Conversation · Andre

"I don't understand a single thing you're saying."

"Yeah," he shrugs with melancholy. "I know you don't. So, you got more questions?"

"That's pretty down-beat. I think I speak for all of us when I say we expected the law to be more open to the idea of love, unity, and the Perikarnassian posse."

"I guess love can be pretty hard core..."

"Oh yeah, it can!"

"He's coming around." He nods at his friend, then turns to you with a mischievous grin: "You're getting it."

"I now understand it was lame of me to suggest otherwise. Anodic music is about love and so is the Perikarnassian Church." (Proceed.)

"YEAAGH! Yekokataa -- the place to be!"

He seems ecstatic that you share his vision of Perikarnassianism.

"Do it for the masses, do it for the crew." His friend forms a fist with a screwdriver still in his hand. Approvingly so.

"I didn't want to say it, but it was pretty lame of you to imply otherwise. Anyway, you got more questions?"

The one with the large head is still looking at you, nodding his head, waiting for your body to start moving...

Yeah, let it out! Let the disco happen. Bring the disco into this world! Get this church shit on and then dance there motherfucker!

You feel like you could go for a little disco when -- or if -- they get this club going. You've got it in you.

No words, enjoy the beat. (Nod your head.)

Feels good.

"They sound like exactly the kind of people who would want loud dance music in their church!"

"You're right, they do!" he says, without the slightest hint of irony.

"Now Andre -- in your opinion -- would this ancient religious organization who anoints the innocence want a dance club in one of their churches?"

"Totally." There isn't a trace of doubt in his voice.

"Sounds like a place. I've had enough of those. Let's talk about something else."

"Meteo?"

"Meteo. A country. On Mundi?" He looks at you, squinting his eyes to see if you're kidding. "On the Mundi isola."

One of the poorest of the first world nations today -- but once a great ancient civilization. Capital: Thylakos-by-Pisantic.

"Oh, the Founding Party. I do know them... but can you refresh my memory?"

"And what is the Founding Party?"

"That's it for now." [Leave.]

"Goodbye, officer."

"Be careful in there, officer. And tell us how it goes, yeah? We'll be here."

"Oh! Oh! You should have the key. We had to padlock the door to the church to keep more vagrants from wandering in... Noid, give the officer the key!"

"You can always come ask for the key to the church if you change your mind. Keep it cool, officer." He winks at you.

He doesn't look resigned at all. Probably counting on your curiosity to get the best of you sooner or later.

"If you do decide to look into the matter of the church, you know where to find us." He flashes you a confident smile.

"About the church door..."

No words. Just dance.

"I wanted to ask you about this tent full of equipment."

"Oh, the God of Dance is back! I'm dancing with the God of Dance!" He dances over to you, moving in a slightly less lame manner.

"Yeah. It's all set up, man! Can you already imagine a thousand people in here?! Ten thousand?!" He waves his hands in an unbelievably lame, non-hard-core manner.

"Ecstatic vibrations! Totally transcendent! And I've finished setting up the new compressor too!" He looks at the imposing black box in the corner that's churning out the sound.

"Now the only thing left to do is the name of the club. Will you do the honours, detective?"

"I think I've come up with a name..." (Proceed.)

"You have?" Andre stops touching his hair. "Well, what's the name?"

"Disco Elysium."

"Like that Dolorian word for the world, you mean? Elysium..."

"But Disco Elysium..." She looks unsure. "Isn't it wacky? Disco's kind of gone, isn't it? Forgotten."

"THE PAST IS THE FUTURE, BUT THE FUTURE IS DEAD!"

"No, it's beautiful. Beautiful and brave! Like we want it to be."

"And short. And memorable!"

"It's settled, then. Everyone, welcome to Disco Elysium!" A light beam washes over the dance floor, bathing it in violet blue.

The wind brings some snow in from the broken gallery. It wraps you in its embrace, cold and luminous. You should return to the mural soon, to the one that said: Tomorrow is just a whisper away.

Andre breaks into frenzied dance-like motion to celebrate the name. Someone turns up the beat.

You should go with the flow. Join in on the experience.

Start tapping your foot.

It feels good, it feels right... but what is this? What is this thing that Andre is doing with his limbs?!

(Observe his movement.) "What are you doing, Andre?"

"I'm dancing!" He performs yet another strange pattern of moves, but it doesn't look very cool or modern. Honestly, it looks kind of lame...

That soft-core gyrating is supposed to be dancing?

"We should talk about it. We should talk about your so-called 'dancing'."

"Yes, my man!" He jumps up and down with glee, his moves punctuated by the stroboscopic flash of the club lights.

Talk? What is there to talk about if you can express yourself with moves?