I quickly slip into the room, noiselessly closing the door behind me before turning off the lights. As far as my follower should be concerned, this is just another empty room. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case. "Hello? Who's there? Why did you turn off the lights?" I look behind me, and through the pitch black darkness I see what appears to be a young boy hunched over a book at one of the tables. I recognize him as the male from my first hour, I believe his name was Toby. He evidently can't see me through the dark, a fact that he is making very clear. "Huh? Who are you? I can't see anything, turn that light back on, please," the sounds he is producing could be enough to bring attention from the outside. Looking through the window, I can see the shadow of my follower cast on the ground. It's only a matter of time before he begins going through the hallway, at which time the possibility of him hearing the noise would likely blow my cover. I need to find some way to silence Toby. *fake_choice #Incapacitate him *set notoby true *set tobyhostileforlife true *set tobyrelationship "Hostile" The simplest solution is usually the best one. I quickly move across the room, noiselessly going around him and using the dark to cover my approach, then wrapping my arms around his neck, pinching down from the sides of the neck to cut off the flow of blood to his head. He is unconscious within seconds, and as far as I can tell, he never even saw my face. Truly the most efficient method. Staying to the back of the room and trusting the dark to keep me hidden, I watch my following cross by my window. He stops a moment, looking around with a clear look of perplexion on his face. He also takes the time to look through each window, but the complete darkness keeps me hidden and he quickly gives up after putting in the minimal effort to inspect each classroom before shrugging his shoulders and assuming I'd vanished. It appears whatever reason he decided to follow me, it is not urgent nor does it appear to be a matter that he is seriously invested in. Having successfully evaded this new threat, and gained a first-hand understanding into how he operates, I deem it safe to return to my previous schedule. This conflict is likely not over, but it at least isn't a problem at this very moment. The only problem would probably be the freshmen currently collapsed on the chemistry floor... *fake_choice #Go to lunch He hasn't seen my face, nor heard my voice, nor seen or heard anything that could directly lead to me. If someone made an extensive investigation they could probably trace it back to me, but the principal doesn't appear the type to put a lot of effort into dealing with a problem that isn't directly in front of him. There is no reason for why I should have to deal with this. That thought in mind, I promptly turn around and allow the young boy to enjoy his nap. *page_break Next *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 #Call the nurse *set stealth -1 *set humanity +1 It's only polite. Of course, that doesn't mean I absolutely have to incriminate myself in the process. A simple call to the office using the teacher's phone and leaving the phone hanging is all that's really required; given the state of the security in this school, I can assume they'll at least send someone to investigate and discover him, and I'm free to go on my way to lunch. If someone made an extensive investigation they could probably trace it back to me, but the principal doesn't appear the type to put a lot of effort into dealing with a problem that isn't directly in front of him. There is no reason for why I should worry, Toby will be fine. *page_break Next *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 #Forcefully silence him *set toby_hens -10 *set tobyrelationship "Unnerved" I only have a fraction of time to act, and it may already be too late. Nonetheless, I quickly dash across the room, firmly placing a hand over his mouth to prevent any further outbursts. He struggles in the predictable ways, pushing, grabbing, kicking. The kicking is risky, if he ended up hitting something then that would reveal our location. I take the precaution of using my foot to quietly push away any nearby chairs. Eventually I'm able to overpower him, pushing his head down on a desk by the mouth, and keep an eye on the door window. I watch my following cross by my window. He stops a moment, looking around with a clear look of perplexion on his face. He also takes the time to look through each window, but the complete darkness keeps us hidden and he quickly gives up after putting in the minimal effort to inspect each classroom before shrugging his shoulders and assuming I'd vanished. It appears whatever reason he decided to follow me, it is not urgent nor does it appear to be a matter that he is seriously invested in. With the new threat temporarily avoided, and having gained a first-hand understanding of how he operates, I would say this