to "TRUE")(if:visits is 1)[On the empty street behind the Bärlinger Biergarten, the grey-suited mink shifts and walks as if on strings. He's got dark marks on his fur, drawn to look as if he's some sort of assembled machine. An illustrated sign beside him reads, 'Eleonora Saint-Denis and her Mechanical Man.'
You see Eleanora, a vole, down the street. She wears a gold cap and sparkling costume suit. This mink, if the sign is any clue, plays the role of her Mechanical Man.
"Hello," you say, and he pauses his dance. Awkward, the stuttering mink introduces himself as Fritz Brindash.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER36VISITED is not "TRUE")[The mink near-collapses, then reverses the motion as if being pulled to his feet. He has a remarkable skill for marionette-like movement.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER36VISITED is not "TRUE")[You're amazed by the bodily control the mink possesses. He's a rare talent, to be sure.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER36VISITED is "TRUE")[The grey-suited mink sits on an apple crate, gazing up at an advertisement for an apartment building. Clouds float past, overhead.
Further down the road, his partner laughs with a group of carriage drivers.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 GEN"))[[Ask him about the mysterious sable.->Inter 36 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 36 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 36 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 FUN"))[[
Ask about his strange dance.->Inter 36 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 36 FUN"))[[
Ask about his partner, Eleanora.->Inter 36 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 36 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 C2"))[[
Ask if he's seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 36 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 C3"))[[
Show him the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 36 C3]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 C4"))[[
Ask if he's heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 36 C4]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 C5"))[[
Ask him about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 36 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 C6"))[[
Ask him about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 36 C6]]](if: $ROBOTA is "TRUE" and $ROBOTB is "TRUE" and $ROBOTC is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 36 R"))[[
Tell him Marie Remarque's film needs a robot actor.->Inter 36 R]]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You pass through layer after layer of maze, making sure to track your path all the while. As you near the center, you hear a rustling sound.
"Aha!" a funny-faced hedgehog shouts, popping out at you with a net in his hands. Could this be a kidnapper? Then he stops short of pouncing. "Oh," he says, in a peculiar voice. "You're not a butterfly."](if:visits is 2 and $INTER37VISITED is not "TRUE")[The hedgehog skulks around center of the maze, poking at flowers and grass. "I know you're around here somewhere," he whispers, as if challenging an arch rival. "Reveal yourself. I dare you."](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER37VISITED is not "TRUE")[The hedgehog puts his paws on his hips, standing with his net in the maze's center. He seems to be taking a break from his pursuits.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER37VISITED is "TRUE")[The hedgehog lies on the grass, feet away from a beautifully iridescent butterfly. He grips his net, ready to pounce, but hesitates.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37 GEN"))[[Ask him about the mysterious sable.->Inter 37 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 37 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 37 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37 FUN"))[[
Ask him what he's doing here.->Inter 37 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 37 FUN"))[[
Ask him about himself.->Inter 37 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37 C1"))[[
Show him the gloves.->Inter 37 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37 C2"))[[
Ask if he's seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 37 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37 C3"))[[
Show him the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 37 C3]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37 C5"))[[
Ask him about the code 'Magnolie.'->Inter 37 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37 C6"))[[
Ask him about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 37 C6]]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 37 CLUE"))[(if: $FRANCINETALK is "TRUE" and $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE" and $VALERYBG is "TRUE")[[[
Ask him what the word for 'clouds' is in Khomyak.->Inter 37 CLUE]]]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You approach the picnic diners, all four of whom are engaged in a spirited debate. The topic is a little esoteric for your understanding, but you can tell they all have strong feelings on the matter.
They greet you, but don't stop their argument.](if:visits is 2 and $INTER38VISITED is not "TRUE")[You listen to the four creatures bicker on and on. The older couple are badgers, and the younger two are a pair of well-dressed stoats.
The badger lady laughs and laughs about some mean-spirited joke her father made. Her husband fumes in his place as she cackles.](if:visits is 3)[(if: $INTER38VISITED is not "TRUE")[The stoat girl speaks up, defending the badger boar. Nobody seems too happy.]](if:visits > 3)[(if: $INTER38VISITED is not "TRUE")[The argument between the four creatures goes on, growing increasingly snippy with each passing minute.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER38VISITED is "TRUE")[The two stoats and two badgers sit at the picnic bench, arguing even more rudely than ever before. You're very glad to not be any of them.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 38 GEN"))[[Ask them about the sable.->Inter 38 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 38 GEN"))[[Ask about the sable again.->Inter 38 GEN]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 38 FUN"))[[
Ask what they're arguing about.->Inter 38 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 38 FUN"))[[
Tell them to be nicer to each other.->Inter 38 FUN]](if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 38 C1"))[[
Ask them about the gloves.->Inter 38 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 38 C2"))[[
Ask if they've seen anyone with a peculiar accent.->Inter 38 C2]]](if:$CLUE4 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 38 C4"))[[
Ask if they've heard of an 'Oblaka.'->Inter 38 C4]]]
(link: "Let them be.")[(set: $INTER38VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The lynx turns to you. She's got short, pale fur, with grey patterns that swirl and explode in endless shapes. You feel a bit lightheaded as you study them. "Yes?" she says, adjusting one of her long, black gloves. "We're very busy here. What is it, darling?"](if:visits is 2 and $INTER39VISITED is not "TRUE")[The singer adjusts the height of the microphone. First down, then back up a little bit. She makes eyes at empty places in the club, as if imagining or remembering various patrons.](if:visits >= 3)[(if: $INTER39VISITED is not "TRUE")[The lynx listens, deep in thought as you speak. She seems overwhelmed by some rising feeling she can't quite express.]](if:visits >= 2)[(if: $INTER39VISITED is "TRUE")[The lynx stands with a badger workman, discussing the specificities of a light. There's an electric energy to her, something uneasy and charged.]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 39 P"))[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 39 GEN"))[[
Ask her about the mysterious sable.->Inter 39 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 39 GEN"))[[
Ask about the sable again.->Inter 39 GEN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 39 GEN"))[(if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 39 C1"))[[
Show her the gloves.->Inter 39 C1]]]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 39 GEN"))[(if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 39 C2"))[[
Tell her about the sable's distinctive voice.->Inter 39 C2]]]]](if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 39 FUN"))[[
Ask her about her show tonight.->Inter 39 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 39 FUN"))[[
Ask why she seems so mysterious.->Inter 39 FUN]]
(link: "Step away from the stage.")[(set: $INTER39VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 20")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You pretend to walk toward the back door of the club. Then you tip-toe into the dressing room. Inside, a smell of unusual perfumes and incense overwhelms you. Photographs of strange places and creatures cover the walls, all bathed in a murky yellow light from the bulb above.
A small wooden box sits on a waist-high shelf. Beside it, a small closet is stuffed with coats.
Notably absent is a mirror.](if:visits > 1)[You slip into the cluttered dressing room. Photographs surround you, and a strong sense of incense fills the orange-lit space.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 40 F1"))[[Look inside her wooden box.->Inter 40 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 40 F1"))[[Look in the wood box again.->Inter 40 F1]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 40 F2"))[[Go through the coat pockets.->Inter 40 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 40 F2"))[[Go through the coats again.->Inter 40 F2]]
(link: "Leave the dressing room.")[(set: $INTER40VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 20")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CLUE3ATTEMPT to "TRUE")The clerk turns away to question an irate beaver. That’s perfect. You’ve probably got time to flip through one of the five tabbed sections while they argue.
[[Skim the ‘TDC’ section.->Inter 1 F1F]]
[[Skim the ‘SDC’ section.->Inter 1 F1F]]
[[Skim the ‘FTC’ section.->Inter 1 F1F]]
[[Skim the ‘FRGHT’ section.->Inter 1 F1F]]
[[Skim the ‘SPC’ section.->Inter 1 F1P]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You watch each ticket copy slide into the wax-paper pockets of the binder. A badger family heading to the beach. A whole litter of voles and their parents going north for the holidays. There's not much to be gained from peeking at these creaturefolks' itineraries.](if:visits >= 2)[The clerk continues to methodically slide the ticket copies into the binder. He doesn't seem to mind you being there, but he certainly doesn't like it, either.
There's nothing of note on any of the tickets he handles.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 1 F1"))[[Flip through the roll while he's not looking.->Inter 1 F1]]
[[Step away.->Station 1]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Ferrets, ferrets, dormice, stoats. You flip through the short 'SPECIAL' section of the roll until you find a ticket unlike the rest. It's a private rail ticket, marked for the eastbound Shadow Express international.
It bears almost no information. In place of a seat and car, 'N/A' is written. In place of the first and family name, two 'X' marks are scratched in pen. The species, however, is clearly described - 'SABLE.'
A field at the bottom lists a temporary identity code, issued by the Dormouse National Police. This feels substantial. Like progress. Proof there was in fact a mysterious sable in the station an hour ago.
On impulse, you pocket the ticket and flip the page back just as the ticket clerk turns around. He eyes you, suspicious but unsure. Then he slides the ticket roll a little closer to himself, just out of reach from your side of the counter.(set: $CLUE3 to "TRUE")
[[Step back from the ticket roll.->Station 1]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))You flip through page after page, reaching an index. You see mice, ferrets, and plenty of voles. Even a few bears, here and there. Not a single traveler is marked as a sable.
Before you can investigate further, the clerk turns back. You drop your paws to your sides as he eyes you, suspicious but unsure. After a moment he slides the roll closer to himself, out of reach from your side of the counter.
[[Step back from the ticket roll.->Station 1]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The vole tells you he doesn't know anything about that. He's not in the business of keeping track of the customers who pass through, just that their tickets are in order. What's more, he doesn't know what a sable looks like. The species listed on the ticket is self-reported, he explains, or taken from the identity documents of the traveler.
You start to nudge the conversation toward the ticket log. He flatly rejects any possibility of cracking it open. "State code of confidentiality," he proclaims. "I could lose my station for something like that."](if:visits >= 2)[The vole tells you he has nothing more to say about sables, or mysteries, or lost love, or anything of the sort. "I'm a practical man," he says proudly. "I deal with practical matters. Not matters of the heart, or romance. Those things are better left for you children."]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 2]]
(link: "Let the clerk be.")[(set: $INTER2VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["This isn't just a hat," the clerk says. You've clearly awakened some rush of civic pride in him. "This is the cap of a Leitungsmeister Feldwebel." He points to a series of unintelligible gold markings on his shoulder with enthusiasm. "I oversee a complement of six rail officers. This hat represents my oath to help the Dormouse Königsbahn run with maximum efficiency."
While he talks, a few hapless customers join the line, scratching their ears in confusion. The clerk goes on a little more about his responsibilities. He collects statistics, you understand, and presents reports on track and station conditions.
You let him go on as long as he likes. Subjects have a way of opening up to you, it seems. It's good to let them get comfortable during interrogation. Soon, the vole takes notice of the size of the growing line. He jumps, twitching his nose again, and returns to issuing tickets at great speed.](if:visits >= 2)["I would love to go on," the vole says to you, pleased and anxious at once, "but I really must attend to my duties." He offers that, if you really have a passion for a career with the Königbahn, you can come to the station early tomorrow and have Oberwagenmeister Oberfeldwebel Hilde show you around the office.(set: $CLERKINVITE to "TRUE")]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 2]]
(link: "Let the clerk be.")[(set: $INTER2VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole tells you he doesn't. He sees a lot of folk with gloves like that, but never exactly that pair. Plus, most folk take off their gloves and mittens when they come to his counter, so they can fill out and sign their travel papers.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 2]]
(link: "Let the clerk be.")[(set: $INTER2VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"An accent, hm?" says the vole. "No. I never notice that. What I really notice are the mumblers. I can always remember a mumbler, because they take four times as long to get their information across as regular folk. I had a badger this morning, worst mumbler all month. You're not like that at all, though, you speak quite well. Especially for your age."
"It's because I have important things to get done," you tell him.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 2]]
(link: "Let the clerk be.")[(set: $INTER2VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole gives you a deeply suspicious look. "I can't say anything about our affairs here," he tells you. "Where did you hear about that? Most unusual. You're not up to any monkey business, are you? A monkey came through earlier this morning, and now look at him. In the lockup. Let that be a warning. And don't let me hear you talking about other creatures' confidential railway business again."
You stand suitably warned, and keep the carbon copy to yourself.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 2]]
(link: "Let the clerk be.")[(set: $INTER2VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"No," the vole says plainly, when you give him the name. "I don't recall names when they pass through here. The words go onto the paper, then straight into the ticket roll. And it's all confidential, too."
He pauses, looking you over again in your coat and shoes. "You should know this by now, little cub," he says. "Why so nosy?"
You won't waste your time explaining the finer points of investigative fiduciary duty.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 2]]
(link: "Let the clerk be.")[(set: $INTER2VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Sables, pah," the bat says. "What snobs. They think they run the old country, where my family's from. Well, I suppose some of them are alright."
He goes on like this a bit, carving out so many exceptions that you're not really sure how he actually feels about sables by the end of it.
"No," he finally gets around to saying. He hasn't seen once since he arrived in Dormouse.](if:visits >= 2)[The bat jokes that sables are usually found drinking the most expensive coffee they can find, and generally carrying themselves with a haughty air.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 3]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER3VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["They're not phoney!" the bat beams. "They're imaginative!"
He opens up a copy to show you. You try explaining how there's no such thing as a 'man-boy,' but he goes on. "Everyone needs a little joke and cheer in their life, wouldn't you say, miss? That's what my grandbat always says. Surely you can't be so much of a grumpy old bear already."
"I'm sensible," you tell him. Some people's journalistic senses, it seems, drift more toward the fantastical than the concrete.](if:visits is 2)[The bat tells you all about his uncles and aunts and great aunts back in the old country of Nietoperz. "I'm Kulpa," he tells you. "I'm a Daubenton's Bat. We all come from colonies, way up in the mountains. Oh, you should see them!"
You ask him who Daubenton is. He doesn't know.](if:visits is 3)[The bat goes on about the stews and the sights of the old country.](if:visits is 4)[The bat tells you more about the cave where he was born. He's really surprised you care this much about Nietoperz.](if:visits is 5)[The bat tells one of his babcia's family stories.](if:visits >= 6)[The bat tells another of his babcia's stories.(set: $BATSTORIES to "TRUE")]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 3]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER3VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Gloves?" he says. "No. Never been too good with them. No need. I can't imagine how you fit your whole wing into a tiny woven bag."
His sense of smell is no more useful. "If you need me to yell at things in the dark." he says, "I can tell you what they look like."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 3]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER3VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"You think just because I'm from the east I know all the other strangerfolk in this station?" he asks, indignant. Then he lightens up.
"I'm only joking, cub," he says, tipping his newsboy's cap. "I know fifty folk with funny voices on my block. None of them are sables, though. Sorry."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 3]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER3VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The bat can't offer much help. "I got my temporary identification issued by the Dormouse Immigration Authority when I flew over from Nietoperz," he explains. "Maybe you could show the ticket to them."
It's a good idea, but the immigration office is a day's journey to the east. That's a bit outside the scope of your investigative means.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 3]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER3VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oblaka," says the bat. "That sounds like a Khomyak name. Never heard it before, though. Say, what's so special about this fellow in the first place?"
You explain that finding him is of sentimental value to your client. He nods. You can't tell whether or not he understands.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 3]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER3VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[He seems a bit relieved at your question. “No,” he says, apologizing. “No such creature.”
