"Or by slaying a mummy in the mines and picking up its dropped wrappings!"

"Ahem."

Lewis collects himself after that exuberant outburst.

"And where do I get a loom, a recycling machine, or an Auto-Grabber?  And how deep in the mines is a mummy, and what level-or-whatever does somebody need to be in order to take one down reliably?"

"To get a loom, you need to make it yourself, and you won't figure out the recipe for it until you've done quite a bit of farming."

"To get a recycling machine, same thing, except you'll need to focus on fishing. That makes sense because most of what you put into the recycling machine comes from fishing in the first place."

"I can't rightly say exactly how deep you'd need to go to fight mummies... I've never actually been down in the mines myself, just heard the tales from Marlon and Gil. Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure we have them in the mines in town proper, you might have to go out to the desert... and of course the bus to the desert is broken down at the moment."

"What, according to you, are the available methods for fixing the bus?"

"Well, see, I really am hoping you're going to let me give you a tour of the Community Center and show you what's been going on there."

"I realize that might not sound connected to fixing the bus... but I have a belief that when we work to build up our community, our community gives back to us."

"Why, no, sir, actually, I completely believe you and can see how those things would be connected, whether you believe me that I believe you or not.  What needs to be done over at the Community Center?  Or what needs to be done first?"

"I just need to give you a tour."

"How supremely logical!  How would we go about scheduling that or arranging it?"

"We can go there right now, if you'd like!"

"Emily, we were in the middle of potentially getting you seeds from Pierre, how do you feel about this here diversion?"

"Seems to me we could go look at the Community Center and then still go to Pierre's after that, and then back to the farm. That all makes sense."

"... I had actually lost track of the idea that we were going to buy seeds... this is a very long day, compared to what I'm used to, just tending bar at the Saloon and having time pass by quickly."

"You doing okay?  Your mind holding up, no need to sleep or anything like that?"

Emily stops to think.

"I seem to be okay? I don't notice any sleepiness or anything. How about you? Is this a normal length day for you? This day feels like it's been going on for weeks."

"Been a pretty short day by my standards, believe it or not.  I spent the morning planting and watering parsnips without talking to anyone, and by my standards, that should've been more like--a hundredth of a day, not half of it."

"I'm going to go talk to Sebastian-who-might-have-Internet before we go.  Try and get the Mayor and bring him to me, or vice versa, if he starts to wander off."

"I'm right here, you know! I'll wander where I please! Heh!"

"Sure, I'll hang with Mayor Lewis."

Oliver will forebear to point out to Mayor Lewis that what he pleases is predictable enough for Emily to know in advance that he's in one of three places; that seems like the sort of comment that maybe wakes somebody up.

Off toward Sebastian, if that's a direction he already knows!

"You'll find Sebastian right down those stairs." She nods in the direction of the kitchen, and then off to the right.

He'll move at Run Speed actually, since he's not talking to anybody right now.

At the bottom of the stairs is a closed door.

Does it open to ordinary means of door-opening?

Nope. It's locked. You're not friends with Sebastian.

Is knocking a meaningful act within the new ontology of reality?

Sebastian hears a knock at the door.

"What? Mom, I'm busy."