After first hour, my next destination is clear. Unlike most students who only have to worry about getting to their next class on time, I have a little detour to make. I find my new employer, Miss Stein, waiting patiently at her own first hour class. Barely any introduction needs to be made. She looks up as I approach, and starts walking. Confident that I'll follow, like I have every day for the past couple months. "I'm going to need your help with something." She says to me as we're walking through the crowds. "You're going to have to miss your second hour. Will that be a problem?" Second hour: Personal Finance. Current project: Simulating playing the stock market. Personal investment: Almost none. "That shouldn't be a problem." *page_break Next The next 45 minutes is spent roaming down the halls with a massive stack of sheets and posters, watching Miss Stein taping them up to the wall at random intervals and patterns. Not exactly the most stimulating of tasks. We both fall into a routine pretty quickly. Makes me think back to the original pitch she gave me when I was offered the bodyguard position in the first place. Fiscal currency and opportunistic relationships, in exchange for guaranteed security of her life. It sounded more exciting back then. But for the most part, all that I've had to do is escort her between classes, and occasionally home when her own personal driver isn't available. As I'm watching Miss Stein grab another poster out of my hand and tape it up on the wall, I take a look at what exactly it is that we're putting up all over the school. "What kind of posters are these?" "School club advertisements." She explains simply, moving on to the next one without missing a beat. "I see..." *fake_choice #What's a school club? "What's a school club?" She looks at me with a look that tells me I'm once again asking one of those 'common knowledge' questions, though I suspect she's used to those by now. "They're extracurricular activities." She states, not at all simplifying it. "They're...groups or activities that the students can do outside of class." "Don't students do things on their own?" "I mean, groups or activities that the school organizes and sanctions, usually for some educational purpose, or for improving future prospects." "Like classes?" "No, I mean...they're optional. Kids can do them if they want." "Why would students take additional classes?" "They're not classes!" She sighs in exacerbation. "They're just side activities." "I see. And what do students gain from partaking in these school activities." "Well, most students use it as a chance to make friends or have fun." She says, putting up yet another poster. This one with a bunch of cartoonish looking musical instruments. "See this one, music club. Students who fancy themselves musicians can join and meet other kids with the same interest." She puts up another one, with two masks. One with a smiley face, the other with a sad face. "Drama club, kids can join to put on plays or musicals." And a third one, with a walking, talking peanut on it. "And the Peanut Club...which...does something involving peanuts, I don't know what, but they have fun doing it. But you get my point." #Why are [i]we[/i] putting them up? "Why is the student council president doing this? Is it another one of those things that you feel is too important to trust in underlings." "Well, between you and me, I don't really have very many underlings." She says with a hint of shame that makes it seem like this is a weight off her chest. "Most people find me a bit...abrasive." *choice #"Good point. You [i]are[/i] terrible." *set badworker +1 "Good point. You [i]are[/i] terrible." She looks at me with an annoyed glare. "...No one asked you." *goto sated #"Understandable. Students aren't used to your work load." *set goodworker +1 "Understandable. Students aren't used to your work load." "I hope you aren't saying I'm too hard on you." "Not at all." I reply. "Just that the average student doesn't seem enthusiastic about adding new tasks to their daily list." "Good. It's just less competition." *goto sated #"...Well that is just silly." "...Well that is just silly." "Is that sarcasm?" *choice #"Yes." *set tsundereworker +1 "Yes." "It doesn't suit you." *goto sated #"No." *set goodworker +1 "No." "Right, didn't think so. It wouldn't suit you, anyway." *goto sated *label sated "Alright." I say with a shrug. "Curiosity sated." "Why are you asking, anyway? Don't tell me you're interested?" *fake_choice #I might be *set stealth -1 *set firearms -1 "I might be." It does seem a bit interesting. Even if it is definitely