A Detective Noir Game with Annoying Neighbors (Last Window: The Secret of Cape West)

She is...expressive.

Tony sure seems happy to see her. He sure won't be like this if Kyle is the one to greet him.

You're looking your usual fine self!

Always the gentleman.

Hello, Mr Hyde.

Is everything okay?

Betty is basically

(Rents room 203 and sells trinkets in a little accessory shop nearby. Always polite to everyone. Can't say I'm her biggest fan, though...)

So, what are you guys talking about?

Get this. Se�or Hyde here didn't know about the big eviction!

Really? I thought everyone knew.

Except me, apparently. Tony was just filling me in.

Hyde being less informed than me! You couldn't make this stuff up!

Claims he never even saw the letter. Would've just gone about his normal routine if I hadn't broken the news.

Great. Kyle not looking at his mailbox gives Tony a chance to show off.

Betty looks like she's high.

Yeah, that's right. Laugh it up.

Oh, I'm sorry. But you have to admit, it's pretty ironic.

Now I think about it, it kind of fits in nicely with your personality.

My personality?

Type B, Mr Hyde. You always act so focused. Then again, I guess we all have our quirks.

~~Ah, the Japanese tradition of blood type affecting personality. Betty does sound like the person who would be into that kind of stuff, though.~~

No, that's not actually about blood type.

Truthkeeper posted:

Actually, surprisingly enough, no. This is pseudo-psychological personality theory, started in the 1950s and was still fair popular well into the 90s. It splits people in Type A (outgoing, ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status-conscious, sensitive, impatient, anxious, proactive, concerned with time management) and Type B (none of the above), and argued that Type As were at higher risk for heart disease and other medical problems because of their higher stress lifestyles.

Hyde is totally a Type B, until one of these weird personal mysteries hits him and he goes hyper-focused and stays up all night asking everybody he meets about apple paintings.

Enough of the character profiling, doc.

(They always act like we're sharing a college dorm or something. But the truth is, we barely even know each other around here.)

Hey, Betty, you got a place lined up for after you move out?

What do you mean?

You know, like somewhere to stay.

Oh that, yeah, I'm all set.

Lease is signed and sealed. In fact, I'll be out of here next week.

Wastin' no time, eh? So where're you gonna be living from now on?

Why'd you keep it all to yourself? We're buddies, aren't we?

Betty might be polite, but that doesn't mean she'll give in to Tony's bullshit.

If I go giving away my new digs...

No, that's someone else we'll be seeing this game.

Me? Lurking?

Tony totally deserved it.

Okay, I get it, Betty.

But hey, our friendship's just blossoming... If we work at it, it could become a thing of beauty.

Tony is basically a way shittier Louie. That's not saying a whole lot considering how great Louie is, but my point stands. Speaking of Louie, this is why Kyle was refusing to lend Louie money that one time in Hotel Dusk.

At least Betty is still smart enough to reject him directly. He's the type who'll always come back if she didn't say it to his face.

Anyway, I've got to dash. Don't want to be late for my date.

Catch you guys later!

This game uses the portrait of a character facing a door and the door opening sound effect to signify them going out instead of just saying "xxx goes out of the room." That means we'll miss out on something like "Tony stomps off in search of justice and money."

Music: Shadowy Men

drat, looks like I blew my chances.

You think?

She's got no idea of the heartache she causes... Just casts me aside like I'm not even there.

He's also the type who won't give up, annoying everyone else around him. Also, she can't cast you aside if she acts like you're not even there.

Face it, Tony, you don't exactly exude charisma.

Yeah, thanks for that, friend. Way to kick a man when he's down, right?

Sometimes I wonder when I'm gonna get myself out of this rut. Can't even drown my sorrows in a bottle without any cash. I don't know. Maybe I'll go for a stroll. Take in the night air.

You should try working in a bar!

Later, man.

We're dumped in the map screen now. Let's examine the mailbox...

Ah, hello, Mr Hyde.

New Music: Blue Lady

May I have a word?

Mrs Patrice...

I keep putting a dot after Mr or Mrs due to habit...

Margaret is basically

(Owner of Cape West Apartments and lives here on the first floor. Took over when this place was a run-down hotel and fixed it up into apartments. To the locals, she's known as Mags.)

I could have sworn I heard Mr Wolf's voice a moment ago...

He was here. You just missed him. He was ranting about needing some fresh air.

Oh, is that so?

The game has told you what to do so I don't have to. Every time we enquire, we'll be given a choice, so every enquire options are 3-way choices. Just assume that I pressed them unless stated otherwise.

Hey...

What's a shame?

What's a shame?

It's not like he's busy 24/7. Isn't he always skulking around?

Not as much as you seem to think.

In fact, Mr. Wolf's being quite elusive these days.

I really do need to discuss a pressing matter with him right away.

(A pressing matter?)

This is how I'm going to notate when we got a question. The difference between getting and asking the questions:
1. Asking is notated with bold while getting questions are notated with brackets.
2. The question mark is on the left while asking but on the right while getting them.

Read note

Just what is that book you're staring at, Mr Hyde?
Write note

I must say, I'm rather surprised to see you taking notes on our conversation.
Show room 202 key

I believe this is the key to your apartment, is it not?
Show pager

I see you have a pager.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Sep 18, 2018

# ¿ Sep 4, 2018 13:40

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Truthkeeper posted:

Actually, surprisingly enough, no. This is pseudo-psychological personality theory, started in the 1950s and was still fair popular well into the 90s. It splits people in Type A (outgoing, ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status-conscious, sensitive, impatient, anxious, proactive, concerned with time management) and Type B (none of the above), and argued that Type As were at higher risk for heart disease and other medical problems because of their higher stress lifestyles.

Hyde is totally a Type B, until one of these weird personal mysteries hits him and he goes hyper-focused and stays up all night asking everybody he meets about apple paintings.

Huh. I guess when I saw about personality types in a Japanese game I automatically refer to blood types since that seems to be very common. I'll add it to the update.

Kitala posted:

Betty’s expressions are terrifying. “Haha, you didn’t see your eviction notice ”

See my comment in the update.

# ¿ Sep 5, 2018 15:52

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

New Music: Gusty Town

What could be so pressing?

What is it that's so pressing? Do you need to ask Tony something?

Yes, I do.

It's a fairly important thing, too.

Important?

It's about his rent.

Let me guess... He's come up short?

Quite. This month marks the fourth in a row he hasn't settled his bill.

And Tony's list of bad deeds grew.

I was going to ask him to clear his slate today.

(Typical Tony. Squirming your way out of another financial situation.)

Looks like you got a problem there.

Yes, I had hoped he'd be a little more forthcoming.

After all, the rest of the tenants are such nice people.

It's just Mr Wolf, really. I suppose there's always one though.

Trouble does tend to follow him around.

Actually, while I have you here, Mr Hyde...

There's the small matter of your rent too!

Oops...

Ah. Is that right?

Ah. Is that right?

Not trying to pull the wool over my eyes, are you, Mr Hyde? If memory serves, you have both last month and this month to pay.

I appreciate this comes at a bad time, with everyone getting ready to leave,

But rent is rent and these apartments don't pay for themselves.

Of course.

I'll expect $400 in total from you then, Mr Hyde.

If you could make sure it reaches me by the weekend, that would be perfect.

Got it. By the weekend.

As a reminder, today (game time) is Thursday.

Music: Blue Lady

There is one other tiny matter, Mr Hyde...

Another one?

Yes. Concerning your mailbox.

I know you're a busy man, but if you could spare a couple of minutes,

And remove some of the clutter, it'd be most appreciated. I always check when I pass and room 202's mailbox is practically overflowing!

Roger that. I'll take a look.

Much obliged, Mr Hyde. Well, I think that's my cue to go.

Before you go, mind if I ask you something?

What is it?

Why did you decide to sell this place all of a sudden?

Ah, I had a feeling you'd ask.

Originally, I had no intention of giving this place up.

Looks like we found our mystery.

Well, it's complicated.

(Complicated?)

Complicated in what way?

How's the situation complicated?

Were you against selling the apartments?

It really is quite complicated. I'd rather not discuss it.

Why not?

I don't think that's any of your concern, Mr Hyde!

Again, enquiring unless stated otherwise.

I've got to ask...

The second choice reads "Is everyone behind in the rent?"

What could be so sensitive?

What could be so sensitive?

Mr Hyde, perhaps I wasn't making myself clear.

It really is quite complicated. I'd rather not discuss it.

I see.

And what makes you think I'm happy to share my secrets with you, Mr Hyde?

Well, we pissed Margaret off, but she hasn't kicked us out yet. Let's ignore that just happened and let's get going...

New Music: Insomnia (Last Window)

(Wait! What was that Mags said?)

It really is quite complicated. I'd rather not discuss it.

And what makes you think I'm happy to share my secrets with you, Mr Hyde?

Maybe she's upset at me for pushing her about why she's selling up...

This will happen even if we picked the other choice, so the only way to not piss her off is to not press her. Yes, this game actually has consequences for pressing everything. Not that it's going to stop me.

Anyway, we talk to Margaret again.

Can I bother you for a moment?

What is it?

Music: Gusty Town

Orange questions with gray mark are questions that you get for picking the wrong choice and missing the normal question. We can actually get this earlier during the talk with Tony.

I didn't mean to be rude.

I'm sorry about before.

I wasn't out to upset you or anything.

Oh?

You said that you weren't happy to share your reasons...but I still let my curiosity get the better of me.

Our apology makes her happy!

That's very gallant of you to say that. I could have been more polite too.

It's not easy for a widow like me to take care of a place like this, you know.

I can trust you to understand that, can't I?

You know, if you started with this Kyle wouldn't have to press you.

Yeah.

Truth be told, my dad died and left my mom a widow too.

I'm sorry to hear that.

So your situation's not exactly alien to me.

It's nice to know there are still understanding people out there.

Oh, yeah. Different standards and all that.

I noticed there's a lot of demolition round these parts lately... Your predicament wouldn't be anything to do with that, would it?

Well...

I can't say they haven't been hassling me a little. But that's not the main reason.

(Not the main reason?)

What reason do you mean?

So, right after apologizing for asking too much, Kyle immediately ask even more.

So you're saying there is a cast-iron reason behind this?

I'm not going to comment on that.

We're going to ignore this advice, obviously.

Please don't pay it any mind.

Right.

I'm sorry things have turned out this way, Mr Hyde, I really am.

I think it's time for me to be on my way too.

Margaret head back into her room.

($400 by the weekend. That's a tall order. I'd better make a note of that in my notebook.)

Don't worry, the game will remind us about it later.

Music: Overstepped Memory

We now have to check our mailbox since Kyle won't go up until we do. Naturally, we examine everything except the mailbox. We can do that by pressing the magnifying glass icon.

Music: Hidden Proof

Like I said (and like the game says), we can use the slider to look around. The notebook and bag items are for using the notebook or items, respectively.

Window I can see the street through the window, but there's not exactly much to look at.
Cabinet A large, wooden cabinet complete with doors and drawers. Empty ones.
Table lamp This light shade has seen better days. Doubt the holes are part of the design.
Chairs Two old, but sturdily built chairs. Wonder how long since someone actually sat on one.
Bookshelf Nothing but an ageing wooden bookshelf. I can see some graffiti on the back of the shelves. Classy.
Boxes There are a lot of cardboard boxes piled up next to the wall. They look pretty full.

(I'd say somebody went a little overboard with the packing tape.)
Floor lamp Doesn't seem to have a bulb in place, but I'm sure it'd work if it did.

Sofa There's a sofa in the corner of the lobby. Looks like a victim of too many behinds...
Frame A photo of a city skyline is hanging on the wall.
Vending machine There's a vending machine in the lobby.

(Unfortunately I don't have any change right now.)
Note There's a notice on the vending machine.

Zoomed-in note Special Promotion: Buy something from the machine and be sure to check the reverse of the bottle cap. Winners will receive fabulous prizes! For more information, please contact the landlady or the proprietor of Lucky's Caf�. Good luck! Make your 25 cents count!

(Fabulous prizes, huh? Maybe I should buy some juice.)

Next up: Doors.

Note There's a note on the elevator call button. "Notice: Elevator out of order"

This game is different in that only the doorknob is shown instead of the full door.
Knock No point knocking the door of a closed caf�.

(Can't remember how many times I've been to this caf�. Closest I have to a local haunt.)

(Goes without saying it's closed this late.)

This is Margaret's room. It wasn't shown in the map. Buzzing and knocking have the same effect, so I'm just going to write knock because of habit.
Wreath A christmas wreath is hanging on the door. How very festive.
Knock
Music: Blue Lady

This kind of sprite means that the character is behind the door. Notice how the door is slightly open.

Have you come to settle your remaining rent?

Not exactly.

Oh. I see.

In that case, I have other affairs to be getting on with.
Knock (again)
Margaret: Who's there?

It's Kyle Hyde.
Margaret: I'm a little busy at the moment, sorry.
She didn't even bother coming out this time.

Plant There's a sad-looking pot plant in the corner of the lobby.

(I don't think anyone's watered it in a while.)
Board It's a notice board for the residents. Some bits of paper are pinned to it.

Top left note There's a notice pinned to the board. It says: Due to recent decision to cease leasing these apartments, tenants are required to vacate the premises by the end of the month.

(Look like this is what Tony was rattling on about.)
Right note There's a notice pinned to the board. It says: Tenants should be sure to empty their mailboxes on a regular basis.
Bottom note There's a notice pinned to the board. It says: Please refrain from littering. Thank you.
Mailboxes in the right It's the mailboxes for the fourth floor. They're just sitting there all neglected.

(The mail slots are covered up with tape.)
Mailboxes in the middle These mailboxes are for the third floor residents.
Mailboxes in the left These mailboxes are for the tenants on the second floor.

Bottom left mailbox As expected, it's full of mail.

(Suppose I'd better take a look at some of it.)

[img]

[/img]

It's time for another minigame. All minigame (except the first one) are accompanied by this swirl effect and the same jingle from Hotel Dusk.

We'll just tap the lock to take a closer look...

Not exactly secure, but any thief out there is welcome to my bills.

Or to your eviction notice.

We can open the notebook during a minigame. It has the code I've shown earlier.

Just follow the instructions from the notebook.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Sep 6, 2018

# ¿ Sep 6, 2018 15:14

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Now to find the one from Mags...

Music: Hidden Proof

Top mail There's a flyer of some sort lying on the floor.

Hmm, what's this? Looks like it might not be entirely useless.
I stash the flyer between the other letters.
Right mail There's a small, white envelope lying on the floor.

I thought so. It's from the credit card company. They want me to sign up for more plastic.
Bottom mail There's a white envelope lying on the floor.

Bad news, I expect... Oh, my phone bill. No point opening it, I rarely use the thing.
:rolleyes:

Left mail There's a brown envelope lying on the floor.

Nothing special. It's just an advert for some TV shopping trash.

Middle mail

Here we are...

I pick up the eviction notice from among the mail.

There's still that jingle from Hotel Dusk.

My dear tenants, after much deliberation, I have chosen to sell this property. The new owner plans to have the building demolished, so it is my unfortunate duty to inform you of the need to vacate at your earliest convenience. Further information will be posted on the notice board in the coming days. December 10th

(According to the date, this thing arrived about a week ago.)

I pick up the mound of mail and put it in my case.

Music: Sobering Dream

The letter Kyle picked up earlier can be seen in the menu. It look like a bookmark.

This shows that there are multiple ways to advance the dialogue. Most people would use the touch screen, since that's what controls almost everything else.

Due to the absence of NG+, this is only useful if you get a Game Over and want to get back to where you were quickly.

I think this is the one most people discover first. I just found out that there is a slow walk about 3 hours into the first game.

This is the only one that is actually useful.

Music: Overstepped Memory
We can now finally go upstairs. So let's do that. Upstairs...

Hey, you!

Wh-what?

What're you doing here?

I was just wandering around and thinking a few things through.

Thinking? You serious?

New Music: Ace of Diamonds

Yeah. Is that a crime now?

And I suppose the hammer helps you concentrate, right?

You wanna tell me what you're really up to?