You explain your case, to put him at ease, and while you talk you notice his kits listening from the alcove. They’re too shy to speak with you, but after a moment the officer turns around. “Children,” he says, kneeling. “Have you seen anyone like that?”
The kits shake their heads, ‘no.’ Oh well.](if:visits >= 2)[The ferret tells you he hasn’t seen anything, but promises that he and his family will now keep an eye out.
While he talks, you catch him glancing at a passing inspector.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 4]]
(link: "Bid the ferret goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The ferret laughs under his breath. He looks you over with a new, paternal air. Your curiosity must have charmed him, you think to yourself.
“In war,” he says. “I was with the advance regiments at Kasrim, in Nietoperz. Back when I believed in such things. They offered me a glass eye, but,” he pauses, “I won’t pretend to have something I don’t.”
You don’t know what he’s talking about, but it all sounds rather dramatic. His children must be proud to have such a heroic papa, you think. Even if he can only half-see them.](if:visits is 2)[“You’re a pushy thing, aren’t you?” the officer snaps. Then he looks ashamed.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “It’s been a difficult day.”
He explains that he’s taking a trip with his family, to visit a cousin in the the Isles. “It’s long overdue,” the officer says, “and it’s best to get it over with now. Before my condition gets any worse.”
“Condition?” you ask. “Your eye?”
“My heart,” he says after a pause. “My heart is breaking for Dormouse.”
The whole thing’s rather confusing. The ferret, after all, looks and smells perfectly vital to you. You decide this line of questioning probably isn’t relevant to the case.](if:visits >= 3)[The officer politely implies that young cubs should mind their business.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 4]]
(link: "Bid the ferret goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The gloves seem to take the ferret back to a distant time. He holds them, smelling them, and you can see him shiver as he passes them back.
"I saw gloves like these, on the front," he says. "The same smell too. Sables. This is eastern weaving. But, no. I'm sorry, young bear. I haven't seen anything like these in many years."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 4]]
(link: "Bid the ferret goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"I've heard many accents," the officer says. "How did it go? Speak it for me, now. Copy it."
You admit that you haven't yourself heard the voice. Without that, the ferret doesn't think he can be much help.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 4]]
(link: "Bid the ferret goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Something about the ferret's eyepatched face seems trustworthy. Out of view of the ticket clerk, you surreptitiously show him the pilfered carbon copy.
He looks it over, scowling, seeming a bit distracted while he reads. "They sometimes issue these for secret travel," he says. "Political needs. That's what I've heard, anyway. I've never seen such a ticket in person."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 4]]
(link: "Bid the ferret goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oblaka," says the officer. Yes. It's a Khomyak word. I think it means, 'storms,' or something similar.
You tell him you already know that.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 4]]
(link: "Bid the ferret goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The officer stands at alert. "Where did you hear that?" he asks, pulling you close. "What does that mean?"
You tell him it's the guards' passcode for the day, here at Plumwald. Then you explain how you overheard the soldiers mentioning it at the Switching Post Café.
"Oh, thank you," the ferret says, bringing his wife over to his side. "Darling," he tells her, "this cub just did a wonderful thing for us."
He kneels, taking your paw in his. "Thank you, bear-daughter," he says. "Please, take care."
You're not sure what you did, but it feels good to have helped them.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 4]]
(link: "Bid the ferret goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Behind him, the officer's wife laughs. "Yes, I'd heard something like that," she says. "Serves him right, the fool. I wouldn't want to be there when he finds out."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 4]]
(link: "Bid the ferrets goodbye.")[(set: $INTER4VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 2")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“Oh yes, he was here,” Annie says. “Rude as all the others. Maybe worse. He ran off with barely a word. Snatched his coat from my paws. He was one of those aristo snobs. You know the type, hanging around the nobles or the first class lounge. All he left for a tip was this one odd little coin.”
You ask to see the coin, but she tells you she left it with her things in the workers’ locker room.
“Oh,” she says, with new indignation. “Do you know what else? He forgot his gloves. Which means now we’ve got to hold onto them till he bothers to come ‘round again.”](if:visits is 2)[Annie goes about her work, ripping off a coat-check tag and handing it to a badger. “I just hope he comes back for those gloves soon,” she says. “Otherwise I might just throw them out.”](if:visits >= 3)[The vole girl grumbles about the sable leaving his gloves, and about your unnatural interest in the subject.]
[[Tell her you'll take the gloves.->Inter 5 P]]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 5]]
(link: "Leave the coat check.")[(set: $INTER5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“Truly? It’s these people,” Annie says. “Not you. I mean, maybe you. I’m not sure. But the rest of them. Big, doughy, boring sacks of sugar. They’re like yesterday’s hot-cross-buns.”
You don’t know what she means. Annie goes on a bit more about money, and a ‘leisure class,’ and some old Sträfchen bear’s manifesto. You never learned about anything like that at the Bear’s School for Girls.](if:visits is 2)[Annie grits her vole teeth as you lay out the merits of a positive, purpose-forward disposition. “What makes you think,” she starts, then cuts herself off as her squirrel co-worker comes near.](if:visits >= 3)[You tell Annie some more tips and tricks for happier living. She watches you in stony silence while her squirrel coworker looms.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 5]]
(link: "Leave the coat check.")[(set: $INTER5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))“I don't know," she says, irritable. "Why does it matter, anyway? What's all this about?"
[[Ask something else.->Inter 5]]
(link: "Leave the coat check.")[(set: $INTER5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The rat seems surprised that you’d speak to him. “Good day,” he says, pawing back the fur on the top of his head. “A bear in Barenstadt. Imagine that.”
You tell him there are a lot of bears in the state. “Not many ‘round here,” he says, and you explain that most bears don’t like to stray far from their home woods.
“Woods,” he shudders. “I don’t think so. City’s the life for me.” His friends start to gather around as you two chat. You mention the sable, and the five of them murmur amongst themselves.
“Never found a sable, never was I able,” another rat chimes in. “I find crumbs in fancy dances underneath the table!”
The rats scurry back to their mischief after this puzzling display.
[[Was that supposed to be some kind of poem?->Inter 6]]](if:visits is 2)[“Other bothers, father’s squalor, mom’s appalled and so her daughter,” one rat exclaims at a dizzying pace.
“Slapped and scrapped a sappy chap, cut his yap and shut his trap,” another jumps in.
Whatever they’re doing, it’s certainly not the dancing you're used to.
[[More rhymes. Wonderful.->Inter 6]]](if:visits is >= 3)[The rats continue to engage in strange poetic showmanship.
[[Let them be.->Inter 6]]]
(link: "Stop dancing.")[(set: $INTER6VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“We've been here all day! The badger's older daughter beams. The look on his panting face shows it. He introduces himself as Sergei, and asks if you're looking for your mama.
"She doesn't need her mama!" his younger daughter chides. "Look at her! She's old."
You appreciate the support. Talking briefly between songs, you ask if any of them have seen a mysterious sable. "Yes, I think so," the elder daughter tells you. "By the coat check. Just for a moment."
"How do you know what a sable is?" her sister asks, jabbing her in the belly.
"I saw one in a book, on the east! You would know these things if you were well-read like me."
You leave the family be as the little daughter starts to sulk.](if:visits >= 2 and $INTER6VISITED is not "TRUE")[Sergei the badger pats you on the head. "You're sure you're not looking for your mama?" he asks.
You're sure you're not.](if:visits is >=2 and $INTER6VISITED is "TRUE")[The badger's daughters greet you eagerly, glad to see you again. They talk about the exhibition, and what they want for dinner tonight, but have little to say about the mysterious sable.]
[[Keep dancing.->Inter 6]]
(link: "Stop dancing.")[(set: $INTER6VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[She tells you a story about a blonde sable she met in Kachna, years ago, when she working as an art dealer for the Kachnian Families. You don't exactly know what that means. Doesn't everyone have a family?
Regardless, this doesn't sound related.](if:visits >= 2)[She tells you another wistful tale of sables, paintings, and art thieves back in Kachna. It sounds like a good matter for investigation, if it weren't years ago and in another nation. Ah well.
You imagine some Kachnian bear detective just like you, looking into lost masterpieces and cat burglars.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 7]]
(link: "Step away.")[(set: $INTER7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“By asking!” the mink proclaims. A simple enough answer. “That’s how I get everything in life. I just go up, and if I feel like it, then I ask for it. That’s called living by essence.”
She hums and yips another few uncanny sounds.](if:visits is 2)[“Oh, it’s the most wonderful way to live,” Laurianne proclaims. You’ve never seen someone with such a strong combination of blitheness and maniacal fervor.
“I just started it last year,” she tells you. “My goodness, it’s been a journey. Imagine, say if you didn’t feel like going to school anymore, so you simply walked out the door. That’s how it should be! We creatures must make our own decisions to stay alive, to stay connected to the great beyond.”
You nod politely. “Then of course,” she says, “you might feel like going back. So you do. But the whole time the schoolmaster’s made his own decisions, too, and he’s right mad about it all. That’s the essence! That’s the chaos and wonder of being, and being free.”
You don’t know where to begin with your response. The mink has passion, though. You can give her that.](if:visits >= 3)[Laurianne goes on a dizzying tear, explaining higher energies and the great industrial force trying to smother the world. All the while, she continues to play.]
[["I see."->Inter 7]]
(link: "Step away.")[(set: $INTER7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))[She closes her eyes what seems like a minute, breathing in and out. Then she tells you that the gloves are longing to say something to you.
"What is it?" you ask. She says she doesn't know.](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 7 C1"))[ Between Laurianne and Benjamin, this seems more like a hall of mystics than technologies.]
[[Keep talking.->Inter 7]]
(link: "Step away.")[(set: $INTER7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))["Oh yes," she says, and tells you that accents are like flowers. They grow in different places, nurtured by the sun or the cool of distant lands. You collect them wherever you go, but they soon wither away. Some, however, are pressed and kept, stored away as memories of lands gone by.
She asks you to describe the sable's accent as best you can. "No," she says, after your secondhand recollection. "No one like that's come by here today."
It doesn't seem like many creatures come by here, in general.]
[["Ah well."->Inter 7]]
(link: "Step away.")[(set: $INTER7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))["I don't both with those crossed 't' and dotted 'i' things," she says. "I prefer things you can touch. Things you can hold and feel."
Funny, you think, coming from a creature playing a touchless instrument.]
[[Keep talking.->Inter 7]]
(link: "Step away.")[(set: $INTER7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))["Oblaka," she says, sounding it out. She almost looks like she's about to say something useful. Then she starts to sing the name in her weird, warped tones.
"Oh, oh, oblaka," she coos. You worry for a moment that she might give your investigation away. Luckily, there's no one around to notice.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 7]]
(link: "Step away.")[(set: $INTER7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))["Do I?" she says, and you can't quite tell what the white mink means. "Do I?" she repeats. "Do I, do I, do?"
This is a futile exercise.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 7]]
(link: "Step away.")[(set: $INTER7VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Hm?" he says. "No. Regretfully. I can't say I've seen anyone like that. My mind's been a bit up in the clouds, of late."
You tell him you understand, but you're not sure if you do.](if:visits >= 2)["I do hope you find him," Benjamin says. "If he exists to be found."]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“An assumed name," he laughs softly. "To lessen the assumptions of others. My true name is, well, quite difficult to pronounce."](if:visits is 2)["Ah," he says, with a melancholy tone. "That's a long drink to pour. I come from the Isles, roundabout. I suppose that's as much a home as any."
You ask about his original home, but the jackal isn't so forthcoming. He stares with somber eyes at the star chart on the wall.](if:visits is 3)["It's been a while since anyone was so curious about me," Benjamin tells you. "Or, since anyone was bold enough to ask me about it."
He pauses, turning his attention to you for a moment. "What about you, little bear? Where are you truly from?"
You tell him of the cave where you were born, near your great aunt's cottage. He seems warmed by the story.](if:visits >= 4)[Whatever stories he's got, Benjamin keeps them to himself.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Benjamin holds the gloves in his paws, touching them delicately. "These were very important to someone," he tells you.
You're confused.(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 7 C1"))[ Between Benjamin and Laurianne, this seems more like a hall of mystics than technologies.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"All your voices are alien sounds in my ears, if I'm being frank," says the jackal. "I'd be of no help."
You can tell he really means it.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Benjamin examines the ticket for a long time. "This was made by a Newton eight-three-eight mechanical press," he tells you. "The blank ticket was, anyway. I can't tell you much about the writing on it."
You ask the jackal how he knows the details of the press. "I make it," he tells you. "My company does, anyway. Funny to see they've made their hands into the government of Dormouse. So it goes."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"It means nothing to me," the jackal tells you. "Nothing here means much to me."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The jackal blinks. "You've really gotten yourself in the thick of it, haven't you?" he says. "Be careful now."
You ask him what to be careful for. He tells you some people don't have the best of intentions.
That much, of course, you already knew. Why else would awful Greta Nilp have gobbled up your lunch back in third year, then lied to the schoolmistress about it?
[[Ask something else.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Is that a zeppelin?" he asks. The jackal seems lost in space.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 8]]
(link: "Let him be.")[(set: $INTER8VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 4")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“Oh, yes! I know a lot about sables,” she tells you.
You perk up your ears as she rushes to recall, as if challenging herself. “They’re related to martens. Yes. They’re omnivores, with excellent hearing and smell. Most of them live in the Khomyak Empire, or the Yamaneko Empire. Not too many here at all.”
Your head spins a little as she rambles on. “They’re very handsome, you know. Although, I suppose that’s not a scientific assessment. Oh, and they have a special sort of smell. I've smelled it, but I can't quite describe it. Sorry.”](if:visits is 2)[“Yes, actually,” the dhole says. “It’s so strange you should mention it. I was just trying to put together what that scent was. I do think it was a sable, really. And I haven’t met one in years. Funny how the world works.”
The deeper threads connecting the events within Plumwald Station are clearly lost on her. That’s alright.
You ask her where she smelled it. “Oh, it was the masked dance,” Mei Qiú tells you. “Over by the coat check. I’m decently sure of it.”
She asks you a few things about your family, and your mother’s house in Barenstadt Woods. Her questions seem more analytical than friendly, but it’s alright. You both have your areas of professional interest.](if:visits >= 3)[She tells you she did, over by the masked dance coat check.]
[[Ask her something else.->Inter 9]]
(link: "Say goodbye.")[(set: $INTER9VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[She shows you the front of a huge, dusty book. On its cover, it reads, ‘The Study of Ethnogeographical Traits in the Development of Creaturefolk Peoples - by Franz Boa.’
A gold etching of a handsome snake, presumably the author, sits below.
It must have been hard work for a snake to write a book without paws, you imagine. Perhaps that’s part of the subject.
“I came here to take my mind off my exams,” Mei Qiú tells you. “But when I saw the world pavilions, I got all caught up trying to name the creaturefolk inside. Then I thought of my studies again, and I just got so worried that I had to open up my book to review.”
You tell her you’re sure she’ll be fine. She looks very much like a graduate student, anyway, with her glasses and her little coat. Besides, she seems to care a lot.](if:visits is 2)[“You’d do that?” the dhole says, cheery at your suggestion. “Why, yes. Of course. If I’m not keeping you.”
The two of you find a place out of the way, and she hands you the heavy textbook full of creaturefolk sketches and vocabulary. You move your paw down the glossary, asking the dhole to define the listed terms. Some of them you need to sound out, but it’s alright.
While you question her, you imagine you’re cross-examining a suspect, comparing her answers to a written statement. It’s good practice, and good fun, too.
After a dozen terms or so, Mei Qiú takes the book back. “Alright,” she says. “Alright. I think I’ll be fine tomorrow. Thank you for your help, bear cub.”