something I wouldn't be allowed to do. Next year maybe. Hopefully. She looks at me with a looks of utter surprise. "Seriously?" "Is that a problem?" "No, it just seems...out of character." She admits, "I didn't think you'd be the type to do anything you didn't have to. Though I guess there's a lot I don't actually know about you." #No, just curious "No, just curious." I doubt I'd be allowed to join a club anyway. A few years down the line maybe, but not my first year. She nods. "I figured." "You did?" "I don't really see you having any kind of interest in these school activities. It'd be a bit out of character for you to start worrying about socializing now." She shrugs, "Though, I guess there's a lot I don't actually know about you." She's right on that last point. Though lately she's been bringing it up with increasing frequency. *fake_choice #"Are you curious about something, boss?" *set stealth -1 *set goodworker +1 "Are you curious about something, boss?" "As a matter of fact, I am." *if (lucytruth =true) *label smartass1 She sticks up her nose, "Though I dare not ask [i]you." "Why not?" "Cause you'll just [i]tell[/i] me!" There have been many things I've been criticized on when adapting to this new world. Honesty with authority has not been one of them, until this very moment. "I...apologize?" "You'd better!" She sighs, "In all seriousness, I do appreciate that I can trust you. But...now I know there's something more about you." She shrugs. "I know your dad is CIA and all, but something tells me there's more to that. And I know you'd tell me; but for just this thing, maybe keep a little bit of a secret for me to figure out on my own?" *label lie *fake_choice #"I can do that." *set goodworker +1 "I can do that." Shouldn't be hard. "Thanks." She smiles, "Let's get the rest of these posters done before my arms give out." *goto actualcontent #"So to be clear: you appreciate my honesty, and you want me to lie to you." *set tsundereworker +1 "So to be clear: you appreciate my honesty, and you want me to lie to you." "Pretty much." She nods. "Most would call that self-contradicting." She laughs. "I'm a woman. Being self-contradicting is my birthright." *goto actualcontent *if (lucytruth =false) *label smartass2 *set badworker +1 She sticks up her nose, "In fact, I've had some questions for a few [i]months[/i] now." "Which are?" "How about when you planned to tell me your dad was in the CIA?!" She said, suddenly several decibels louder. "I lost a private detective trying to figure that out!" "Lost?" I look at her. "What do you mean?" She flinches, and I realize I've accidentally slipped into my 'killer face.' Still, composes herself quickly and meets my gaze. "Look, I'm not the type of person to just employ someone without knowing them. So I did some digging on you. Or rather, I hired people to. The first PI was sent a picture of his family to warn him off, and now he's refusing to take my calls and has sworn to never work for me again." She grumbles that last part, indicating how much it's annoyed her. "The second came back with a picture of [i]me[/i] at the dinner table, taken from outside my window. I only got info about you when I dug through the school's private files. Though none of them stated why you decided to keep all this from me in the first place." "What [i]exactly[/i] was on those files." She waves her hand. "Ah, some stuff about you being a CIA kid, and that the new school security was because he was worried about you. Point is, why didn't you tell me this?" *fake_choice #It didn't seem important *set goodworker +1 "It didn't seem like it would matter to you." "You're my employee, of course it matters to me!" She shouts. Not sure if she's angry at being left out, or offended by the implication. "Are you asking to know my entire story then?" "Well..." She mutters, suddenly hesitant. "Actually...you can keep that to yourself." "But you just said-" "I kind of had fun, figuring it out on my own." She admits. "So, keep it to yourself, that's fine. So long as you're honest about everything else from here on out." *goto lie #I don't trust her *set badworker +1 "I didn't think I could trust you with that info." "Couldn't trust me?" She shouts. "I'm your employer and there were things you were keeping from me! How do I know I can trust [i]you?" "Selfish interest, if nothing else." She scoffs, turning her head from me. "Just...let's get this finished!" "Can do." *goto actualcontent #It's none of her business *set badworker +1 "I didn't think it was any of your business what goes on in my personal life." "None of my business?" She