This?

Oh, I use this to fix the place up.

Fix the place up?

That's right.

I was checking the hallways and doors, making sure its all ship-shape.

I'm pretty sure that's actually a typo, not just British spelling.

Dylan is basically

(Lives in room 304. He's a plumber and general handyman. Got a glum look about him. Wouldn't make a very good clown at a kid's party.)

How come you get lumped with building repairs?

Dunno, Mrs Patrice asked if I wouldn't mind.

Mrs Patrice?

Yeah.

She must've noticed I got all the tools already. Got a hammer, spanner, everything I need to fix the plumbing.

So that's why she asked you? Must be convenient to have a free handyman.

I guess so.

I wish I have a free handyman...

Guess I'm the only one who didn't know you took care of all this.

Could be. You're the only one who's ever quizzed me like this.

Yeah well, can't be too careful.

Why are you even fixing this place up, anyway? It's gonna be torn down, right? Sounds like a big fat waste of time to me.

Mrs Patrice was very clear. She told me to keep the place in good order, right up until the last day when the deeds change hands.

Interesting.

Anyway, I gotta rush.

Dylan takes off.

Music: Overstepped Memory

Welcome to the 2nd floor. We're going to be immediately leaving to the 3rd floor.

(Stress must be getting to me... Nearly went up to the third floor without thinking.)

(Gotta at least remember I live in 202, not 302!)

Or maybe not. We'll just examine this place, I guess.

Painting It's a painting of some beautiful natural scenery.
Lamp There's a light fixed to the wall. It looks like it's been here for decades, but someone's taken good care of it.
Bench Some of the slats on this bench look new, like they needed to be replaced.

(The bench was broken for quite a while. There used to be a sign saying not to sit on it.)

(It was only repaired pretty recently. I hadn't even noticed.)

Music: Overstepped Memory

Buzz No answer. I guess that means "buzz off"?
Knob It's locked, and I'm not going to force my way in.

Plate The sign helpfully informs me that this is room 203.
Buzz Nothing. Even bees get more attention from buzzing than I do.
Knob I thought I'd check just on the off chance that it was unlocked.

Buzz Not the slightest buzz of activity.
Knob Locked. Looks like no trespassing for me.

I'm not showing the knock response because it's nothing interesting. Just imagine variations of "No one answers." The elevator is still broken.

Plate A big "202" is staring back at me from the number plate.
Knock Knocking's no good if there's nobody home.

(What am I doing, waiting for me to ley myself in? I'm wasting my time here. Better just head in.)
Buzz Seems like nobody's around to hear me buzzing.

(Not likely to get a reply from my own room now, am I?)
Knob Looks like it's locked.

It's obvious what to do here. The bag icon even flashes to show you what to do.

The beginning of this game feels more hand-holdy than Hotel Dusk.

Use room 202 key on knob I use my key to unlock the door.

Somthing jammed in the door catches my eye as it falls to the ground.

What the...

Just tap the mail to pick it up.

I pick it up and take a look.

I take the anonymous letter and enter the room.

drat, I gotta be out of this place within the month. DIdn't see that one coming, did you, Kyle?

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Nov 13, 2018

# ¿ Sep 8, 2018 13:22

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

New Music: Heating Up

Including that time when the key broke and you had to lockpick it.

(Inherited it from my old man after he died. Started putting it to good use after quitting the force and working for Ed. Since then, we've pretty much gone everywhere together.)

(I should take another look at that letter...)

Apparently Kyle's wearing a suit under that jacket.

Inside, I find a typed letter reading: "Item: Locate the Scarlet Star, which disappeared at Hotel Cape West 25 years ago."

An order? What kind of order is this?

(Getting an order directly from a client never happens. This has got to be some sort of joke.)

*phone rings*

The ringing suddenly stops.

That's weird.

The map screen in Kyle's room adds a new icon: the phone icon. It lets you either answer the phone or play the recording on the phone with one button! And you can use this from anywhere in the room! I miss this when playing Hotel Dusk.

All we have to do is to press the play button.

The first thing I hear on the tape is a young woman's voice. "Hey, Kyle, it's me. Looks like you're not home yet, huh?"

Voice of a nightingale, that's our Rachel.

"You've really pushed Ed off the deep end this time. What're you gonna do? Don't get blind drunk and do something stupid, okay? I'll call again in the morning."

drat. Looks like Ed wasn't just letting off steam this time.

*BEEP* Looks like there's another message recorded. I hear the voice of a man I don't recognise. "Kyle Hyde?"

(Who the hell's that?)

"I have an order for you. The request has been taken directly to your room." *BEEP*

What did he say? The request was brought directly to my room?

At least there's no doubt about where that letter came from now.

(I know there was something not quite right about that letter... I'd better take another look.)

Now we can finally examine Kyle's room, so let's do that. There's plenty of things to examine here, so if you don't care about that just skip until you see the letter again (spoilers: it's not this update).

Table I have a small, round table next to my bed.
Clock It's an alarm clock with a flip clock-style display. Gets me up every time.
Answering machine There's an answer phone hooked up. Makes me feel less guilty about ignoring calls.
Phone It's a telephone. I try not to spend my entire day waiting by it.
Closet Let's see if everything in the closet is how I left it.

Pinkie Rabbit It's a piggy bank shaped like Pinkie Rabbit. Or, uh, Pinkie Bank.

Pinkie Bank My beloved Pinkie Bank. There's a coin slot on the back of its head.

(This pink rabbit was the main character in a cartoon I watched as a kid. The piggy bank was given to me by Mila, a girl I met at Hotel Dusk. I guess it doesn't really go with the rest of my crap.)

Umbrella Never hurts to have an umbrella handy.
Towels I keep my towels in a neat pile.
Folded clothes My slacks are folded up at the bottom of the closet.
Hanged clothes I like suits. They're comfy and easy to wear.

Tissue I always keep a good supply of toilet paper.
Bucket There's a bucket on the floor.
Sponge There's a sponge next to the bucket on the floor.

Zoomed-in bucket The bucket is full of water. Good thing there's not a hole in it.
Zoomed-in sponge This is the sponge I use to clean up the bathroom.
Toilet The toilet's a little dirty.
Bottles Shampoo and conditioner. That's right, I condition.
No soap?
Shower There's a shower head above the bathtub.
Faucet These taps could have been here for decades.
Tub There's no water in the tub, but then there's no reason why there should be.
Back curtain There's a curtain in front of the window. A man needs his privacy.
Front curtain My shower curtain is dark green. Not sure I'd ever noticed the colour before.

Mirror There's a mirror above the sink.

Zoomed-in mirror The mirror I look at myself in every morning.
Sink shelf The shelf in front of the mirror has my toothbrush and a cup for rinsing my mouth out.

(And drat, I could do with a shave. I'm looking pretty rough.)
Toothpaste My toothpaste is there on the shelf, right where I need it.
Toothbrush That's my toothbrush and the cup I use to wash my mouth out.
Wash Sink Just your basic wash basin.
Fridge There's a refrigerator with a built-in freezer in the kitchen area.

Apples These apples may be nutritious, but I don't think they'd constitute a meal.
Lemons It's been so long since I last went grocery shopping, I don't even recall buying any lemons.
Jar The jar of my pickles is the only thing in my refrigerator that isn't starting to rot.

(I can't get enough of these when I've had a couple of beers.)
:barf:

Top left shelf I don't think there's much in here, but I'll take a look anyway.

Bottles It's my stash of sauces and seasonings. I'm all out of mayonnaise though.
Plates Plates and a mug. I should probably put these in with the others.
Top right shelf These cupboards are mostly empty.
Kitchen sink There's a distinctly dirty-looking mug in the sink.
Bottom left shelf I think it's mostly pots and pans down here.

Frying pan A good old-fashioned frying pan. I'll have mine sunny side up, please.
Pots I'm glad I have these copper pots in case I need them, but who knows if I ever will.
Bottle It's a bottle of sauce. Not sure why I left it down there.
Big pot This is a big pot. I could cook all kinds of things in here. If I wanted to.
Kettle So there's where my kettle is.
Bottom right shelf I should sort these drawers out sometime. They're full of my disorganised crap.
Exhaust The extractor looks almost pristine...because I never need to use it.
Coffee pot My coffee pot's on the stove. A cup of joe always makes me right up.
Stove A stove with a large oven. I haven't used it in a while.

(I'd cook more often, but Sidney's hamburgers are just so tasty.)
Left cupboard There's a locked cupboard next to the stove. I forget what's inside, but it's not important.
Right cupboard All my dishes and cups are in this cupboard. Probably some other stuff too.
Bottom cupboard I never open these cupboards. They're full of crockery that I have no real use for.

Wow, that's a lot. We still have a lot more to go, folks!

Notes I've stuck some notes on the wall. Important work-related business.

(Mostly it's just lists of what I have in stock and how much of it.)

(I can't even read some of them anymore. The writing's all smudged.)
Chair I've had this chair for many years.

(I don't sit in this chair all that often, but it still gotten pretty banged up.)
Table A wooden table. Nothing on it but my trusty suitcase.
Suitcase My case is lying flat on the table.

There's an animation of the suitcase opening and closing but it's not worth showing. You can look at the top part or the bottom part of the suitcase. Apparently Kyle has been using the suitcase even if he can't lock it anymore. Better than using a suitcase when you can't open it, I guess?
Letters

Here's all the mail I had stuffed in my mailbox. Mag's lovely eviction notice too.
Receipts

A bundle of receipts.

(Still need to do the books for...the past six months...)
Book

Ah, here's a blast from the past. "The Secret Word", written by Martin Summer. Stolen by, more like.

(This book flew off the shelves when it first came out. Still selling well, too. It's fairly complex, but I have to say it's pretty moving. Shame about his later works.)
I thought Martin is suppose to admit his plagiarism publicly. I demand my continuity!
Flyer

A flyer about Red Crown.

(This book flew off the shelves when it first came out. Still selling well, too.)
Socks

A spare pair of socks.
Flask

Trusty old hip flask. Pity there isn't a drop left inside.
Wallet

You can tell I've been using this wallet for years.
Pen

A fountain pen. (Can't go wrong with one of these. Much easier to write than a ballpoint.)
Boxers

A spare set of boxers.

(I left these behind last year when I was out doing a side job for Ed. It wasn't pretty. Never forgotten to bring them since.)
That explains why it wasn't there last time.
Tie

My spare tie.
Shirt

My spare shirt.
Box There's a cardboard box under the table with the Red Crown logo on it. It's full of the crap Ed gave me to sell.

Knob

A doorknob set with a lock. Selling doorknobs, door-to-door? Is this Ed's idea of a joke?
Adhesive

Super strength adhesive. It's quick-drying and made to work on plastic and glass. Better keep it away from me.
Ruler

A ruler set with a ruler, a protractor and a couple of triangles.
Globe

A snow globe. How festive. You shake it and it looks like snow's falling on the little house inside.

Ed always says seasonal items sell the best.
Wax

A tin of wax. This thing will make anything shine like the sun, apparently.
Lock

A security lock. "Twice as good as any lock! Just put it on your door and see!" Inspiring blurb there.
Calculator

A solar calculator. Stores sunlight and uses it to power the calculator...or something. Not cheap, though.
Pen

A pen that writes in invisible ink. So whatever you write down disappears after a while.

Right. And how do you make it appear again?
Cleaner

Surface cleaner. Only Red Crown is cheap enough to sell surface cleaner in a miniature tin like this.
Glue

A tube of glue. I think this is more industrial style glue. Takes time, but it works on wood and paper.
Bleach

Powerful bleach. "Gets rid of stubborn stains in an instant! Not to be used on colours or patterns." So it's useful on white stuff. Great. And why does it stink of strawberries?
Camera

A little pocket camera. It's portable and easy to use. Wish I could afford one.
Detergent

Concentrated detergent. Removes any sign of dirt or stains. Why do I need bleach if I have this?

We're still not done! I'm going to have to split it up since there's just so many of it.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 11:24 on Dec 5, 2018

# ¿ Sep 12, 2018 16:04

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

I guess I kinda jumped the gun on that one, but you'll see what I mean later.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2018 07:02

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Lamp This lamp looks a bit like a street light. I think it adds to the atmosphere.
Left speaker The speakers may be worn down at the corners, but they still sound great.
Radio

Ah, the radio. Think I'll put some tunes on.

Time for another minigame! Tap the radio to zoom in.

Turn the radio on to hear music. Open the link in the pictures to hear it, since some of them are the ones we haven't heard yet.

Poster There's a poster on the wall of a guy playing the sax.

Zoomed-in poster The guy on the poster is playing the alto sax.

(This guy is my favourite musician. I really admire him.)
Drawer There's a chest with three drawers next to the left speaker.

Screwdriver There's a screwdriver in the top drawer.
Letters There are some letters piled up at the back of the drawer.
Catalog It's a Red Crown catalogue.
Key It's the spare key for my room. Guess it won't be much use if I ever get locked out.
MatchbookThe drawer has some Lucky's Caf� matchbooks in it.
Shame there's no puzzle this time.
Bottle There's an empty whiskey bottle on top of the chest of drawers.

Zoomed-in bottle Inside this bottle is a load of money I've saved up.
Which is a weird place to save them considering you have a Pinkie Bank.
Window Just a plain, simple window, with a view I know well.

Zoomed-in window I can see the LA street lights from my window. The perfect backdrop for a smooth jazz.
Record player My record player is on top of this cabinet.

Zoomed-in record player Yup, it's my record player. Old but reliable.
Cabinet There's an old amp in the cabinet, and below that, my record collection. I mostly have jazz LP and hard bop records from the 1950s. They're all pretty well known.
It's Long Play, not Let's Play.

Records I keep these jazz records underneath my amp. They're all pretty old, and I haven't kept the sleeves in great condition.

(I love every one of these records.)
Right speaker These big stereo speakers were well worth the asking price.

Remember that one random line about Kyle hoping the jukebox in Hotel Dusk's bar has jazz in it? Well, that's referring to his love of jazz here. Foreshadowing!

Window blind The blind is half-closed.
Frames I've framed and hung up some drawings by a street artist.

(They have a unique quality to them that I just don't get from professional art.)
Lamp This lamp is more traditional than the one over by the speakers.
Sofa This leather sofa means a lot to me. We've spent many relaxing nights together.
TV There's a TV on the table. Doesn't look like much, but at least it works.

(Guess I'll turn it on.)

Like before, we can turn the TV on and turn the dial.
New Music: Precocious Circumstances

"Hey, kids, can't get enough of Pinkie Rabbit? Well, how about trying out his brand new game? Pinkie Rabbit Land is in stores now!"

(A game about Pinkie Rabbit? I've got a theory this is more aimed at nostalgic adults.)
Music stops

"And now for tomorrow's weather."

(Cold, followed by more cold. Looks like LA's finally gonna learn what winter is.)

"Rich, sweet and dripping with flavour... Maple butter!"

(Sorry, sickeningly sweet things like that aren't really my cup of joe.)

It's a story about two old flames reuniting.

(This was quite the hot topic when it first aired...15 years ago. Why is it still on?)
Music: Heating Up
Table My coffee table's covered in crap.
Jacket It's my jacket. I remember taking it off and leaving it here.
I hope you remember, considering it was just 15 minutes ago.
Bottles I should really clear away these empty bottles of booze.
Can One of these days I'll get out of the habit of leaving my empty beer cans lying around.

Letter I reread the letter I found jammed in the door.

Music: Insomnia (Last Window)

So first I need to find out what this Scarlet Star is... Actually, come to think of it, is this even a genuine order?

(Well, one thing's for sure, this was a hotel 13 years ago.)

(But why is something from that long ago appearing on an order? Moreover, what the hell is a Scarlet Star?)

New Music: Mulling It Over
As the night drags on, the fatigue drags me to my bed.

Just can't seem to fall into one of those deep slumbers.

I ended up working for Ed. He knew all about my past, but still gave me work. Ed introduced me to the world of locating things that didn't wanna be found. This special service isn't publicised, but it's proved to be quite a flourishing business. But now Ed's canned me and it's all coming to an end. Then this. Why'd such a bizarre order make its way directly to me? These kinds of things normally go through Ed first. Does this mean that his little side business isn't as secret as he thinks? Even if that's the case, it doesn't explain why I've been roped into this.