You tell her your name is Claudia Braun, bear detective.(set: $DHOLESTUDY to "TRUE")](if:visits >= 3)[The dhole smiles, and tells you she’s alright. She should really stop studying and get back to enjoying the exhibition, anyway.
She thanks you profusely for your kindness.]
[[Ask her something else.->Inter 9]]
(link: "Say goodbye.")[(set: $INTER9VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))She takes the gloves, gingerly sniffing the fabric. "Oh yes," she says, smiling. "Oh yes. That's a sable. A younger male, in good health. Well fed."
[[Ask her something else.->Inter 9]]
(link: "Say goodbye.")[(set: $INTER9VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Hmm," she says. "Well, of course there are all kinds, around the pavilions. I'm afraid I can't tell you anything specific. I don't take linguistics till next year."
[[Ask her something else.->Inter 9]]
(link: "Say goodbye.")[(set: $INTER9VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[He tells you he served with some sables, years ago. One was his commanding officer. He can’t imagine there would be too many here in Dormouse.
“They’re honorable,” he says. “I don’t say that lightly. I would rather work with a sable than most other Khomyaks. But they’re not very forthcoming. It’s in their nature to be private.”
He tells you he hasn’t seen any since he arrived in Barenstadt.](if:visits >= 2)[The fox asks why you're so interested in sables. You tell him your story, and he pauses. "I see," he murmurs. "Well. I hope you find him."]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 10]]
(link: "Leave the tent.")[(set: $INTER10VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“Some people seem to think so,” the aviator tells you. He explains that he flew reconnaissance for the Khomyak Empire during the Rutabega War.
You’re a bit confused. Weren’t they the bad folk? This fox doesn’t seem so bad to you. Then he explains that Siika isn’t really Khomyak at all. They’re a small nation, yearning to be free. They’ve come here to promote their cause of independence from the Khomyak Empire.
"It was a special invitation, from Duchess Haselschwanz," he tells you. He explains how he rode with her from Siika last night, in her private rail car hitched to the back of the Aurora Nightliner.
"The duchess a magnificent creature," he tells you. "She's done wonders for Siikan-Dormouser relations. She's the one who's really made things happen."](if:visits is 2)[The fox lights up at mention of his homeland. “It’s a beautiful place,” he tells you. Then he describes endless marshes, cold swamps, flat tundra, and a winter that stays dark for months and months.
You’re not sure what’s so good about all that, but he seems proud.](if:visits >= 3)[Ketto tells you a bit more about the nation of Siika, and his childhood.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 10]]
(link: "Leave the tent.")[(set: $INTER10VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Kettu stares at the gloves in your paws, but does not reach out for them. "I'm not sure," he says, deep in contemplation. "They seem familiar, but. It could be anything."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 10]]
(link: "Leave the tent.")[(set: $INTER10VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Yes, that's a Khomyak surname," he tells you. "I knew an officer by that name, in the east. A very old sable. He passed years ago."
That doesn't sound like your missing creature.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 10]]
(link: "Leave the tent.")[(set: $INTER10VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 5")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["What a fascinating case," the iguana hums. He's one of the few folk to take a genuine interest in the matter. Unfortunately, he hasn't come across anyone like the sable you describe.
"When I need to find a creature," he tells you, "I start by going through government records. Sometimes, the things you need are right there on the page."](if:visits is 2)[The iguana says it seems you have a handle on the case. He wishes you the best of luck on your investigation. "It's good to see someone with a passion for her field, at such a young age," he notes. "Just take care not to let your work become your life."
You don't know what that means, but the iguana seems wise enough to be taken seriously. You decide to remember his comment for future consideration.](if:visits >= 3)[The iguana says he thinks you're in good shape to make your own way.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))“Of a sort,” he says. “I work in the field of international affairs.”
“Like a spy!” you say, joining him at his booth. His cold-blooded face is hard to read, but you see him nod.
A real iguana, and a real spy, right here in Barenstadt? How exciting. "What's your name?" you ask, eager for more information.
He murmurs. "You can call me 'Escamoso.'"
[[Ask something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Leave the booth.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He flicks his tongue in the air, blinking at the gloves. You're not sure what that means, but he seems to be taking them in. "Not familiar," he tells you. "I've never been one for gloves. They might make you warmer, but they just make me colder."
Interesting.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Yes, perhaps," he says. "I did hear a peculiar voice in the station." Soon, you discover that he's thinking of a jackal from the Isles.
"Ah well," you say. "It was worth asking."
[[Talk about something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oh, very interesting," the green-scaled iguana says. He scratches off a little corner of the carbon-copied ticket, then licks the air. "They don't issue these very often. Not very often at all."
You thank him for your appraisal.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He's heard the name, years ago, but it doesn't mean anything to him. "Names are tricky things," he says. "They reveal us, but they also conceal us at times."
[[Talk about something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Shh," he urges, bringing his voice to a whisper. "Don't make the same mistake that guard did, spreading around such powerful information."
He explains that the Dormouse royal guards use secret passcodes, changed each day, to distinguish authorized creatures from the general riff-raff.
[[Talk about something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oh yes," he says. "It's been a long time coming. But it's not so important. Barons and dukes come and go. One moment spent at the side of the king, the next they're running out the door. I'm glad the baroness is following her heart."
[[Talk about something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](set: $CLUE5 to "TRUE")(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))You listen closely for a few minutes, trying your best to make out the overlapping words. Then, one of the soldiers leans in toward the guards.
"Be a pal," the uniformed weasel grins. "What's the royal security code today? I told a friend I'd get us into the Thimble Palace."
"'Magnolie,'" the guard says. "Don't go spreading it around."
You turn to Escamoso, and he nods at you. "Well done," he says. "You've got great potential."
For a moment, you imagine switching from detective work into spycraft. Then you think better of it. How would you live with your parents, or your uncle, if you were off doing spy work far away? Would they come with you? And how often would you get to see your dear home woods?
All in all, detective work is the better life.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Leave the booth.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))You listen closely for a few minutes, trying your best to make out the overlapping words. Nothing really comes through.
"It's tricky, no?" says Escamoso. "Well, good for them, I guess. They would have been in much trouble for saying such things out in the open."
You feel a bit discouraged. But it's alright. As the iguana said, it's tricky. Spycraft seems a good bit harder than detective work.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 11]]
(link: "Leave the booth.")[(set: $INTER11VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Sable?" he says. "No, not here. I once knew a sable, Nikita. We toured the central kingdoms together, with a two-folk show. Goodness, how we'd make the children laugh. Then he was called to serve, around the time of the Rutabega. That was years ago."
He tells you he hasn't seen Nikita since.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 12]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole takes a deep, heavy pause. You can tell there's sadness in his eyes. "I'm an actor," he tells you. "A puppet actor, see."
He shows off a little set of finger puppets, voles and mice and shrews all in fine rural clothes. "Every one of these, I've made myself," he says. "I know their names. Their friendships, their secrets, all their fights and dreams. I've been with this pack, oh, a long time now."
You can't help but ask why he seems so glum. It's not like his puppets are anything to be ashamed of. On the contrary, they seem quite excellent.
"The children just don't want the shows anymore," the vole admits. "A few come out in each town, yes. Mostly for the sake of their parents. But times are changing. There's radio. Nickelodeons. Better things to do than spend a half-mark on an old vole's show."
The vole goes on a little more, recalling childhood dreams of the classical stage. Then he shakes his head. "No," he says, "in truth, it was always the puppets. Right from the start, it was puppet theatre that I really loved. But, all loves pass on."
[[Tell him to keep pushing on as an actor.->Inter 12 Y]]
[[Tell him to try and find another calling.->Inter 12 N]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole says he's never seen the gloves before. He offers to mend the inside lining, where it's slightly torn.
As kind as that is, you should probably keep them as they are.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 12]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole says it's all been Dormousers in the café today. "Fewer and fewer foreigners come through Plumwald, these days," he tells you. "You're too young to recall, I imagine, but it didn't used to be that way."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 12]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He apologizes. If that's a name he's heard before, it's long gone from his memory by now.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 12]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You investigate the black-metal cab of the locomotive. There's a small, yellowed picture at the helm, of a well-dressed family of badgers. All around, gears and levers look too important to touch.](if:visits >= 2)[A picture of a badger family sits above the throttle. The furnace, levers, and dials of the train are all cold on your paw pads.]
(if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 13 F2"))[[Climb around to the front of the train.->Inter 13 F2]](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 13 F2"))[[Climb back to the front of the train.->Inter 13 F2]]
[[Go back down to the platform.->Station 7]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-11-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[The front of the train is a huge, black-painted iron dome. It looms above you, a faceless face, imposing and uncanny in the empty siding.
You don't much like the look of it.](if:visits >= 2)[You do your best to investigate the buffers of the train, ignoring the huge boiler above. Everything seems to be regulation, as far as you can tell.
Admittedly, trains are not your field of expertise.]
(if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 13 F1"))[[Climb up into the cab->Inter 13 F1]](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 13 F1"))[[Climb back up into to the cab.->Inter 13 F1]]
[[Climb up onto the platform.->Station 7]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[Marnie lays out everything she remembers. She was at the masked dance on her lunch break, with her co-worker, Mathilde. The co-worker left, and Marnie was getting tired of some rhyming rats, so she turned to take the tram back from the exhibition.
That’s when she saw the sable, dressed in black with a white kerchief and grey coat. He was exchanging a few words with the coat check girl, too far away to be heard. Then he put a coin on the counter, bowed, and rushed out the door of the masked dance tent.
Marnie followed, but the sable was nowhere to be seen. It didn’t seem like he’d ever noticed her, either. “I swear it was him,” Marnie says, confident in his identity once again. “It had to be. Even after all this time.”
You ask whether Mathilde can be cross-examined. Unfortunately, she’s gone back home for the day. Then Marnie perks up. Oh! She says, digging in her pocket. "I found this, on the ground, right as I was chasing him. It must have fallen out of his coat pocket, just before. Of course, I don't have any proof."
You examine the object. It's a crumpled, half-used matchbox marked with the ornate letters, 'SBB.'
She offers it for a moment, then takes it back. "If it's alright, I'd rather keep it," she says. "Just in case I never see him again. Just in case this is all I ever have left."](if:visits is 2)[Marnie goes over the story of how she met the young sable, years ago at a private school. Then she starts to get a bit choked up. “I don’t know what he’d say, if he saw me,” she sniffs. “I haven’t made anything of myself. Look at me. Maybe it’s best not to find him at all.”
You urge her to keep her focus on the practical. Sentiment won’t do much to solve the case at this point.](if:visits >= 3)[Marnie struggles to give you any more information. You press her, but only years-old childhood stories of friendship come out. She's really told you everything she's got.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](set: $PRETZELS to $PRETZELS + 1)(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Oh, you can have one," Marnie says, to your complete and utter shock. "Just don't let my manager catch you."
Sometimes, pro bono work is its own reward. Other times, it seems, your waived fee is paid back tenfold in delicious, buttery dough.
You gobble up a hot, salty pretzel, nearly staining your new detective's coat as you swallow it down. Then you wipe your paws on a bit of cloth at the edge of the counter.](if:visits is 2)["I see," Marnie says. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot of control over the baking process. There's a whole guide that Butterhammer wrote. His name's not really Butterhammer, but he insists on all of us calling him that. It's really quite ridiculous."
She sighs, then looks you up and down. "I suppose you don't want another one, then, if they're not up to your standards?"
Of course, you still do. She smiles, handing you another pretzel, and you scarf it down. Hopefully Uncle Mürrisch won't expect you to eat a big dinner.](if:visits is 3)[Marnie chuckles to herself as you lay out a plan for a triple-layer, cheese filled pretzel. "Maybe you should be the one working here," she muses. "Not that Butterhammer would ever let anyone else contribute to his vision."
After your proposal, she rewards you with another pretzel from the rack.](if:visits >= 4)[Marnie nods, patient, as you tell her your suggestions.
Then she hands you yet another pretzel.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))She leans over the counter to sniff the gloves. "Gosh," she says. "How interesting. You got those from the coat check? I don't recognize the scent, but, that doesn't mean much. He wouldn't smell at all the same as when he was a pup, and I was just a little cub."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"I don't recall an accent," she says. "But, we were so little then. Who knows where he's been since. Who he's been talking to, who he's been seeing..."
You thank her for her answer, before she can get too caught up in her words.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))She cocks her head, reading over the words. "If this is for the Shadow Express," she says, "then it leaves tonight. Oh, drat. You don't have much time. Well, at least he isn't already gone. Maybe I can catch a peek at him when it boards!"
Looking at the 'X' and the 'N/A' marks, you doubt she could find him that way. Something tells you he's trying to keep a low profile.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oblaka," she says, feeling out the name in her mouth a few times. "I'm so embarrassed, but, I really don't recall if that's right or not. None of us cubs ever thought about surnames or anything like that. I never even considered that he might not be from Dormouse."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oh my," she says. "I certainly hope you're not getting into any real trouble on my account. Please, it's not worth it. This was all just a silly thing."
You assure her that you're up to the task.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"I'm never privy to that kind of gossip," she sighs. It seems all the good bits of drama stay down on the international platform.
"Well," Marnie tells you. "No matter what happens with this Zobelein business, you'll surely be the expert on Plumwald Station by the time you're through."
That's good, you say to yourself. A foundation for future cases.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CLUE6 to "TRUE")(if:visits is 1)["I just couldn't believe it," the magpie titters. "The baroness, of all people, running off to Paloma? And with that quail!"
"The Spotted Baron's going to jump out of his fur when he hears it," the blue jay laughs. "He'll have to run right back to the king just to secure his reputation, if he doesn't have her family's wealth to keep him in good favor."
Both birds keep very quiet as they share more details. Clearly, this is a matter of some importance, and one not widely known.
Despite no sable being mentioned, you feel accomplished in your investigative listening.(if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 11 CLUEP"))[ Escamoso taught you well.]](if:visits >= 2)[The ladies continue to whisper about the details of the Spotted Baron's coming humiliation. It sounds like he's been an awful grump, and not a very nice husband either. Perhaps, you think, the flight of the baroness to Paloma is for the best.]
(if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 15 F2"))[[Eavesdrop on the chickadee and waiter.->Inter 15 F2]](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 15 F2"))[[Eavesdrop on the chickadee and waiter again.->Inter 15 F2]]
[[Step away from the table.->Station 8]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CLUE6 to "TRUE")(if:visits is 1)["Oh, the boys are just as a bad as us," the chickadee laughs. She seems to be defending her friends' gossiping habits. "Especially those soldiers, up at the Station Café. They're always spilling secrets like they're the only ones in the room."](if:visits >= 2)[The cat waiter listens as the chickadee tells a story of huge, green forests and lakes in the New Countries. She talks of what blooms there, and the strange creaturefolk you meet out in the woods. The two seem to be getting on well.]
(if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 15 F1"))[[Listen in on the blue jay and magpie.->Inter 15 F1]](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 15 F1"))[[Listen to the blue jay and magpie again.->Inter 15 F1]]
[[Step away from the table.->Station 8]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CLUE2 to "TRUE")(if:visits is 1)["As a matter of fact, I did see him," the black cat tells you. For a moment, you find it hard to believe him. Could this really be another sighting? Then he describes the details of the sable's dark, round ears and slender nose.
"He wore a grey coat, and a scarf," the host tells you. "He didn't stay long. Just a moment, to eat. But, he did speak to me, to ask for a glass of water, I believe. It happened earlier this afternoon. He had the most fascinating accent. It was like, hmm..."