shouts. "I'm your employer! [i]You[/i] are my business! Everything about you is my business!" "I work for you, sure." I explain. "In a mutually beneficial relationship. That doesn't make us friends." She scoffs, turning her head from me. "Just...let's get this finished!" "Can do." *goto actualcontent #I quit *set quitlucy true "This isn't working." I set the posters on the ground. "Wait, what?" She says with a look of complete surprise on her face. "What are you saying?" "I resign from my position. It's clear we aren't compatible." "You're...quitting?" She scoffs. "You're quitting me? Is that what you're saying? Just because I wanted to know more about you?" "No offense. But my privacy is important to me, and if that is unacceptable to you, and we are incompatible." "Just..." She roughly turns her head away from me. "Go then! See if I care!" I nod, turning my back and heading in a different direction. "Farewell, Miss Stein." *goto actualcontent #"I'm not good at receiving hints. Is there something you're trying to ask?" *set stealth -1 *set tsundereworker +1 "I'm not good at receiving hints. Is there something you're trying to ask?" "As a matter of fact, smartass, I am." *if (lucytruth =true) *goto smartass1 *if (lucytruth =false) *goto smartass2 #It's probably nothing *set badworker +1 *if (lucytruth =false) *set badworker +1 It's probably nothing. Even if it was, I'm not sure I would care. Miss Stein and I continue working on in silence. After a bit, she gives me a dirty look and a "hmph," before declaring our job finished and sends me off on my way. *goto actualcontent *label actualcontent *page_break Next Not long after leaving Lucy behind, I'm walking into my third hour, mathematics. Recently, the relations between myself and mathematics had been deteriorating rapidly. After enjoying a degree of academic excellence among my peers for the first couple months, in the only class where I had been able to stand out in a manner unrelated to my combat abilities, I may have been a bit unprepared for upcoming challenges. As our content drifted further away from practical application and more into theories, formulas, and formulas within formulas, my ability to find the reason in any of it had made learning the content far more challenging. *fake_choice #I needed to put a lot of effort into maintaining the same high standards *set explosives -2 *set tactics -2 It required a fair bit of effort. On a few occasions, I even needed to request direct assistance from the instructor. But my grades have not decreased in the slightest. And despite the near meaninglessness of the achievement, I do feel a small amount of pride in that. #I didn't make any adjustments into how I learned the material, and grades have somewhat slipped as a result *set explosives -1 *set tactics -1 Before, I listened to the teacher, paid attention in class, and did the work. This has not changed. The amount of effort I expended at the start of the year has not increased. And while my grade has suffered a little bit, going down in a letter grade to a low B, my early success has been able to carry me so far. I predict a low C at the end of the year, which is acceptable to pass. #The sudden difficulty may have caused me to lose interest in the subject The teacher has talked to me about it a few times. But frankly, I just have a hard time investing any amount of effort or interest at all in a subject that has become increasingly meaningless to me. Even in class, I find it hard to bother trying to follow along as he drones on about formulas that have no real world representation that I can perceive ever being useful to me in any scenario other than highly specific and unlikely ones. I'm not sure what my grade in this class is. Not all that interested in finding out. *page_break Next And almost just as soon as I've sat down, the bell is ringing signifying that class has ended. As I'm gathering my things and getting on the move, I notice Jessy moving in the corner of my eye. Not too surprising that I hadn't made a note of her when I walked in. *if (jessyhostileforlife =true) *set violent %+20 I've become pretty accustomed to the dark scowls she directs toward me every time our paths cross ways. I've found that she's hardly a threat when in my physical presence. Her ability to do harm does increase mildly when distant from me. While lacking in physical capability, there is no denying that she possesses influence over public opinion. Particularly the male students. She pretty much single-handedly ensured that nobody would ever forget those few unpleasant events on my first day here. Though