I realise I'm not gonna get to sleep and stop trying. I slip out of bed, head to the window and open the blinds.

But tonight, something feels slightly different. As I idly stare through the glass at what beyond, my mind wanders back to the day's events.

Yeah, that's it for this chapter. No Game Over or anything (that I found). Kind of lackluster compared to Hotel Dusk's, honestly.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2018 07:03

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

New Music: Clearing the Mist

Ed gave me my marching orders and I dragged myself home. There was someone waiting in the lobby when I got there. Right, that's when I ran into...

Like Hotel Dusk, each chapter ends with a quiz.

Dylan

No, not him. Dylan's the guy living in Room 304. I met him roaming the hallway on the second floor. He's taking care of any repair work that needs doing on Mag's orders.
Betty

No, not her. Betty lives in room 203. She's the other one I met in the lobby. She said she had a date and left soon after we spoke.

Tony

Unlike Hotel Dusk, the music doesn't reset after every correct answer.

I met Tony right after I got in the door. He was the one who dropped the bombshell about these apartments closing.

Curiosity got the better of me and I asked why she decided to sell the place. The reason she gave was that...

People don't pay their rent

That doesn't quite fit. Mags was complaining that Tony still had four months' worth of rent to pay. As it turns out, I still owed two months worth as well. But if anything, that's more of a reason to kick out than sell up...
My mailbox was full

That doesn't quite fit. Mags gave me a gentle reminder to check my mail from time to time. But that's hardly enough of a reason to warrant selling the place.

She had her own reasons

Yeah, that's right. Mags is feeling the strain of running this place alone and decided to sell. She also mentioned another reason for selling, but wouldn't elaborate.

I opened the door just like any other night and went inside. There were couple of messages waiting for me on my answer phone. The second one caught my attention. It was...

From Rachel

No, different message. She did call, but just to see how I was doing. I listened to that one before the mysterious second message.
From Ed

No, that wasn't it. There were no messages from Ed. Ed gave me the chop and is likely still mad at me.

From a guy I didn't recognise

Exactly. The voice I heard wasn't one I recognised. He told me that he'd left me an order to locate something for him.

I'd normally get this kind of thing from Ed, but this time it came directly to me. It didn't exactly instil the most positive of feelings inside me.

I waited in my apartment, mulling over what my next step was, but I had an uneasy feeling and couldn't seem to shake it. At tht point, i didn't have any clue about the bigger picture. The Scarlet Star. Something lost at Hotel Cape West some 25 years ago. Why did that order sheet come directly to me? And how does this all connect to the past? I'm worried this search might set me on a path to something I might not want to know...

I'll admit I jumped the gun on Martin earlier, but we'll get to that when we actually see what this novel is about later.

This first chapter quiz is kinda pointless, with 2 of the three answers being "I don't know." You can even make that the answer to the first question by referring to the mystery lady.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2018 15:47

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

That SHOULD be every major thing in Chapter 1. Please let me know if I'm missing anything.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2018 15:50

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Kyle knew that he's a repairman, but he doesn't know that he's the repairman "hired" by Mags.

# ¿ Sep 14, 2018 03:45

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

I'll be moving on to Chapter 2 now. Please tell me if I'm missing anything important before I got too far in the game.

Also, here's Chapter 1 Summary:

Yeah, it's just that one picture.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 09:57 on Nov 4, 2018

# ¿ Sep 17, 2018 04:54

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

New Music: Razzle Dazzle

Each chapter begins with a short movie that I won't bother record. It's more of a slideshow than a movie, actually.

The slideshow has a static effect, which makes it look kinda blurry on screenshots.

It basically recaps the previous chapter in a short way, with the summary being the moderate way and the novel being the LONG way. We'll get to the novel soon.

The text says "Sleepless Night." It's more legible in motion.

Music stops

Now the chapter truly begins.

Every morning I have to fight the temptation to get a gun and shoot the drat thing. Guess the only way to stop that drat beeping is to get up and hit it myself.

Or use a hammer, but that still qualifies as "get up and hit it myself."

Okay, okay, I get it.

The alarm is beeping all this time. It's still not as annoying as "Ajanouha ihtan!" though.

On the table beside my bed is that drat alarm clock.

A simple minigame. You have 0.5-second window while the clock isn't blurry to press it. If you miss, you have to wait 3 seconds before you have to try again, with the alarm still beeping.

If I still had my job, this would be my cue to get up. Guess I don't need to worry about that kind of thing anymore, though.

That pretty much me on a holiday. But of course, Kyle can't sleep because...

*phone rings*

"Now the phone's ringing."

I reach out from my bed and grab the receiver.

You know, Kyle, that's a really awkward position to hold the phone. I mean, you could use your left ear.

"From your voice, it sounds like you're still in bed."

Who's this?

Oh, Kyle, you don't remember your mother's voice after only half a year?

Mom? (So, it's my mom, Jeanie. She had a tough time after my old man passed away. Had to raise me on her own. Now she lives by herself in New Jersey, working as a nurse.)

Yeah, remember Kyle's mother that was mentioned once in a conversation with Rosa about independent women? Well, here she is. Needless to say, she already played a bigger role here than last game.

If you don't drag yourself out of bed soon, you'll be late for work, you know.

I'm taking today off.

That's a way to say "I'm fired," I guess.

Oh, I'm sorry. I should've saved this call for another time and let you rest.

Don't sweat it, I was planning on getting up around now anyway.

Awww. Kyle is nice to his mother

But why're you calling me this early? Is something up?

Well... Actually, there is. It's been on my mind since last night. I got a call from someone calling himself Rex Foster.

Rex Foster?

He said he wanted to ask me a couple of questions. He was keen to know if I was the mother of Kyle Hyde, ex-New York detective. When I told him I was, he continued with something that caught me off guard.

About time that name pop up.

What did you tell him?

I said I didn't know. That's all he wanted to know. In fact, once I answered his question, he hung up.

I need to know, though. Are you still looking for Bradley, Kyle?

That's ancient history, Mom. I'm done looking for Bradley. (Brian Bradley, my partner from back when I was a cop in New York. Four years ago he was working undercover, and it turned out he was on the take. He was a good friend. After I put a bullet in him, I quit the force.)

We got all about it by the end of last game.

That's probably for the best.

Yeah, maybe.

Who is this Rex Foster anyway?

Can't say the name rings a bell. And Mom... If you get any more calls from strangers asking you questions...

I know what you're going to say, but I thought he might be a friend of yours.

He's not. I told you, I don't know the guy. I don't know anybody who'd call my mom to snoop around for info.

I don't know, I wouldn't put it past Tony. Or Dylan. Seems like phone fraud wasn't that big of a thing back in 1980.

Okay, I understand.

Glad to hear it. Anyway, I gotta go, Mom.

Music stops

What now?

How're things with Ed?

Yeah, about that... (Ed, boss of Red Crown. He and my old man were buddies in a sense. They both drank at the same bar, and they got to talking a lot. It's been 25 years since the incident in the downtown parking lot, when an officer on patrol came across my dad's body. It was Ed, a member of the Los Angeles police force at the time, that found him.)

This is new. Ed and Kyle's Father's relationship is only mentioned in like 2 sentences at the beginning of the last game.

New Music: Contemplation

When you said to me you were going to work for Ed, Kyle... I couldn't work it out. You're just not the salesman type. I worry about you, even now. I'm your mother, it's in the job description.

Look, Mom. I'm 34 years old. I think it's about time you eased up on the worrying a bit.

The expired groceries in your fridge says otherwise.

You're probably right. It's just, you're the same age your father was when he died, and...

No, you're right, I worry too much. I'll let you go now, Kyle. Have a nice day off and look after yourself.

I was wide awake after the chat I had with my mom. Gave up trying to get back to sleep and dragged myself out of bed.

I splash cold water over my face, giving my senses a sharp wake-up call.

Notice how there's no mention of him taking a bath.

Before I know it, I find myself slumped on the sofa. I slowly begin to gain a little clarity as I sit there, but... There's something about hearing my mom's voice after all this time. That, and the fact that I'm blankly staring at the worn out wallpaper in my room, sends me plunging back through my thoughts to a point somewhere in the past.

Music: Distant Memory

He was a man with little to say. So into his work that he was rarely home. My mom was working as a nurse back then, too. I'd come home from school each day only to be greeted by an empty apartment.

Three days after he left for a job, he wound up dead in a parking lot somewhere downtown.

After she managed to get her feelings together, she packed our stuff, then took us off to start a new life in Manhattan.

Who wanted him dead and why did we have to leave town? I had all these questions going round in my head, but Mom wasn't talking.

Mom decided to start talking to me about Dad. She chose this time to reveal something I didn't know about my dad. She told me that he used to be a safecracker.

But after he left home to do his last job, he never returned. His death was unexplained and the case remains unsolved to this day.

It's basically like an action movie, except instead of being the "hero" we get to be the family of one of the people the "hero" killed.

I still remember the words my mom said to me on that day about my old man. She said that now I'm a detective I can uncover the truth behind his death. I took her words lightly. After all, I knew about being in this line of work. I knew that getting to the bottom of the mysteries surrounding a man's death could lead to truths that relatives of the deceased wouldn't want to hear. Even with the tools I had at my disposal, I wasn't willing to dig. I quit the job and still don't know the truth.

Just me and my thoughts.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Oct 12, 2018

# ¿ Sep 17, 2018 06:19

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

We will shortly begin to encounter Game Overs. I counted the number of Game Over caused by each person (except Kyle) and I will be doing that again for this LP. If you guys want to use your banner for it, then just post it in this thread. Otherwise, I'll just make a lovely banner of my own. The size I used for last time is 320x80 pixels, but it doesn't have to strictly be that size.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2018 17:22

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Finally, gameplay. Let's see what's new in the notes.

Notice how it says "Examine & Compare" instead of "Use & Combine." That means we can examine it.

It does exactly what you'd expect.

Music: Sobering Dream

A new bookmark has appeared. We'll check them later. First, new characters!

Yes, we're going to meet this Rex Foster later. Spoilers.

And that's all new profiles we get. Now let's take a look at the bookmark.

This is the novel. It's basically a longer summary, where Kyle's actions actually changes the content. The bottom left option is a jukebox which lets you listen to music you've heard so far. From the Start lets you read from the beginning while Contents lets you read from the start of each chapter. I'm sure you can guess what Bookmark does.

It even includes a cover for the book.

It also has an "About the Author" section. Notice how it says 1990 while this game is set at 1980. So basically this novel is set at the future.

More importantly, though, notice how there's absolutely no mention of how The Secret Word is stolen. Looks like Martin didn't publicize his plagiarism. Either Martin lied at the epilogue of that game or this game forgot about that. Either way it deserves a

Each chapter even has its own title. I won't be showing them all now, since...

I won't fill this post up with . It's a wonder this game even manged to be localized at all, what with Cing's bankrupcy and all. At least there's a bookmark option for if you actually want to read this.

There's also these classified files. You can just open it and then load the save before you open it, but I won't. These are extra information obtained from Martin's research and sometimes it contains hints for the next chapter, which might be why it's forbidden to open it now.

Music: Heating Up

Anyway, back to the game. We just move around a little and...

The addition of the phone button is amazing

With the receiver pressed against my ear, I hear a familiar voice.

Hi Rachel.

Music :Serenity

Yes, the game bothered to make different sprites for Kyle picking up the phone before/after getting dressed. More importantly, he actually used his left ear this time!

I've been better.

Sure you have. Things could be a lot worse, though. For someone who lost their job yesterday, you sound okay at least.

Well I'm not exactly full of sunshine and happiness, you know.

Ha ha, same old Kyle. Always got something on your mind.

Ed around?

He just stepped out not five minutes ago.

Said anything about me?

Yeah, you've come up in conversation. He said that, if you call, not to bother letting him know.

drat. Sounds like he's really blown a gasket this time.

And then some.

I'm actually more surprised that this didn't happen earlier.

Three days after leaving on a job and not a single phone call to check in. You didn't even show up at the place you were supposed to be heading to!

Maybe I did kind of have it coming.

Still, even given the circumstances, why'd he choose now to fire you? I mean, it's not like this is the first time you've slacked off on a job. Hey, did something happen between you two?

That's what I said.

Could've been because I told him I don't wanna do this kind of work any more.

Yeah, that'd do it.

Honestly, Ed's doing you more of a favor than a punishment with that.

Lined myself up for a bullet there, I suppose. Do you know when he'll be back? There's something he and I need to discuss.

He'll be back a bit after lunch time. Said he's going to listen to the election candidates' speeches.

Really? Doesn't sound like the Ed I know. He was always raging on about how much he hates politics.

He mentioned that one of the people running for mayor is an ex-boss of his. A guy called Hugh Speck. The whole thing's going to be televised, too. It'll be on at 9.

Right. Well, soon as he gets back, get me on the phone.

Oh, one other thing. You had a phone call earlier.

What?

I just said that you were on holiday and he hung up. He a friend of yours?

Definitely not. But the same guy called my mom last night, too.

Your mom? What did he want?

Among all the British English grammar and spelling, I'm surprised they used 'mom' instead of 'mum.'

That's what I wanna find out. Seems he already knew I used to be a detective though. Rachel, can you do me a favour? If he calls again, let me know.

Gotcha. And I'll be in touch when Ed gets back. Keep your pager on, okay?

Roger that. *hangs up*

Music stops

(I don't envy Rachel. She's Ed's PA, but also struggles to keep me and Ed civil. Come to think of it, she's the only woman I'm happy to be totally open with.)

In NG you won't even tell her about Bradley.

Did you notice that the pager was off? Neither do I! Not that it matters, really.

(Rex Foster... Why is this guy keeping tabs on me?)

(9 o'clock already. That's when Rachel said they'd start showing the speeches on the news.)

(I guess if Ed's made the effort to drag himself along to listen,)

(I might as well switch on the TV and give it a try. Got nothing better to do.)

TV There's a TV on the table. Doesn't look like much, but at least it works.

The shows are actually different now, so let's take a look at them first.

Music: Precocious Circumstances

(Pinkie Rabbit, huh? That takes me back. I used to love this guy.)
Music stops

"Let the sweet lemon taste of Cool Pop fire your neurons and tickle your taste buds!"

(They have a point. I've been pretty addicted to the stuff lately.)

I can hear the audience laughing every few seconds.

(Nothing worse than a bad sitcom.)

will be giving his campaign speech momentarily. And 5 News is here with live coverage of that speech. Stay tuned.

Speck is a retired LAPD officer, and is even now working to stamp out petty and organised crime in the city.

Don't forget to tune in! This is Robert Harrison for 5 News, signing off.

We don't get to hear the speech, apparently. What kind of news reports a speech event but not the speech itself?

(Hugh Speck. An ex-cop and also Ed's old boss. Trying to become a mayor now. Ambitious guy. Looks like he's got a special TV slot at 4 o'clock. Think I'll check it out.)

After that, we walk a few steps and hear a buzzer.

Who's there?

Another quality of life addition: We can actually open the door from anywhere in the screen, not just from right in front of it. It's more minor than the phone, but useful nonetheless.

Oh, wonderful.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Sep 18, 2018

# ¿ Sep 18, 2018 13:53

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Chapter 1. An Uneasy Feeling

The novel is huge and filled with :words:

about things we already saw, but there's some extra information that's only shown here. This novel also gives a deeper insight into Kyle's thoughts, so it might be worth reading.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2018 15:38

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Music: Shadowy Men

Cool, you're still here.

Great, what do you want?

You know what time it is, right?

Trust me, man, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important.

It's always important with you. Go on, spill it.

I need your help. Like, really need your help.

On one hand, Kyle really has a tendency to help people, like we see in Hotel Dusk. On the other hand, this is Tony we're talking about, so gently caress him.

I'm not in the mood for any trouble

I'm not in the mood for any trouble.

Last thing I need right now is to be roped into one of your problems.

Sometimes characters will break out of their monochromatic sprite to signify that you're nearing a Game Over.