The cat struggles to replicate the accent, then gives up. "It was like smooth, oaken honey," he tells you. "Really, like nothing else I've heard. After he drank the water, he left through the front door here and disappeared."](if:visits >= 2)[The cat tells you again about the strange-voiced sable who came in for a drink of water earlier this afternoon.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 16]]
(link: "Leave the host's stand.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 8")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Claudia Braun, bear detective," you say. Then you say the bit about the business cards not being finished. Then you thank the suave cat for all his help.
"Of course," he tells you, dusting a counter with a cloth. "I'm Antonio."](if:visits is 2)[(set: $JAVIERUNI to "TRUE")Antonio laughs. He looks a little on-the-spot. "I'm a photographer," he says. "Well, not really. I only borrow a camera, at the moment, but I'm hoping to buy one myself soon."
He tells you a little bit more about the principles of having a photographic eye. You tell him, if you ever need a photographer for your work, you'll come and find him here. "Find me at my father's house," he says, writing the address on a scrap of paper. "I don't know how much longer I'll be working here, really. I'm hoping to get into the university across the street."
University sounds quite impressive, if a bit intimidating. Luckily, your own entrance exams are many years away.](if:visits >= 3)[Antonio tells you a bit more about his photographic passions. Then he says he really should get back to work.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 16]]
(link: "Leave the host's stand.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 8")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The cat sniffs the gloves. He raises up one side of his upper lip, revealing a sharp canine, then nods. "Yes," he says. "I recognize him, from this afternoon."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 16]]
(link: "Leave the host's stand.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 8")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The cat tells you that he's seen tickets marked 'SPECIAL' before, but never yellow ones like this, and never any with so much missing information.
You tell him that it's yellow because it's a carbon copy. He tells you he doesn't want to know how you got it.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 16]]
(link: "Leave the host's stand.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 8")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The cat tells you he's never heard that name. "I don't know any of the names of the folk who come through here, hardly," he says. "They call me 'Check Please.' I call them 'Yes, sir.'"(if: $JAVIERUNI is "TRUE")[
You remind him it'll all be different once he gets into university. He won't have to keep wait tables for long.
The cat seems to appreciate you saying it.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 16]]
(link: "Leave the host's stand.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 8")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The cat doesn't seem to know anything about that. "Nothing good comes of getting wrapped up in government business," he warns you.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 16]]
(link: "Leave the host's stand.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 8")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oh yes," he laughs. "They've been talking about it all day. You wouldn't believe how much gossip comes through these doors, right under my nose. Perhaps I'll start writing about it, someday. I'd make an anonymous newsletter, with all the scandals I'd overheard that month."
He pauses. "If you ever do see something like that on the stands," he tells you, "you have to swear not to tell anyone that it's me."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 16]]
(link: "Leave the host's stand.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 8")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CLUE2 to "TRUE")(if:visits is 1)[He tells you he hasn't noticed any sables. He's only been here a short while, you see. He was meeting one of his superiors at the station, to give him some keys to a room he owns. Of course, he needed to get the keys back from someone else, first. Then he pauses.
"I'm rambling," the mouse says, and apologizes. "Sables are good clients, though. Trustworthy. Pay their bills on time. I'll always follow up on a lead if it's a sable's house."](if:visits is 2)[Mr. Null tells you a bit more about the upright character of sables, but he can't provide any specifics for your case. "It's not a sable crook you're looking for is it?" he asks. "That'd really be something. A sable crook."
You doubt all sables could really be as uniformly upright as he suggests.](if:visits >= 3)[Mr. Null tells another story about the stalwart character of the stable clients he's had. He seems a bit agitated, like he doesn't really have time for this.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 18]]
(link: "Bid Mr. Null farewell.")[(set: $INTER18VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 9")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CLUE2 to "TRUE")(if:visits is 1)["We do flood insurance," the mouse says, feebly. "And liquidations."
He realizes that 'we' is suddenly 'they.' He himself, he laments, doesn't really do much of anything.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 18]]
(link: "Bid Mr. Null farewell.")[(set: $INTER18VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 9")]](if:visits >= 2)[(set: $NULLQUESTION to "TRUE")"I don't know," He says. Then suddenly, he starts to breathe quite quickly. You let him hold your paw as you sit him down on a bench.
"Have I made a huge mistake?" he asks. "No, I can't've. They were so awful. I kept thinking, if I held on a few more months, I could finally make it to assistant chief manager. But, it never happened. They did just enough to give me hope, all the while making me clean up every mess. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to swim around a leaky house, looking for signs of contract violation. Especially when you're just a little mouse like me."
You tell him that sounds awful. Suddenly, he's disagreeing with you. "In a way it was wonderful," he says. "I felt alive. It paid for my apartment. All my nice clothes. I may be a bachelor, but I still need to take care of myself. What'll I do now?"
He pouts, standing again.
"Maybe I should go apologize," the mouse considers. "See if they'll take me back."
[[Tell him to get his job back.->Inter 18FUNA]]
[[Tell him to leave it behind.->Inter 18FUNB]]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He tells you a story about an awful Khomyak badger he once dealt with, whose house smelled like cabbage and stew. You're not sure what the problem is. Neither of those sound too bad to you.
You soon cut him short. This isn't the type of information you need.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 18]]
(link: "Bid Mr. Null farewell.")[(set: $INTER18VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 9")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oblaka?" he asks. "What's that, some sort of Nieto name?"
You don't really feel like going into it with him.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 18]]
(link: "Bid Mr. Null farewell.")[(set: $INTER18VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 9")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“Oh yes,” he says. “Sables are, well, a bit hard to get to know at first. They’re very proud. Often times you’ll find them with that first-class lot. All the nobles and the dignitaries.”](if:visits is 2)[The ferret tells you that all the sables he’s known have been honorable, buttoned-up creatures. At least, buttoned-up on first impression.](if:visits >= 3)[He tells a few more stories about the sables he’s known, aristocratic and proud. You’re not sure if this is a full picture of their species, or if Monsieur Mignon has been exposed to only a subset of sablekind.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“Oh,” he says, and looks at you again with new eyes. Then he picks his words with sweet, slow care. “I had something I liked very much,” he says. “A hotel, where I tried to take care of folk that the state didn’t like me taking care of. So, they shut me down. Now I’m off to find a new land. There’s nothing for me in Dormouse.”
“It’s alright,” he reassures. “It’s just sad, sometimes. When things change.”](if:visits is 2)[You tell him there are people all over the world who need help. Even if he has to go far away, he could still help people in the place he ends up. He’d probably be even better at it, too, since he’s got the experience with it now.
The ferret musses the fur on your head with his paw. You brush it back down, scowling. But you forgive him. He’s been through a lot.](if:visits >= 3)[You’ve run out of inspiring words, so you make up a few silly faces and a dance. The ferret laughs. You can tell he’s still a bit weary.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The ferret inspects the gloves. "These are a fine material," he says. "Eastern wool. I do think they belonged to a sable, from the stitch and the smell. But, not one I've ever known."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The ferret says he hasn't felt much like being around other folk, lately. He's spent almost all the day here, alone at the platform's end. You're the first creature to come by.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The ferret says he doesn't know much about travel documents. "I never strayed far from my home, before this," he tells you. "I never had need to."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"It sounds Khomyak," he tells you. Beyond that, he isn't of much help. It's not a name he's ever heard before.
You thank him anyway, for his patience.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He asks what that is. You tell him that you probably shouldn't say, as it's confidential. He doesn't seem to mind that too much.
[[Tell him anyway.->Inter 19 C5C]]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Ah yes," Monsieur Mignon laughs. "This has been coming for years. She used to come stay with me, believe or not. The baroness and her good friend, both. Not that such a story would ever be believed. That's probably for the best."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You walk a good while down the tracks. An incredible quiet passes over you. After a moment, you feel the rails shake. You step aside, and after a minute a heavy locomotive steams through, pulling industrial freight.
Through the gaps between cars, you catch the distant streets of downtown Barenstadt. You stand alone in the freight train's roar, pressing down grass with your shoes.](if:visits >= 2)[Insects chirp in the tall grass around you. A zeppelin moors in the distance, at the top of the palace. Everything is calm.
You feel like you could melt into some indistinct eternity.]
(if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 20 F2"))[[Go toward the river.->Inter 20 F2]](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 20 F2"))[[Go back toward the river.->Inter 20 F2]]
[[Go back to the platform's end.->Station 10]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-13-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[The air grows warm and damp as you near the river. You descend, avoiding the muddiest spots, until you stand across from the crashed boxcar. It’s clearly been here a long time.
A wolverine crawls out of the rusted car, smoking a corncob pipe. His eye glints as he watches you.(if: $WOLVERINESEEN is "TRUE")[ You wonder if it’s the same one that ran from the station patrolmen.]
You get an uneasy feeling in your belly. All of sudden, the station feels very far away.](if:visits >= 2)[You retrace your steps to the river’s bank. Across the water, the mangy wolverine with the corncob pipe stares at you, his eyes glowing yellow.
He must be wondering why you came down here. You can’t help but wonder that, yourself.]
(if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 20 F1"))[[Walk farther down the tracks.->Inter 20 F1]](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 20 F1"))[[Walk back over to the tracks.->Inter 20 F1]]
[[Go back to the platform's end.->Station 10]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Why, perhaps it was real..." Miss Remarque mumbles. You ask her to speak up. At your prodding, she tells you that she checked into the Schön Bed and Breakfast at one o' clock this morning. An hour later, she got back out of bed to fetch a pen and paper from the lobby. When she did, she bumped straight into a tall, dark-furred creature in the hall. She couldn't really see him, she admits, but she swears he was a sable.
"They are quite unusual in these parts, no?" she says. "Even rarer in my country. Perhaps if you see him, you could ask if he wants to act?"](if:visits >= 2)[The director tells you again how she might have seen a sable in the halls of the Schön Bed and Breakfast, well after midnight.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 21]]
(link: "Leave the set.")[(set: $INTER21VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[Miss Remarque tells you about a dream she had, in which a queen from a lost underwater city emerged from the depths to defeat a cosmic imbalance. "What else can I do?" she says to you, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "What else can I do but follow my dreams?"
You ask her what a cosmic imbalance looks like. She tells you, "it's when nothing's quite right, you know? When you make your tea the same way, but the tea tastes different."
That doesn't sound too easy to show in a motion picture.](if:visits is 2)["Oh, it was //très horrible//," she tells you. "We came all this way, many days by train, to meet the fancies of one old stick-in-the-mud stoat performer. He was the only one who I said could play Bammerama, the celestial robot."
Remarque kicks a small coin off the roof of the station. You hear it splash in the fountain of the Frettchenplatz, a good distance away. "Of course," she says, "he told me he would only do it if we come to Plumwald Station for the film. So, here we are, and as soon as we begin he says he is quitting the picture. Now, I am stuck on the station, in another kingdom, with no robot at all."(set: $ROBOTA to "TRUE")](if:visits >= 3)[Remarque tells you a bit about the good things that have happened while filming. The actors have behaved, the weather's been cooperative, and her recurring nightmare of a ninety-colored ape has temporarily gone away.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 21]](if: $ROBOTA is "TRUE" and $ROBOTB is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 21 ROBOT"))[[
Suggest that Fritz Brindash, the street performer, could play Bammerama.->Inter 21 ROBOT]]]
(link: "Leave the set.")[(set: $INTER21VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))She tells you that everyone here has a funny accent, to her, but she does her best to overlook it. You suppose that's understandable. It certainly goes both ways.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 21]]
(link: "Leave the set.")[(set: $INTER21VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Remarque tells you that she once knew someone named 'Osaka.' Or, was it 'Oma-ha?' After a minute or two, she's not even sure this person was ever real.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 21]]
(link: "Leave the set.")[(set: $INTER21VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Miss Remarque tells you excitedly that she intends to name a film 'Magnolie,' some day, after a dream she had about a cactus. You don't quite see the connection.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 21]]
(link: "Leave the set.")[(set: $INTER21VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[He hears out your description of the case. “I see,” he says, pointing his beak to the ground. His ink-black feathered face is hard to read. “I’m afraid I have nothing to contribute to your search.”
Then he pauses. “When I have trouble at Plumwald,” he says, “I always go to Inspector Frohe, at the government office in the markets. He’s a busy creature, but if you can find a way to tear him from his work he’s invaluable.”](if:visits >= 2)[He tells you he hasn’t seen any sables here in Barenstadt. Inspector Frohe, at the government office in the markets, might have something more to contribute to the case.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Just, taking a little moment away from it all," he tells you. "I had a thirty minute stopover here, between two trains. But the second train never came. They're saying now it might have broken down in Beaken. I should have expected as much. They run six-oh-sixes on that line. Those engines are infamous for overheading."
He stops himself. Then turns back to the skyline. "So, all that to say," he sighs, "Here I am in Plumwald. It's one of the nicer stations, mind you, of the eighty-seven Hauptbahnhöfe here in Dormouse."](if:visits is 2)[The raven tells you that his company pays for all his business travel. "I don't mind flying," he says. "But this way, I get to carry a briefcase. I don't tire my wings on the flight down. And, the Königsbahn workers all know me."
He tells you about how he started traveling by rail for work nine years ago. Since then, he's been to almost every city in Dormouse, and several dozen abroad.
Then, from his jacket pocket, he draws a folded sheet. It's a Königsbahn travel record, punched with so many thousands of holes that it looks like a lattice, or a rectangular doily. Only about a hundred more un-punched squares remain. "When I complete this card," he tells you, "they'll emboss my name in gold on a first-class seat. Then I'll be part of the Königsbahn forever."
He seems quite lonely to you.(set: $PUNCHCARD to "TRUE")](if: visits >= 3)[The raven tells you all about where to sit on each train line, how to get the best service from the attendants, and little tricks for navigating each of the other big stations. You'll have to find him again, you think, and bring a journal so you can write this down.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The raven seems hesitant to touch the gloves. "I don't recognize those," he tells you. "I don't know too much about mammals' clothes, or anything like that."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He tells you the film crew across the roof have been speaking with the strangest dialects all afternoon. He's done his best to ignore them, and keep his island of serenity intact.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Mr. Schwarzfeder perks up with interest at the sight of the carbon copied ticket. "Someone really messed up to have given you that," he says. "I wouldn't show it to any authorities. That is, unless they're sympathetic to your case, of course."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He tells you he's never heard such a name. "It can't be one of Dormouser origin," he says. "I've heard just about every Dormouser name there is."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"I stay away from noble business," he says. "Delays, photographers, journalists, crowds. All a mess. Plus, they're some of the few people who can get a Triple Diamond Königsbahn member kicked out of a first-class box, if they decide they'd like to take your place."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))
The raven says he doesn't know anything about that. The goings-on of the palace and the nobility are just about the last thing on his mind. "To tell you the truth, I'm a bit of a republican," he says. "I think everyone'd ought to have the same shot, at the important things."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 22]]
(link: "Bid him farewell.")[(set: $INTER22VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The vole inspector stumbles, looking very flustered indeed. "I-I-I," he begins, then starts over. "I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you, Sister Seer," he says, almost kneeling in apology. "Please don't bring this up with the Silver Order. I promise, it'll never happen again."](if:visits > 1)[The vole assures you he knows nothing at all. He clearly thinks he's being tested in some way. Try as you might, you can't get him to talk.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 25]]
(link: "Leave the inspector's desk.")[(set: $INTER25VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 13")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The inspector shakes his head. "We won't find anything with these," he says. "Now, if my partner were here, he might be able to crack it. He's a dog, you see. But he's been furloughed through the rest of the month."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 25]]
(link: "Leave the inspector's desk.")[(set: $INTER25VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 13")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole laughs. "That's a good corroborating tip," he says, "but I'm afraid it won't help with going through the records. I just don't have the resources for an investigation."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 25]]
(link: "Leave the inspector's desk.")[(set: $INTER25VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 13")](set: $KEY2 to "TRUE")(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-25-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
"Now that we can work with!" the vole exclaims, going up to a large record book. Muttering, he flips through dozens of pages. Then he lays a ruler up against a cursive-written line.
