Was it too early to drink? Too late? In either case, you knew that's what you wanted to do regardless. It took a bit of wandering around, but you did finally find something resembling a bar in the Palace. *if (background = "guard") You didn't remember this being here from your time in the Guard, but it looked nice all the same. The person attending to the bar gives you a bit of a smile as you approach the counter. "Hi! Welcome in. I'm CJ. If you're looking for a drink, I'm your guy. Make yourself comfortable!" *page_break You give CJ quick look over. He has brown skin with just a few hints of freckles across his smiling cheeks. His hair is blond and curly, pushed back with a black headband. His eyes are forest green. You do eventually take that seat, noticing that while the bar and counter seemed relatively put together, seating in the rest of the area is a bit sparse. "Sorry, er…" CJ waves over the empty areas. "The bar's a bit of a work in progress. King Frederick decided last minute to put in the bar, so…" He slides a menu your way. "Eventually, there will be more places to sit, for the coaches, contestants and anybody in between. For now, just this spot. See anything on the menu you like?" You look down at it and decide on… *fake_choice #Something sweet. *set charisma %+5 *set charming +1 "Something sweet, coming right up!" You watch CJ mix, shake, measure and before long, you have a bright pink drink with a strawberry slice hanging on the rim in front of you as a reward. #Something classic. *set polished %+5 *set aloof +1 "A classic drink. Of course." A short while later, CJ slides an amber colored drink your way. #Something bitter. *set brawn %+5 *set rude +1 "Bitter, eh?" CJ taps two fingers against his cheek before beginning to make your drink. Soon enough, a tall glass with sprigs of mint inside is placed in front of you. #Something light. *set friendly %+5 *set shy +1 "A light drink. Sure thing." You're sure you've only blinked once or twice before a glass is handed to you. "My favorite drinks to make," he says with a smile. #Something non-alcoholic. *set formal %+5 *set charming +1 "Certainly." Before long, CJ slides a glass your way. "Enjoy!" While you sip on your drink, CJ watches you eagerly. "So, how is it?" *fake_choice #Amazing and I tell him so. *set friendly %+5 *set cj %+10 "Amazing? Truly?" You nod, smiling over at him. "Definitely. You have real talent." CJ grins. "That means a lot. Thanks!" *page_break #Terrible and I tell him so. *set rude +1 *set cj %-15 *set snarky %+15 "Terrible? Well." CJ huffs a bit and turns his back to you, scribbling down something in a notebook. "Hmph…less of that then…" *page_break #Amazing, but I'm not sure how to tell him, so I give him a little smile. *set bold %-15 *set cj %+10 *set shy +1 CJ waits a few seconds before grinning. "As long as there's no complaints, I'm happy, " he says. "Glad you like it…I think?" You smile a bit wider for emphasis. *page_break #Terrible, but I don't want to say it. I just smile to be nice. *if (cunning < 60) *set cj %-10 CJ raises his eyebrow. "Well, if you say so…" *if (cunning >= 60) *set cj %+10 He grins. "I'm so glad you like it. I'm not new to making drinks, but I still like to ask." CJ leaves you to your own devices for a little while, busying himself with wiping down the spotless counter. As you finish up your drink, you hear a familiar voice just over your shoulder. "Hi, $!{player_first_name}!" You turn around to see Lyon rushing up to you with many papers in his hands. His outfit is quite casual. A white t-shirt hangs loosely from his body while a few gold necklaces hang around his neck. His legs are covered up by dark blue pants with matching white stripes down the legs. Covering his feet are a pair of sneakers that had seen better days. "Hopefully your day has been good so far! I'm tracking down all my assigned contestants to talk about a program I set up regarding competition stats. Would you like to hear it?" *fake_choice #I don't really, but there's no telling how long he had to search for me. "Sure," I say eventually. *set lyon %+5 *set friendly %-5 Lyon grins and takes a seat beside you. As CJ approaches, Lyon waves him off with a wider grin. "Nothing for me thanks. I'm an embarrassing lightweight." With CJ off to worry with other bar matters Lyon turns to you. "So. That program." Lyon sets down the papers and pulls out a tablet from seemingly thin air. He taps around for a moment before handing it to you. It appears to be a dashboard of sorts. A picture of you is on the left side of the screen, along with basic information like your gender, age and hometown. You don't remember sending in a picture for the website, so you wondered how they managed to get one of you. As if he could read your mind, Lyon starts explaining what's on the screen in front of you. "Sorry if you hate the picture. We just took one from your