You know you're the only guy who can help me out with stuff like this. Pretty please. At least hear me out before slamming the door in my face.

Normally, after seeing an aura it's wise not to antagonize that person further. However, it's Tony, and gently caress Tony. I'm sure Mags will understand if we didn't want to help him given his track record.

Why do you think I'll help you out?

Why do you think I'll help you out?

I'm not in the mood to get caught up in any of your problems, you hear? You've gotta take care of your own crap, not just dump it into other people.

So that's how it is, is it? You're not gonna help out either. I expected more from you, of all people.

Great.

Is it really that bad?

Just leave me alone, man. I didn't expect you to give up on me too. Guess I ain't good enough, huh?

Maybe Kyle would help if you actually explain how bad the problem is. As it is, as far as he (and we) knows, you're just asking money for the four-months rent.

Music stops
Tony shrugs and leaves.

(Dammit, Tony. What's got you so upset?)

"Aaaahhhhh!"

I hear a woman scream out from somewhere down the corridor.

What's going on?

I quickly make my way towards the noise.

You know, I'm the one that should be screaming!

What the hell are you doing, Tony?

What does it look like? I'm just telling Marie how it is.

You think you can go around accusing people of stuff they didn't do?

Help me!

Let go of her, Tony!

New Music: Joke's On You

What? Now you decide to make an appearance? Now you've got something to say?

Tony, calm down!

No, you calm down! Get outta my way!

Oh!

gently caress. YOU. TONY.

New Music: Dream's End

(Tony's fist connects with my jaw.)

Guess I really screwed that up...

Tony: 1

Our first Game Over in last game was pissing off a kid by threatening to tattle her on her mom while she was actually missing. This one? Getting punched in the jaw because we refused to help a guy who has repeatedly proven to be untrustworthy.

gently caress. You. Tony.

Anyway, we're given the option to give up which will bring us back to the title screen or retry which will bring us to the point before the choice. Because you can save yourself into a Game Over. Thankfully, there's no reward for avoiding all Game Over.

Music: Shadowy Men

So to progress the game, we have to help this...I don't even know what to call him.

Okay, give me the gist.

Okay, give me the gist.

Thanks, bro! Knew you'd come to my rescue. I keep sayin' how there's a decent guy behind all that anger.

So what's got you all worked up like this?

It's really bad, I mean, it's worse than really bad.

What could be that bad?

Come on, Tony, what did you do this time?

Yeah, that's right, take one look at me and send me downtown.

I'm innocent. Can't tell you how much I've tried telling her... She thinks I've snatched her ring. Just keeps screaming it over and over.

Ring?

Who thinks you've stolen her ring?

Marie, that's who! She's made up her mind and won't listen to reason!

Marie?

You know, the chick living in room 206.

She's the blonde one who moved in around half a year back.

The stuck-up one, right?

So we're clear.

Anyway, Marie's lost her ring somewhere, and now she's accusing me.

(Marie's accusing you?)

I'm drawing a total blank.

Music: Gusty Town

Show others

I don't get what it is you're showing me.

Why does Marie think it was you?

Why does Marie think it was you that took her ring?

Search me!

She's gotta have a reason, though. I mean, she's not imagining it, right?

I got no idea what she's thinking.

I told you, it doesn't make sense to me.

Did you try asking her why she thinks it was you?

Yeah...

But she just came outta nowhere and barged into my room, demanding that I return her precious ring. She wouldn't even let me speak!

So you didn't do anything that could've led her to suspect it was you?

I don't know. I mean, I can't remember.

How helpful

I see.

I don't know what she's on. Chick must be crazy or something.

Music: Shadowy Men

Honestly, I think Kyle has the patience of a saint.

But I need you to promise you really didn't take the ring.

Why the hell would I even touch her stupid ring? I may be many things, but I'm not the kinda guy who steals people's stuff!

He sure ain't Louie, at least. For one, Louie is a much better person than you at this point of the game. Louie even manages to quit life of crime on his own*!

_{*With the "help" of his friend}

Yeah, I guess you're not.

Now I think about it, you're not the sort who'd grab a person's wallet.

He isn't the type to grab it directly, but he is the type to beg you and won't let go until he had the wallet's contents.

drat right! Glad you finally realised, man. I'm not a thief! That's why I need you to go in there and convince her of the same.

She's bound to listen to you. I don't have a chance in hell on my own.

Yeah, well, let's hope you're right.

We can talk to Tony and one other person (it's Marie).

Come on, Hyde, go and tell her, man. Tell her I'm not a thief.

Yeah, screw this, I'm going to just, I don't know, hang out in the caf� or something.

Hey, Hyde!

Where you heading off to? You haven't had that chat with Marie yet.

Fine, let's deal with Tony's poo poo.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

You got a moment?

Maybe. What do you want?

Looks like you and Tony are having some sort of disagreement.

You could say that.

(She moved into 206 about half a year ago. I don't know the first thing about her.)

At least you know her full name.

Can you tell me what happened?

My ring's been stolen, that's what! It was that guy from room 201, he did it.

(So you don't believe Tony?)

Read note

What are you looking at that for?
Write note

Are you taking notes on me?
Show room 202 key

That isn't mine.
Show pager

Does that belong to you?
Show order sheet

Nothing to do with me.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Nov 24, 2018

# ¿ Sep 19, 2018 13:53

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

I forgot about this before, but Marie is basically .

Why are you so convinced it was him?

Why are you so convinced it was him?

Simple. He was the only person around when it went missing. He stole it right out of my room.

How can you be sure?

He must've taken it this morning when I went to the vending machine in the lobby. I planned on going straight back to my room, so I left the door unlocked.

Is that all you've got to go on?

Not quite. I passed him on the stairs on my way down.

I think he seized that opportunity to snoop around in my room,

And snatch my ring while I was away!

I really don't want to defend Tony, but that's a very flimsy evidence.

So that's why you think it was him.

Exactly.

Seriously, that's the only reason you think it was him?

It's got to be. I'm sure of it.

After all, he was the only person around and when he went past my room,

And saw the door was unlocked, he...

He what?

Well, it's no secret that he's short of cash.

And I'm sure he's no stranger to taking other people's stuff either.

So, getting too close to the truth, am I?

Don't play the innocent with me!

I've seen you borrowing money from other people in the building.

I don't have to listen to this crap!

Take it easy, Tony!

Kyle's learning what it feels like to be Rachel.

Waving your fists around ain't gonna help your case.

Yeah yeah, I know, man.

Mr Hyde, I don't know why he's decided to involve you in this,

But all I want is for him to return my ring.

(What kind of ring is it?)

When exactly did your ring go missing?

I'd say about an hour ago.

This was unusual, but I headed inside and soon noticed my ring was gone.

It wasn't in the place I remember leaving it.

(Where did you leave it?)

I knew what had happened immediately. He stole it!

What kind of ring was stolen?

What kind of ring was stolen?

A diamond one.

It was a three-carat diamond ring with rubies on it.

So you left a diamond ring in an unlocked room without any other precautions?

Sounds like it came with quite a price tag.

It's a very important ring to me.

I got it as a present from someone special.

Where did you leave the ring?

Where did you leave the ring?

Inside my room, of course!

Though I don't see why I should share that sort of information with you.

So I don't call you an idiot for not keeping it in a safe or anything?

Music: Ace of Diamonds

Do you see now, Mr Hyde?

Do you understand why I think he stole my ring?

It's not that I don't understand what you're saying, Marie...but Tony's telling me a different story. He swears he didn't take it.

You tell her, Hyde!

That's what I've been saying from the start. What would I want with the stupid ring anyway?

Sell it to pay your rent?

How can you be sure it wasn't taken by someone who snuck into the building?

After all, anyone can just wander in here. There are some weird people about.

Like last night, when I saw this suspicious lady in sunglasses going out the door. Who the hell was that?

...

You saw her too, right, Hyde?

Yeah, I saw her.

It goes without saying that there are suspicious people around, but if you ask me, you're the most suspicious one of the lot!

Will you just drop it already?

Hey, get your hands off me!

Tony!

Can you people please keep the noise down? What's all this shouting in aid of, anyway?

Oh hi, Betty! Took you long enough to finally get disturbed by all the commotion outside.

Betty!

You gotta hear me out. It's Marie, she's saying all kinds of crap about me.

Yeah, she thinks you've stolen her ring, right?

Betty, somehow I don't think either of them cares about that.

I'm being set up! What would I want with her lousy ring?

Yes?

About the ring that you say was stolen from you.

It's that diamond one you always wear, right?

Yes, that's right.

So you've seen this ring before, Betty?

Don't know if the diamond's a real one or not, though.

Of course it's real!

That makes you not locking the door or putting the ring inside a safe or something more idiotic.

I hate to say it...

Betty supports Tony. Yay...? I could've make a Phoenix Wright joke, but Tony doesn't deserve it.

So it's settled! You do believe me after all!

Slow down there, I never said that.

But...

I just think that your version of events is more believable than hers.

What did you say?

Marie, this isn't the first time this kinda thing has happened, is it?

I don't know what you mean.

Come on, think back. It was when you first moved into the building. You were ranting about some of your stuff going missing then too. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you blame the whole thing on Billy from 205?

In the end, though, it turned out that the moving company just messed up.

What I'm trying to say is... Before you go blaming Tony, why don't you try searching your apartment again?

I can't hear myself think with all the shouting right outside my door.

After having her say, Betty retreats into her room.

Marie.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

I'm not saying I believe Betty, but...anyone can make a mistake, you know.

And just what are you implying, Mr Hyde?

I ain't dealing with this poo poo with you two idiots. Just call the cops.

Why don't we call the cops?

Why don't we call the cops?

The police?

Hyde, what're you saying?

I don't think we need to involve the police.

Something we agree on at last.

And THIS is what you two agreed on.

(Seems they both have a problem with calling in the cops.)

So what's the plan?

Okay, okay.

Maybe we could take a look around my room one more time. But if I'm right and the ring doesn't show up, what are we going to do then?

I dunno, maybe you could take a look round Tony's room. You don't have a problem with that, do you, Tony?

Guess I don't.

But I have one condition, Mr Hyde.

You have to check my room.

Me?

Yes. You and Mr Wolf seem to be friends and you think he's innocent, so...

Yeah. Friends

You need to be the one to check the room before you take me seriously.

Then wel'l see who's telling the truth.

If you insist.

I'll wait for you in my room.

Marie finishes speaking and returns to room 206.

And what does Tony has to say?

Music: Shadowy Men

Hey, Hyde!

Get with it, man! Go check out Marie's room!

gently caress you Tony . I'm on Marie's side here: I think Tony stole it

# ¿ Sep 20, 2018 10:50

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Does Kyle have a glass jaw? How does getting punched stop the story from progressing?

Also, I didn't remember Tony being such an rear end in a top hat.

Don't worry, it'll get even more ridiculous later :unsmigghh:

At least you can say that the Game Overs here are more varied than Hotel Dusk's.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2018 16:48

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Music: Overstepped Memory

Let's talk to Betty again for a bit. Just to avoid dealing with this a little longer.

Knock

Music: Dancing Cat

You got a problem?

No.

Weirdo.

Betty goes back inside her room.

Riveting.

Music: Overstepped Memory

Knock

"The door's open."

Knob

(So this is Marie's room.)

Please come in, Mr Hyde.

Search as much as you like, but I doubt you'll find anything.

Don't be so sure, I can be pretty thorough.

Before I get started, though, I'm curious about something. Can you tell me where you left the ring this morning?

Certainly. I put it on the table just in front of my sofa. I remember clearly putting it there. It's not there now, though.

(Remember clearly, huh?)

Do you normally wear the ring, Marie?

Yes.

But I do take it off and place it on my bedside table before going to bed.

Any other times you take it off?

Well, yes. When I wash my face or if I'm cleaning dishes in the kitchen, for example.

Also, I usually take it off when I'm putting on my make-up.

You don't take it off while taking a bath?

I see.

Mr Hyde, I'd be grateful if you could get your check over and done with.

Take it easy, these things take time.

Alright, let's get to searching.

Left Cabinet Nothing but shoes in here.
Lamp There's a small lamp on top of the shoe cabinet.
Painting An oil painting of some pink flowers in a vase. It goes well with the d�cor.
Phone There's a white telephone on top of this cabinet. It looks way more modern than mine.
Photo

It's of a younger Marie and a guy who seems to have an oddly calm aura about him.

(Is this the guy who gave her that ring?)
Right cabinet A wooden cabinet with three drawers. It's not the first I've seen and it won't be the last.

First aid kit It's a first aid kit. Hopefully I won't end up needing this.
If you end up needing this, it would've lead to a Game Over anyway.
Tape There's a tape measure in the drawer. Handy for measuring, no doubt.
Pins There are a few safety pins in the drawer. Ow! Evidently not that safe.
Notebook A nylon-covered notebook and a black ballpoint pen.

Bookcase There's a bookcase in this corner. It bears the telltale signs of a long life of heavy abuse.
Top books A variety of leather-bound books make up the contents of the top shelf.
Bottom books The books on the bottom shelf are all written by the same author. He must be good.
Photo

The photograph is a portrait of a handsome young man.

(Who could it be?)
Table The sunlight is streaming onto the coffee table.
Paper There's a sketch of the room on the table.

(It must be something to remember this room by after she moves.)
Cup There's a cup on the table.

(There's coffee in the cup, but it's getting pretty cold. It must have been a while since she poured it.)
Bottom box There's a box of cookies on the table. I wouldn't refuse one if she offered.
Top box There's a box of cookies on the table. They look pretty tempting too.
Sofa The sofa's soft to the touch, but if you sit on it you just sink down onto the wood.
Cushions There are three cushions on the sofa. They feel like they're made of linen. They have stripes on them, like a wallpaper. Can't say I'm a stripes sort of guy.
Window Through the window I can see the building on the other side of the road.
Curtains The curtains are made of silk and held in place with tiebacks. That Marie's a classy dame.
Dress Marie must have left this dress and sewing box here.

Part of dress It's a white one-piece dress. It looks like it's only half-finished.
Sewing box The sewing box is made of wood. There's an elaborate floral pattern engraved on it.
Thread There's some thin pink thread in the sewing box.

Left lamp A lamp on a chest of drawers. Nothing more.
Left drawer Like nearly all the furniture in the building, this chest of drawers is showing its age.
Bed The bed's not only made, it's practically hospital-worthy.
Pillows Two pillows. They look strokably soft.
Window A room with a view... A cruddy alleyway vies, but a view nontheless.
Curtain The curtains are a cheerful colour. I'm cheered up already.
Right drawer Everything in the drawers is folded and laid out neatly.
Right lamp The bulb on this lamp's burned pretty good. Guess someone got lots of use out of it.

TV The TV is spotless, but it's not actually plugged in. Priorities I guess.
Painting There's a painting of a lake on the wall. Looks like a watercolour.
Left photo On the chest of drawers is a photograph of a young woman.
Right photo This photograph is of a young gentleman flashing a charming smile.
Drawer This chest of drawers looks like it's undergone some repair work.
Mirror Marie keeps her mirror clean and shiny.
Bottles Various make-up bottles are sat in front of the mirror.

(She sure has a lot of different kinds of make-up.)
Dresser It's a dresser with a huge mirror on it. Someone likes looking at herself.
Stool This stool opens up and has a space to store things.

Hanger There's a hanger on the side of the closet. Nothing on it, though.
Closet I think I'll have a poke around in the closet.

3 top boxes Several boxes of women's shoes are cluttering up the closet.
Left box These shoes look pricey. How many pairs of shoes does a dame need, anyway?
Right box A shoebox with a blue lid.

(Can't see a price tag, but I bet these shoes were expensive.)

Mr Hyde, I'd rather you didn't go snooping around in my bathroom!

I never even take my ring in there!

Just checking out all the possibilities. Don't get the wrong idea.

So she did take the ring off when taking a bath. Why didn't she just say that earlier?

Right chair This chair looks brand new.
Table There's a white linen tablecloth on the dining table. It kind of looks like a cake.
Newspaper The newspaper on the table has yesterday's date on it.