"Oblaka, Aleksei. Sable. Young male. Dark fur. From the Khomyak Empire. Reason for ID assignment is left blank. Someone just added him to this ledger three days ago."
An incredible feeling of achievement washes over you. It seems like now, you've really got the sable in your grasp. You thank the overworked vole for his assistance with the case.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 25]]
(link: "Leave the inspector's desk.")[(set: $INTER25VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 13")](set: $KEY2 to "TRUE")(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Now that we can work with!" the vole exclaims, going up to a large record book. Muttering, he flips through dozens of pages. Then he lays a ruler up against a cursive-written line.
"Oblaka, Aleksei. Sable. Young male. Dark fur. From the Khomyak Empire. Reason for ID assignment is left blank. Someone just added him to this ledger three days ago."
An incredible feeling of achievement washes over you. It seems like now, you've really got the sable in your grasp. You thank the overworked vole for his assistance with the case.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 25]]
(link: "Leave the inspector's desk.")[(set: $INTER25VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 13")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Oh yes," he says, after a confused pause. "I know that sable. We were best buds back in the New Countries. Have been for years. Hey, gimme that bobby pin and I'll tell you all about it."
You don't believe him for a second, and you don't particularly want to give him his pin.](if:visits is 2)[The monkey tells more fantastic stories about a troublemaking sable. Whomever he's describing, it's not the creature you're looking for in Plumwald Station.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 26]]
(link: "Leave through the back.")[(set: $INTER26VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The monkey tells you he didn't do it, with a panicked vehemence that either makes him quite guilty or quite innocent. "I loved that chicken," he tells you. "I'd never do any of the things these Dormousers say."](if:visits is 2)[He tells you the chicken was the love of his life, until she ran off with a kangaroo. The whole tale sounds a bit preposterous, and as he tells it a vengeful anger rises in his voice. There's something off about this monkey.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 26]]
(link: "Leave through the back.")[(set: $INTER26VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The tayra considers whether or not to answer your question. She raps her metal claws on the counter, to the pattern of an old song you almost recognize. Then she clears her throat.
"I might have," she tells you. "At the Club Spectrice."](if:visits >= 2)[The tayra tells you about the show she saw at the Club Spectrice late last night, and the creature she saw sitting in the front row. She thinks, although it's hard to know, that he could have been a sable.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 27]]
(link: "Leave the tayra alone.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 14")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[She looks down at her own front paw, with its three metal claws resting on the magazine stand counter. "An occupational incident," she tells you. "They come in handy, now and then."
You don't think you'd ever like metal claws, but hers do look quite dashing.](if:visits is 2)[The tayra tells you that nosy little bears ought to mind their business. You're a detective, you say, and you wouldn't get very far if you never took a leap of faith.
"I see," she tells you. "Well, in this case, bear cub, that line of questioning is closed. Unless you come back with a warrant."](if:visits > 2)[The tayra can't believe your persistence. She's a bit incredulous, and you sense some amusement underneath her snapping tone. You don't think you're going to get too much more out of her.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 27]]
(link: "Leave the tayra alone.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 14")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The tayra weighs the gloves, holding them gently in her non-metal paw. "These things have spent a lot of time in perfumed rooms," she tells you. "Not a lot of time on the front."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 27]]
(link: "Leave the tayra alone.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 14")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))She takes a look at the ticket, and the code at the bottom. "If you're dealing with government business," she says, "I don't envy you. You've almost got to pop them on the head to pull their noses out of their filing books these days."
You can't imagine anyone would want to be 'popped' on the head by claws like hers.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 27]]
(link: "Leave the tayra alone.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 14")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The tayra tells you there's a Khomyak poet named Oblaka, but he died seventy years ago. "I don't think that's who you're looking for," she muses. "If you are, you're a little late."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 27]]
(link: "Leave the tayra alone.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 14")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You explain the details of your case, and mysterious sable. "Cubs these days," the weasel marvels. "When I was your age I couldn't hit a stick with another stick. I don't think I coulda solved a field case to save my life."
He tells you he hasn't seen any sables, but he'll keep his eyes peeled. "Y'know we're related?" he adds. "Sables and weasels, I mean. Just a little bit."](if:visits >= 2)[The weasel tells you he hasn't seen any sables around, but he'll keep watch.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Somewhere warm," the weasel laughs, "where I can take a nice long nap on the beach and forget about crooks and paperwork."
He tells you he's taking the train south to Paloma. His wife and pups are there, he tells you, and his wife's work is having a bit of a celebration in their new offices.](if:visits is 2)[He tells you a bit about his two young pups, their bright eyes and their smiles. Then he turns a little more subdued. "Things are a little tough, with the wife," he tells you. "She went to live with her father, took the pups. I thought she'd come back, y'know. I was so focused on my work, on being here. But, then she got this job."
He pauses, scratching the back of his furry neck with his paw. "I guess I just don't want it to be over," he says. "And if I gotta go get on my knees and show her how much I care, well, then that's what I've gotta do."](if:visits > 2)[The ferret tells you he's determined to make things right with his wife and pups, when he meets them tomorrow night at her company party in Paloma.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The weasel sizes up the gloves, sniffing them. Then he asks if he can have them. You pull them away, offended, and he reassures you he was only joking. "C'mon, cub," he says. "Nobody's got it out for you 'round here."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Just you," the weasel laughs. Then he shakes his head. "No," he says. "No, nothing that comes to mind. Sorry, cub."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The weasel makes a few thinking clicks with his mouth as he looks the ticket over. "I've got a friend at the station house you could try," he says, "but that's a couple hours downtown, especially around this time of day."
You don't have that kind of time to spend, but you thank him nonetheless.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The weasel tells you the name doesn't ring a bell. "I thought I was off duty," he chuckles. "I finally get away from the station, and look. I get the third degree from a cub. Just my luck."
You can tell by his tone he's not really so worked up about the whole thing.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The weasel tells you that doesn't mean much of anything to him. "I worked an aristocratic security detail once," he tells you. "Miserable experience. Second worst thing I've ever done, after being on the counterfeiting team. Well, anti-counterfeiting team."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")][[Inter 29]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")]Pinch two pointer.
[[Inter 29]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 29]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 29]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 29]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 29]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 29]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 29]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER29VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")]Pinch one pointer.
[[Inter 30]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 30]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 30]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 30]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 30]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 30]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 30]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")][[Inter 30]]
(link: "Back to Station")[(set: $INTER30VISITED to TRUE)(goto: "Station 15")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[“Well,” says Francine, fidgeting. You sense a surge of truth about to reveal itself in her. “I did see him, yes. We talked for a bit at the bar over there last night.”
She points to where the notch-eared cat is sitting. When you inquire further, she clams up, her eyes darting to the grandfather clock. Could that be a clue? You doubt it. “In truth,” she says, “I don’t know how much he’d want me to share. He said his visit here was quite hush-hush.”
[[Ask something else.->Inter 31]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")]](if:visits is 2)[(set: $FRANCINETALK to "TRUE")The meerkat growls a little at herself, holding her head in her paws. After some prodding, you coax her up. Then you explain the story behind your search.
“Oh,” she says, softening up as you describe Marnie Stout. “Yes,” she admits, “that’s quite sad indeed.”
She sighs. Then she nods to herself. “Well, perhaps you can still find him,” she says. “He told me he was taking the Shadow Express tonight, heading east. He never told me his name, but there is one thing he said. It was his family’s crest. He showed it to me, and he told me their name meant ‘clouds’ in Khomyak.”
[[“Interesting.”->Inter 31 GENB]]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["On a whim," Francine tells you. She explains how she had three weeks between shows, so she hopped on the first steamer she could find in the harbor. You gather that she's some sort of performing artist, possibly in a troupe.
"Wouldn't the voyages back and forth be almost the three weeks itself?"
The meerkat hesitates. "Well," she says. "I suppose that's part of the adventure."(set: $FRANCINECHAT to "TRUE")](if:visits >= 2)[Francine tells you that she's got plenty of plans to explore Barenstadt. You can't help but wonder how much of her trip she's spent planning on this bench.]
(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31]](if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31A]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))She recognizes the gloves straight away. "Oh yes," she says. "Those are his. He was wearing them most of the night last night, till the hearth got going. You can still smell the smoke on them. Here."
A light sniff, revealing tones of ash, backs up her story.
(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31]](if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31A]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Francine laughs a little. "It's the most adorable thing," she says. "Like smooth, oaken honey."
She's too bashful to do an impression.
(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31]](if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31A]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))She doesn't know anything about rail tickets, or government files. "I just bought the Dormouse two-week pass," she tells you. "I show it each time, and I don't need to worry about individual tickets or anything like that."
(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31]](if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31A]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The meerkat shrugs. It means nothing to her. "Sounds nice, though," she says.
(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31]](if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31A]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Is this some sort of continental intrigue?" she says, leaning in. She's eager to hear more of it, but you don't have too much you can add.
(if: $FRANCINEBACK is not "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31]](if: $FRANCINEBACK is "TRUE")[[Ask something else.->Inter 31A]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[Maxwell shakes his head. "Don't know him," the cat tells you. "And I've been told to keep out of local affairs as much as I can. That's the real flea of this visit. I can hardly get involved in anything exciting."
Then he hums a bit, thinking. "I'd check with that government office in the markets," he says. "See if you can't find some way to shake the dust off and get their attention."](if:visits >= 2)[The cat tells you that his best guess would be to check with the government office in the markets. That is, if they'll give you the time of day in the first place.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $MINOCHAT to "TRUE")(if:visits is 1)[He tells you he's here on a business assignment, on behalf of Difficult Motors. A Tappen Steel representative was supposed to meet him here hours ago, he grumbles, but no one's come yet. "You folk make these companies into arms of the state," he complains, pawing at his drink. "Then they think they can get away with anything. Stand anyone up, charge anything they want."
You feel a bit unjustly accused. After all, you personally haven't made anything into the arm of anyone. You're just a bear from the woods.
The cat rests his chin on the counter. You forgive him for his presumption. He's bored, you can tell, and a bit discouraged. You'd feel the same way, you imagine, if you traveled across the sea to sell Bear Scout cookies and the buyer never came.](if:visits >= 2)[He tells you a bit about a fuselage, and some other things you don't quite understand. Imagining his work in terms of Bear Scout cookies only gets you so far.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The cat raises his top lip, revealing two sharp canines as he sniffs the gloves. Whatever he smells, it's not to his liking. "Not familiar," he says, after a pause.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The cat tells you that all the Dormouse accents blend into a mush in his ears. He'd have a hard time picking anyone out as more unusual than most.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Maxwell takes a look at the yellow, carbon-copied ticket. "I couldn't tell you much," he says. "All my rail tickets've looked a bit different than this."
He notes the government identification number on the bottom. "Perhaps someone else could make something of this, with a record book," he says.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The cat says he hasn't heard of anyone by that name. "Perhaps, there was that author," he begins, then says that he's mistaken. The author's name must have been something else.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The word means nothing to him. "Please," he says, "if you're up to any trouble-making, I don't want to know. My assignment's difficult as it is, just for being from the New Countries. Everyone's suspicious."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The cat tells you he's never heard of these people. "It's like a joke," he laughs. "Like something you'd read in a story. Duchesses and barons and all that, I mean. It hardly sounds real."
You don't know what he means. How couldn't it be real?
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The shrew tells you he doesn't know much about sables or their habits. "My models don't focus on the species of folk," he tells you. "Across a large average, any given individual tends to behave the same, economically. So, I've never paid so much attention to one kind or another."](if:visits >= 2)[The shrew tells you he knows little of sables, and hasn't seen one pass by that he's aware of. You imagine he wouldn't notice an elephant go by, with how wrapped up he seems to be in his thoughts.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 33]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You tell the shrew about the golden-spined mouse in the courtyard. "Oh yes," the shrew says, with a hint of melancholy. "That's Hermann. He's my best friend."
You ask why Hermann isn't with him. Best friends, as you understand it, are an important matter, especially during relaxing days on Frettchenplatz park benches.
"We aren't speaking right now," the shrew tells you. "So, all there is to do is wait."](if:visits is 2)[The shrew tells you of his work as an economist. "It's difficult," he says, with a hint of warning. "Let me just say that it's very, very difficult."
You assure him you have no intention of ever going into economism. "No," he says, "not my work. I mean, the prospects for Dormouse. There's a storm on the horizon, as they say."
His clarification comes as a relief. You don't mind storms, especially when you're curled up indoors with a hot cup of cocoa.](if:visits >= 3)[The shrew tells you some more about his family life, and his wife-to-be. It all sounds quite pleasant.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 33]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"My, these are quite large," he says, holding one glove in both hands. You laugh a bit at this. To you, the gloves seemed tiny.
He tells you he doesn't recognize anything about them. "Good luck," he adds, muttering numbers to himself as he hands the glove back.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 33]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The shrew tells you that he tries not to let the idiosyncracies of others affect his professional relationships. That's not exactly what you meant, but it's alright. He seems well meaning enough.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 33]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The shrew takes a look at the code at the bottom of the ticket. "That's not your standard government identification number," he tells you. "It has too few digits. I'd imagine it's some sort of special issue."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 33]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The shrew tells you he knows no one by that name.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 33]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The shrew doesn't know what that is. He seems to be getting a bit annoyed by your questions, or perhaps by the fact that he doesn't have the answers.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 33]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The shrew tells you that the Spotted Baron is one of the stubbornest opponents of his work, especially in regards to maintaining the social welfare system. If whatever-this-nonsense-is causes him to leave the king's side, that'll surely be an improvement on the current political order.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 33]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You stop to think of a wish, making sure it's a good one. Then you close your eyes and cast the smallest coin you've got into the water. It makes a satisfying 'plink,' then sinks down.
A dozen other coins shine at the bottom, only a few inches down. It makes you sad to think of someone taking them, making all those other creatures' wishes disappear. You're glad there's no one who'd do that in Barenstadt.(if: ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F2"))[(if: $INTER34VISITED is not "TRUE")[
Your wet feet drip onto the warm park tile.]]](if:visits is 2)[You dig around in your coat pockets for another coin, then toss it in. Right at the last second, you remember to make a wish. Fortunately, it's a good one.](if:visits > 2)[As much as you search, you can't find any other coins in your pockets to throw. You hope Uncle Mürrisch won't be too cross that you spent your last few marks on wishes. If he knew what the wishes were, he'd of course understand, but telling anyone about your wishes is a deeply dubious practice.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F2"))[[Splash around in the fountain.->Inter 34 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F2"))[[Splash around some more.->Inter 34 F2]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You kick and splash in the bottom level of the fountain, making a tremendous spray of water and mist. Luckily, you remembered to take your new shoes off before climbing in.](if:visits > 1)[As much as you jump around the tall stone fountain, it never gets old. You really love playing in the water.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F1"))[[Toss a coin in the fountain.->Inter 34 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 34 F1"))[[Toss another coin in the fountain.->Inter 34 F1]]
(link: "Walk away.")[(set: $INTER33VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[He hasn't seen the sable, but he listens with interest as you describe the case. "If I were a great bear detective," he says, "I'd try the ticket booth. Everyone who goes in and out of the station's got to check in there, no?"](if:visits >= 2)[Your uncle tells you again how he thinks this whole thing's connected to the ticket clerk. Then he goes on about about a brown bear's natural intuition.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 35]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER35VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[He tells you he'll stay at the biergarten as long as you need. "It's no problem," he says, munching a handful of peanuts. "Just an uncle bear doing what he can to support his bear-niece, is all. I'll stay here as long as you need."](if:visits is 2)["Where'd you get that idea?" he asks, rising up a little. Then he scoffs. "I'm doing you a service, Claudia, letting you run around and solve your little mysteries. Plus, Barenstadt's as safe a town as any. Just don't stray too far from the station. You'll be plenty alright."](if:visits > 2)[Uncle Mürrisch indignantly assures you there's no danger in Barenstadt, and that he trusts you to keep a good head on your shoulders.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 35]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER35VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[Fritz tells you not too many creatures come back here at all. He listens to the story of your case, and nods. "The most interesting person I've seen today," he tells you, "was an iguana, on the station concourse. If I were a detective, that's where I'd start. I'd start with the most interesting person I can find."