this hasn't influenced anyone into directly attacking me, a perhaps unintentional benefit of her inflaming my violent reputation. And I've gotten fairly used to her scornful glares as she moves across the classroom toward the exit, always from a safe distance. *goto scene *if (jessyrelationship ="Attracted?") or (jessyrelationship ="Annoyed") I've become pretty accustomed to those conspicuous glances and smiles. She's been persistent, I can't deny that. Though I'm still not certain if the show is for me or for the people around us. Over the past few months, rather than lose interest, it almost seems like her range has narrowed in on me. As for why she's focused on me rather than her designated romantic partner, or why said partner seems to be expressing little to no concern about it, is a mystery that I've yet to fully figure out. At least, for a change, I'm not the only one who doesn't understand something. Those around us and in Jessy's social circle seem similarly confused by this behavior, indicating a shift from the usual paradigm that I am unfortunately being dragged into. Another unusual shift in the usual routine I notice is that rather than going toward the door, she appears to be going in my direction. "Hey," she says in greeting once in casual speaking distance. *if (closertoj =true) *goto happyfriendtime *choice #Respond *set combat -1 *set explosives -1 *label happyfriendtime "Good morning, Jessy." I respond to her as casually as I can. *if (combat >80) "Oof, who pissed in your cereal?" Jessy says with a wince. "You don't have to sound so bland and lifeless, not now that I'm here!" I thought my greeting was pretty good... "So, you've been thinking about me?" She asks with her typical flirtatious pose, then continues on without my input. "I mean, of course you have. Hey, listen, I want to do something together." "I see." "I figured you and I should go out together somewhere," her voice slows as she moves slowly into my personal space. "Maybe, go out shopping somewhere." A day out with an...associate. Wouldn't be hard to arrange. I'd have to call Daniel, but I've yet to have him reject a request to go somewhere. "Where?" "The shopping center, of course! Where else?" "What equipment do you require there?" "Look, do you want to go or not?" Her voice inflects mild annoyance and impatience. Best to answer now if I want to avoid provoking her. *choice #Agree. Jessy can be tolerable to be around *label jessy1 *set jessyshopping true *set combat -1 *set stealth -1 *set firearms -1 *set tactics -1 "Fine. Location and time?" Her expression becomes bright and cheerful again. "Ah, just come by the mall whenever, we'll meet at the entrance." *if (combat <80) "Whenever? I'm unfamiliar with this standard of time. Is it French?" "Ugh, whatever!" She scoffs, her good mood soured. "Just...4PM, alright? Is that good enough for you?" "It will do." *goto scene *else "I require a time." "Ugh, whatever!" She scoffs, her good mood soured. "Just...4PM, alright? Is that good enough for you?" "It will do." *goto scene #Agree. It will help figure this girl out *goto jessy1 #Agree. If she's going out, Jason will be there *goto jessy1 #Refuse *set closertoj false "Can't." "Eh?" Her face makes an utterly blank expression. It almost looks a bit comical on her. "What do you mean you can't?" *choice #I'm busy (lie) *set jessyrelationship "Upset" *set combat -1 "I have other things that I need to do and can't be canceled. Important things." "More important than me?" She says this as if it's a far-out possibility only hypothesized in her darkest dreams. "In this particular instance, yes." She scoffs, a gesture I've come to associate with anger and disbelief. "Fine then, forget it. Just leave me alone then." As she's storming off and out of the classroom, and I don't quite have time to point out that she was the one who came to talk to me. *goto scene #I don't want to *set stealth -1 *set jessyrelationship "Upset" "I would. Except I don't want to." "A-are you serious?" She exclaims, her loud pitch drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Geez, asshole! You know, just forget it! Leave me alone!" As she's storming off and out of the classroom, and I don't quite have time to point out that she was the one who came to talk to me. *goto scene #Provoke her *set jessyrelationship "Upset" *set tactics -1 *set closertoj false "I'll make my decision after I have all the information?" She scoffs. "What 'information' do you need? I'm just asking you to go to the mall!" "Which mall?" "Literally the [i]only[/i] mall in town!" "Volume control. You can't accomplish