December 18. Serial Robberies at Jewelers! Due to recent spate of robberies targeting expensive jewelry, the Los Angeles Police Department has requested that all parties who may be a target tighten their security. The LAPD is aiming to apprehend these criminals as soon as possible, but according to a source in the department, they currently have no leads to work from.

Looks like a piece on jewel thieves.
Pot and cup There's a matching coffee pot and coffee cup on the table.

(The pot is stone cold. It must have been a while since she heated up the water.)
Left chair It's a chair. Feels pretty soft.

(The cover's looking a bit worn though. I bet she only sits on this one.)

Mirror Hey, it's my face. Good to know I'm not a vampire.
Sink shelf There's a cup on the shelf with a toothbrush resting in it.
Wash sink There's a built-in wash basin next to the refrigerator.
Fridge The refrigerator's making an awful racket.
Top left shelf The cupboard doors don't quite fit properly.
Top right shelf One of the handles looks like it's about to fall off.
Kitchen sink The sink is spotless.

(Free of any and all debris, including rings.)
Bottom left shelf The cupboard doors are kind of busted up.
Bottom right shelf Everything in the drawers is neatly organised. Not a spoon out of place.
Exhaust The same extractor as in my room. Just as clean, though for different reasons I'm sure.
Stove Nothing stands out about the stove, except how clean it is.

(Free of all kinds of debris, including what I'm looking for. I'm really not sure I need to be inspecting Marie's cooking equipment so closely.)
Left cupboard There's a wooden cupboard in the corner with a lock on it, same as my room.
Right cupboard All the crockery is in neat little piles.
Bottom cupboard The doors ain't in great condition, but they're clean as can be.

Huh. We looked everywhere, and no ring. Looks like Marie was right after all.

Mr Hyde.

Have you finished yet?

Looks like it's not here after all.

Looks like it's not here after all.

So we're done with this big waste-of-time search?

Guess we are.

Then I think it's about time you left. And don't forget, I want to take a look around Tony's room like you promised.

*They both go out of the room*

(Looks like I couldn't unearth the location of the ring. I'd better go and break the news to Tony.)

Alright, Tony. Time to fess up!

Music: Shadowy Men

Hey, Hyde, how'd it go? You found the ring, right?

Not exactly.

What? You didn't find it?

I looked, but nothing.

There are a lot of places a ring could be in there, you know.

Yeah, I wasn't exactly sitting there twiddling my thumbs, Tony.

You think this is a joke?

I trusted you, man. Thought if anyone could clear my name it'd be you!

Looks like I'm the fool for trusting you. Get outta my way, I'm gonna check myself!

Tony, wait!

*Tony enters the room*

Ahhh!

Marie's screaming voice shrills from inside her room.

Tony, what have you done?

Music: Joke's On You

Mr Hyde!

He just flew inside and started taking the place apart!

Can't you do something?

Yeah, about that...

Music stops

Can't find a little tiny ring, huh, Hyde? Well what do you think this is?

It's my ring!

Looks like you had it all wrong, lady.

It's about time I started hearing some serious apologies.

...

Slow down, Tony...

You can zip it for a start.

I thought you'd be able to convince her I had nothing to do with this!

Remind me never to put my faith in you again.

Music: Dream's End

Come on...

This is beginning to look pretty bad. Can't believe Tony managed to find the ring.

Yeah, I'm pretty much done.

Hard to believe I called myself a detective. I can't even find a drat ring.

Guess I really screwed that up...

Tony: 2

gently caress. YOU. TONY I was VERY sure you're the one who stole it when I played this the first time.

This is what I thought happened:
1. Tony stole Marie's ring when he saw that the door's unlocked.
2. He gets blamed by Marie.
3. He asks Kyle to help him by punching him if he doesn't.
4. He waits for Kyle to finish searching Marie's room.
5. After he hears the news, he heads on to Marie's room to ransack it.
6. After Marie panics and goes outside, Tony takes out the ring from his person.
7. Tony goes out of the room and pretends that he found the ring inside the room.

Alas, that's not what actually happened. The ring can actually be found in Marie's room, I just didn't examine it. Which brings us to the Audience Participation

The challenge is: Can you find Marie's ring? It can barely be seen somewhere in the pictures I showed while examining Marie's room. Hint: It's not on any pictures with the map.

And for those of you who finished that challenge, here's an extra one (it's not optional): Can you figure out how we're going to get the ring using the tools from Marie's room?

# ¿ Sep 21, 2018 08:27

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

All right, let's see how the thread does.

idhrendur posted:

Looks like it's between the chest of drawers and the dresser with the mirror. The pencil might work for grabbing it, but could be too short. The hanger would be long enough, but to big to hook it properly.

I honestly don't know how you managed to spot that. I sure didn't. I usually only looked at each end when playing this game, and I looked more at the sofa since that's where Marie said she put it last and that's the location mentioned in the extra notes.

Ring There seems to be something lodged between the dresser and the chest of drawers.

Zoomed-in ring

Hmm.

What's that? Looks like something shiny has dropped down between the furniture.

Well, what do we have here... *tries to grab it* drat, looks like my manly arms are too big to fit into the gap.

Hey, Marie.

Mind if I shift this dresser a little?

Good luck.

(Thanks for the support.)

That dresser's fixed tight to the wall and there's no easy way of moving it.

Good idea, in my opinion. I wouldn't want it falling every time we have an earthquake.

I don't live in LA, but is the Earthquake often there?

I do know that this makes Tony A LOT more suspicious. How did he find this ring so quickly if you can't move the dresser?

Then we may have a problem.

(Great, now what?)

What is it, Mr Hyde?

Looks like something's fallen between the dresser and the chest of drawers. I'm gonna get a closer look.

Between the dresser and the chest of drawers?

Yeah, right between the two.

Are you sure you're not just seeing things? I can't make much out at all.

You never know, it could turn out to be your ring.

Problem is, I can't get my arm in to pull it out.

Got anything lying around we could poke in there to get it out?

Like what?

Nothing really springs to mind.

If you find anything that looks likely to fit, feel free to give it a try.

Great, looks like I've got another search on my hands.

Well, you said that the hanger is too big, but couldn't hurt to try, right?

Hanger How convenient. There's a wooden hanger on the side of the closet.

Now this looks like just the thing to fit in that gap.

Use wooden hanger on ring There's something shining between the dresser and the chest of drawers.

Maybe this hanger is just what I need to pull the thing out.

Yep. Definitely too big.

drat, that's done it! Now I've pushed it even more!

Not as smart as you think are you, Kyle?

Is something wrong?

I take it from the way you're acting, it didn't work.

It's no problem, I've jsut got to give it some more thought.

You'd better get thinking then.

You're not helping, Marie.

DariusLikewise posted:

I don't know how you spotted that. I would guess that you use the tape measure to fish it out

Kitala posted:

I have no clue how you found it, but I think to recover we need the thread and safety pins for a hook and line.

You two are, though. Let's see how it goes.

Tape measure Looks like there's a tape measure inside.

Could be useful. You never know.

Safety pins There are some safety pins inside the drawer.

Now this is a definite plus.

Now I'm beggining to get the picture.

I can't get the thing out just using this, but maybe if I tie it to something...

Thread There's some thread lying in the sewing box.

That's got my mind working.

I bet I can make good use of this somehow.

Let's see what Marie has to say for now.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

Mr Hyde.

You don't think the object you found under the dresser could be...

Let's hope so.

Now let's see what the tape measure can do (beside measuring).

Use tape measure on ring There's something shining between the dresser and the chest of drawers.

If I use this tape measure, I might be able to pull the thing out.

We just have to extend the tape.

This isn't gonna be long enough.

drat.

If we hadn't used the Hanger, we could've reached it. Oh well. We can just try again.

Guess it needs to be a bit shorter...

drat. Trying again, I guess.

That should do it.

Success! Now what if we try using the pin and thread?

Combine safety pin with thread

Use threaded safety pin on ring There's something shining between the dresser and the chest of drawers.

With some thread attached, this safety pin looks perfect for getting the thing out.

Success! This is actually the method I used in my first playthrough, so this is what we're sticking with for the novel. The tape method would be much easier in real life, though.

Perfect, got it!

(Now perhaps I can put an end to this whole mess.)

But first, have some item descriptions first.

I love how proud Kyle is of the threaded pin.

Marie...

What is it?

So does this look anything like the ring you claim was stolen?

Y-you found it?

Yeah, didn't even break a sweat.

I'm no expert on jewellery, but this looks like a pretty decent ring even to me. Definitely impressed by the big stone on it...

Mr Hyde! Now you've found my ring, please hand it to me! Now!

(What's got into her all of a sudden?)

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell.

I'm just keen to get my property back.

Yeah, I guess you are.

Glad that's done. This ring fiasco has taken than 3 updates.

So that puts an end to it.

Looks like you wanted to hang the wrong man after all when you blamed Tony.

I'm still shocked that Tony wasn't the culprit.

Yeah, I'm not exactly proud of myself either.

I mean, I did kind of jump to the wrong conclusion.

It happens.

I just lost it when I noticed my precious ring had gone.

I just lost it when I noticed that this is a prime time for a Gollum joke.

Must be really special if you're that protective of it.

It's one of the most treasured things I have.

It was a present from my older brother before he passed away.

I suppose I'd better go and patch things up with Mr Wolf.

Not sure if I can face him right away, though. I'm still pretty embarrassed.

He's bound to fly off the handle and start shouting at me again.

You can't say you don't deserve it.

What should I do?

Tell you what, I'll have a word with him, see if I can't smooth things over a bit.

Thank you, Mr Hyde.

Here, you might as well take your stuff back too. I won't be needing it now you've got your ring back.

I'll see myself out.

Thanks again.

I leave Marie's room.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2018 16:07

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

I updated the part about the doors on the second floor from this update. Read that part if you want to see Kyle's puns.

# ¿ Sep 25, 2018 13:22

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

All right, let's tell Tony the good news. The game won't let us leave until we do that. We can knock on Marie's door, but she just says she doesn't want to see anyone.

Music: Shadowy Men

Tony!

What is it, man?

I found the ring in Marie's room.

Seriously, you got it?

It'd fallen down the side of her dresser.

I knew it! I knew she'd got her facts all wrong!

She also said she's sorry.

To be fair, that would be my reaction in that situation, too.

It's about time I started hearing some serious apologies.

I think you should go easy on her, Tony.

She's really embarrassed and not exactly proud of what she did. Perhaps you should just let it slide this time.

But you heard what she said about me, right?

Come on, Tony. We're all gonna be clearing out of these apartments soon. Do you really wanna cause any more trouble for yourself?

Yeah, maybe you're right. I think I'm man enough to take this one on the chin. Forgive and forget, and all.

Thanks to you, I'm in the clear.

I can't thank you enough for what you did.

Can't imagine it would've gone this well if I'd asked anyone else.

For all the poo poo I gave Tony, at least he knows how to forgive and thank other people, even if there might be another motive behind those actions.

Hey, hold on.

How did you find out about my past?

Hey, Tony. How'd you find out?

About me being a detective, I mean.

I heard it from Dylan.

Dylan?

How the hell did he know?

I thought you must've told him or something.

Like I'd tell a guy like him all about my past.

I haven't told anyone living in this building about that.

That so? I just figured that kind of info must've come straight from you.

I was pretty surprised when I heard you used to wear a badge.

If even Tony can guess that, then it must be painfully obvious.

Meaning?

Hey, no need to give me that kind of look. I'm just thinking out loud.

Looks like I crossed the line, huh?

Oh, wow, is that the time? I gotta be at an audition! Catch you later, man.

An audition?

Yeah, and if I make it through, I'm gonna get me a live gig.

And if that happens, drinks are on me!

Don't you have a rent to pay or something?

Music stops
Tony makes his way along the hallway and heads down the stairs towards the lobby.

I won't hold my breath for those drinks.

(There's something about what Tony said... What was it?)

(How does Dylan know about my past?)

(How does Dylan know about my past?)

*Pager beeps*

It's my pager.

But before we do that...

Knock

Music: Dancing Cat

You got a problem?

I found Marie's ring.

It was under the dresser all along.

I knew there'd be a more rational explanation.

Looks like you were right on the money.

Not that I really did anything to help, though.

I'm just glad all the shouting and screaming's come to an end.

Yeah, I second that.

Catch you later, Mr Hyde.

Music: Overstepped Memory
Music: Heating Up

You might notice that the phone icon is missing, but there's a new pager icon on the top left. Sadly, we have to manually select the phone if we want to make a call.

Suppose I should give Rachel a call.

Music :Serenity

It's me. What's up?

Ed's just got back. I'll pass you over.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

There's something we need to discuss.

Yeah, well it's a little late to start apologising. I don't care how much you grovel, I'm not going back on my decision.

It's not about me getting fired, Ed.

Then what the hell is it about?

It's about an order. An order that made its way to me directly.

What?

There was an order sheet in my room when I got back yesterday. The message on it was vague, it goes like this: "Find the Scarlet Star that disappeared in Hotel Cape West 25 years ago."

You sure you got your facts straight? Orders shouldn't come directly to you at all. As far as the clients are concerned, they don't even know Kyle Hyde. You haven't been spreading what we deal with behind the scenes, have you?

What do you take me for, an idiot?

You sure have been hanging around plenty of them lately.

In case you forgot, Red Crown ain't your concern any more so just drop it. You can take that piece of paper and burn it.

But Ed...

Plus, it sounds like a bogus order to me. Think about it, who's gonna be after something that went missing 25 years ago? Just drop it. Besides, you've got more important things to do, like finding a job.

Ed...

I'm hanging up. *hangs up*

(Even if it does turn out to be bogus, how did it make its way to me?)

Speaking of strange, Tony heard I was a detective from Dylan, of all people. Something's not quite right about all this. Think it's about time Dylan and I got better acquainted.

Music: Heating Up
Music: Overstepped Memory
So we go to the 3rd floor.

Huh? There's someone in the hallway.

Dylan can wait. Exploring comes first, since this is the first time we can go up here.

Bench The bench is a little faded from all the sunlight.
Lamp There's a light fixed to the wall. They must have got a bulk discount on these.

Buzz Maybe I'd be more striking if I got a buzz cut. Then people would answer the door to me.

Knock Nothing. I might as well knock it off.
Buzz Maybe they're...buzzy?

Knock No answer. Well, can't knock it till I've tried it.
Buzz No answer when I press the buzzer. Maybe it's buzz-ted?

Most of those puns are really bad

We can't examine door 304 since Dylan's standing right in front of it.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

You got a moment?

I've got some questions I'd like to ask you.

Questions to ask me?

Yeah.

Let me bend your ears for a bit.

Are you going to tell me what it's about?

Tony from 201 told me that you were blabbing about me once being a detective.

That's right. I think I did mention it to him.

But he came and asked me about it first.

He asked you about me?

Right.

Must've been about two weeks back.

I was called to his room to take care of a door that wouldn't close properly, and after I fixed it, he asked if I'd like to grab a drink.

That's when he started asking about you.

I remember asking if I knew anything about you.

(Why was he asking about me?)

Read note

Is that a notebook?
Write note

You taking notes or something?
Show room 202 key

That's not mine.
Show pager

Ah, I see you have a pager.
Show order sheet

Can't say I know anything about this.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Nov 24, 2018

# ¿ Sep 25, 2018 14:04

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

How did my history become public knowledge?

Care to tell me how you knew I used to be a detective?

It just cropped up one day.

Cropped up? What's that supposed to mean?

I saw your name in an old newspaper article.

In an article?

Right.

It was an article about an undercover investigation in New York.

I also noticed that you shot an undercover cop. One that was on the take. Not exactly through-and-through blue.

When was the newspaper dated?

I think it was from around four years back.

(A newspaper from four years ago?)

Why did Tony want to know about me?

Why did Tony want to know about me?

He was going on about how he'd like to become your friend, and just wanted to know if I knew anything about you.

So naturally, when he asked, I told him what I knew. All I said to him was that you're an ex-detective who works as a salesman.

Where did you find this newspaper?

Where did you find this newspaper?

Let me think...