A novel approach, you admit.](if:visits >= 2)[Fritz tells you again of the strange iguana he saw on the concourse. An iguana, you think to yourself, is most definitely not a sable.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The mink tells you about his career, starting as a dancer at a conservatory in Nietoperz. From there, he joined a touring show, but always felt a little cast aside by the rest of the troupe. "Two years ago, I left," he says. "Then I met Eleanora. She's the one who had the idea for the mechanical man act, when she saw me dance. We've had a few good runs in our time, made a good bit of money, too. Lately, though, it's all dried up."](if:visits is 2)[Fritz laughs at the mention of her. "She's brilliant," he tells you. "But she's very hard to get to know. We've toured together for three years, and I don't think I could tell you a single substantial thing about her. She's like a ball of mirrors, in that way. She prefers to show you yourself."
Then the mink goes quiet. "I think she's lost interest in the act," he says. "She's young. She'll land on her feet. I'm not sure exactly'll what'll happen to me."(set: $ROBOTC to "TRUE")](if:visits > 2)[Fritz talks some more about his glittering, personable partner. It sounds like, in a way, she's everything he's not. Perhaps that's the problem.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He doesn't seem to want to touch the gloves. "I'm sorry," he says, stuttering quite a bit. "I don't think I can be of much help in this regard. I have difficulty, you see, touching certain fabrics and materials."
You tell him you understand. There are certain feelings you hate, too, like when you get briars stuck in your fur. He seems relieved when you say this.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He offers some examples of voices he's heard, doing impressions of each. None of them sound a bit like 'oaken honey.'
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The mink goes off on a bit of a tangent about how numbers and shapes are ways to compress living creatures into manageable forms. You're not sure you understand, but he says it's alright. It's not important, anyway.
Regarding the ticket itself, he can't offer much advice.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He tells you he once knew a gravestone made out to an 'Oblaka,' in Nietoperz. That's as far as his association with the name goes.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The mink wants to hear the whole story of how you overheard the secret code. "Not for anything devious," he says, "just the animal interest of it. I love all sorts of systems. Especially creature systems. Especially seeing how they go awry."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He tells you he hadn't heard about the scandal. "That could be a good subject for a dance," he tells you. You're not exactly sure how.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[(set: $VALERYBG to "TRUE")The hedgehog tells you of the many dozens of sables he's met in his day. "They are the backbone of the emperor's intelligentsia," he tells you. "Many university administrators in the Khomyak are sables. Much of the nobility, too."
He's surprised, however, to hear that a sable could be here in Dormouse.](if:visits > 2)[The hedgehog tells you of more Khomyak sables, and expresses his surprise that there are any in Domrouse.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 37]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["I'm a lepidopterologist," he tells you. "I've traveled a great way to find the Jeweled Muchacho."
You didn't know there were any Jeweled Muchachos in Dormouse. "Oh yes," he says. "Not commonly, but there are some. Especially in these warm summer months."](if:visits is 2)[(set: $VALERYBG to "TRUE")The hedgehog tells you his name is Valery Chutky. He's a Khomyak researcher, granted special permission to leave his empire and travel west for scientific purposes. "I'm quite lucky," he tells you. "Most of my contemporaries haven't ever left the provinces where they were born."](if:visits is 3)[Valery tells you some more about his wife, and his work on butterfly research. "We're actually the world leaders in the field of lepidopterology," he tells you. "Nobody knows it, here in Dormouse. Most of what we write never leaves the empire. There are so few translators, you see, and the emperor is always wary of foreign spies."](if:visits > 3)[Valery tells you some more about his wife, and his work on butterfly research. It's all very interesting stuff. You never knew butterflies could be a life's pursuit.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 37]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The hedgehog takes a long look at the gloves, then sniffs them, then sighs. "Reminds me of home," he says, with a smile on his face. "These definitely came from the east. Probably not far from my hometown, by the pattern on the weaving. Some sable //babushka// loves your mysterious figure very much."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 37]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Like mine?" he laughs. You can see what he means. On one hand, his accent does have a certain 'oaken' quality. On the other, it's neither smooth nor honeylike, and you don't imagine a hedgehog could be mistaken for a sable.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 37]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He can't make heads or tails of the carbon-copied ticket. "My speaking of Dormouse is okay," he tells you, apologetic. "My reading of the words is, ehh, //nekhorosho.//"
[[Ask something else.->Inter 37]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))He tells you he's never heard such a word, and asks its meaning. You tell him you don't exactly know, either.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 37]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The hedgehog tells you how ubiquitous such scandals are in his homeland. "It's outrageous," he tells you. "All the money spent. The waste. Something's going to end it, sooner or later. It can't go on as it does."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 37]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You curtsy, introducing yourself, and briefly explain your case. "Gosh, Ernest," the badger husband chuckles. "Who's this, your older sister?"
"We haven't seen anything," the stoat wife tells you, after a moment goes by in dreadful silence. "Good luck, though."](if:visits >= 2)[The badger wife, quite annoyed, tells you they haven't seen anything about any sables anywhere. You thank her for her time nonetheless.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 38]]
(link: "Leave them be.")[(set: $INTER38VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[All four try to explain at once, providing their own versions of a murky and aggravating issue. In gist, it seems the badger wife has a father of some importance at the university. His opinion of her, and of the two professors at the table, is in fierce debate.](if:visits >= 2)[All four seem put in place. "Well," the badger wife says, adjusting her napkin. "We'll certainly try, dear."
"See?" her husband says, scratching his nose with his claws. "Even a child knows how to behave in public better than you."
That sets all four off, bickering again.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 38]]
(link: "Leave them be.")[(set: $INTER38VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The stoat husband takes the gloves, holding them up to the light. He seems the friendliest of the four. "It looks like some sort of eastern weaving," he tells you. "Perhaps from Nietoperz."
"That's not Nietoperzish," the badger husband chides. "Look at the weaving. Goodness. I thought you were supposed to be some sort of wunderkind."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 38]]
(link: "Let them be.")[(set: $INTER38VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Well, there was that funny little hedgehog, over by the hedge maze," the badger wife mentions.
"He wasn't funny," her husband butts in. "He was respectable, a fellow academic."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 38]]
(link: "Let them be.")[(set: $INTER38VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))None of the four have ever heard such a name. "Why don't you go to the library?" the stoat wife suggests.
"Yes," the badger wife adds. "They'd have more time for this sort of rubbish."
You growl a bit, but keep calm. Not everyone is blessed with a sense of manners.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 38]]
(link: "Let them be.")[(set: $INTER38VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["I see quite a lot of creatures," the lynx tells you. "Perhaps more than anyone else in Barenstadt. So, it seems to me your travels have guided you well."
She asks you to share what you know about the sable. You give her some details, but she shakes her head. "I sing in the dark with bright lights on my face," she murmurs. "I don't see many faces, little cub, and I certainly don't get names. Tell me something I can hear, or smell, and I might be able to help you hunt him down."](if:visits > 1)[The lynx tells you that she feels she saw the sable recently, but would need to know something of his smell or sound to know which creature in the crowd it might have been.]
(if:$CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 39 C1"))[[
Show her the gloves.->Inter 39 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 39 C2"))[[
Tell her about the sable's distinctive voice.->Inter 39 C2]]][[
Ask something else.->Inter 39]]
(link: "Step away from the stage.")[(set: $INTER39VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 20")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[She tells you of a strange, macabre world on the peaks of a craggy, frigid mountain. She talks of ancient and mysterious creatures rising, all while spirits swirl and shriek in the dark. "That's the show," she tells you, although it doesn't sound much like a nightclub act at all.
"You should come," she says. "In four years, when you're older. That's if I'm still here. If I'm not, you should ask someone else how it was."](if:visits is 2)["I just don't know any other way to be, love," she tells you. "It's as simple as that."](if:visits > 2)[The lynx tells you that 'mysterious' is rather subjective. You're a bit mysterious, too, she says, coming in and asking all these questions without warning.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 39]]
(link: "Step away from the stage.")[(set: $INTER39VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 20")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The lynx holds the gloves close to her nose, pausing for quite a while. Her eyes seem to shift to a far off place. "Yes," she says. "He came here last night. I was performing a small set, just a warm-up. He sat in the front row, collar up, staring at me the whole time. But I could tell his mind was somewhere far away."
She seems to have something else to say, but holds herself back.
[[Press her on it.->Inter 39 P]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))You do your best to recount the voice the cat at the host's stand described. "Yes," the lynx whispers, thinking back. "Was it smooth? Like oaken honey?"
It's eerie to hear her use the same words that the black cat spoke. Perhaps all cats are bound by some deeper, ethereal connection. "Yes," you tell her. "Yes, exactly."
"He came here," she says. "Last night, he came to me. I was performing a small set, just a warm-up. He sat in the front row, collar up, staring at me the whole time. But I could tell his mind was somewhere far away."
She seems to have something else to say, but holds herself back.
[[Press her on it.->Inter 39 P]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-22-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>(set: $KEY1 to "TRUE")
The lynx singer suddenly grabs you, holding you close. "He was surrounded by the most powerful forces," she tells you. "In the astral plane, the fates of millions. Great powers swirl around that creature."
This is all a bit too much for you to put together. "You're sure?" you ask her. "My client never said anything like that at all."
She tells you she's positive. Immediately, she begins checking her pockets, then shuffles through the contents of her purse. "Here," she says. "My name is Genoveva Geist. I have some influence here. If you run into any trouble with the local authorities, maybe this will help you get through."
She hands you a small, peculiar card. It appears blank, but at certain angles you can see a holographic pyramidal symbol.
You pocket the card. "You've been called to find this sable, clearly," she tells you. "I hope for all our sakes that you do."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 39]]
(link: "Step away from the stage.")[(set: $INTER39VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 20")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You gently pry the wooden box open with your claws. Inside is a small metal pyramid, and a few other shapes and trinkets you don't recognize.
It all seems imbued with a potent, unpredictable power. You don't dare take any of it.](if:visits > 1)[You look through the symbols in her wooden box again, careful not to touch any of the ones that seem particularly dangerous. Clearly, this singer is a lynx of deep and many secrets.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 40 F2"))[[Go through her coat pockets.->Inter 40 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 40 F2"))[[Go through the coats again.->Inter 40 F2]]
(link: "Leave the dressing room.")[(set: $INTER40VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 20")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[This is truly the naughtiest behavior. You can hardly believe yourself as you slip your hand into each pocket. What are you expecting, you wonder to yourself, to find the sable inside?
Your search turns up a few gold marks, and a long black tube you don't recognize. You leave it all be. Bears aren't thieves, as your mother often reminds you.](if:visits > 1)[Your continued search through the singer's deep coat pockets reveals nothing new, besides a slight and lingering case of snoop's guilt.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 40 F1"))[[Look inside her wooden box.->Inter 40 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 40 F1"))[[Look in the wood box again.->Inter 40 F1]]
(link: "Leave the dressing room.")[(set: $INTER40VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 20")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CLUE1 to "TRUE")<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-8-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
Annie hesitates. "Alright, kinfolk," she says, showing some compassion. "Just so you don't get in trouble."
The vole goes into the coat check racks, drawing a set of brown woven gloves from a cubby. Then she slides them to you, on the counter.
You examine the gloves. They're well made, and clearly new. You can't find a tag anywhere. A sniff reveals an oaken scent, one you've never come across before.
You feel a bit ashamed of lying to Annie. Still, hostile subjects require innovative techniques.
It's no small thing to have the sable's scent in your hands, either.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 5]]
(link: "Leave the coat check.")[(set: $INTER5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $COATFAIL to "TRUE")Your appeal is unconvincing. "I barely remember that goose," she says. "And I certainly don't know you."
The fur on your neck bristles, but you keep your professional cool. These days, some folk really have no manners.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 5]]
(link: "Leave the coat check.")[(set: $INTER5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](align:"=><=")+(box:"X", 30)[
(css: "font-size: 2.3em;")[(css: "line-height: 130%;")[Claudia Braun(css: "font-size: 0.8em;")[ and the ]
Disappearing Sable]]
(css: "font-size: 1.0em;")[by]
(css: "font-size: 1.3em;")[Cairo Smith]
(css: "font-size: 1.0em;")[with illustrations by A.J. Slizeski]
(css: "font-size: 0.8em;")[First edition. All rights reserved.]
(css: "font-size: 2.4em;")[[[➔->Intro]]]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))
(css: "font-size: 1.8em;")[''Introduction'']
This is a story written in Twine, which means it allows a reader to make his or her own way through a branching narrative.
The Twine medium has been used to create thousands of similar works over the years, mostly written by individuals serving as both author and programmer. These stories can be fantastic and adventurous, or macabre, or deeply and radically avant-garde.
This one is about a young bear in a train station. As her, you explore the world of the story, working to uncover a mystery before time runs out. This 'time' is measured in pages read, and does not progress while the reader remains on a single page.
Whether or not you finish the story the first time, it's alright. You can start again as many times as you like.
[[You begin here.->Prologue 1]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-3-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
It's afternoon in Plumwald Station. Voles and weasels hurry home from work, wearing suits and carrying small briefcases. Sun shines through grand terminal windows.
As a brown bear, you stand as tall as most of the commuters, even though you’re still just a cub. As one train leaves and another arrives, you wander the halls searching for the start of your next great case.
You’re a detective by trade. A beginner, you admit, with field experience only during summers spent with your uncle. Mama would never let you tromp the city alone, big as you are and sharp as your claws may be. Still, you’ve had some early successes, especially finding Mrs. Verwirt’s lost eyeglasses and trowel.
You pass the ticket booth, eager for a challenge, when you come upon a badger sitting on a bench, quite glum. She sighs, loudly for someone alone, and rubs a streak of confectioner’s sugar off her black-striped fur.
The sigh, and the smell of warm pretzels on her clothes, catch your interest.
[[Ask the badger what's wrong.->Prologue 2]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))“Oh, nothing,” says the badger, and gives you a long look over. She must be admiring your smart new shoes and detective’s coat, you think. She’s a grown-up, not too old, and talks with a world-weary wistfulness that just begs to be cheered up.
“You’re just a cub, little girl,” she says. “Where are your parents? Are you lost?”
You tell her that you’re not, and that you’re in fact plenty old enough to be here on business. You’re an investigator, a professional, and you’ve approached her to see if she’s in any sort of trouble.
“No, no trouble,” she laughs. “Just a hum-drum day. You know.”
