"What is your incredible plan."
"Oh!" You're glad you stalled so long, so you could formulate something good. "Well, I bet the tour is gonna suck, so me and Gil should probably sneak off and do our own thing. Detectivate the whole place, you know, um, swashbuckle whatever needs swashbuckling... yes?"
"That's stupid," Richard says.
You wait for the rest of the scathing tear-down. It doesn't come. "That's it?"
"Yes."
"Oh." You resolve to consider this a stamp of approval. "Excellent! Well, I'll get right on that. Let me know if you have any questions about the whole 'fixing you' deal— um, we can work on that more later. I'm sort of in the middle of something. Wait, are they— they aren't worried about me, right? It's been, um—"
"Time doesn't elapse in a buffer, functionally."
"Oh!" you say. "I knew that. I was just testing you. Um, well... bye. Er, I guess you'll be along, but you won't really be able to— you know what I mean. Right? You know what I—?"
"Yes." Richard rubs his nose. "Stay safe, Charlie."
"Um, I—" You pause to consider whether that's a normal Richard sentiment or if he's still doped on fatherliness (in which case you'd be at 101-0), and as you consider Richard pushes you gently by the shoulder and you stumble—
*
https://youtu.be/b5HmdbpHDew—into a <span class="mu-i">round</span> space— you assume a dome, or a normal room with curved walls, until your eyes adjust to the light. It's neither. All three of you are standing on the— wall? (...Ceiling? Floor?) On the inside of a huge, perfect sphere.
"Seems a little excessive," Gil says dryly, and he might be referring to the sphere, or to the wispy clouds drifting inside it, or to the massive head sculpture suspended in its center, which bears a <span class="mu-i">suspicious</span> resemblance to Casey— half its forehead is lopped off, and the interior is filled with spurting fountains, though the water appears conflicted what direction to fall in.
Casey claps Gil on the back. "What can I say, Madrigal? We think big around here. Can't help it. Welcome to the atrium, ladies— any questions so far?"
What is there to say, really? It all seems remarkably self-explanatory. You shake your head.
Gil doesn't. "How much <span class="mu-i">manpower</span> did this take to make?"
"Lots! We work hard around here. Can't help it." Casey twinkles. "We did get some outside help, but don't tell anyone, eh? Walking tour secret. Speaking of, is there anywhere in particular you ladies were looking forward to seeing? I had a little order planned, but I'd be happy to rejigger. Get the good stuff in first, that's the motto!"
Gil glances at you. "Um," you say. "...What are the options?"
"The options! Oh, let me see." Casey strokes his chin. "Germination, Incubation, the Biomes, Friend Testing, Friend Disposal, Calm Rooms, Monitoring, Interior Decoration... oh, there's more than that, but is that sparking anything?"
(Choices next.)