Arrival Day. Now, the other stuff on your screen…" You listen to Lyon's descriptions of the page. One spot will be filled up with social media posts, good and bad. Alerts for your name are set up and whenever somebody talks about you, it'll pop up on your dashboard. There's also a social leaderboard on your dashboard, which will show who is being talked about the most and the least during the Games. "So, as of right now…" *page_break *if (arrivalmethod = "motorcycle") "People are obsessed with your motorcycle arrival," Lyon tells you with sparkling eyes. "There's been a huge uptick in motorcycle searches since Arrival Day. Purchases are starting to trend that way as well." *if (arrivalmethod = "flowers") "I don't think there's a single ${flowertype} left in Dia, $!{player_first_name}," Lyon chuckles. "Seriously. Seems like you're quite the trendsetter!" *if (arrivalmethod = "airplane") "So skydiving is the current in thing right now, thanks to you," Lyon begins with a shake of his head. "Seems like there's more people in the air than birds these days." *if (arrivalmethod = "none") "Well…" *if (charisma < 60) "Nobody's really talking about you, at least not out of the ordinary. If that changes, I'll be sure to let you know!" *if (charisma >= 60) Lyon smiles. "Usually doing nothing would have people feeling nothing about you…but you're so charismatic, well…" He blushes a tiny bit. "Everybody is still intrigued by you, which isn't surprising. Who wouldn't like you?" *fake_choice #"Oh...well..." I'm speechless and flattered. *set charming +1 "No need to say anything. Just repeating what most people are saying about you online…though I think I was the first to think these thoughts!" #"Plenty, trust me," I reply with a long sigh. *set aloof +1 Lyon pouts a little bit at your words. "Aw, $!{player_first_name}. Don't be like that! You are cool, truly." #"You have a crush on me, already?" I tease. *set flirty +1 *set lyon %+5 Lyon blushes even more, scratching at his bright red forehead. "Ah…well…anyways!" #"Are we quite finished here?" He's briefed me enough. *set rude +1 *set lyon %-5 "Yes! Yes. Definitely, $!{player_first_name}. Sorry, I didn't mean to, er, make things awkward…" #I just grunt, wanting to move on. *set aloof +1 "Right. Of course. Moving on!" #"I...I...thanks." *set shy +1 "Just stating facts!" *if (arrivalmethod = "salute") "Your salute arrival had people split, actually." Lyon drums his fingers against the bar. "Some people thought it was a great show of Odessan strength. Others thought that it was too flashy. Pretty interesting, seeing as none of the other arrivals garnered the same reaction. He smiles and leans back in his seat. "If there are any other interesting things in your profile, I'll be sure to send you an email. You can do the reverse as well, if you're ever curious." *page_break #"Yes, please!" I love hearing about myself. *set lyon %+10 *set friendly %+10 "Yay!" Lyon grins and takes a seat beside you. As CJ approaches, Lyon waves him off with a wider grin. "Nothing for me thanks. I'm an embarrassing lightweight." With CJ off to worry with other bar matters Lyon turns to you. "So. That program." Lyon sets down the papers and pulls out a tablet from seemingly thin air. He taps around for a moment before handing it to you. It appears to be a dashboard of sorts. A picture of you is on the left side of the screen, along with basic information like your gender, age and hometown. You don't remember sending in a picture for the website, so you wondered how they managed to get one of you. As if he could read your mind, Lyon starts explaining what's on the screen in front of you. "Sorry if you hate the picture. We just took one from your Arrival Day. Now, the other stuff on your screen…" You listen to Lyon's descriptions of the page. One spot will be filled up with social media posts, good and bad. Alerts for your name are set up and whenever somebody talks about you, it'll pop up on your dashboard. There's also a social leaderboard on your dashboard, which will show who is being talked about the most and the least during the Games. "So, as of right now…" *page_break *if (arrivalmethod = "motorcycle") "People are obsessed with your motorcycle arrival," Lyon tells you with sparkling eyes. "There's been a huge uptick in motorcycle searches since Arrival Day. Purchases are starting to trend that way as well." *if (arrivalmethod = "flowers") "I don't think there's a single ${flowertype} left in Dia, $!