It was just a coincidence. I stumbled across the paper and noticed that article.

Finding an old newspaper with stuff about me was a coincidence?

Honest. I was out on a job at the time.

Out on a job?

Yeah, I'm in the plumbing and repair business, so I often get sent out on jobs. I find myself in buildings and offices a lot. I even fix windows occasionally, too.

Thinking back, when I saw that article, I had just moved back from New York,

And was doing a job in someone's bathroom. The people had just moved in and there was stuff all over the place...

Including an old newspaper someone left lying around. I'd just had lunch and thought I'd give it a read. That's when I saw your name.

How far back was this?

I dunno, three months?

Music: Ace of Diamonds

So, are we done with all the questions?

Yeah, for now.

*footsteps sound*

Ugh, here we go...

Music: Blue Lady

You really should take your chat elsewhere. You're blocking the hallway.

Sorry.

Kindly get out of my way.

Frank is basically

(He occupies room 302 and has a tendency to skulk around late at night.)

If memory serves, you're...

Kyle Hyde, the guy living in the apartment below you.

Who incidentally has to put up with the racket you make walking around all night.

I don't appreciate being accused of things, Mr Hyde.

This building may be old, but it's solid and unlikely to cause such disturbance.

I'm telling you, I can hear every one of your footsteps loud and clear.

Sometimes I can't even get a wink of sleep while you're stomping around.

I had you pegged as the kind of guy who'd have more important things on his mind.

(Meaning what?)

Mr Raver. Mr Hyde is just trying to say that he's noticed some noise coming from your room.

He's not trying to start an argument with you.

That's right, isn't it, Mr Hyde?

Wow, Kyle keeps having to be bailed out of a conflict today.

Yeah, I'm just saying.

Hmph.

Well...

I suppose I can try to take a little more care late at night.

Gee, thanks. (Bit of a cranky old-timer we got here.)

And while we're all here, I had a matter to bring to your attention, Dylan.

You did?

Not again. Who would be so careless?

That's a good question.

I was about to say that it's more laziness than careless, but I don't think anyone lazy would climb up to the 4th floor instead of just disposing the trash normally.

But more importantly, we wouldn't want an incident like before now, would we?

(An incident like before?)

I recommend you get up there and clear it up right away.

Will do.

Thank you, Dylan.

Frank goes back into his room and disappears from sight.

Which reminds me, I never got round to checking out the fourth floor.

You take care of the repair work on the fourth floor too?

Certainly do.

All of the rooms up there are remnants from when this place was a hotel.

The fire door was sealed to prevent access, though.

Having problems all the way up there just adds to the hassle.

That's the last place we want things to go wrong.

I'm going to have to leave you, Mr Hyde. I have to get up there and sort this out.

Dylan heads up the staircase.

(What's up on the fourth floor? Now my curiosity really piqued.)

Music: Overstepped Memory
Now we can look at Room 304's door.

Buzz I guess nobody wants to see what the buzz is about.

We can also go check up on Frank.

Knock

Music: Blue Lady

Do you have something to ask me?

Not really.

Frank goes back inside his room.

Music: Overstepped Memory
Now let's finally go to the fourth floor.

What're you doing up here, Mr Hyde?

I didn't think it was a crime to wander up here once in a while.

That's true.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

Frank said something about some trash.

Yes. I already took care of it, though.

It was just a flyer from an old newspaper, no great shakes.

So someone makes their way up here just to dispose of something like that?

You'd be surprised, but it does happen from time to time. It's things like this that really get to me.

The reason is a mystery

Just another one of the many problems with a building anyone can get into. In my opinion, you're asking for trouble if people can just walk in off the street.

Music: Gusty Town

What kind of incident was Frank referring to?

What kind of incident was Frank referring to?

Sorry, I don't follow.

Just now, outside room 302, Frank Raver said something about an incident. Said that something ahppened up here on the fourth floor.

Oh, right, that...

Care to share some details?

It was...nothing.

Is that right?

Yes, nothing you need to worry about.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

Okay, I've got to make a move.

Dylan makes his way to the stairs and descends out of sight.

Music stops

(Now I know something's up. He seemed caught off-guard when I asked.)

(I've got an idea.)

(If the rooms up here have been left as they were when it was Hotel Cape West...)

(I wouldn't mind having a better look around.)

New Music: Sorrowful Nightfall

Case There's a case on the wall with a glass cover. Inside the case is the fire bell and some kind of lever.

Alarm The lever is currently in the ON position.
I hope you guys know what this means, because Kyle doesn't.
Toolbox There's a toolbox fixed to the wall.

Pliers It's a blackened set of pliers.
Wrench That wrench looks pretty old. It must see a lot of use in a place like this.
Doorstop There's a wooden doorstop inside the toolbox.
Extinguisher On the wall is a brand new fire extinguisher.

(It looks like it was put there very recently.)

Boxes on cabinet Three cardboard boxes are stacked up on the cabinet. They're taped up, so I can't look inside. Shame, too... I bet it would have been thrilling.
Cabinet It's an old wooden cabient. Odd place for one, really.
Lone box There's a taped-up box on the floor.

(It's probably just stuff that's been packed for when the building shuts down.)

Burnt marks I can still make out the scorch marks on the wall from some sort of fire.

(Looks like Dylan took care of the trash someone left behind.)
Control panel Looks like there's some sort of control panel attached to the wall.

Switch The switches on the control panel are both in the "on" position.
Again, I hope you know what this means, because Kyle doesn't.

Before we go inside, let's go visit the rooftop first.

(No way I'm getting through here. Them's the breaks I guess.)

...Oh. Okay, then.

Knob The fourth floor hallway is blocked by a hefty-looking fire door.

Let's see if the thing's locked or not.

Just open the door. Nothing bad will happen. Especially not with the alarm on the on position. Right?

Now the alarm's ringing.

Yep. Apparently Kyle's being an idiot now for some reason.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 11:24 on Sep 26, 2018

# ¿ Sep 26, 2018 08:30

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

The alarm is set to on? What does this mean!?

Blue Labrador posted:

People keep mentioning Dunning but my heart has a Louis shaped hole in it at the moment.

When I played this game, I had a feeling that Cing tried to fill that Louie-shaped hole with a Tony-shaped peg. It didn't go well.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2018 08:10

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Music: Sorrowful Nightfall (Featuring alarm sound)

There's a fire alarm until I said otherwise. It's even more annoying than the clock alarm.

Alarm The bell's loud enough to wake the dead.

I've really got to figure out a way to stop the thing.

Unfortunately, Kyle won't just go back down and pretend he didn't do anything up here. He'll just say:

(drat! Now I've done it! Can't very well slink back downstairs with this alarm blaring.)

There's not that many things to examine here, so it's easy to figure out what to do.

Switch The switches on the control panel are both set to ON.

I bet if I use those switches, I can stop that drat bell ringing.

All we have to do is turn off the switches one by one. Simple.

...Okay, maybe not that simple.

Well, this is awkward... By now it's obvious that we should flip both switches at the same time, but the computer can only have one pointer, which means it can only touch at one place at a time. Kyle will even outright say so after enough attempts.

Welp. LP over. It's nice to try this. Expect to see a Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days LP Somewhere in the future!

...Wait, I already used that joke. I'll just copy what you need to do here from my Hotel Dusk LP.

One thing to note is that while we can't touch in two places at once, the DS DOESN'T support dual touch. If there's two spots detected, the DS will only register the space touched as the middle. This fact is useful for example in Bythos Operations in Trauma Center Under The Knife 2.

This is a bit of clever programming to make the illusion of the game detecting dual touch. The game will detect a touch at one of the switches and then instantly moving to the center as the player holding both at once.
To proceed we need to use the 'Pause' and 'Frame Forward' function of the emulator. This is what we need to do:
1. Pause the emulator.
2. Hold at one of the switch and tap the frame forward advance. This will register as touching one of the switches.
3. Hold at the point between the switches and tap the frame forward advance. This will register as the touch instantly moving to between the switches.
4. Mash the frame advance hotkey while slowly moving the pointer ~~upwards~~ left. This will register as flipping both switches at once.
Here's a lovely illustration of the guide.

The difficulty in the minigames is in finding out what to do (or how to trigger them in the first place like the ring earlier). Some minigames used the DS in strange ways.

This is how it looks when slowed down. The alarm finally stops.

Finally, it's stopped! Not a moment too son, either.

*Footsteps*

You again.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

Yeah, about that... I kind of made a judgement error and set off the alarm.

A judgement error?

More like you thought you'd open the door and start snooping aroud inside!

Dylan is pissed.

Yeah, you got me.

This is bad, real bad.

*Another footsteps*

Told you this was bad.

Music: Blue Lady

Dylan, care to explain what's going on here?

For one, why was the alarm ringing just now?

Let me explain...

And just what are you doing up here, Mr Hyde?

I was just...

Well?

It's not what you think, Mrs Patrice!

Then kindly explain to me.

The alarm went off because I thought it would be a good idea to...

To conduct a test to see if the system was working properly.

A test? At this time of day?

Ye-yes.

Isn't that what happened, Mr Hyde?

The first choice might look like it would lead to a Game Over, but it doesn't (at least that I know of). Kyle says that he trip it "accidentally" and Margaret buys this excuse. And Dylan has an aura because Kyle didn't go with him after he took the trouble to bail him out

Thread, please tell me if I'm actually missing a Game Over by picking the second choice.

That's exactly what happened.

It's just like he said, a test.

Dylan asked me to give him a hand while he set it up.

I see.

Yeah, I asked him to help.

I just figured that, even though we're going to be leaving soon, um...

It would be a good idea to make sure the safety measures are still working.

Good thinking, Dylan. I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for taking such good care of the building.

Yeah, that's a surprisingly plausible excuse. Well done, Dylan. You're better at getting out of these kinds of situations than Kyle

Now, if you'll excuse me...

Mags walks away and goes downstairs.

Thanks for covering for me there.

It's not a problem.

Now you're off the hook, you might want to head back downstairs.

(Guess he's right. Think I'll go take it easy in my room.)

Music stops

I decide to take a load off and relax on the sofa. Still can't shake the mystery surrounding that order sheet I got.

(4 o'clock already? Just in time to catch that show about Hugh Speck on TV.)

We're then put into the TV screen. We can exit this screen and explore Kyle's room, but the only thing we can do is listen to the radio. It now has a familiar music. The TV shows are all different now, though.

Music: Precocious Circumstances

(Japanese Spies? Don't think I watched this much as a kid...)
Music stops

"The nation's favourite soda is now available in an all-new flavour! Try out the rich taste of grape Cool Pop today!"

(I think I'll pass.)

(Detective show. If only it was really that glamorous.)

We take a look back at Hugh Speck's career, from LAPD officer to candidate for LA mayor!

Where he had a long and distinguished career.

And even stamped out incidents of police corruption.

A crime ring named Condor was responsible for multiple jewel thefts all over LA. Speck was tireless in his efforts to bring Condor down.

Speck entered the world of politics.

The election ahead will be very interesting indeed. This is Robert Harrison for 5 News, signing off.

Knowing video games, there's a 90% chance of Hugh Speck being evil and 9% chance of him being tricked/dying.

(Hugh Speck... He was an officer in the LAPD during the incident involving my old man.)

(It's true that, back in the day, he solved his fair share of cases. But in the one surrounding my dad, Officer Speck had a far lesser role to play.)

(Okay, now how am I going to keep myself occupied? Still plenty of time until dinner. Maybe I'll take a trip down to Lucky's Caf� and grab a coffee.)

Music: Heating Up
Music: Overstepped Memory
Lucky's Caf� is located on the first floor, so we go there.

Hey, I recognise that guy over there. He's...uh...

Yeah, We're still going to meet more new characters.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2018 18:57

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Is there any further interaction with Dylan or Patrice this chapter? Might be a good idea to test the bad option again if so. Or just play to the end of the chapter anyway to be safe.

No. I played until the end of this chapter after picking the bad option and there's no Game Over. I don't think there's any choice that causes a Game Over in another chapter, at least there's none in Hotel Dusk. Like I said; I don't know about this game as much as Hotel Dusk.

tomanton posted:

Gettin Jeff Angel vibes from this one, no thank you.

Tony is already worse than Jeff :sassargh:

# ¿ Sep 28, 2018 08:26

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Well, hello there.

Hi.

(I definitely know this guy. He's on the third floor in...)

You're Kyle Hyde from room 202, aren't you?

Yeah. And you're...

Charles.

Charles?

Yes, Charles. Is there something wrong with my name?

I like that most people already know enough about Kyle to not be surprised by these kinds of things.

You got me, kid.

But it's coming back to me.

Your full name's Charles Jeunet, right?

Exactement!

Might be a good idea to make a note of it or something, though. There's only nine people in this building, it shouldn't be too hard to learn their names.

Margaret, Tony, Kyle, Betty, Marie, Frank, Dylan, Charles and someone we hadn't meet yet.

Yeah, you're right. Sorry, kid.

Some people find it very rude if you forget their name, you know.

Trust me, I don't forget names on purpose. They just seem to slip through the cracks.

I don't go round presuming everyone remembers me either.

Interesting attitude.

Thank you, Mr Hyde. That helps me understand the kind of person you are better.

Glad to hear it.

Try to make the effort to remember my name from now on, yes? When I forget a person's name, I feel terrible inside.

I hear you loud and clear.

Charles is basically

(He came over as an exchange student from France about a year ago. According to Betty, he has dreams of becoming a big-movie director.)

You're buddies with Billy who used to live in 205, right?

Yes, that's right.

You might notice me not mentioning Billy earlier. That's because, if you noticed it from when I explored the 2nd floor doors, room 205 (Billy's room) is now vacant.

I remember Billy telling me a while back.

Betty's lovely, isn't she?

We've all got to leave this place, after all.

Thanks for the reminder.

Hey, I heard the alarm bell ringing earlier. Do you know what happened?

That? That was just a test, nothing special.

Hey, have you got a moment?

What did you think had happened?

What did you think had happened?

What was?

You know, like the panic about the fire from two weeks ago.

(There was a fire?)

I thought it was another fire.

Music: Gusty Town

Read note

What's that?
Write note

Have I told you something that needs writing down?
Show room 202 key

I don't believe that's mine.
Show pager

Is that a pager? I don't have one.
Show others

Is there a reason you wanted me to look at this?

There was a fire two weeks ago?

There was a fire here two weeks ago?

Didn't you hear about thet, Mr Hyde?

I didn't hear a thing, but then again, I was away on a trip at the time.

It happened around lunchtime on a weekday.

Do you know where the fire broke out?

Yes, it was up by the staircase on the fourth floor.

Interesting.

Yes.

I heard that someone came into the building and started it.

Luckily, someone spotted it and put it out right away.

(Who put the fire out?)

So the building didn't suffer any lasting damage.

Who put the fire out?

So who put the fire out?

Mr Raver.

Frank Raver, from 302?

Yes, that's him.

If Mr Raver hadn't noticed the fire, who knows what might have happened?

Music: Dancing Cat

What are you going to do after you leave this place?

I haven't quite worked that out yet.

Me neither. I haven't even started looking for a new apartment.

I really like this place, despite it being a little old and run down.

You and me both, kid.

I'll see you later, Mr Hyde.

Charles says goodbye and leaves.

Music: Overstepped Memory

Knock I could stand here knocking all day. No one's coming.
Buzz Bzzt, wrong answer. Or rather, no answer.

Unfortunately, that's the last of Kyle's buzz puns

Also, I just found out that you can examine this place.

Painting There's a painting of a lake hanging on the wall. It has a small caption underneath it.

(I can't quite read it. Lake... Ju...et? Must be the name of the place.)
Right lamp It's a light. It does its job.
Left lamp This light's old, but it looks like it's been dusted at least.

(That's some fine-smelling food.)

Music: Blue Lady

You again.

That's my line

I'm bumping into you a lot lately, Mr Hyde.

Mr Raver.

Good timing, I have some things I'd like to ask you.

What is this, an ambush?

Charles told me that you came across a fire on the fourth floor two weeks back.

What about it?

Are you in the habit of wandering around in out-of-bounds areas?

