Nightfall comes early.
Windsong already left about an hour ago.
Ulrich: The welcome party should be over by now.
Before the cool air can stiffen his joints, Ulrich heads back inside.
The banquet venue lies directly on Ulrich's path to the office, forcing him to pass by the geometric center point.
The raucous noise from behind the closed doors suggests the party is still at its peak. Evidently, the guests' excitement doesn't hinge on the presence of the party's guest of honor.
Ulrich: Endless nonsense.
He quickens his pace.
The room is still a mess, and Ulrich isn't about to start cleaning it now.
The oscilloscope remains in its original place.
Ulrich: Alright, now we've got time to talk.
Ulrich: Can you turn yourself on?
Despite its connection to a power source, the oscilloscope remains unresponsive.
Ulrich has no choice but to turn it on himself.
Ulrich: The power switch wouldn't be placed among all these tiny buttons. Let's rule out this section.
Ulrich: And it probably isn't on the front panel, so—
Carefully feeling along the back of the machine, he finally finds a toggle switch.
Ulrich: Success.
GAMEPLAY
Branch Researcher II: We talk of friendship, and days gone by. ♫
Ulrich: This is insane!
Ulrich's train of thought is utterly derailed.
Ulrich: That's enough!
All Researchers: Everyone, raise your glasses!! ♪
Clearly, no amount of shouting from the other side of the door will stop these partiers.
Ulrich: Stop it already!
By the time Ulrich has stepped into the corridor, all but one of the partiers have already disappeared.
Dmitry: Ulrich, I thought you weren't coming back!
Dmitry: Come—*hic*—join us! We're catching critters. Though, the little tykes seem to have vanished. I-I need a better vantage point.
Dmitry staggers over to the corridor railing and leans most of his body over the edge.
Ulrich lunges forward, grabbing his shirt and yanking him back.
Dmitry: Ow!
Dmitry: W-What was that for?! Ah!! My Carbuncle! My sausages!!
Dmitry: Damn you, Ulrich! This is all your fault!
Ulrich: For flux's sake! I saved your life, you drunken idiot!
Dmitry: *hic* Well, I didn't ask you to save me.
Even Ulrich could tell that Dmitry was mocking his tone from the welcome party.
Ulrich: Unbelievable. This is a research facility, not your tavern.
Ulrich: The next "Storm" could strike at any moment, and here you are wasting away the time drinking!
Dmitry: And what great—*hic*—world-changing research are you working on, Ulrich?
Dmitry: Lead us, O brave Emperor Ulrich! My liege! Lead us to invent the ultimate machine to weather the "Storm"!
Branch Researcher I: Huh? Is someone fighting!?
The commotion in the corridor has caught the attention of a few partiers.
Branch Researcher II: Great! It'd be a waste of this buzz without a good fight to watch.
Branch Researcher I: Heheh. It's Ulrich! Oh, this is way more fun than chasing a Carbuncle.
A growing crowd surrounds Ulrich and Dmitry as their argument continues.
Ulrich: Understanding the "Storm" will require extensive theoretical work and many experiments, yes, but it is by no means an unsolvable global disaster.
Dmitry: Experiments—what, like that piece of electronic junk you picked out from the trash?!
Branch Researcher I: Junk? What junk, Dmitry? Be specific!
Dmitry: An oscilloscope, it was left in the office, and Ulrich thinks it's alive!
The crowd bursts into laughter.
Ulrich: You can't jump to conclusions.
Dmitry: If you want to be a clown so badly, why don't you head over to the circus in Mirny and hand them your resume?
Dmitry: Now that I think about it, your bulbous head would look perfect with a big red nose stuck in the middle.
Branch Researcher I: Haha. Good lord, that's perfect!
Branch Researcher II: That's right, and the circus should still be in town. You'd be just in time.
Ulrich: ENOUGH!
His shout cuts through the mockery like a knife.
Ulrich: I have attempted to communicate with you in a normal, reasonable way.
Ulrich: Now I see that was a huge mistake.
Dmitry: Huh?
Ulrich: Just when I thought perhaps my fellow Laplace researchers might be able to take their responsibilities seriously and not behave like imbeciles, you go and prove me wrong!
Dmitry: I—
Ulrich: Shut it!
Ulrich: The world would be better off if the "Storm" took you all!
Branch Researcher I: ...
Branch Researcher II: ...
Dmitry: ...
Dmitry: Are you serious, Ulrich?
Ulrich says nothing, turns around, and locks himself in his room.
Branch Researcher I: Did I hear that right?
Branch Researcher II: That's too far. What gives him the right to say that?!
Dmitry: Leave him to his tantrums. Let's go.
Dmitry: He'll never be one of us.