{player_first_name}," Lyon chuckles. "Seriously. Seems like you're quite the trendsetter!" *if (arrivalmethod = "airplane") "So skydiving is the current in thing right now, thanks to you," Lyon begins with a shake of his head. "Seems like there's more people in the air than birds these days." *if (arrivalmethod = "none") "Well…" *if (charisma < 60) "Nobody's really talking about you, at least not out of the ordinary. If that changes, I'll be sure to let you know!" *if (charisma >= 60) Lyon smiles. "Usually doing nothing would have people feeling nothing about you…but you're so charismatic, well…" He blushes a tiny bit. "Everybody is still intrigued by you, which isn't surprising. Who wouldn't like you?" *fake_choice #"Oh...well..." I'm speechless and flattered. *set charming +1 "No need to say anything. Just repeating what most people are saying about you online…though I think I was the first to think these thoughts!" #"Plenty, trust me," I reply with a long sigh. *set aloof +1 Lyon pouts a little bit at your words. "Aw, $!{player_first_name}. Don't be like that! You are cool, truly." #"You have a crush on me, already?" I tease. *set flirty +1 *set lyon %+5 Lyon blushes even more, scratching at his bright red forehead. "Ah…well…anyways!" #"Are we quite finished here?" He's briefed me enough. *set rude +1 *set lyon %-5 "Yes! Yes. Definitely, $!{player_first_name}. Sorry, I didn't mean to, er, make things awkward…" #I just grunt, wanting to move on. *set aloof +1 "Right. Of course. Moving on!" #"I...I...thanks." *set shy +1 "Just stating facts!" *if (arrivalmethod = "salute") "Your salute arrival had people split, actually." Lyon drums his fingers against the bar. "Some people thought it was a great show of Odessan strength. Others thought that it was too flashy. Pretty interesting, seeing as none of the other arrivals garnered the same reaction. He smiles and leans back in his seat. "If there are any other interesting things in your profile, I'll be sure to send you an email. You can do the reverse as well, if you're ever curious." *page_break #"No, go away." I want to finish my drink in peace. *set lyon %-10 *set friendly %-10 "Oh! Right. Sorry." Lyon pushes his papers to his chest and bows his head ever so slightly. "Seek me out if you want to know anything later, $!{player_first_name}." With that, he exits the room as quickly as he came in. *page_break #"Might as well," I reply. *set lyon %+5 Lyon grins and takes a seat beside you. As CJ approaches, Lyon waves him off with a wider grin. "Nothing for me thanks. I'm an embarrassing lightweight." With CJ off to worry with other bar matters Lyon turns to you. "So. That program." Lyon sets down the papers and pulls out a tablet from seemingly thin air. He taps around for a moment before handing it to you. It appears to be a dashboard of sorts. A picture of you is on the left side of the screen, along with basic information like your gender, age and hometown. You don't remember sending in a picture for the website, so you wondered how they managed to get one of you. As if he could read your mind, Lyon starts explaining what's on the screen in front of you. "Sorry if you hate the picture. We just took one from your Arrival Day. Now, the other stuff on your screen…" You listen to Lyon's descriptions of the page. One spot will be filled up with social media posts, good and bad. Alerts for your name are set up and whenever somebody talks about you, it'll pop up on your dashboard. There's also a social leaderboard on your dashboard, which will show who is being talked about the most and the least during the Games. "So, as of right now…" *page_break *if (arrivalmethod = "motorcycle") "People are obsessed with your motorcycle arrival," Lyon tells you with sparkling eyes. "There's been a huge uptick in motorcycle searches since Arrival Day. Purchases are starting to trend that way as well." *if (arrivalmethod = "flowers") "I don't think there's a single ${flowertype} left in Dia, $!{player_first_name}," Lyon chuckles. "Seriously. Seems like you're quite the trendsetter!" *if (arrivalmethod = "airplane") "So skydiving is the current in thing right now, thanks to you," Lyon begins with a shake of his head. "Seems like there's more people in the air than birds these days." *if (arrivalmethod = "none") "Well…" *if (charisma < 60) "Nobody's really talking about you, at least not out of the ordinary. If that changes, I'll be sure to let you know!" *if (charisma >= 60) Lyon smiles. "Usually doing nothing would have people feeling nothing about you…but you're so charismatic, well…" He blushes a tiny bit. "Everybody is still intrigued by you, which isn't surprising. Who wouldn't like you?" *fake_choice #"Oh...well..." I'm speechless and flattered. *set charming +1 "No need to say anything. Just repeating what most people are saying about you online…though I think I was the first to think these thoughts!" #"Plenty, trust me," I reply with a long sigh. *set aloof +1 Lyon pouts a little bit at your words. "Aw, $!{player_first_name}. Don't be like that! You are cool, truly." #"You have a crush on me, already?" I tease. *set flirty +1 *set lyon %+5 Lyon blushes even more, scratching at his bright red forehead. "Ah…well…anyways!" #"Are we quite finished here?" He's briefed me enough. *set rude +1 *set lyon %-5 "Yes! Yes. Definitely, $!