Invisible Parties — 28 of 31

Book - Mutual Slump

mutualslump is a party in tangle. mutualslump is north of wakeroom. The printed name of mutualslump is "Mutual Slump". Understand "mutual" or "slump" or "bedroom" as mutualslump.

The description of mutualslump is "The room is safely small. There's a big bed, and soft carpeting, and it's agreeably warm. You are in good company. Details beyond this come lightly and go away lightly.[p]There are ways out, but they're less comfortable."

the wayout is a waymouth in mutualslump. Understand "way out" as wayout. The printed name of wayout is "way out". The description of wayout is "You sense a way through to the Empty City; in your mind it's the taste of soot and stagnant water, a dull red, a bone-ache."

the big bed is an unimplement in mutualslump. the soft carpeting is an unimplement in mutualslump. The description of big bed is "Soft. Accomodating." The description of soft carpeting is "It's not the nicest carpet, but holy hells it seems welcoming."

The tsadesc of mutualslump is "You're ambiguous and floppy, every minor tension and ache drained out of you. Gender indistinct, and distinctly less important."

the prone people are a crowd in mutualslump. The description of the prone people is "They're safe. Reliable. That's all that really matters. They're slouched and snuggled about the place like an overcrowded seal colony; some are asleep, but most are just pleasantly on sleep's border." Understand "company" as prone people.

The listendesc of mutualslump is "The music is soft, warbly, the singer plaintive - no, not so much plaintive as beautifully resigned to sadness." [I am thinking primarily of Belle & Sebastian here, though Nick Drake may be implied.]

The boozedesc of mutualslump is "Mostly water. You have a vague sense that there's some peppermint tea somewhere, but no inclination to find out."

Instead of drinking the drinks in mutualslump when mutualslump is not doomed: say "You sip some water."

The threshold of mutualslump is 2.

The rivdesc of mutualslump is "The stomach your head is resting on is, you're [one of]suddenly aware[or]almost certain[stopping], Rivka Strossi's."

The rivcostume of mutualslump is "She's softer than you would have expected. One hand is playing with your hair. It's unnervingly pleasant."

The rivweapon of mutualslump is "a baseball bat".

The closeclue of mutualslump is "Hey, there's your copy of [i]The Baron in the Trees[/i] that you lent to Jave and never got back."

the Calvino book is a clue. the javeclue of mutualslump is the calvino book. Understand "baron" or "trees" or "baron in the trees" as Calvino book. The printed name of Calvino book is "[i]The Baron in the Trees[/i]".

The description of calvino book is "It has become considerably more dog-eared[one of].[p]Lacmore Slope was a bad, bad fucking job. The only safe route out was a five-day hoof, and there were no places safe enough for R&R leave, so days off were spent dossed out in the dorms, desperate for something to think about other than what you'd seen during your days on.[p] They knew it was shit, though, and the employment terms included two crates of personal supplies and a generous advance. You converted one crate and most of the advance into reading material[or]One of your favourite books, long-lent[stopping]."

Instead of sleeping: say "Seriously not the time for it."

Instead of sleeping in mutualslump: say "Under the all-encompassing feeling of comfort, very deep down, is the suspicion that if you went to sleep here you might not wake up."

Instead of using textual critic in the presence of Calvino book:

say "Most obviously it's concerned with escapism, exile, and with the Wood. The wood touches every part of Ombrosa, yet it is not Ombrosa. Cosimo is a sort of fairy, an inhabitant of a land adjacent but fundamentally separate; thus able to retain a certain attitude of youth. The bargain he makes is an end in itself, not a temporary sojourn in the wilderness; unlike Mowgli or Crusoe, he is not destined, nor is he willing, to return to an ordained place in civilised society - about which Calvino, unlike Defoe or Kipling, is generally pessimistic, yet Cosimo's exile is in some limited senses a triumph, not a reduction. It's a book tied to the age of profound disappointment that follows an age of idealism, particularly intellectual idealism.[p]You could expand at length upon this to unpack the significance to post-WW2 Italy, to mid-C20th socialism, to the relationship between sainted hermit and ivory-tower intellectual, to clade non-interventionism, and to your own special turmoils; but you have more pressing objectives.";

The javeinit of mutualslump is "Jave is curled up like a cat, her head resting on your shoulder, breathing slow and regular."

The javedesc of mutualslump is "You can't see her face from this angle, but you don't think she's asleep. Her touch is immensely soothing."

The javecostume of mutualslump is "She's wearing grey sweat-pants, purple socks with unicorns on them, and a sweatshirt with the caption [i]DOGS WITHOUT GODS - Long Patrol Refresher [']09[/i] on the back."

the desolation of mutualslump is "The walls are fading into a nondescript grey. The soft, gentle feel of the world is turning into an unbearable fug. There is no longer very much distinction between the sleepers and the floor and bed: you cannot make out where one begins and another ends, and you can't even say what they ought to look like. The light, already soft, is flattening into a uniform fuzzy glow, the background noise into a single steady heartbeat."

the demise of mutualslump is "Distinctions fade. No judgement. No boundary. No self.[p]Which is to say, no you."

The Empty City is an egress. Empty City is outside from mutualslump. The description of Empty City is "A cobbled and overhung street, leading upwards to a line of boarded-up storefronts; the air has the faint taste of a sea-mist, and the dull red glow of the sky accomodates no stars. The city is sometimes long-ruined, sometimes temporarily abandoned, sometimes merely shuttered against the night or the storm; you will meet only strays and transients here. Faceless cars might pass, but you'll always be on foot, in the interstices of the city and the road. A hard way, perhaps the loneliest."

The javedesc of Empty City is "In this light Jave is little more than a shadowy presence beside you, but she's here."

The listendesc of Empty City is "The distant roar of a motorway. Raised voices, you're not sure in which direction. The occasional siren."

The roadahead of the Empty City is "Glass crunches underfoot. Far off, a dog tries to howl but cracks into a whine."

The rebadesc of Empty City is "Reba al-Nasri congenially lurks in a gutted doorway."

The javeapp of Empty City is "Jave slumps against a wall, catching her breath".

[I really should have submitted Congenially Lurks as a pseudonym.]

The tsadesc of Empty City is "Black jeans going out at the knee. Army boots. Grey hoodie, neoprene shooting gloves. Wardrobe aside, you feel close to your default, only more worn-down and grimy."

The rebalook of Empty City is "Reba is gothed up in a style best-described as a burlesque version of Miss Havisham, decaying wedding-gown and artificially tear-streaked makeup. The torn fishnets are perhaps overselling it, but you can't deny that it's working for her"