What can I say, I get bored easily. I don't have a job to go to any more either.

Plus, it's good for my health to climb up and down the stairs.

I thought for a moment you had something interesting to ask me. Goodbye.

Frank slips away towards the staircase.

Music: Overstepped Memory
Now we can finally go to the cafe in peace.

(It's worth the trip downstairs just for that aroma of freshly-ground coffee.)

New Music: Glass in the Hand

This character is still not the last one in this game.

Welcome to Lucky's Caf�!

Oh, Mr Hyde, nice to see you.

Today's coffee is a straight Guatemalan mineral roast.

Sounds good. I'll take one of those, coarsely ground and black.

Gotcha!

Can I get you something to go with that?

That's the million-dollar question.

I made it myself, which makes it an extra special special!

Yeah, why not.

I'm sure you won't regret it!

Claire is basically

(She's always cheery and keeps the customers coming back.)

Guess you'll be taking your regular spot, right?

Right.

Next time: Food porn

# ¿ Oct 1, 2018 09:07

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

I found a topic about Game Overs people found annoying that they got on GameFAQs. I thought I sent it to you, but I might have forgotten!

It's me. I'm Kyle Hyde.

If it's the one about the first Game Over people get, I read it, but I'm not convinced that it contains all of them.

Yeah, I have trouble remembering names too.

# ¿ Oct 1, 2018 11:09

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Music: Glass in the Hand

"Here you go!"

Today's coffee and one of my special desserts.

My own homemade plum truffles!

I took a ripe dried plum, filled it with a wonderfully fruity chocolate ganache, then coated it with a slightly bitter type of chocolate for an edgy flavour.

It all adds up to a deliciously sweet dessert. I hope you like it, Mr Hyde.

When I said about food porn, I mean it.

It certainly looks tasty.

Bon app�tit!

Claire drifts away from the table after delivering my order.

New Music: Over Easy
There's an appetising-looking combination of coffee and a dessert on the table.

Unlike most of the remixes from Hotel Dusk, this one is unrecognizable. I would say that this is a completely different song with the same name.

Kyle's expression actually changed from the start of this update. Also, if you think we're not going to get an extensive description of the coffee, you haven't been paying attention to what I said.

Huh?

Music: Glass in the Hand

Glad to hear it! How're you finding today's blend?

Let me see. Full-flavoured, slightly bitter, and with a fine aroma to boot.

Isn't it spectacular? Got my hands on some top-notch beans.

See what I mean?

I find it pays to add a little more than you think you need to.

Well it sure beats the instant crap.

Ha ha, I'll take that as a compliment.

Sidney is basically

(He's Claire's father, and he owns this place. He can dig his heels in when he wants, but he likes to talk and we get on well.)

Say, what did you think of the dessert? Be honest now!

It was great.

How great exactly?

You know, just...great.

I thought you'd say something like that.

For me, I find that adding some liqueur really sets the taste apart from the rest.

What, you thought we were done with the food discussions?

Liqueur?

Adding just the right amount boosts the impact of the ganache. Helps to balance the taste of the plums and cocoa too.

If you tried a dessert I'd put together, chances are you'd be pining for another!

How come you don't tell Claire all this?

She's just no interested in my take on recipes. Tells me to keep them to myself. She's in the habit of ignoring my good advice.

The wording is kinda unclear here. The first time I read it, I thought that Sidney thinks that adding liqueur to the dessert is great. While that's true, it seems that Claire doesn't actually add the liqueur (since that's absent from the description). Obviously I can't check while playing this game myself, so this part was kinda confusing.

Sometimes I think I can even see my ex-wife's personality poking through!

By the way, Mr Hyde...

Do you know the customer sitting over there in the back?

Which one?

Him, over there. The guy in the sunglasses.

Guy in the sunglasses?

(Who the hell is that guy?)

He a friend of yours, Mr Hyde?

Never laid eyes on him before.

It's probably because of different times, but it's strange that everyone including Rachel just assumed the guy who's obviously a stalker is Kyle's friend.

Or maybe it's just an advanced stalking technique. "They won't suspect a thing if I just asked about it plainly "

Strange. He seems to know all about you.

What?

He came round asking questions and everything.

I just figured he must be a friend of yours.

Looks like I got it all wrong, though.

Sidney finishes speaking and leaves the tableside.

(Who is that guy and how does he know about me?)

New Music: A Drink in the Evening

Obviously, we're going to examine everything before approaching the stalker.

Music: Hidden Proof

Right bench It's a bench covered in red leather. It seats two people. The leather looks like it's undergone some repair work.
Window If you look closely, the window has a lot of tiny scratches. I'm so glad I looked closely.
Table The sunlight glistening on the table's surface makes the colour seem lighter than it is.
Bottles A bottle of mustard and a bottle of ketchup. Ah, I can see there's plenty left in both. I was almost worried there for a second.
Poster There's a poster for a drink stuck to the wall.

Zoomed-in poster The poster has a picture of iced tea on it. Think I'll stick with Cool Pop.
Left bench This bench feel really hard, like you're sitting directly on the wood.

(That's what happens when you use the same seats for decades.)
Tree It's a Christmas tree decorated with a veritable rainbow of ornaments.

Door This door leads to the caf�'s billiards room.

(Billiards, huh? I think I'm a little rusty.)
Jukebox An old-fashioned jukebox. Seems a little flashy for this place.

Might as well put a record on I guess.

This is pretty much like Hotel Dusk, where we can listen to songs and that song will be what plays in this area. Again, I'm not changing it because A Drink in the Evening isn't playing anywhere else.
This is also the same jukebox that you can access from the novel. There's 2 modes of shuffle, and I don't know what the lock icon does.
Sign There's a glowing neon sign that reads "Lucky's Caf�."

Zoomed-in sign The neon text reads "Lucky's Caf�."

Let's talk to Sidney before examining this one.

Music: Glass in the Hand

Mr Hyde...

Maybe you should go and find out what that guy wants.

I'll get on it. Later, I mean. Spoiler: I won't do it this update.

Cash register The cash register looks like an old model. Not like I'm an expert or anything.
Coffee maker A coffee maker and a juicer. The tools of the trade.

(I guess this is the coffee maker Sidney was talking about.)
Lamps A pair of small lights are hanging from the ceiling.
Menu There's a printed menu on the counter.
Bottles There are condiments on the counter, but not mayonnaise. Oh well, can't have it all.
Counter The counter's so clean I can see my face in it. ...I shouldn't have looked.
Blackboard There's a blackboard above the shelves with the menu written on it.

(This caf� is famous for its cheap prices and tons of options.)
Left shelf All the dishes have been scrubbed clean and stacked up on the shelves.
Top shelf Some beer bottles are lined up on the shelf.
Middle shelf That shelf holds several stacks of plates. Some notes are stuck up around it too.
Bottom shelf There are some piles of plates and a few whiskey bottles on top of the cupboards.

We can't examine the left half of the caf� because Kyle will automatically talk to the stalker, but we can examine the billiards room, so let's do that.

Table There's a worn old billiards table in the middle of the room. It's what Lucky's Caf� is famous for, among other things.

(I used to be a crack shot at billiards back in the day.)
Balls The balls are sitting right in the middle of the table.

Right lamp There's a small spotlight hanging from a rail on the ceiling. Atmospheric.
TV There's a television sitting on a high shelf. It's not turned on. I guess this room is more about the billiards.
Left lamp There's a small spotlight hanging from a rail on the ceiling. Classy.
Counter It's a long counter that must have been custom-built to fit the wall. It's been scrubbed so clean, it sparkles. Sidney and Claire run a tight ship.

(Don't think I've ever used this counter myself.)
Bottles under TV There are two whiskey bottles sitting on the counter. It looks like they're empty bottles that have been left on display.
Other bottles Some whiskey bottles are sat on the counter. Someone's a big whiskey drinker...

Right chair There's a thin wooden chair next to the table.
Left chair There's a thin wooden chair between the table and the door. Like many things here, it's covered in small scratches.
Table It's a small, square table. There's nothing on it. Not a single thing.
Billiards table Naturally, this room has a billiards table.
Door This door leads to the caf�'s restroom.
Cue rack It's a cue rack with several billiard cues sticking up out of it. The cues have all been left here with chalk still on the end.

(Like they were stuck there right after people finished playing a game.)

We can actually go to the restroom, not just examine it.

(So this is the caf�'s restroom. I don't come in here all that often, but whenever I do it's clean as can be.)

This time the toilet itself is a room we can walk in.

Lamp The lamp gives the room an eerie glow.
Mirror There's a mirror above the sink. Looks like the stress is really taking its toll on me... Is that a grey hair?
Sink There's just one sink on the wall. It's made of ceramic.
Dispenser The paper towel dispenser is full up. That's always good to know.
Trash can There's a trash can in the corner of the room. It's completely empty.

(You know, I don't recall ever seeing any trash in there.)

(Someone must always be coming in here to empty it. My guess is Claire or Sidney.)

Toilet The cubicle has a ceramic toilet inside it. It's so clean you could eat off it. But I'd still prefer not to.
Tissue There's a toilet paper holder nailed to the divider

Toilet The toilet is made of ceramic...much like the sink and the other toilet.
Tissue The toilet paper holder is screwed in tight.

(And it looks like the roll has just been replaced.)

We'll talk to him next time. This picture is mostly just so this update doesn't end with a toilet.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2018 14:42

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

New Music: Town Dyed Purple

Got a moment?

That depends.

Firstly, who the hell are you?

Sidney said you know who I am, but I've never even met you before. Time to start talking, pal.

Is that right?

Yeah, why don't we begin with your name?

The name's Foster, Rex Foster.

As you may have guessed, Rex is basically

(This must be the guy that called Mom and Rachel.)

Finally, I got a face to put to the name I keep hearing.

You've been busy making a lot of calls, it would seem. What are you after? I don't seem to remember asking for a guy like you to follow me around.

Hey!

Something you want to say?

You got something you want to say?

Kyle, Kyle, Kyle...

You're really trying to pretend you're a salesman, aren't you?

The way you speak is a dead giveaway, though. There's no hiding you were a detective.

What did you just say?

Whoops, there I go again.

Seem you had a pretty high opinion of yourself too, but..

It seems that part may have been a little exaggerated.

Didn't have you pegged as someone who'd want to conceal their past as a detective.

(You knew I was a detective?)

Guess I was wrong.

I don't see that my opinion of myself has got anything to do with you.

But let's get back on track. What exactly do you want from me?

About time you asked. I was hoping to ask you some questions, is all.

Questions?

Yeah. To begin with...

No reason, just kinda wound up here.

Pull the other one, that's not the reason.

"Pull the other one" is a British slang which is basically the same as "You're pulling my leg."

You set up here because of the place once being Hotel Cape West.

(I've got no clue what he's babbling about.)

Made you think, did I?

Let's try another question, shall we?

Why did you choose to live in this particular building?

Watch your attitude, buddy.

You trying to hide the fact there was some trouble today on the second floor too?

(What trouble?)

Read note

What's with the notebook?
Write note

Taking notes there?
Show room 202 key or pager

It's not mine.
Show others

What did you get that out for?

How did you know I was a detective?

How did you know I was a detective?

Now that would be telling.

Don't play the innocent with me! You'd better start talking real quick.

Let's just say, a little bit of research went a long way.

So you're researching me now, are you?

Care to elaborate on that?

Who the hell are you?

Is that supposed to make me feel better?

I can't really tell you anything right now...

Speaking to you could be quite dangerous, Kyle.

Cut the crap!

And define "dangerous".

If you know too much, you might feel inclined to get in my way.

And why would I want to get in your way? I don't even know you.

Adventure game protagonists.png

You're making less and less sense as you go along.

You may have left the force to seek out a life without too much excitement... But guys like you just get a whiff of a case and switch right back to their old ways. And that's precisely why I can't afford to have you get in my way.

Guys like me?

You want to explain that to me?

Oh, I'm sure you understand just fine.

Trouble? What're you talking about?

Trouble? What are you talking about?

So you're saying nothing happened, are you?

Right, nothing happened.

If you choose the second option, Kyle just tell Rex about that event. Nothing else changes. And I think Kyle wouldn't be dumb enough to blab about it.

Right, nothing happened.

Fair enough, I just wanted to ask.

(Who does this guy think he is?)

A stalker. Haven't you paid attention to the last 30 minutes?

Music: Town Dyed Purple

That's me done. I'm leaving.

Hey, hold it! Not so fast.

That line is worthy of two jokes.

Take it easy, Kyle.

There's plenty of time for us to sit down and chat, you know.

Rex says his piece and leaves.

(Who does this guy think he is?)

I just said it 4 minutes ago

"Mr Hyde."

Huh?

Music: Glass in the Hand

His name's Rex Foster.

Seems he's been gathering information about me.

Why would he do that? Are you in some sort of trouble?

Not that I know of.

He wasn't a detective, was he?

Trust me, he was no detective. More likely he's working for some lousy agency or a third-rate newspaper.

Or third-rate novelist.

Yeah, I guess you're right.

He seemed like a weirdo right from the moment I laid eyes on him.

(He seemed weird?)

Sometimes he'd have his notebook open on the table. Seemed like when he thought of something, he'd write it down.

Notebook?

Yes, then he'd read his notes back to himself.

(He's taking notes, huh?)

It bugs me every time I see him.

Music: Gusty Town

Read note

What's that? A notebook?
Write note

What are you writing down?
Show room 202 key

I don't think that's mine.
Show pager

Guess a salesman can't be without his pager.
Show order sheet

What about it?

# ¿ Oct 5, 2018 12:50

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

What made you think he was weird?

What made you think he was weird?

For one, he's been coming here all the time, starting two or three days ago. Sending long hours with just a single cup of coffee, staring at my customers.

Spending long hours in a caf� with just one cup isn't really weird (at least not anymore). It depends on how many hours is "long hours." The staring part is weird, so that statement is still true.

And also...

There's more?

He goes around asking all kinds of questions.

Such as?

About stuff from the past mostly.

(Stuff from the past?)

What kinds of notes has he been making?

What kind of notes has he been making?

When I took his coffee over once, I nearly caught a glimpse of his notes...

But he noticed right away and snapped his notebook shut.

Stuff from the past? Like what?

Asking about stuff from the past? Like what?

He tends to be fixated on this building's past. When it used to be a hotel.

That's quite a while back.

He also asked about something that happened 13 years ago.

(What happened 13 years ago?)

He never revealed his motives about why he was so interested in that particular event.

What happened in the hotel 13 years ago?

What happened in the hotel 13 years ago?

That's a tough question, and I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself.

Mrs Patrice asked me to avoid talking about it.

She seemed especially keen to keep it from the people living in the apartments.

What happened?

I think I can trust you not to spread it around, Mr Hyde.

It's nice that Sidney trusts us from the start of the game and don't have to be confronted about the secret

If the truth be known, when this building was still a hotel...

On top of that, the case was never solved.

What do you know about it?

An unsolved murder? What do you know about the incident?

I don't think I'd better go into any more detail, Mr Hyde.

Come on, you've told me this much.

Thing is, someone involved in the incident is rather close to me.

There are also those who are keen to forget about the incident once and for all.

Please understand, I'm just not happy to continue discussing it.

Music: Glass in the Hand

Ah, one more thing...

What is it?

That Rex Foster guy seems to be after information concerning that murder. He could be a reporter.

That doesn't really refute my theory about him being an informant for Martin.

A shady character like him would make a perfect reporter for one of those gossip mags.

I'll bet money that's where he's from.

Could be.

Changing the subject, Mr Hyde, have you decided who's going to get your vote?

I haven't quite made my mind up.

The media seems to be focused on Hugh Speck, the ex-congressman.

I personally don't like the idea of him winning, though.

Really, why's that?

Even Sidney agrees that someone like Hugh Speck in a videogame can't be trusted

I've got a friend who swears the guy was on the take during his days on the force. He said he was also into racketeering, among other things.

We're talking about Hugh Speck, right? I've never heard these rumours.

Well, it's politics, right? Everyone's at least a bit corrupt.

It won't be easy for whoever becomes mayor. Lowering the crime rate will be tough.