initial encounter has been fairly productive. Having gotten a look at him, I can say with reasonable confidence that he doesn't provide any threat that I haven't already come across today. It's true that one doesn't live as long as I have by being confident, and every threat should be approached with caution, but with experience you can usually tell which threats can be safely taken care of without much effort. As long as he doesn't have reinforcements, and I don't find myself outnumbered, I should manage. Right now, the only thing I need to worry about is Toby. *page_break Next I cautiously release him, and he pushes away urgently, trying to get distance. "${firstname}? Why did you do that? That was seriously terrifying!" He berates me *fake_choice #Explain the situation to him *set toby_hens +10 *set stealth -1 *set combat -1 *set tobyrelationship "Friendly" "I understand that you are upset. There is a valid reason for all of this?" "Well, what reason is that?" He asks "Someone was following me and I needed to evade them. I came in here in the hopes of escaping, and when I saw you I needed you to be quiet, and did not have the time to explain the situation to you. Thus, I was required to take drastic measures in order to keep your voice from giving away my position." "...Okay, I guess that makes sense." "Wait, really?" "I mean, I wish you had just talked to me...but I guess you were in a bit of a hurry, this guy sounds like he had you pretty spooked. I guess I understand where you were coming from." Well, I suppose I should be grateful that I was able to find someone so understanding. *page_break Next "Hey, is this guy still going to come after you?" "Likely, unless I take care of it." "Oh, well would you like to eat with me? That might be a bit safer." "You are inviting me to have lunch with you?" "Yea, I was just about to head to the cafeteria, and I wouldn't mind if you sat with me and my friends. Want to come along?" *fake_choice #No *set notoby true "Alright, I guess that's your choice," he says in a disappointed tone, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow in first hour?" "Probably." I'm not certain why Toby appears to be taking this so personally, but it's not really my concern. I just hope for his sake that he learns to break this habit of becoming so emotionally invested in people after he's just met them. It's just begging to be hurt. *page_break Next *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 #Sure *set toby_hens +5 *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 He's forgiven me rather quickly, and I'd rather not ruin that. When one has a talent for making enemies, it's important to gather enough allies to counter it. And something about Toby's demeanor gives off a feeling of genuineness that makes one instinctively trust him; I should keep an eye on him in case that turns out to be deceptive. "That's great, just let me finish up this thing I was doing for Miss. Warran," he says, picking up the book he was previously reading from the floor "What exactly were you doing in here before I came in?" "Miss. Warran asked me to put away the books she had us reading in class; I probably would have been done sooner if I hadn't started reading one," he says while focusing on the task of collecting books scattered around the rooms and placing them neatly on the shelves "Is this something you do often?" "Well, yeah, doesn't everyone?" Judging by the few hours I've spent in this building, I think Toby's perception of reality might be a little off. Still, he is the native. Maybe I'm just catching everyone on a bad day. *page_break Next *goto_scene 1-9tobylunch-1 #Go to lunch I don't have time for this. And I tell him as such. "I don't have time for this." "But...hey, don't just walk away, that's downright rude! At least turn the lights back on!" He kept speaking even after I'd already gone out the door, though I couldn't hear him after closing it. Finally, with nobody left to give me trouble, I'm able to go peacefully to the lunchroom. *page_break Next *goto_scene 1-9lunch-1 #Tell him to be quiet *set combat -1 *set explosives -1 *set reflex -1 "I require your silence. Be quiet or I will remove your voice." "Remove my voice? what does that mean?" I hear the footsteps getting closer, and quickly get out of sight of the window and hold my breath. "Excuse me, are you still there?" "Shut up." "I just want to know what's going on..." I heard the footsteps stop right in front of the door, and hurriedly turn my head toward Toby with a finger to my lips. The universal sign for "shut the hell up or I will cut your tongue out." "What are you doing? I can't see you..." I hear the doorknob turn... *fake_choice #Ambush *set toby_hens -10 *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-2evade-3toby-1ambush #Try to talk this out *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-2evade-3toby-1talk #Give up on stealth *set stealth -1 *goto_scene 1-9fightlunch-2evade-2toby