{player_first_name}. Sorry, I didn't mean to, er, make things awkward…" #I just grunt, wanting to move on. *set aloof +1 "Right. Of course. Moving on!" #"I...I...thanks." *set shy +1 "Just stating facts!" *if (arrivalmethod = "salute") "Your salute arrival had people split, actually." Lyon drums his fingers against the bar. "Some people thought it was a great show of Odessan strength. Others thought that it was too flashy. Pretty interesting, seeing as none of the other arrivals garnered the same reaction. He smiles and leans back in his seat. "If there are any other interesting things in your profile, I'll be sure to send you an email. You can do the reverse as well, if you're ever curious." *page_break #I nod and leave it at that. *set lyon %+5 Lyon grins and takes a seat beside you. As CJ approaches, Lyon waves him off with a wider grin. "Nothing for me thanks. I'm an embarrassing lightweight." With CJ off to worry with other bar matters Lyon turns to you. "So. That program." Lyon sets down the papers and pulls out a tablet from seemingly thin air. He taps around for a moment before handing it to you. It appears to be a dashboard of sorts. A picture of you is on the left side of the screen, along with basic information like your gender, age and hometown. You don't remember sending in a picture for the website, so you wondered how they managed to get one of you. As if he could read your mind, Lyon starts explaining what's on the screen in front of you. "Sorry if you hate the picture. We just took one from your Arrival Day. Now, the other stuff on your screen…" You listen to Lyon's descriptions of the page. One spot will be filled up with social media posts, good and bad. Alerts for your name are set up and whenever somebody talks about you, it'll pop up on your dashboard. There's also a social leaderboard on your dashboard, which will show who is being talked about the most and the least during the Games. "So, as of right now…" *page_break *if (arrivalmethod = "motorcycle") "People are obsessed with your motorcycle arrival," Lyon tells you with sparkling eyes. "There's been a huge uptick in motorcycle searches since Arrival Day. Purchases are starting to trend that way as well." *if (arrivalmethod = "flowers") "I don't think there's a single ${flowertype} left in Dia, $!{player_first_name}," Lyon chuckles. "Seriously. Seems like you're quite the trendsetter!" *if (arrivalmethod = "airplane") "So skydiving is the current in thing right now, thanks to you," Lyon begins with a shake of his head. "Seems like there's more people in the air than birds these days." *if (arrivalmethod = "none") "Well…" *if (charisma < 60) "Nobody's really talking about you, at least not out of the ordinary. If that changes, I'll be sure to let you know!" *if (charisma >= 60) Lyon smiles. "Usually doing nothing would have people feeling nothing about you…but you're so charismatic, well…" He blushes a tiny bit. "Everybody is still intrigued by you, which isn't surprising. Who wouldn't like you?" *fake_choice #"Oh...well..." I'm speechless and flattered. *set charming +1 "No need to say anything. Just repeating what most people are saying about you online…though I think I was the first to think these thoughts!" #"Plenty, trust me," I reply with a long sigh. *set aloof +1 Lyon pouts a little bit at your words. "Aw, $!{player_first_name}. Don't be like that! You are cool, truly." #"You have a crush on me, already?" I tease. *set flirty +1 *set lyon %+5 Lyon blushes even more, scratching at his bright red forehead. "Ah…well…anyways!" #"Are we quite finished here?" He's briefed me enough. *set rude +1 *set lyon %-5 "Yes! Yes. Definitely, $!{player_first_name}. Sorry, I didn't mean to, er, make things awkward…" #I just grunt, wanting to move on. *set aloof +1 "Right. Of course. Moving on!" #"I...I...thanks." *set shy +1 "Just stating facts!" *if (arrivalmethod = "salute") "Your salute arrival had people split, actually." Lyon drums his fingers against the bar. "Some people thought it was a great show of Odessan strength. Others thought that it was too flashy. Pretty interesting, seeing as none of the other arrivals garnered the same reaction. He smiles and leans back in his seat. "If there are any other interesting things in your profile, I'll be sure to send you an email. You can do the reverse as well, if you're ever curious." *page_break #"Maybe later." *set lyon %+5 *set bold %-5 "Of course! Seek me out whenever you want to talk!" Lyon pushes his papers to his chest and bows his head ever so slightly. "I'll see you around!" With that, he exits the room as quickly as he came in. *page_break Before too long, you decide to head out, not wanting to overstay your welcome. CJ gives a smile and wave as you go, inviting you to come back anytime throughout the competition. *page_break *goto chapter3_threedaysbeforecomp