“I wasn’t planning on taking you out on a date,” she says, straightening again. “Don’t try and make my words mean weird things. I’m just trying to save my money so I can go and-“ She stops abruptly, and you’re pretty sure she literally bites her tongue to stop her saying anything.
You’re curious now, though. “So you can go and…?” you prompt her.
She pinches the bridge of her nose. “I was going to go and watch a movie on the weekend,” she grumbles. “Alone. I can’t afford to buy anyone else a ticket after a certain someone distracted me at work over the weekend.” She taps you meaningfully on the nose.
“Sorry,” you say immediately. “I didn’t mean to distract you at work.”
She settles back into her chair, her arms falling back beside her. “I know,” she says, giving you a small grin that’s more of a grimace. “Sorry. I’m not really angry at you. Just annoyed at some of the nurses for tattling on me.”
And now you feel bad for texting her. “Sorry,” you say again. “I didn’t realize I might get you in trouble at work. I’ll stop texting you.”
“No, don’t do that,” she protests. Reaching up, she grasps blindly for something, but whatever it is, she can’t find it. In the end, she just gestures for you to come and sit on the couch opposite her. “It’s not your fault at all, I shouldn’t have been checking my texts at work. I was just hoping that, um, never mind. Keep texting me, it’s fine.”
You move around and sit in the seat opposite her. You can see her face now, which is good— you can see the earnest look she’s giving you.
Still, you can’t help but feel bad. “Were you waiting for something important?” you ask quietly.
She shakes her head. “No. It’s silly. I was just hoping that, uh, a friend was going to ask me to watch a movie or something, but they never did.”
You frown. “Well, that’s silly of them,” you declare. “They should have asked you. They’d be lucky to get to watch a movie with you, anyone would.” You can’t keep an undercurrent of indignation out of your voice. Honestly, what kind of person would give up the chance to go out with Amy for the day?
Amy gives you a look of fond exasperation for some reason. “No, it’s fine,” she assures you. “I think I just misread some signs a little. I should have checked if that’s what they meant first.”
You nod for a moment. Then a thought abruptly occurs to you, and you smile deviously. “Well,” you say slyly, “if your friend still doesn’t get the message by the weekend, I do happen to work in a movie theatre myself, and I happen to have a bit of a staff discount.” You reach out with your foot and nudge her leg, waggling your eyebrows.
You’re completely unprepared for her to cover her mouth with her hands and start laughing into them, her shoulders shaking with the effort of restraining her laughter. For the next few minutes, you just watch her, growing increasingly bemused, as she tries to reign herself in. Eventually, she manages to sit up from where she’d half-slumped over in her laughter, but she still has a bright grin on her face.
“So, uh, I take it that’s a no?” you ask, incredibly confused.
She shakes her head, biting her lip again for a moment as she tries to regain her breath. “No, that’s fine.” Amusement is thick in her voice. “Don’t stress over it, but sure. Send me a text on Saturday morning if you can arrange it, and I’ll make sure I’m available. If you can’t, let me know.”
“Suuure,” you say, giving her a confused look. She bites her lip again, restraining a wide smile.
At least she’s happy again, you conclude, even if you have absolutely no idea what all that was about. And hey; on the upside, you have a date with Amy! Kind of. She’s agreed to go watch a movie with you if you have the time and money, at least. Maybe not romantically, but it’s a start. And you didn’t even have to use your powers to do it. You’re actually really proud of yourself for that.
With all that concluded, you do end up getting up and moving around to tidy up the break room. Amy doesn’t go back to her clipboard, though, preferring to speak with you as you do so. She assures you that she can do her work later, so— okay, if she’s sure. You’re not the boss of her, as much as you’d like to be.
Time passes quickly as the two of you chat amicably. Doctor Fitzgerald was right— the break room really is a mess. Dishes are piled three high beside the sink, and it looks like somebody exploded a packet of soup in the microwave, then cooked the resultant vegetables until the inside of it is covered in crusted broth and vegetables. Ew.
