¨¨¨¨¨::=%¶ ¶%=::¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=††%%¶¶ ¶¶%%††=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~†&# #&†~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## they built the final nightclub on top ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~===†%&# of an undocumented research site. each #&%†===~:¨
¨¨¨¨::==%¶ floor closer to the collapsed warp ¶%==::¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## prototype. did they know at the start? ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨~~==†& classified maps had gone missing some &†==~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~†%%%& years before. &%%%†~:¨¨¨
¨¨¨:==%&&& &&&%==:¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## the deeper you descend, the stranger ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=††%%%¶ the environment - first more ¶%%%††=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## enthralling and intrusive, then seedy ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶¶¶ and predatory, but pierce deeper and ¶¶¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&### there will be more peculiar effects. ###&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~=%& your sense of space will seem to &%=~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## distort (it's actually the spacetime ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:=%¶ itself that is becoming fluid), then ¶%=:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## your body, and finally your sense of ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## self. ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶¶¶ ¶¶¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†††&&¶ # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ##### ### ¶&&†††=~:¨
¨¨¨¨~=†%¶¶ ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##### ### ¶¶%†=~¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ### ### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:=%¶ #### #### #### #### #### #### #### #### ¶%=:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&&¶¶ ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ¶¶&&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%%&&& ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### &&&%%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&&&¶ ###### ###### ######## ######## ¶&&&%†=~:¨
¨::~~=††&¶ ######## ######## ######## ######## ¶&††=~~::¨
¨:~=†%&### ######## ######## ######## ######## ###&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ######## ######## :::::::::::::::::: ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&### :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: :::: ###&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## :::: :::: :::: ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨~===††& ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ &††===~¨¨¨
¨:~~~~=†&¶ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¶&†=~~~~:¨
¨:~=†%&&¶# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¶&&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=%&¶### ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ :¨ :¨ :¨ :¨ :¨ :¨ ###¶&%=~:¨
:~=†%&¶### :¨ :¨ :¨ :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ###¶&%†=~:
¨:~=†%&¶¶¶ :: :: :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ :~ := := := ¶¶¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## := :† :† :% :& :¶ :# :# ~¨ ~: ~~ ~= ~† ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ~% ~& ~¶ ~# ~# =¨ =: =~ == =† =% =& =¶ ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## =# =# †¨ †: †~ †= †† †% †& †¶ †# †# %¨ ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=††%%%¶ %: %~ %= %† %% %& %¶ %# %# &¨ &: &~ &= ¶%%%††=~:¨
¨:~=†&¶### &† &% && &¶ &# &# ¶¨ ¶: ¶~ ¶= ¶† ¶% ¶& ###¶&†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&### ¶¶ ¶# ¶# #¨ #: #~ #= #† #% #& #¶ ## ## ###&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&&¶¶ #¨ #: #~ #= #† #% #& #¶ ¶¶&&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨:=††%& the ceiling is covered in actual stars. &%††=:¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%¶### eyes above ###¶%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&### fading into silver flakes as they fall ###&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## bubbles in drinks ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~†&# #&†~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=†%¶ drinks with a secret ingredient, that ¶%†=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## makes you see the stars even when you ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=††& close your eyes. &††=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=%&& &&%=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## at these deeper levels it can be hard ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## to remember who and where you are ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~==††&&¶ (were). normal staff is as transformed ¶&&††==~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶¶¶ as guests. instead, care and protection ¶¶¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&### are offered by (overly flirty) ###&%†=~:¨
¨::~~†%&&¶ pool toys and other such automatons. ¶&&%†~~::¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨:=%&&& if you stay above absolute madness, &&&%=:¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## there is some sort of control to be ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## had. you could slip into your ideal dog ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶¶# body there, explore that. you could #¶¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## drink poisonous ambrosia and not be ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶¶# burned away. you could explore #¶¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~===†&&# territories just as mapless as those #&&†===~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## closer to the core, but with a chance ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## of finding your way back. ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨:::~†& ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# &†~:::¨¨¨¨
¨¨:~~††%&¶ :: the honey is a trap and there's a :: ¶&%††~~:¨¨
¨:~===%&¶# ~~ sting, a sting, a sting. ~~ #¶&%===~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## =¨ it's in your eyes and it's in your ¨= ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%%%¶# †: mouth and your hands, their hands :† #¶%%%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## %~ it's in your heart and in your ~% ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨~~=†&¶ &= mind and the minds of those around =& ¶&†=~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~==%¶ ¶† you, their hearts, their bodies. †¶ ¶%==~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~†%¶¶ #% #% #% #% #% #% #% #% #% #% #% ¶¶%†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨::~~==†& and if you're lucky, you'll never get &†==~~::¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## out. don't bite the other guests. ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## (or do) ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## the deeper the floor goes, the more ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## expensive the drinks. this is not ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:=†& coincidental. the more expensive the &†=:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## drinks, the more likely it is that ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## someone will buy them for you. ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~††& this is also not coincidental. if &††~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## someone buys you a drink, they are very ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨::=%& likely to take care of your needs in &%=::¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~~=††& other ways as well. &††=~~:¨¨¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%%%&¶ ¶&%%%†=~:¨
¨:~=†%&¶## ##¶&%†=~:¨
¨¨¨~~=††&& &&††=~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:=%%& &%%=:¨¨¨¨¨