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The Balcony
by
Thierno Bell
Played 600 times
View game source
(spoilers!)
Download the
.z8 file
Source Code
Use no scoring. [Direction Definition] Forward is a direction. The opposite of forward is back. Back is a direction. The opposite of back is forward. Left is a direction. The opposite of left is right. Right is a direction. The opposite of right is left. [***] [Variable Definition] connection is a number that varies. [***] [Action Definition] Understand "knock on the [something]" as knocking. Knocking is an action applying to one thing. Carry out knocking: say "One of your friends opens the door and welcomes you in. You stumble backward when the door opens and a wave of heavy, thudding beats and cigarette smoke washes over you."; move player to the Living Room; now the noun is unlocked. Understand "Make small talk with the [something]" as smalltalk. Smalltalk is an action applying to one thing. Carry out smalltalk: say "[paragraph break]"; say "[one of]You spend a few minutes telling her about yourself. She doesn't seem particularly interested, but she doesn't seem bothered, either[or]You ask her about herself. She isn't very talkative and doesn't say much, but she doesn't seem to mind, either[or]You ask her who she knows at the party. She begins listing names, but you notice that she seems more annoyed as the list goes on[at random]."; say "[paragraph break]"; say "[one of]She still seems a bit distant, but she doesn't seem bothered by you, either[or]The conversation ends abruptly, but she doesn't seem as annoyed by you as everyone else, at least[or]She doesn't seem very interested in talking, but she doesn't seem to mind, either[at random]."; increase connection by 1; Understand "Start a conversation with [something]" as conversing. Conversing is an action applying to one thing. Carry out conversing: say "[paragraph break]"; say "[one of]You ask her if she's bored. She initially denies it, but it doesn't take long for her to admit that she doesn't really want to be here. You ask what she'd rather be doing, and a conversation about wine and books begins[or]You tell her that she seems to know everyone. She looks a little irritated as she sighs and begins telling you that she doesn't know many of them well. A story about getting dragged there as a favor to a friend begins[or]You ask her if she's feeling alright. She quickly says that she is, but she seems to quickly realize that you know better. She begins explaining that being there is exhausting her[at random]."; say "[paragraph break]"; say "[one of]You aren't sure, but you get the feeling that you're getting to know her a little[or]She seems a little more relaxed after talking to you[or]For just a moment, she smiles when she realizes how long she's been talking[at random]."; increase connection by 3; [***] [Description Handling] Before listing nondescript items when the Hallway is unvisited: if the front door is marked for listing: say "It's time to decide. If you aren't going to turn back, then you should [bold type]knock on the front door[roman type] to let someone know that you're here."; now the front door is not marked for listing. Before listing nondescript items when the Hallway is visited: now the front door is not marked for listing. [***] [Location - Elevator] The Elevator is a room. "[if the Elevator is unvisited] [paragraph break]As soon as the doors open, you can already hear a gently pulsing beat coming from behind the door of the apartment at the end of the hall. Your legs feel like lead as you push yourself past the doors and into the hallway, beginning a slow march toward the party. Your hands are quite the opposite; they haven't stopped trembling since you entered the building. [paragraph break]You don't know how you got talked into this. It's been more than a year since the last time you tried to do anything social, and it didn't end well, to say the least. It's been months since you've left home at all. Coming outside was hard enough, but going to a place filled with people you don't even know is making you feel sick. You spent the week since you agreed to this coming up with excuses to cancel, but here you are. [paragraph break]You know the truth is that you [italic type]want[roman type] to be here, even as your body threatens to shut down in protest. You just aren't sure that you can handle it. You continue to [bold type]go forward[roman type] while you try to convince yourself to just leave and try again some other time. Maybe tomorrow, or next week, or next month...just later. [end if] [if the Elevator is visited] [paragraph break]You regret leaving, but not as much as you regret coming. It was just too much to take. You get on the elevator and look down at the floor as the doors close, fearful of being drawn back to the music and laughter. [paragraph break]Tomorrow is another day. [end if]" Every turn while the location of the player is the Elevator and the Hallway is visited: end the story; [***] [Location - Hallway] The Hallway is a room. The Hallway is forward of the Elevator. "[if the Hallway is unvisited] [paragraph break]It's not too late to [bold type]go back[roman type] to the elevator and leave all of this behind you, but you're nearly there. You're close enough to pick up the faint smell of smoke and hear cheerful laughter over the music. [end if] [if the Living Room is visited and the Master Bedroom is unvisited and the Balcony is unvisited] You tried, but you just can't take anymore. You quietly slip out of the front door when you're sure that nobody is watching. With the party in full swing, it seems that you've managed to escape unnoticed. You don't want to give up, but you aren't sure that going back in wouldn't be worse. If you're going to [bold type]go back[roman type] to the elevator, now is the time. [end if] [if the Living Room is visited and the Master Bedroom is visited and the Balcony is unvisited] You gave it a fair chance, but it was just too much. You feel exhausted and a little sick to your stomach. The dark-haired woman is still on your mind, but you don't know if you can force yourself back in there. Not yet, at least. You might feel better after a few minutes alone, but you aren't sure if you should put yourself through any more tonight. You could always try again, but you can also [bold type]go back[roman type] to the elevator and leave. [end if] [if the Living Room is visited and the Master Bedroom is unvisited and the Balcony is visited] Taking some time to yourself helped, but it also gave you time to question yourself. A moment of self-doubt was all it took for you to find yourself grabbing your coat and slipping out of the front door. It's not too late to turn back, and the dark-haired woman is admittedly still on your mind for some reason, but you aren't sure you can deal with going back in there. You're tempted to [bold type]go back[roman type] to the elevator and go home but, much to your surprise, something is making you want to go back in. [end if] [if the Living Room is visited and the Master Bedroom is visited and the Balcony is visited] As much as the dark-haired woman is occupying your thoughts, it isn't enough to completely outweigh the strain of being surrounded by so many people. You slip out of the front door and into the hallway, telling yourself that you just need a few minutes to collect your thoughts. It isn't until you're out there that you realize that as much as you want to go back, you're not entirely sure you can. You could [bold type]go back[roman type] to the elevator and leave, but maybe it's worth giving this party one more chance. [end if]" [***] [Door - Front Door] The front door is a closed locked door. The front door is forward of the hallway. [***] [Location - Living Room] The Living Room is a room. The Living Room is forward of the front door. The captivating lady is a woman in the Living Room. "[if the Living Room is unvisited] It takes a moment for your senses to adjust. The scent of liquor mingles with the smell of smoke, but it pales in comparison to the sound. The music, the voices...it's overwhelming, but it's nothing to do with the volume. There's something about the cheer in the room that seems as if it could drown you in it. It lures you in as much as it makes you want to flee. [paragraph break]Through the haze of smoke and the sea of unfamiliar faces, you see a [bold type]captivating lady[roman type] with dark hair. Given how she dominates your attention, no better word occurs to you to describe her. She's surrounded by people, all of whom seem to be competing for her attention. At the same time, though, something gives you the impression that she doesn't want to be here any more than you do. Against all reason, you feel the urge to [bold type]start a conversation[roman type] with her...or, at the very least, try to [bold type]make small talk[roman type]. [end if] [if the Living Room is visited and the captivating lady is in the Living Room and the location of the player is the Living Room] You return to the chaos in the living room. The dark-haired lady is here, and she seems to have found a moment alone. You could [bold type]start a conversation[roman type] with her, or just [bold type]make small talk[roman type]. You could also [bold type]go forward[roman type] to what looks like a bedroom. It might be a bit quieter in there. There's also a balcony to the [bold type]right[roman type] that looks calm. [end if] [if the Living Room is visited and the captivating lady is in the Master Bedroom and the location of the player is the Living Room and connection is less than 9] You return to the chaos in the living room. The dark-haired lady is nowhere to be seen. [end if] [if the Living Room is visited and the captivating lady is in the Balcony and the location of the player is the Living Room] You return to the chaos in the living room. The dark-haired lady is nowhere to be seen. She must still be waiting on the balcony. [end if]" Every turn while the captivating lady is in the Living Room and the captivating lady is not in the Master Bedroom and the location of the player is not the Hallway and the location of the player is not the Elevator and connection is less than 9: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "The dark-haired woman vanishes in