anything when you're angry." The talking vegetables told me so. "Arghgh!" She makes some kind of screeching noises that incorporates a little bit of growling, and storms off out of the room. ...Well that was unnecessary. But amusing. Time to go to my next class. *goto scene #Ignore her I keep my eyes fixed on my bright green backpack as I collect up my supplies, pretending to have not heard the loud and obnoxious schoolgirl. Unfortunately, the need to make a nuisance of herself is strong in this one. As I'm distinctly avoiding looking at her, she slides her way into my field of vision just as I'm about to zip up my bag. "Umm, hellooooo?" She says while drawing out the end, "Are you in there?" "...Hello Jessy." "Oof, who pissed in your cereal?" Jessy says with a wince. "You don't have to sound so bland and lifeless, not now that I'm here!" Thank goodness... "So, you've been thinking about me?" She asks with her typical flirtatious pose, then continues on without my input. "I mean, of course you have. Hey, listen, I want to do something together." "I see." "I figured you and I should go out together somewhere," her voice slows as she moves slowly into my personal space. "Maybe, go out shopping somewhere." A day out with an...associate. Wouldn't be hard to arrange. I'd have to call Daniel, but I've yet to have him reject a request to go somewhere. "Where?" "The shopping center, of course! Where else?" "What equipment do you require there?" "Look, do you want to go or not?" Her voice inflects mild annoyance and impatience. Best to answer now if I want to avoid provoking her. *choice #Agree *label jessy2 *set jessyshopping true *set combat -1 *set stealth -1 *set firearms -1 *set tactics -1 "Fine. Location and time?" Her expression becomes bright and cheerful again. "Ah, just come by the mall whenever, we'll meet at the entrance." *if (combat <80) "Whenever? I'm unfamiliar with this standard of time. Is it French?" "Ugh, whatever!" She scoffs, her good mood soured. "Just...4PM, alright? Is that good enough for you?" "It will do." *goto scene *else "I require a time." "Ugh, whatever!" She scoffs, her good mood soured. "Just...4PM, alright? Is that good enough for you?" "It will do." *goto scene #Agree. It will help figure this girl out *goto jessy2 #Agree. If she's going out, Jason will be there *goto jessy2 #Refuse *set closertoj false "Can't." "Eh?" Her face makes an utterly blank expression. It almost looks a bit comical on her. "What do you mean you can't?" *choice #I'm busy (lie) *set jessyrelationship "Upset" *set combat -1 "I have other things that I need to do and can't be canceled. Important things." "More important than me?" She says this as if it's a far-out possibility only hypothesized in her darkest dreams. "In this particular instance, yes." She scoffs, a gesture I've come to associate with anger and disbelief. "Fine then, forget it. Just leave me alone then." As she's storming off and out of the classroom, and I don't quite have time to point out that she was the one who came to talk to me. *goto scene #I don't want to *set stealth -1 *set jessyrelationship "Upset" "I would. Except I don't want to." "A-are you serious?" She exclaims, her loud pitch drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Geez, asshole! You know, just forget it! Leave me alone!" As she's storming off and out of the classroom, and I don't quite have time to point out that she was the one who came to talk to me. *goto scene #Provoke *set jessyrelationship "Upset" *set closertoj false "I'll make my decision after I have all the information?" She scoffs. "What 'information' do you need? I'm just asking you to go to the mall!" "Which mall?" "Literally the [i]only[/i] mall in town!" "Volume control. You can't accomplish anything when you're angry." The talking vegetables told me so. "Arghgh!" She makes some kind of screeching noises that incorporates a little bit of growling, and storms off out of the room. ...Well that was unnecessary. But amusing. Time to go to my next class. *goto scene *if (jessyrelationship ="Scorned") I've become pretty accustomed to those conspicuous glances and indignant 'hmph' that she likes to direct toward me. She's been consistent, I can't deny that. She's made a show of her dislike toward me, one that her associates have taken note of. Though this hasn't extended beyond light teasing. Nobody since the first day has has used her dislike of me as justification for violence. Perhaps it's due to the lack of effort she's put into slandering my name. From what I can tell, her scorn is more something that comes up whenever we are in