Come seven o’clock, you’re almost tempted to dart forwards and give Amy a hug before you leave. You refrain, because you don’t know her personal space limits very well. By the smile she gives you, you’re pretty sure she recognizes what your indecisive movements backwards and forwards mean, but she doesn’t step forwards, so neither do you.
You do make sure to barrage her with goodnight texts at nine, though. You don’t know when she goes to bed, but maybe seeing all these texts will help soothe the sting of not getting a text from that insensitive jerk.
For the fourth night in a row, you go to bed actually feeling quite happy about the way things are going right now. You’re pretty sure this is a new record.
As you fall asleep, you mentally compose a new list of tasks for the next few days. Before you fall completely asleep, you’ve decided to… [Pick three of the following options. Please note that Victoria’s visit on Wednesday afternoon has already been locked in.]
[] Push Victoria a bit further when she visits tomorrow. She’s showed you her breasts before, and you’re pretty sure that she’s willing to do so again. And, hey, tomorrow is all about her trying to show you how to make yourself look pretty, isn’t it? It shouldn’t be hard to get her to do it again.
— Chance of success: 90%.
— General results: Victoria will happily take her shirt off for Taylor in her room, on the proviso that Taylor reciprocates the favour. The two will probably end up kissing while shirtless, further tempting Victoria with regards to Taylor.
— On a success: Raises Victoria’s Lust by 1.
— On a failure: Nothing. It’s just an ordinary makeout session with the girl Victoria is cheating on her boyfriend with.
[] Try and set things up a bit nicer for Sophia when she comes over on Friday. Cut up some carrot sticks, maybe, or some celery? You don’t know what kind of things track athletes normally eat, but hey, it’s the effort that counts, right? And you want Sophia to know that you actually appreciate her presence here, not make her feel like you just want her for sex.
— Chance of success: Cannot be failed.
— General results: Sophia doesn’t enjoy the assortment of snack foods Taylor lays out, but appreciates the effort to make her feel welcomed. She recognizes the attempt to make this more than just a sexual relationship, and a small part of her appreciates it. Note that she will not grow snappy or irritated because of this, but results will not be immediate. Note that this option may not appear again next week, but will appear again in future— eventually— if their relationship isn’t pushed too much further sexually in the meantime.
[] Emma has been a good girl, restricting herself to two texts a day as you asked, and she hasn’t tried to push for anything too intimate yet. That’s made you feel a little better about your relationship with her. You’re not prepared to initiate anything with her yet, but you know Dad’s been missing Alan, too. Maybe the two of you could invite them over for dinner, and you and Emma could watch TV. In the living room, with supervision so she can’t do anything.
— Chance of success: 80%
— General results: Emma and Alan will come over for dinner on Thursday night. It will be a fairly positive night, although Emma will mostly be silent through it in an attempt not to push Taylor outside her comfort zone.
— On a success: At some point during a movie, Danny and Alan will leave to have a conversation elsewhere. Taylor will feel comfortable enough to stay, and will feel better about her relationship with Emma when Emma doesn’t fuck it up.
— On a failure: Danny will put on a movie he and Alan also enjoy, encouraging them to stay in the room and preventing Taylor and Emma from being alone.
[] There’s still that girl— the one with the trashy appearance. You need to get information from her, and to do that, you’re going to need to use your power on her. You’ll encourage Madison to move your lunches to the same courtyard this girl has lunch in, and spend the next couple of days subtly encouraging this girl to notice you— both in a positive way and, hopefully, in a sexual way.
— Chance of success: 60% (+10% from precious actions) 70%
— General results: Initiates recruitment of pre-trigger Aisha. Increases Aisha’s Loyalty by 2. Madison and Taylor will move their lunches to Aisha’s courtyard, preventing them from being as physically affectionate but giving Taylor access to Aisha.
— On a success: Increases Aisha’s Lust by 1.