Ain't that the truth.

Say, did you hear about the robbery at the jeweller's near here yesterday?

This kind of crime gives people like me the jitters.

It reminds me of a very similar incident a while back.

Yeah?

Sure thing, I'll be right over.

Duty calls, Mr Hyde, I'll catch up with you another time.

Do you mind if I take a look at this newspaper?

Not a problem, take your time.

Sidney makes his way back behind the counter.

As Kyle said, Sidney is behind the counter. Claire is nowhere to be found.

What's it going to be?

You want something to drink?

No, I'm good.

Now we can examine the left part of the caf�.

Music: Hidden Proof

Small frame There's a landscape painting on the wall depicting a row of stores on a city street.
Large frame The picture on the wall has a photograph from when this building was a hotel.

Photo The photo is black and white. It says it was taken in 1956.

(So this is what Cape West looked like when it was a hotel...)
Window Through the window I can see a train that's, uh, stopped in its tracks.

I don't remember there being anything south of the caf�. Let's see where the door there leads to.

(What's wrong with me today?)

(I almost left by mistake.)

It goes outside, apparently. Makes sense, I guess. Now let's go through the north door.

Hey, Mr Hyde!

You can't go into the kitchen.

Fine then. Let's just examine the rest of this place.

Left bench There isn't a single bit of trash anywhere near the seating area.
Table The table's showing its age but it's been scrubbed to perfection.
Window I can see the street in front of the apartment building.
Bottles One bottle is ketchup. The other is mustard. Together they liven up any meal.
Frames There are a variety of small, framed photographs on the wall.
Right bench This bench has a crease in the leather. Sure to be a vital clue.

Left bench A red two-seater bench with leather upholstery. The colour's looking a little faded.

(This might have been here since the days when this place was a hotel.)
Table The dining table has a melamine surface with a whole lot of scratches.
Bottles Ketchup. Mustard. Two of my favourite condiments.
Window The window's spotless. I can see exactly how little is going on outside.
Frames There are a couple of landscape paintings on the wall depicting lush forests.
Poster There's a poster with a cow on it stuck to the wall.

Zoomed-in poster It's a poster advertising the caf�'s beef stew.

(I've never eaten it, but it sounds drat fine.)
Right bench A red bench with leather upholstery. There's room for two.

Newspaper Sidney's newspaper is on the table.

December 19, 1980. New Development in Serial Jewel Robbery Cases!?

With regard to the succession of jewel burglaries that have taken place recently, the Los Angeles Police Department announced a new lead - that the culprit could be a jewelry theft ring called "Condor", based on the information that a woman with a black hat had been witnessed at the crime scene before the incident. The group once frightened the whole nation and there are fears that their reign of terror is beginning once more.

(Hmm, the woman in this article... Sounds just like the woman I saw outside the building yesterday.)

Music stops

(Things have been more hectic than usual since yesterday.)

(Guess there's only one thing for it. If I think back over the events, maybe I can clear a few things up.)

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 13:40 on Oct 10, 2018

# ¿ Oct 7, 2018 16:07

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Music: Clearing the Mist

My alarm clock woke me up as usual but, just after I got myself back to sleep, the phone rang and got me up again. The one who woke me up with the ridiculously early phone call was...

Rachel

No, that's not who it was. The call from Rachel came afterwards.
Tony

No, that's not who it was. Tony never called me that morning.

Jeanie

It was Mom who decided it would be a good time to call then. She's currently living in New Jersey by herself.

Both she and Mom had some very similar stuff to tell me. They both said...

They wanted to know about work.

No, that's not it. Rachel already knows about my work situation. Mom was the only one who asked about my work.
That Ed was still angry.

No, that's not it. Only Rachel mentioned that Ed was still mad at me. Mom doesn't know about me getting fired...yet.

They had been called by Rex Foster.

That's right. Both Rachel and Mom said that they received phone calls from the same caller. They said his name was Rex Foster and they were keen to find out whether he was an acquaintance of mine or not.

Tony got me caught up in some crazy situation, just like always. Who was the second floor occupant that swore Tony stole her ring?

Betty

No, that's not who it was. Betty poked her head out when she heard Tony raving on, and told him to take the commotion elsewhere.
Mags

No, that's not who it was. Mags didn't make an appearance on the second floor at all. She did turn up on the fourth, though.

Marie

It was Marie from room 206.

She'd somehow got it into her head that Tony was a master jewel thief. I was coerced into taking a look around Marie's room to prove Tony's innocence. Turns out the ring had just fallen between some furniture.

As we talked, he mentioned that he knew I used to be a detective. Tony got that info from...

Frank

No, that's not who it was. Frank from 302 turned up on the third floor at a different time.
Charles

No, that's not who it was. Charles let me know about the fire that broke out on the fourth floor... But Tony didn't get the info about my past from him.

Dylan

After squeezing him for facts, he finally told me that it came from Dylan.

Dylan's the quiet guy who lives in 304. He takes care of the general repairs around here. He found my name in an article from a four-year-old newspaper. Funny how coincidences like these seem to happen around me.

Figured I'd head down there, grab a coffee and take a breather. Imagine my surprise at finding none other than Rex Foster there. The caf� owner told me Rex had been asking questions. He was asking about...

The jewellery theft

No, that's not it. I head about the jewellery theft directly from the caf� owner.
The fire in the apartment building

No, that's not it. I heard about the fire that broke out here from Charles.

An incident 13 years ago

Right. The owner told me that Rex had asked about what happened 13 years ago, when the apartments were still a hotel.

He turned out to be the same guy who'd been calling around for info about me. Now I find out he's after facts surrounding what happened in the past here. Unluckily for me, he chose not to let me in on his secret and left.

Despite the apartments being due to close, I spent the entire day embroiled in conversations with the other residents. Turned out to be pretty useful for gathering facts on past and present events here. Especially the unsolved murder that happened 13 years ago. The sudden appearance of Rex Foster in the caf� today made me feel uneasy, and sent my mind spinning back to the mysterious order sheet I found in my room. I think I'm just beginning to register the fact that there's something more to this building than meets the eye. There's some sort of secret to be found here, I'm sure of it.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2018 13:39

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Here's Chapter 2 Summary:

I guess this game's summaries are all just one page each.

1234567890num fucked around with this message at 09:58 on Nov 4, 2018

# ¿ Oct 11, 2018 12:58

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Here's the novel for the second chapter. It has more than twice the amount of :words:

than the wordiest update so far.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2018 09:45

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Music: Razzle Dazzle

Like I said, the intros are a short version of the summary. It's so short that you won't get anything if you haven't actually read the chapter itself.

Music: Mulling It Over

In my dream, I was standing in front of an old window somewhere. Beyond the glass stretched a vast blackness through which I could make out a faint figure facing away from me. I pounded on the window in an attempt to get the person's attention but just as the person noticed my voice and began turning around my eyes opened and I was awake.

*phone rings*

I let slip a few choice words as I wearily slide my arm out towards the phone.

Music :Serenity

Rachel?

Yeah, your call woke me up. The sound of the phone pulled me out of this crazy dream I was having.

Did you have a late night or something?

You could say that. Had some things on my mind and didn't hit the hay till dawn. But forget all that, what's so important you gotta call now?

There's a message from Ed. There's something he wants you to answer right away. Seems he wants to know if you still feel like working for Red Crown.

That was quick. I guess it took only 2 nights for Ed to change his mind.

He what?

Well, do you?

Of course I do.

Thought so.

Rachel, you don't think the old man's beginning to regret firing me, do you? Didn't think he felt remorse.

Music: Ace of Diamonds

Oh, Kyle. You probably just ruined your almost-second chance.

Maybe you'd like to explain to me exactly what I have to regret?

Ed!

You're the one who should be on your knees. If anything, getting rid of a no-good bum like you was a breath of relief.

I think you've made your point.

Just to be clear, I don't regret booting you out...but it has been on my mind. Even had a strange dream about it.

A strange dream?

Yeah, it was pretty messed up. You were in it, lying dead by the roadside.

You're right, that is messed up. Not exactly a premonition, though, unless you've got plans to off me yourself.

Yeah, well, careful what you wish for! Still, not a great feeling to see a guy I fired dead by the roadside. You know what the worst part is? Well, I'll tell you anyway.

Worried, eh?

Think about it... There can't be that many guys out there willing to take on a lazy-rear end bum like you. And even if you did find someone, they'd likely fire you in three days. So if I don't take care of you, how do I know my dream won't come true?

So what're you saying?

I'm a reasonable guy. I figured you got enough going for you to make me give you another chance. But mark my words, this'll be the last chance I ever give you!

So basically Kyle got his job back because of a dream. Okay, game. Whatever you say.

My last chance. Got it.

So what's it gonna be? Do you accept?

... Guess I do.

Then it's settled. I'm not gonna just bring you back in though. No way. I'm gonna think of a way to test just how loyal you are. You'll be hearing from me. Anyway, I've got things to do.

Ed, wait up.

What is it?

I wanted to ask about that weird order sheet we talked about before.

Thought I was pretty clear about that. Throw it in the trash! If the client ain't happy to go through me, we don't do the job. Simple.

Rachel! You're up!

Music :Serenity

You're still sweating over that sheet, huh?

Yeah, can't forget the drat thing. Just can't seem to figure out why it came straight to me.

It's puzzling, I'll give you that.

Not only that... I had a run-in with our mutual friend, Rex Foster.

You did?

Yeah, I caught him skulking in the caf� in my apartment building. A real shady guy. Seems he's been snooping into my past too. I want to find out all there is about him. That's where you come in. Don't suppose you could do a bit of sniffing around, could you?

Fighting a stalker by stalking (indirectly), eh?

Will do, handsome. I'll give you a call as soon as something turns up.

I'm counting on you, Rachel.

And a jet of cold, refreshing water streams out.

Who's there?

Before we answer the door, let's see the profiles of the characters we met in Chapter 2.

Music: Sobering Dream

We have new descriptions for new people and an updated description for Rex Foster.

You know these people are going to be important if they have their own profiles. Now let's open the door.

Mrs Patrice!

Music: Blue Lady

Glad I caught you while you were at home.

Is there something I can help you with?

Come now, Mr Hyde. Are you telling me you've forgotten our chat from the other day?

Which chat would that be?

Well?

Ummm... Let me think for a moment here

Mr Hyde! I am of course referring to the subject we discussed in the lobby the other day.

Ummm... Nope. Not a clue

New Music: Legless Tango

Of all people, I never expected you to play the innocent with me, Mr Hyde.

Come again?

I can see right through your feeble attempt to pull the wool over my eyes. You're not the first person to try, you know.

In light of your appalling behaviour, please vacate these premises at once!

Now, hang on!

In fact, if you're not gone by tomorrow, I shall call the police.

Good day, Mr Hyde.

Mags drops her bombshell and walks away.

Wow. That's harsh.

Music: Dream's End

Come on, this is crazy!

(How did it get to this? Why didn't I just own up and tell her I didn't have the cash?)

Perfect. Just perfect.

Why didn't I just come clean and answer her honestly?

Maybe if I had, I wouldn't have been kicked out of the apartment like this.

Tony: 2
Mags: 1

And that is why we press further whenever that option comes up. Apparently, not pressing twice counts as Kyle trying to weasel out of the debt.

Music: Blue Lady

Let's actually press this time.

Well...

Don't have a clue.

Don't have a clue.

Margaret is probably contemplating about whether to kick him out or not. I guess being direct is the way that yields the best results in this universe.

But you can't wriggle out of it that easily. Simply put, I'd like the rent.

Ah...right.

Do I have your attention now, Mr Hyde?

I have a feeling that she's actually enjoying this...

Good. I'll be expecting both this month's and last month's rent. $400 in total.

Roger that.

But we're responsible! Of course we remember*!
_{*After being rudely reminded.}

I think it's coming back to me.

I think it's coming back to me.

It was about the rent, right?

Precisely. Glad you were able to remember.

How could I possibly let my highest priority fall by the wayside?

Good. I'll be expecting both this month's and last month's rent. $400 in total.

Roger that.

Both choices converge here. If we pressed the first time, the choices will be similar to these. The 'forget' choice is pretty much the same while the 'remember choice will have Kyle remember it from the start and Mags being impressed by it.

Mrs Patrice, could I ask you something?

Perhaps. What is it?

I overheard some gossip about an incident that happened here 13 years ago.

Oh?

Are the rumours true?

Now, Mr Hyde. I thought you'd know better than to pay attention to idle gossip and rumours.

I really must be on my way.

Mrs Patrice walks away.

(Time to pay up, I guess.)

(Doesn't sound like anything a trip to the bank can't solve.)

(I'm pretty sure I've got enough left in there to cover it.)

Next update: Going to the bank! It's as exciting as it sounds.

Today's Saturday, the bank's closed.

Well, ATMs already exist at this time, so you could just use that.

To make matters worse, the ATM won't recognise my card anymore. Now I'm really stuck.

Yeah, this is EXACTLY the kind of stuff that Hyde would put off solving, which then bites him in the rear end.

How the hell am I gonna get my hands on the rent money now?

(Wait. I think I might still have some cash stuffed into the wallet in my suitcase. If I put that together with whatever cash is lying around, I might have $400.)

# ¿ Oct 13, 2018 05:29

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

Truthkeeper posted:

I'm in that weird age bracket where I'm too young to know what things were like in the time the game's set, but old enough to remember an easy way Hyde could solve this problem... are checks not a thing?

For that matter, if he had the money all this time, why the hell hasn't he paid the rent?

You need to go to the bank to get a check in the first place. You probably can keep some just in case, but I don't think Kyle is the type to do that.

gimme the GOD drat candy posted:

kyle is not a very reliable person

eds dream about kyle dying on the side of the road if he abandons him was very realistic

Hey! Kyle is reliable according to Rosa and Melissa!

tomanton posted:

TWO game over themes? What a future we're living in.

Hotel Dusk has 2 sets: Drunken Waltz+Dream's End and Countdown+Sunset Men.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2018 18:11

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 22, 2024 16:57

1234567890num: Oct 6, 2017

You might remember that Kyle has his wallet in his suitcase.

Suitcase My case is lying flat on the table.

Wallet

$380. Not everything, but almost there.

(Now to scrape together the last $20 and pay up.)

You might also remember that Kyle has more money in...

Who's there?

You've gotta be kidding me.

Music: Shadowy Men

Hey there!

What did I do to deserve this early morning visit?

You're not trying to get me involved in any more shady arguments, are you?

Nah, man, it's nothing like that.

Then what is it?

It's something you're gonna want to hear, Hyde!

What makes you think I'll want to hear anything you have to say?

Tony is just ignoring Kyle right now.

Basically, I got wind of a sure-fire way of winning big bucks.

There's no way we can lose, man. No risk at all.

You stand to get ten times the amount of cash you put in! Ten times!

(Ten times does sound good.)

If it's that good, why aren't you there raking it in?

Yeah, well, that's the thing. There's a minimum amount you need to start and I don't even have that.

(There's definitely something fishy about this.)

So that's what I came to talk to you about, buddy.

If we pool our resources, we could make a killing!

(I'm wasting my time just listening to this crap.)

We learned our lesson: we must press every time we can.

Let me think...

This is obviously a scam.

You sure this is legit?

You sure this is legit?

Yeah, I think I can see my way clear to lending you some.

Wait, what?

Knew you'd see sense, man.

Please don't be an idiot, Kyle

The guy who let me in on the secret is already rolling in dough.

Is that right?

Thing is, I don't have that kind of cash on me. This is all I got.

Oh no

What have you done!!!

Thanks, man!

Now all you gotta do is sit back and wait.

*Tony leaves :eng99:

drat.

(Why'd he rush off like that? I've got a bad feeling about this.)

Huh?

Not my day. Tony's blabbing made me miss the phone.

Music: Heating Up
What's done is done. Let's just see if Kyle still has enough cash to pay the rent after giving most of his money to what is OBVIOUSLY a scam.

(Hold on... Wonder if Tony's ever planning to return the money.)

(Wouldn't put it past him to forget. Better make sure.)

Music: Overstepped Memory
Just after a few steps...