[[“I don’t, really.”->Prologue 2A]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"You will?" she says. "I don't, well, I can't really afford to pay for your services. I'm sorry. I'm just a baker, and rents in Barenstadt are high enough as it is."
You reassure her that there is no charge. Pro bono work, of course, is a vital part of giving back to the community that has nurtured your career.
"Alright," says the badger. "Well, thank you." Overhead, the station clock chimes for three o' clock, and she stands with alarm. "Oh, drat, I'm late again," she curses. A forgivable impropriety under the circumstances. "Listen, everyone who goes to the exhibit hall is waiting to catch their train. The last day train leaves in three hours, which means if you can't find him by then he'll be long gone down the tracks. Of course, he's probably left already."
You tell her you understand. Three hours should be plenty of time to canvas the station. "Oh," says the badger, stuffing herself back into a crème apron. "Wait. I'm Marnie. What's your name?"
"Claudia Braun, bear detective," you say, and shake her paw. "I'm still working on making business cards."
The badger tells you she works at Butterhammer's Pretzels, on the regional platform floor. She thanks you again, with some surprised doubt in her eyes, and hurries off up the stairs toward the platforms.
It's a sunny afternoon, you're an eager cub, and you've just been handed the case of the disappearing sable.
[[Leave the bench.->The Hub]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Yes, that's it!" she shouts, scaring a nearby mouse. "I remember now! Alexei. I only heard it once, when he was first enrolled. That's when everyone decided to call him Zobelein."
She's amazed that you got this far. You tell her about the help of the inspector, and Genoveva Geist. "Goodness," she says. "I really never know how I'll be able to repay you."
You tell her nothing's solved until you find him. That's the real task, and it still lies ahead.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The guards takes a look at the singer's marked card, then hands it back. "This local stuff might intimidate the patrolmen," he scoffs, "but it won't get you anywhere with us. We've got our own rules and regulations to follow."
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2"))[[Try to get past the guards.->Inter 17 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2"))[[Try to sneak past the guards.->Inter 17 F2]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1"))[[Try to get past the baron.->Inter 17 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1"))[[Try to sneak past the baron.->Inter 17 F1]](if: $CLUE5 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the guards the passcode, 'Magnolie.'->Inter 17 F2W]](If: $CLUE6 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the Spotted Baron his wife is running away with a quail.->Inter 17 F1W]](if: $KEY2 is "TRUE")[[
Yell the sable's name to the duchess.->Inter 17 K2F]]
[[Walk away.->Station 9]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Well," says the vole, looking the card over. "I don't know how a sweet cub like you got hold of something like this, but you shouldn't just be giving it out so lightly."
He paws it back to you, hiding it from view as he does so. "I'll forget I saw this," he says. "But don't use it as a license to get yourself into trouble."](if:visits >= 2)["If you really don't know," he says, almost whispering, "that's the card of a quite powerful local organization. At least, I think. I've never seen the symbol itself before, but you hear enough stories working in a place like this."]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 2]]
(link: "Let the clerk be.")[(set: $INTER2VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 1")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))“You will someday,” she says, and you decide not to correct her. There’s clearly something the matter, and you wouldn’t want to pile on by extolling your own sunny disposition.
“It’s just, I saw a face I can’t forget,” she explains, and you begin to take notes in your head. It’s rude to take notes on paper, a fellow professional advised you during your field trip to the Wühlmaus and Webb Detective Agency. Doing it makes them wonder what it is you’re writing. Besides, bears have excellent memories, and keeping the badger’s story straight is good exercise.
“It was someone I never thought I’d see again. I knew him when we were little, years ago. He’s a sable. That’s a kind of marten. You almost never see them around here, so I recognized him at once. We met at the Saint Erpel boarding school. Spent a whole year as close as any two animals could be. We said we’d like to be like that forever, believe it or not. Then he vanished.”
You nod, to show the badger you’re listening. Another good piece of professionalism.
“Of course, we were only children,” she goes on, “but still. There were rumors his parents had taken him away. That they were cruel, or fugitives, or had to go into exile. He went by ‘Zobelein,’ then. Just a kids’ nickname, you know. They said his tuition came to the school in unmarked cases of gold. No one ever figured out who he really was.”
[[“And you said you saw him on your break?”->Prologue 2B]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))“Oh, yes,” says the badger, still smelling strongly of pretzels. “I went to the exhibition hall, to see their preview of the World’s Fair pavilions. I saw the scientific displays, and the countries. Then I went to the masked dance, and right as I was turning to leave I saw him rush out.”
“The sable,” you clarify. “From your childhood.”
“Yes! I swear it,” says the badger, creating more doubt than she alleviates in you with her protestation. “It was him, heading right out the door. I ran after him, not knowing what to shout out or anything, but he was gone. I couldn’t believe it. It was like seeing a ghost.”
The badger pauses, and her animation falls. “I’m sorry,” she says, “I don’t know why I’m telling all of this to a bear cub. Where did you say your parents were?”
[[“I’ll take the case.”->Prologue 3]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Annie Verärgert crosses her arms.
“Why would I ever give you this gentleman's gloves?” she challenges. "Whoever you are."
[[Say you’re the sable’s servant.->Inter 5 GENP]]
[[Tell her they’re part of an investigation.->Inter 5 GENF2]]
[[Remind her you both know Gunhild.->Inter 5 GENF]]
(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $COATFAIL to "TRUE")Your appeal is unconvincing. "Absolutely not," the vole squeaks, raising her voice at the word 'investigation.' "I don't cooperate with the authorities, and I won't cooperate with you."
The fur on your neck bristles, but you keep your professional cool. These days, some folk really have no manners.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 5]]
(link: "Leave the coat check.")[(set: $INTER5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The iguana takes a long pause. Then he moves to the edge of the booth, making room for you to sit beside him.
"Very well," he says. "Pay attention. This is an exercise in observation. There's a group in this café that's just about to spill some secret information. See if you can figure out which table it is."
You search the crowd, narrowing your list down to three likely groups.
The first is a cluster of young soldiers, uniformed in grey at the café counter. They joke and chat with a couple of Dormouse noble guards.
The second is a smoky table, filled with suited businessfolk. They murmur and grumble, passing sheets of paper between each other in discussion.
The third, closest to the door, is a group of overall-wearing badger engineers. A massive pile of waffles sits in the middle of their table, torn apart by hungry forks and knives. One of them reads off orders from a government letter.
[[Listen in on the soldiers.->Inter 11 CLUEP]]
[[Listen in on the businessfolk.->Inter 11 CLUEF]]
[[Listen in on the engineers.->Inter 11 CLUEF]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Try as you might, you can't seem to get more than a few words in to the waitresses. They're too busy to chat.
[[Let them be.->Station 6]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Perhaps," says the vole, casting his eyes to the table. "Perhaps I will. It's the only thing I know how to do, after all. And I'm too old to learn a new trade. I'm just so tired, these days."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 12]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Yes, maybe," he says with a sniff. "Maybe that's for the best." He averts his eyes a moment, then looks down. "Better to go with the times, than be stuck in the past. I just don't know what I'd be good for, now."
You wish you had advice for him, but this feels outside your area of expertise.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 12]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole fidgets, like it was something he never dared to consider. His eyes look young again. "I suppose I could," he says, bashful. "Truthfully, I wouldn't even know where to begin."
You tell him the Shadow Express is leaving tonight for the east. He could start there.
The vole pulls a yellowed journal from his puppet box. "I wrote the name of his village," he says. "Years ago, I wrote it down here. Let me see if I can find it."
You smile as the vole locates the faded name in his diary. He looks renewed. You feel you've done a good thing.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 12]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"I really don't know," the old vole tells you. "I've thought about him, but, I don't know. It just seems so long ago. Like the east is another world away. But, I suppose it's not that far. Maybe I'm afraid he doesn't think of me, the way I think of him."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 12]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER12VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 6")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Is that so?" the ferret murmurs. "I suppose that'll be of some use, if I get into a jam at the border crossing. I promise it won't find its way back to you."
You hope he won't ever need to use it in the first place.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 19]]
(link: "Leave the ferret be.")[(set: $INTER19VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 10")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[The baron puts a paw up to stop you. "Awright, bear cub," he says, gnawing his words. "No more messing around out here by yourself." There's a hairless scar across his neck, near the clasp of his fur cape.
You wonder what poor creature gave its fur for his outfit. Perhaps a Khomyak. Perhaps a sable.
It takes all your convincing to not have him drag you over to the nearest patrolman. "Tell your parents not to let a little cub run around alone," he chides. Then he says something mean about bears, and returns to his pack.](if:visits >= 2)[One of the baron's friends catches you as you try to slip between their capes. He shoves you back, pushing you onto your bottom on the cold concrete platform. That wasn't very nice of him.]
(If: $CLUE6 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the Spotted Baron his wife is running away with a quail.->Inter 17 F1W]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2"))[[Try to get past the guards.->Inter 17 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2"))[[Try to sneak past the guards.->Inter 17 F2]](if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 17 KEY1"))[(if: $KEY1 is "TRUE")[[
Show the guards Genoveva's card.->Inter 17 KEY1]]](if: $CLUE5 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the guards the passcode, 'Magnolie.'->Inter 17 F2W]](if: $KEY2 is "TRUE")[[
Yell the sable's name to the duchess.->Inter 17 K2F]]
[[Walk away.->Station 9]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)[You do your best to explain your investigation to the badger guards, but they won't have it. "Leave that to the professionals," they advise, to your quiet fury. Can't they tell from your shoes and coat that you're a professional, too? Some creatures' ignorance can't be helped, you sigh.](if:visits >= 2)[You do your best to make a sudden dart between the legs of the guards, but they're too quick. One drops you with a paw to the scruff of your neck, dropping you right back onto the platform ground. How rude.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1"))[[Try to get past the baron.->Inter 17 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1"))[[Try to sneak past the baron.->Inter 17 F1]](if: not ((history: ) contains "Inter 17 KEY1"))[(if: $KEY1 is "TRUE")[[
Show the guards Genoveva's card.->Inter 17 KEY1]]](if: $CLUE5 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the guards the passcode, 'Magnolie.'->Inter 17 F2W]](If: $CLUE6 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the Spotted Baron his wife is running away with a quail.->Inter 17 F1W]](if: $KEY2 is "TRUE")[[
Yell the sable's name to the duchess.->Inter 17 K2F]]
[[Walk away.->Station 9]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-26-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
The Spotted Baron's fur bristles. He sputters, astonished and embarrassed. "What did you say?" he demands, and you tell him it's only a rumor.
His friends start to murmur and laugh. "Silence!" he shouts at them, but they keep laughing all the same. "I, I, I need to think. I need to go speak to the king," he says. "Come on, you sorry lot. If you want to keep your stations."
The badger baron's buddies begrudgingly abide, leaving an open gap between you and the duchess.
[[Go up to the duchess.->Inter 17D]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-28-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
"Where did you hear that?" the guard demands. "What's going on?"
You tell him you heard it from a soldier, which is the truth. Then you tell him you're on an important assignment, handling a case involving a Khomyak sable. That's also true. You realize you've become quite good at utilizing technical truths, in your search for the sable.
After some ear-scratching looks between each other, the guards step aside to let you pass. The duchess stands directly ahead, chatting with her loyal entourage.
[[Go up to her.->Inter 17D]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Aleksei Oblaka!" you shout to the duchess, as loud as you can without being a great bother. "Do you know him, your grace?"
She doesn't seem to hear you at this distance.
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2"))[[Try to get past the guards.->Inter 17 F2]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F2"))[[Try to sneak past the guards.->Inter 17 F2]]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1"))[[Try to get past the baron.->Inter 17 F1]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 F1"))[[Try to sneak past the baron.->Inter 17 F1]](if: $CLUE5 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the guards the passcode, 'Magnolie.'->Inter 17 F2W]](If: $CLUE6 is "TRUE")[[
Tell the Spotted Baron his wife is running away with a quail.->Inter 17 F1W]]
[[Walk away.->Station 9]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-29-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/>
(if: visits is 1)["Yes?" the dormouse duchess says. There's a twitching hesitation on her face, like she's waiting for you to give her something so she can get back to the rest of her story.
You, however, have nothing to give her. As the tiny mouse and her entourage stare up, you get the sense that you've only got a small amount of time to say what you need to say.](if: visits >= 2)[The dormouse duchess greets you again. "What is it, bear cub?" she asks. You feel her entourage looking you up and down with curious interest. "Please, be brief."]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 17 DF"))[[Ask her about the mysterious sable.->Inter 17DF]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 DF"))[[Ask her again about the sable.->Inter 17DF]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 17 DF"))[(if: $KEY2 is "TRUE")[[
Tell her the name 'Aleksei Oblaka.'->Inter 17DW]]]
[[Let her be.->Station 9]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: visits is 1)[You tell her that you're working for a client to track down a sable. Then you explain the evidence you've collected thus far, all the clues and rumored appearances. The eyes of the entourage dart silently toward each other as you speak. The duchess pauses, then shakes her head. "I'm sure there couldn't be anyone like that in the station," she says. "I would know it straight away."
You can tell she's hiding something, but you're not sure what.
Her own gaze drifts toward her private rail car, parked at a siding out of reach.(if: $KEY2 is not "TRUE")[ In your mind, you make a note to return to her once you can press her with the sable's concrete identity.]](if: visits >= 2)[You tell her that you'd like to speak with her again, regarding the sable she claims not to know. "I, I don't know who that is," she stutters, flustered.(if: $KEY2 is not "TRUE")[
You realize you're going to need something irrefutable to break through the duchess' apprehension.]]
(if: $KEY2 is "TRUE")[[Tell her the name 'Aleksei Oblaka.'->Inter 17DW]](if: $KEY2 is not "TRUE")[(if: $CLUE4 is "TRUE")[[Ask her about 'Oblaka.'->Inter 17 DFF]]](if: $KEY2 is not "TRUE")[[Let her be.->Station 9]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The expression on the duchess' face changes completely. She brings you close, away from the guards and the rest of her friends. "How do you know that name?" she whispers.
You explain the extent of the investigative work you've done this afternoon. The inspector, the singer, everyone who's helped. You leave out any personal notes or details, when you think they might get someone in some needless trouble.
"But, why?" Duchess Haselschwanz asks. "Are you working for the Khomyaks? You're so little! You can't be more than just a cub. And yet, you've done all this. Who are you?"
[[You're Claudia Braun, bear detective.->Ending 1A]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))You run as fast as your paws can carry you up to the regional platforms. When you get there, you find Marnie Stout arguing with Butterhammer. Beaming, you tell her that you've found the sable. "Would you like to meet him together?" you ask.
Marnie throws her apron on Butterhammer's counter, saying something rather short to the old grump. It seems like your run of free pretzels may have just run out.
Paw in paw, you and Marnie run back down the station steps. For a moment, you're afraid that the duchess has vanished. Then you see her alone at the open door of her private rail car.
[[Go inside the car.->Ending 3]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))You tell her your clients are the people of Barenstadt. In this case, it's Marnie Stout, the badger girl at the pretzel shop. You're surprised to hear that the duchess has never eaten a Butterhammer's pretzel, or been up to the regional platforms at all. "Oh, you have to try one," you tell her, and she assures you she will.
"What would a common badger want with Aleksei?" she asks. "How does she know him at all? He hasn't been in Dormouse since he was a child."
At last, you have the duchess' full attention. You tell her the whole story, of how Marnie met him in school, and how she saw him again for a moment in the masked dance. "I told him not to go to exposition," the duchess sighs. "Of course, he didn't listen."
