S1011B

Still walking in circles, I see.

Ma puce, do you remember that expensive coq au vin we shared at the Pont Royal?

I remember. It was an Experience Cuisine, stewed in wine several times more expensive than the primary ingredient.

Jeanne, your condition was... poor. You repeatedly complained of headaches and nausea, and had to lean on my shoulder as we walked through the streets. Despite that, you disregarded my suggestion that you return home.

Well, it was our first anniversary. Fortunately, I felt much better once we sat down at the bar.

Because, by sheer coincidence... the Experience Wine that came with it happened to contain a waltz I adored. Isn't that strange? It wasn't even a particularly famous piece.

As I sat there enchanted by the music... as if they'd agreed to meet, our forks clinked. Over a plate of carrot-flavored Experience Salad I hardly ever ate, too!

So the staple in N Corp. is food that lets you experience, uh, the experience of eating different menu...?

What did you expect? Having a real carrot salad and the experience of doing so are one and equal at N Corp. It's considered morally decent, even, to experience the food you want through Experience Cuisines instead of eating the real thing. I knew it all too well, and yet...

... It was the strangest thing. The instant that tiny clink of forks died away, my nausea stopped - as though the world had begun turning the other way.

Was it the beautiful waltz playing at the bar? Or was it... the feeling of my fork touching yours, ma puce?

... It was because the bar was quiet and sparsely occupied.

Maybe so. But it was an unforgettable experience for me.

But you... you must remember the nausea instead.

That sort of qualification was trained and drilled into you since you were a child, after all.

......

It's not difficult to make use of this place.

The only reason it appears so cryptic is that you're all outsiders - strangers.

Is there some trick to it? A condition, maybe...? Say, something like skipping all the odd-numbered stairs?

Nothing so riddling. That would be far too difficult.

You simply have to " " everything you see with care - in the finest possible detail. Surrender yourself to unfamiliar doubts and questions.

Can an escalator that does not move still be an escalator?

... It would be closer to the nature of a staircase.

Would it? Can that sealed, impassable structure - one that permits neither ascent nor descent - truly be said to resemble a staircase?

......

You must keep looking. Don't stop.

If you suspend judgment and circle the question again and again, the dizziness will ease.