the midst of a distraction. You just barely catch a glimpse of her as she disappears into the bedroom."; move the captivating lady to the Master Bedroom; Every turn while the captivating lady is in the Living Room and the location of the player is the Living Room and connection is greater than 8: say "The dark-haired woman makes her way to the balcony. She looks back at you, and you get the feeling she's waiting for you to catch up."; move the captivating lady to the Balcony; [***] [Location - Master Bedroom] The Master Bedroom is a room. The Master Bedroom is forward of the Living Room. "[if the Master Bedroom is unvisited and the captivating lady is not in the Master Bedroom and the location of the player is the Master Bedroom] You step into a dimly lit bedroom where several people are talking. It's certainly calmer, but it begins to dawn on you exactly why when you notice how much more intimate the conversations seem. No one seems bothered by your presence, but you can't help wondering if it would be better to [bold type]go back[roman type] into the living room. After all, that [italic type]is[roman type] where the dark-haired lady is, and she's the only one that you've wanted to talk to. Something about her gives you a feeling of safe harbor. [end if] [if the Master Bedroom is unvisited and the captivating lady is in the Master Bedroom and the location of the player is the Master Bedroom] You step into a dimly lit bedroom where several people are talking. It's certainly calmer, but it begins to dawn on you exactly why when you notice how much more intimate the conversations seem. No one seems bothered by your presence, but you can't help wondering if it would be better to [bold type]go back[roman type] into the living room. Then again, the dark-haired lady [italic type]is[roman type] here, and she's the only one that you've wanted to talk to. Something about her gives you a feeling of safe harbor. [end if] [if the Master Bedroom is visited and the captivating lady is in the Master Bedroom and the location of the player is the Master Bedroom] You return to the master bedroom. The dark-haired woman is here, and her expression gives you the impression that she's hiding from someone. [end if] [if the Master Bedroom is visited and the captivating lady is not in the Master Bedroom and the location of the player is the Master Bedroom and connection is less than 9] You return to the master bedroom. The dark-haired woman is nowhere to be seen. [end if] [if the Master Bedroom is visited and the captivating lady is in the Balcony and the location of the player is the Master Bedroom] You return to the master bedroom. The dark-haired woman is nowhere to be seen. She must still be waiting on the balcony. [end if]" Every turn while the captivating lady is in the Master Bedroom and the captivating lady is not in the Living Room and the location of the player is not the Hallway and the location of the player is not the Elevator and connection is less than 9: if a random chance of 1 in 3 succeeds: say "The dark-haired woman is suddenly grabbed by the arm by an excitable friend and pulled into the living room."; move the captivating lady to the Living Room; Every turn while the captivating lady is in the Master Bedroom and the location of the player is the Master Bedroom and connection is greater than 8: say "The dark-haired woman takes advantage of a moment of relative calm and slips away to the balcony. She looks back at you once safely outside, and you get the feeling that she's waiting for you."; move the captivating lady to the Balcony; [***] [Location - Balcony] The Balcony is a room. The Balcony is right of the Living Room. "[if the Balcony is unvisited and the captivating lady is not in the Balcony] You step outside into the cool night air. Nobody else is out here, likely because of the weather. Even though you're wishing you'd brought your coat, you can't help appreciating it. You can always go back into the living room to your [bold type]left[roman type] whenever you feel ready, but there's no need to hurry. [paragraph break]Well, there's [italic type]one[roman type] reason. The dark-haired woman isn't here. [end if] [if the Balcony is visited and the captivating lady is not in the Balcony] You return to the balcony to get a moment to yourself. Being able to collect your thoughts in peace is making this whole evening possible to get through. You're still curious about the dark-haired woman, but she doesn't seem like she's ready to leave yet, either. [end if] [if the captivating lady is in the Balcony] You step out onto the balcony and see the dark-haired lady leaning against the railing and looking out at the skyline. She looks up when she hears the door slide open, but she doesn't say anything. She simply motions for you to close the door behind you, then beckons for you to come and stand next to her. [paragraph break]You don't know what to make of this evening, but the fact that she looks relieved to see you makes you glad for the opportunity to figure it out. [end if]" Every turn while the location of the player is the Balcony and the captivating lady is in the Balcony: end the story;