— On a failure: Taylor will be unable to get a hold of Aisha’s lust in her limited available time.
[] Mr Harding has rung again, apologizing for bothering you so much. Apparently, another member of staff has taken sick leave for the rest of the week, and he needs someone who can cover her shift from 8-11 each day. Ordinarily you’d deny it out of hand, but… nine hours of work, that’s a lot of money. And showing up when a co-worker has taken sick leave is a powerful statement, especially when you’re a child worker in high school and you’re showing up for late shifts.
— Success chance: 70%
— General results: Taylor will go to work each night, leaving her groggy for school in the morning, but granting her a fair amount of money each day. Will provide Taylor with an additional large expense.
— On a success: Mr Harding appreciates the effort Taylor is putting in. From now on, options will appear on weekends, granting Taylor the option to work over the weekend for increased levels of pay.
— On a failure: Mr Harding is too stressed out to fully appreciate Taylor’s efforts today. Increases the chance of success for this action in future the next time it appears.
2.5
> Success chance: 90%.
> Necessary roll: 10. Rolled: 31. Success.
> Success chance: 80%.
> Necessary roll: 20. Rolled: 47. Success.
Spoiler: Winning Votes
[] Push Victoria a bit further when she visits tomorrow. She’s showed you her breasts before, and you’re pretty sure that she’s willing to do so again. And, hey, tomorrow is all about her trying to show you how to make yourself look pretty, isn’t it? It shouldn’t be hard to get her to do it again.
> Roll: 31. Action succeeded.
[] Emma has been a good girl, restricting herself to two texts a day as you asked, and she hasn’t tried to push for anything too intimate yet. That’s made you feel a little better about your relationship with her. You’re not prepared to initiate anything with her yet, but you know Dad’s been missing Alan, too. Maybe the two of you could invite them over for dinner, and you and Emma could watch TV. In the living room, with supervision so she can’t do anything.
> Roll: 47. Action succeeded.
[] Try and set things up a bit nicer for Sophia when she comes over on Friday. Cut up some carrot sticks, maybe, or some celery? You don’t know what kind of things track athletes normally eat, but hey, it’s the effort that counts, right? And you want Sophia to know that you actually appreciate her presence here, not make her feel like you just want her for sex.
Wednesday morning arrives with little fanfare but the chill of the air and the sounds of your neighbours shouting at each other loud enough for you to hear them from your bed. You can’t make out what they’re saying from here, but it doesn’t sound good. Not that it’s any of your business, but you are a little curious. Not curious enough to go kneel by their fence and try to listen in or anything, but curious enough to change up your jogging route a bit that morning and try to listen in.
You can’t make out their voices through their door, which is a bit annoying. If they’re going to argue loud enough that you can hear them from your room, they should argue loud enough that you can hear them clearly. Otherwise, if they don’t want people knowing what they’re shouting about, why are they shouting loud enough that people can hear them? Some people are silly.
They’ve thankfully quieted down when you return from your jog, but you spot a lot more people out on the streets that morning than normal. One of them—Jeff, you think? That’s what Dad calls him, anyway—shoots the house a nasty glance when he walks out to get the newspaper from his front porch. Maybe they’d got even louder than before. He definitely feels angry, so you’re pretty sure you’re not misreading the situation.
It’s not important anyway. You dismiss the thoughts of their argument from your head as you enter your house and head off to the shower.
Dad’s awake by the time you step out and get dressed. When you head out to the kitchen, you casually grab your phone off the bench where it was charging and sit down across the table from him. You’re not quite confident enough to leave the phone up on the table as you reply to all your good morning texts, but he doesn’t say anything when you quietly stare at your lap and nibble at your breakfast beyond a “Good morning”.
By the time you’ve finished replying to your texts—and then replying to the replies to those texts, and then the replies to those replies—it’s time for you to head out to the bus. You impulsively give Dad a quick hug, which he reciprocates with one arm as he reads through a letter, before you run out the front door so you don’t miss the bus.
