Conversation · Man on water lock

"Evening, officer!"

"High time I got moving up the coast. But please, officer, after you."

"But, wait, what's further down the coast?"

"Well, there's the fishing village. An abandoned fish market. A bizarro church. Not much use to the congregation, though -- there always seems to be something wrong with it." He thinks for a moment.

"Yeah, not really much else. Just bombed-out ruins."

"Alrighty then." [Leave.]

"Cheers!" He salutes you with a half-eaten piece of salami.

"'Fraid I can't hang out and chat." He looks west, across the water, chewing on a piece of salami. "Damned water lock's finally been fixed, so I've got to get going."

He doesn't actually seem to be in a rush. It's not in his nature. Enviable calm.

"So, wanna do the honours now?"

"But what's further down the coast?"

"Well, there's the fishing village. An abandoned fish market. A bizarro church. Not much use to the congregation, though -- there always seems to be something wrong with it." He thinks for a moment.

"Yeah, not really much else. Just bombed-out ruins."

"Why don't you just do it yourself?"

"Bah! I've handled enough heavy machinery in my day."

"I'll get right to it." [Leave.]

"Have you ever made a water lock move yourself?" he adds, gesturing toward the water lock control panel to his right. "It's quite the thing. Makes a man feel real powerful."

"Right, bye." [Leave.]

"Do you know what's further down the coast?"

"Well, there's the fishing village. An abandoned fish market. A bizarro church. Not much use to the congregation, though -- there always seems to be something wrong with it." He thinks for a moment.

"Yeah, not really much else. Just bombed-out ruins."

"You said the coast is closed off? This may be why Lena's husband Morell the cryptozoologist hasn't returned."

"Uhm... I haven't seen any cryptologists around here, but sure -- if they're on the other side, they're stuck. Like my friend Barry."

"We should probably go tell Lena. Take a load off her mind."

You should probably tell Lena. It'll take a load off her mind.

"Can I have some of that salami?" (Point at his food.)

"Sure thing." He cuts off a slice of salami.

It is salty. It is savoury. It is chewy. The hangover only makes the salami more tasty.

"Want some too, officer?" he turns to the lieutenant.

"Why not?" The lieutenant ponders the offer for a moment, then decides to go for it. He takes a slice of salami from the man and chews on it.

"What's with the lever that does nothing?" (Point at the control panel next to him.)

"It's supposed to operate the water lock, but as noted... it's all junk right now. Disabled because of the blockage."

"Why is it disabled?"

"Safety measure. Turns out the panel needs a special key to be re-activated. Wouldn't want anyone moving the water lock with debris still in the channel."

"It'll be restarted on Wednesday morning." He nods his head towards the control panel. "You wanna do the honours when the time comes?"

"We'll see... I'm not all that into manual labour."

"Suit yourself. Just drop by on Wednesday if you want to see the water lock work again." He cuts a fresh slice from his salami.

The coast part of the map is inaccessible until the third day.

"Do I ever!" (Nod enthusiastically.)

"Great! Just drop in on Wednesday if you want to see the water lock at work. They say the canal crew will be here at 07.15." He cuts a fresh slice from his salami.

"G'day to you, officer!"

"Good morning to you, officer!"

"Welcome back, officer."

"Do you know what caused this wreckage?" (Point at the smashed billboard in the canal.)

"I wasn't here to witness it, but those look like tyre tracks on that sign. Weird, huh? Then again, plenty of daredevil drivers in Revachol."

The words daredevil driver sound ominous to you.

"Too bad it also takes a year and a day to repair anything 'round here -- especially a water lock. The rest of the coast is closed off till then."

This is the water lock on the Martinaise Canal. It has to be the same water lock Lena mentioned, the one her husband crossed on his "expedition."

[Leave.]

"First things first -- what are you doing here, man on the water lock?"

"My friend Barry the Butcher is stuck on the other side of the water lock. I'm keeping him company -- and eating his salami."

From the corner of your eye you see a man in a yellow shirt and grey overalls waving at you from across the canal. He seems disappointed about the wreckage on the water lock -- and the salami.

"Very good stuff. Anything I can do for you, officer?" The man on the water lock picks the skin off a slice of a salami and takes a sizeable bite.

"Evening, officer!"

A burly man hangs out by the water lock, carving up a generous serving of salami with an old hunter's knife. His eyes are fixed on a man stranded on the other side of the water lock -- and on an enormous billboard that has fallen down into the canal between them.

His posture is relaxed. Despite his powerful build and the knife in his hand, this man resorts to physical intimidation only infrequently, if at all.

"G'day to you, officer!"

"Good morning to you, officer!"