proximity, rather than anything overpowering. I can live with that. And if it escalates, I can deal with that. *goto scene *if (jessyrelationship ="Tolerant") Neither of us have had much reason to interact with each other. Despite the friction in our initial meeting, her opinion of me has shifted to a kind of neutral indifference. We meet eyes every now and then, but there's never malice nor affection. Recognition, if anything at all. Peace at a distance. Like the majority of students in this school. I quickly dismiss her and turn toward my bright green backpack. Loading up my supplies in preparation for moving to my next class. Barely making note of her footsteps moving across the room. That is, until I realize that they've stopped at me. The realization alone forces me to look up, and notice Jessy standing directly in front of me. I notice that we appear to be the only ones in the room. Did she instruct her social followers to move on without her? If so, she deliberately made sure that there was no audience to observe our interaction. Another unusual shift in the usual routine. "Hey," she says in casual greeting. Her tone is neutral, almost casual. Not something I usually see when she's interacting with her social circle. Most of the time her expressions are exaggerated, like a speaker with the volume turned up. Now that I think about it, the only times I see her with this neutral look on her face is when she acknowledges me. "Good morning, Jessy." "I wanted to ask you something," she says as an opening to her next question. "You feel like going shopping?" "...Shopping?" "What's with that look?" She sighs in frustration, "You know what shopping is, right?" "Going to a designated storefront to trade an agreed upon currency in exchange for goods of equal value. I know the definition, yes. I'm more curious about why you are asking me, of all people." "How can you make even shopping sound weird," she sighs. *if (male =true) "Don't get the wrong idea, it doesn't make us friends. I'm just asking you so Jason can have another guy there." "Your boyfriend?" "So I've been told," she mutters. *goto go *if (female =true) "Don't get the wrong idea, it doesn't make us friends. I just wanted another girl there, even if it has to be you...you are a girl, right?" "Last I checked." "So you have to have at least [i]some[/i] taste in clothes. Better than Jason, at least. Maybe if you two work together you might even be worthwhile company." "Your boyfriend will be there?" "So I've been told," she mutters. *goto go *label go "Look, do you want to go or not?" *choice #Accept *label jessy3 *set jessyshopping true *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set stealth -1 *set tactics -1 "Fine, time and location?" She sighs, though there appears to be signs of relief on her features. Perhaps this harder for her than I expected? "Ah, just come by the mall whenever, we'll meet at the entrance." *if (combat <80) "Whenever? I'm unfamiliar with this standard of time. Is it French?" "Ugh, whatever!" She scoffs. "Just...4PM, alright? Is that good enough for you?" "It will do." *goto scene *else "I require a time." "Ugh, whatever!" She scoffs. "Just...4PM, alright? Is that good enough for you?" "It will do." *goto scene #Agree. It will help figure this girl out *goto jessy3 #Agree. It'll be nice to see Jason again *goto jessy3 #Refuse *set jessyrelationship "No relation" "Can't." She sighs. "Yeah, I...guess that makes sense." She mutters, and moves away, hastily going toward the door before stopping just outside it while she looks back at me. "Hey...tell anyone about this, and you're socially dead." "...Right." *goto scene *if (jessyrelationship ="Jealous") or (jessyrelationship ="Rival") I've become pretty accustomed to those conspicuous glances and indignant 'hmph' that she likes to direct toward me. She's been consistent, I can't deny that. She's made a show of her dislike toward me, one that her associates have taken note of. Though this hasn't extended beyond light teasing. Nobody has used her dislike of me as justification for violence. Though I don't quite understand the source of her dislike. From what I can tell, for some reason, she sees me as a rival for her influential status among the school populace, particularly the males. No idea why. Nevertheless, her scorn is more something that comes up whenever we are in proximity, rather than anything overpowering that causes her to go out of her way, day and night, to do me harm. I can live with that. And if it escalates, I can deal with that. *goto scene *if ((jessyrelationship ="Confused") or (jessyrelationship ="Curious")) or (jessyrelationship ="Awkward") I've become pretty accustomed to those conspicuous glances and indignant 'hmph' that she likes to direct toward me. She's been consistent, I can't deny that. She's made a show of her dislike toward me, one that her associates have taken note of. Though this hasn't extended beyond light teasing. Nobody has used her dislike of me as justification for violence. And thus, I've had no cause to retaliate against her and further escalate the situation. Curiously, the less I acknowledge her, the more extreme her reactions toward my presence have become. Curiously, however, this time when our eyes casually meet over a distance, she doesn't make any kind of show of it. Simply averting her gaze from me. I quickly dismiss her and turn toward my bright green backpack. Loading up my supplies in preparation for moving to my next class. Barely making note of her footsteps moving across the room. That is, until I realize that they've stopped at me. The realization alone forces me to look up, and notice Jessy standing directly in front of me. I notice that we appear to be the only ones in the room. Did she instruct her social followers to move on without her? If so, she deliberately made sure that there was no audience to observe our interaction. Another unusual shift in the usual routine. "Hey," she says in an attempted casual greeting. Her tone is shaky, almost uncertain. Not something I usually see when she's interacting with her social circle. Most of the time her expressions are exaggerated, like a speaker with the volume turned up. Now that I think about it, the only times I see her ever change her tone and facial expression is when looking at me. "Good morning, Jessy." "I wanted to ask you something, and I'm going to ask it once," she says as an opening to her next question. "You...feel like going shopping?" "...Shopping?" "What's with that look? It's not weird to go shopping with someone!" She sighs in frustration, "You know what shopping is, right?" "Going to a designated storefront to trade and agreed upon currency in exchange for goods of equal value. I know the definition, yes. I'm more curious about why you are asking me, of all people." "How can you make even shopping sound weird," she sighs. *if (male =true) "Don't get the wrong idea, it doesn't make us friends. I'm just asking you so Jason can have another guy there." "Your boyfriend?" "So I've been told," she mutters. *goto gotta *if (female =true) "Don't get the wrong idea, it doesn't make us friends. I just wanted another girl there, even if it has to be you...you are a girl, right?" "Last I checked." "So you have to have at least [i]some[/i] taste in clothes. Better than Jason, at least. Maybe if you two work together you might even be worthwhile company." "Your boyfriend will be there?" "So I've been told," she mutters. *goto gotta *label gotta "Look, do you want to go or not?" *choice #Accept *label jessy4 *set jessyshopping true *set combat -1 *set firearms -1 *set stealth -1 *set tactics -1 "Fine, time and location?" She sighs, though there appears to be signs of relief on her features. Perhaps this harder for her than I expected? "Ah, just come by the mall whenever, we'll meet at the entrance." *if (combat <80) "Whenever? I'm unfamiliar with this standard of time. Is it French?" "Ugh, whatever!" She scoffs, her good mood soured. "Just...4PM, alright? Is that good enough for you?" "It will do." *goto scene *else "I require a time." "Ugh, whatever!" She scoffs, her good mood soured. "Just...4PM, alright? Is that good enough for you?" "It will do." *goto scene #Agree. It will help figure this girl out *goto jessy4 #Agree. If she's going out, Jason will be there *goto jessy4 #Refuse *set jessyrelationship "No relation" "Can't." She sighs. "Yeah, I...guess that makes sense." She mutters, and moves away, hastily going toward the door before stopping just outside it while she looks back at me. "Hey...tell anyone about this, and you're socially dead." "...Right." *goto scene *label scene *page_break Next *goto_scene 2-4Art Lucy: Classmates = She doesn't think much one way or the other about you. Wary = She's not sure about you. Reluctant Gratitude = You helped her, even if she isn't too fond of how you did it. Gratitude = You helped her, and she's grateful (Either you handled the situation peacefully, or you are female). Guarded = She thinks you're crazy. Furious = You injured her. Tense = You're hostile, but not HOSTILE Fond = She's decided she's fond of you. Professional = You are working for her. Rejected = You turned down her job.