She looks around the platform, as if searching for danger. Then she asks if you'd like to meet the sable. "I would," you tell her, "but not nearly as much as my client does, I'm sure."
Duchess Haselschwanz promises to wait here while you run and fetch Marnie.
[[Go up to the regional platforms.->Ending 2]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-31-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
The sable stands at the far end of the duchess' rail car, dignified in his coat and scarf. It's dim inside. Duchess Haselschwanz lights a lamp as Marnie follows you in.
All traces of the duchess' airy persona are gone. "We're on an important assignment," she tells you. "I can't let just anyone know he's here. Of course, just anyone couldn't have done all that you did today."
She goes on a bit more, rolling up a complicated map. "The secrecy is unusual, I know, but these are unusual times. Dormouse and Khomyak are having more and more trouble getting along. Everyone's so hot-headed. It's dangerous. So, I've brought Prince Aleksei here to help strike a peace."
Prince Aleksei? You bow to the sable, as your mother would instruct you to do. He waves a hand. "Please," he says, in a smooth voice like oaken honey. "No need."
[[Introduce Marnie Stout.->Ending 4]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The prince looks to the flour-dusted badger. "H-hello," she says, almost disappearing into her own fur with shyness. "You probably don't remember me."
A childlike happiness softens the sable's face. "Marnie," he says. "Of course I do. How wonderful to see you."
Marnie bows to the prince, and he brings her over to his side of the car. They talk of old times, and how his parents had whisked him back to his homeland as a pup. While the two reminisce, the doormouse duchess climbs up onto a dresser next to you.
"It's a good thing you did," she says, searching for something in her handbag. "Dormouse needs girls like you. Girls with national spirit."
You don't feel like you have that, whatever that might be. Nevertheless, the duchess seems grateful, and presents you with a small pink button. "My pin," she says. "I just had them made, to reward proper conduct. But you're the first person to ever get one. Isn't that nice?"
[["That's nice."->Ending 5]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))In the corner, the badger and the sable reminisce. While you wait, the duchess pours you rose blossom tea in a gold-rimmed cup. Then she asks if you might be interested in joining a new domestic intelligence service.
You ponder this. Domestic life, after all, is a far less interesting field than playing in the woods, or around Plumwald Station. After some thought, you decline.
The duchess seems surprised, but accepts your decision. Soon, Marnie tells you that she's accepted Prince Aleksei's offer to accompany him on the rest of his Dormouse tour. She thanks you for your help, hugging you tightly, and promises to pay you back for all you've done someday.
You tell her it's alright. Helping people, after all, is its own reward.
[[The End.->Statistics]]''You completed the case of the disappearing sable in (print: (history:)'s length) turns.''
(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[***]
(align:"=><=")+(box:"X", 35)[//Along the way...(if: $CLERKINVITE is "TRUE")[
You were invited to tour the station office by Leitungsmeister Feldwebel Schetti.](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 4 C5"))[
You helped Colonel von Aufrecht and his family escape.](if: $BNBMEET is "TRUE")[You connected Mr. Mino and Ms. Boulevard.](if: $DHOLESTUDY is "TRUE")[
You helped make sure Mei Qiú passes her exams.](if: $ROBOTHELP is "TRUE")[
You introduced Fritz Brindash and Marie Remarque.](if: $NULLQUESTION is "TRUE")[
You helped Chew-Chew Null sort his life out.](if: $JOHANNHELP is "TRUE")[
You convinced Johann Schwer to keep his service pistol on him.](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 12 V"))[
You convinced Christoph Baumhaus to go find his dear Nikita.](if: ((history: ) contains "Inter 19 C5C"))[
You helped Monsieur Mignon get across the border.]
You ate (print: $PRETZELS) (if: $PRETZELS is not 1)[pretzels](if: $PRETZELS is 1)[pretzel] and (print: $CANDY) (if: $CANDY is not 1)[pieces](if: $CANDY is 1)[piece] of rock candy.
You avoided the wolverine.
You helped Marnie Stout find a new life.//
(css: "font-size: 2.0em;")[
[[➔->Closing]]]](set: $PRETZELS to $PRETZELS + 1)(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $PRETZELTYPE to (random: 1, 10))Marnie hands a wax-wrapped bag across the counter.
(if: $PRETZELTYPE is 1)[You eat a delicious, salty pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 2)[You eat a delicious onion pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 3)[You eat a delicious garlic pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 4)[You eat a delicious rutabega pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 5)[You eat a delicious, sugary pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 6)[You eat a delicious cinnamon pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 7)[You eat a delicious sausage-stuffed pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 8)[You eat a delicious parmesan pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 9)[You eat a delicious black pepper pretzel.](if: $PRETZELTYPE is 10)[You eat a delicious pine nut pretzel.]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 14]]
(link: "Leave the stand.")[(set: $INTER14VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 7")](align:"=><=")+(box:"X", 28)[I hope you enjoyed this Claudia Brown adventure. If you have anything to say, or if you'd like more stories like these, please reach out to me. I always love hearing from readers.
I'd also like to take a moment to thank the following people for their feedback and encouragement during the writing process.
Javier Juanillo
Cindy Robinson
Claire Williams
Aria Wilson
Evan Zakman
Take care, and have a wonderful day.
- Cairo
(css: "font-size: 0.8em;" + "letter-spacing: 0.1rem;")[(link: "www.cairosmith.com")[(gotoURL:"https://www.cairosmith.com")]]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: visits is 1)[The dormouse duchess wavers. She looks like she almost wants to confess. Then she turns away. With a more specific name, you think you might be able to break her down.]
[[Let her be.->Station 9]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"No," he says, shaking his stubborn mouse head. "Absolutely not. I've had enough from them. Three years of absolute misery. I just can't take it anymore. I'm going to buy a paper tomorrow morning and start looking for new work."
He turns to you. "Thank you, bear cub," he says, although you don't feel like you did much. "I really just needed a good sorting out."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 18]]
(link: "Bid Mr. Null farewell.")[(set: $INTER18VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 9")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"No," he says, shaking his stubborn mouse head. "Absolutely not. I've been in it for three years now. I'm not going to throw it away over some little spat. I'll go up to them, and I'll tell them I'll come back only if they start to treat me better. That'll fix it."
He turns to you. "Thank you, bear cub," he says, although you don't feel like you did much. "I really just needed a good sorting out."
[[Ask something else.->Inter 18]]
(link: "Bid Mr. Null farewell.")[(set: $INTER18VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 9")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if: visits is 1)[You climb the rough metal steps, ascending along the wall of the indoor market. As you near the ceiling, you see the roofs and tent-tops of the market stalls below. Then you exit through a large steel door.
A breeze hits you right away, slapping the tails of your detective’s coats. A spell of dizziness rises as you look down at the city streets. You’ve never been this high up before. It feels a bit special, and a bit dangerous.
There’s a catwalk ahead.](if: visits > 1)[You're back at the top of the metal stairs, outside the tallest reaches of the station markets. It's treacherously high up here.
There’s a catwalk ahead.]
[[Try to cross the catwalk.->Station 11]]
[[Go back.->Area 3]](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CANDY to $CANDY + 1)(if:visits is 1)[One of the ringtailed creatures, who Remarque tells you is a lemur, breaks off a small chunk of the blue candy for you. It's smooth, then crunchy, and deliciously sweet.](if:visits >= 2)[(set: $CANDYTYPE to (random: 1, 10))Marnie hands a wax-wrapped bag across the counter.
(if: $CANDYTYPE is 1)[The lemur hands you a big chunk of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 2)[The lemur hands you a funny-shaped chunk of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 3)[The lemur hands you a small chunk of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 4)[The lemur hands you a huge chunk of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 5)[The lemur hands you a few little chunks of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 6)[The lemur hands you an emerald-shaded chunk of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 7)[The lemur hands you a partially-melted chunk of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 8)[The lemur hands you a beautiful chunk of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 9)[The lemur hands you an exquisite chunk of rock candy.](if: $CANDYTYPE is 10)[The lemur hands you a delightful chunk of rock candy.]]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 21]]
(link: "Leave the set.")[(set: $INTER21VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](set: $ROBOTHELP to "TRUE")(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))You tell Miss Remarque about the performer you met on the Frettchenplatz. "Fascinating," she says. "Yes. Yes. Perhaps. I'll have Monsieur Souris bring him here tomorrow morning."
You feel good for having possibly brought two artists together.
"Little bear," Remarque says, turning her ears toward you. "Were born by chance beneath the sign Sagittarius?"
You have no idea what that means.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 21]]
(link: "Leave the set.")[(set: $INTER21VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 11")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $FRANCINEGONE to "TRUE")(set: $FRANCINETRIP to (history:)'s length)Francine agrees to go take a cable car up to the library. She seems excited to have a new adventure in hand. What is detective work, you think, but a profession of giving?
You tell her you can't escort her. Uncle Mürrisch would be very cross if you strayed that far from the biergarten. Besides, you have more investigative work to do.
As she packs up, you reassure the meerkat that Barenstadt is quite safe. "I live in Knickelbock," she laughs. "I'm not afraid of anything." She tells you she'll be back in an hour or so, book in hand. Then she runs out the door to catch a cable car.
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](set: $CLUE4 to "TRUE")(set: $FRANCINEBACK to "TRUE")(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(if:visits is 1)["Hello! Claudia! Hello!" Francine shouts, jumping in the air as you near. She grabs you in a huge, animated hug. Then she steps back. "Sorry," she says. "I'm just so excited. Here. Look, I found it."
She flips to a tabbed page of the dictionary in her hands. Halfway down, in faded ink, it reads: 'clouds (pl.) - oblaka.'
"That's it!" she says. "'Oblaka,' that was his surname. He told me last night. I forgot, until I saw the page. Then it all came back."(if: $VALERYCLUE is "TRUE")[
You decline to tell her that you already figured it out. She seems so glad to be of use, after all. Plus, it's nice to have the hedgehog's translation confirmed.]
She shuts the dictionary, sitting back down on the bench. "What a thrill," she says. "I hope that's helpful. Now I've got to decide what to do with the rest of my night."](if:visits >= 2)[Francine perks up, eager to chat with you about anything you like. She assures you that her Dormouser friends are coming soon, to take her out to a proper Barenstadt dinner.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 FUN"))[[Ask why she came to Dormouse.->Inter 31 FUN]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 31 FUN"))[[Ask what she's going to do now.->Inter 31 FUN]](if: $CLUE1 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C1"))[[
Show her the gloves.->Inter 31 C1]]](if:$CLUE2 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C2"))[[
Ask if he had an accent.->Inter 31 C2]]](if:$CLUE3 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C3"))[[
Show her the 'X' marked ticket.->Inter 31 C3]]](if:$CLUE5 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C5"))[[
Ask her about 'Magnolie.'->Inter 31 C5]]](if:$CLUE6 is "TRUE")[(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 31 C6"))[[
Ask her about the Spotted Baron's wife.->Inter 31 C6]]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))Neither of you know what ‘clouds’ would be. Then she lights up. “There was a dictionary!” she says. “At the library. Yesterday afternoon, I saw it. Khomyak-to-Dormouse.”
She checks the old clock in the hall. “The cable cars are still running,” she says. “I could take one uptown, get the book. Meet you back here in an hour or so? What do you say?”
[[Ask her to go get the Khomyak dictionary from the library.->Inter 31GO]]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 31]]
(link: "Leave the den.")[(set: $INTER31VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $BNBMEET to "TRUE")You tell Mr. Mino about how Francine's also staying in the bed and breakfast, also on a visit from the New Countries. She seems very bored, like him, and rather restless.
"Oh," he says, seeming a bit flustered. "Oh, that's very interesting. I see."
You encourage him to speak with her, if he's not too busy with his work. He assures you he'll consider it, and smiles.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 32]]
(link: "Step away from the bar.")[(set: $INTER16VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 16")](set: $ROBOTHELP to "TRUE")(enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))You tell the mink all about the film set on the roof, and their debacle with the missing actor. "Is that so?" he says, but seems to nervous to ask more.
Finally, you prod him in the ribs. "Oh, come now!" you tell him, startling him a bit. "You're exactly what she needs. Go talk to Miss Remarque, and I'm sure she'll put you in the picture. Pay a few marks for it, too."
He thinks a bit. Then he agrees to speak with the serval tomorrow morning.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 36]]
(link: "Go back to the patio.")[(set: $INTER36VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 18")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $CLUE4 to "TRUE")(set: $VALERYCLUE to "TRUE")Oh, the hedgehog says, intrigued by the question. "The word would be, 'Oblaka.'"
You thank him tremendously for his help.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 37]]
(link: "Let him get back to his work.")[(set: $INTER37VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 19")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))<body><img src="https://cairosmithdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/cb-17-ink.jpg" draggable="false"/></body>
(if:visits is 1)[A little bell clinks on the door of the government office as you open it. Inside, empty desks are stacked with pile after pile of unsorted records. A single inspector sits among them, a vole in a blue uniform and black-brimmed cap.
He looks very overworked.
"Excuse me?" you say, tapping your claws on a desk to get his attention.
"Not now," he snaps, keeping his nose in his work. "I'm attending to a serious matter."
Try as you might, you can't seem to get him to give you the time of day. Perhaps you'll need something that commands a bit more attention.](if:visits > 1)[The exhausted vole inspector grumbles as he writes the sixth page of a report. He won't talk to you. At least, not until you find some way to command his attention.
There's a quiet squeaking coming from the back of the government office.]
(if: not ((history:) contains "Inter 26"))[[Poke around the office.->Inter 26]](if: ((history:) contains "Inter 26"))[[Speak to the monkey again.->Inter 26]](if: $KEY1 is "TRUE")[[
Show the inspector Genoveva Geist's card.->Inter 25]]
(link: "Leave the office.")[(set: $STATION13VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Area 3")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))"Oh yeah," the weasel says, pulling one arm of his jacket back to reveal the revolver. "That's my service pistol. I'm part of the capital patrol. Twenty-one years gone by, now. Never been sick, never missed a day."
He tells you he's been considering leaving it with the government office down the way, before he boards his train. "I'm so used to keeping it on me, just in case," he says. "Then again, it might be good to get some space. Help get my mind off my work for a bit."
[[Tell him to keep it with him.->Inter 28 GUNA]]
[[Tell him to leave it here.->Inter 28 GUNB]]
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $JOHANNHELP to "TRUE")(set: $GUNCHOICE to "TRUE")"Yeah, what's the hurt?" the weasel smiles. "It's not like I'll forget my line of work, either way. Plus, this way I'm ready for anything."
He pats you on the back of your detective's coat. "Thanks, kid," he says, pulling his jacket back on. "What else did you wanna know?"
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))(set: $GUNCHOICE to "TRUE")"Yeah, I guess so," the weasel nods. "It's my work that got me in the whole jam I'm in now, with not being there for my pups and all. How am I supposed to show I'm changed if I've still got a side iron under by jacket?"
He pats you on the back of your detective's coat. "Thanks, kid," he says, pulling his sleeve back up. "What else did you wanna know?"
[[Ask something else.->Inter 28]]
(link: "Leave him be.")[(set: $INTER27VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 17")](enchant: ?Passage's lines, (text-indent:80))The vole soundly dismisses any chances of ever giving you anything at all. She doesn't seem like she's going to budge.
[[Ask something else.->Inter 5]]
(link: "Leave the coat check.")[(set: $INTER5VISITED to "TRUE")(goto: "Station 3")]
↶↷
Claudia Braun and the
Disappearing Sable
by
Cairo Smith
with illustrations by A.J. Slizeski
First edition. All rights reserved.
➔