Your Name in Bloom

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<img src="Images/slop/bus.png"> For a second, you’re still in the dream. The silence. The mirror. That smile. Then the real world bleeds back in. Your eyes snap open as the bus rounds a curve. Your cheek is half-smudged against the window. Must have dozed off. You try to shake the drowsiness clinging to your limbs, but the echo of the dream sticks with you. You can't remember much, all that's left are scraps that are already beginning to slip away. Such the nature of dreams: fleeting, half-formed, gone before you can even reach for them. But the feeling //just won’t let go//. That //oddness//. You glance outside for a distraction. The countryside rolls past in endless stretches of green and gold. It's all just so... //flat//. In the city, something always breaks the skyline: buildings, billboards, overpasses. Here? Nothing. Aside from the occasional tree, it's just miles of open fields. It feels– <<button [[Surreal|d2 - lena intro]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 1>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty + 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Calming|d2 - lena intro]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 1>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Lonely|d2 - lena intro]]>> <<set $var to 3>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 1>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty + 1>> <</button>>

<<set $noah_rel = 20>> <<set $rowan_rel = 0>> <<set $eli_rel = 0>> <<set $dani_rel = 0>> <<set $julian_rel = 0>> <<set $abagail_rel = 0>> <<set $benji_rel = 0>> <<set $adrian_rel = 0>> <<set $lena_rel = 5>> <<set $morgan_rel = 0>> <<set $harold_rel = 0>> <<set $marigold_rel = 0>> <<set $jasper_rel = 0>> <<set $maeve_rel = 0>> <<set $boldness = 15>> <<set $euphoria = 10>> <<set $uncertainty = 60>> <<set $self_acceptance = 0>> <<set $transformation_awareness = 0>> <<set $magical_knowledge = 0>> <<set $farm_familiarity = 5>> <<set $fashion_sense = 0>> <<set $hair = 0>> <<set $voice = 0>> <<set $figure = 0>> <<set $hands = 0>> <<set $height = 0>> <<set $shoulders = 0>> <<set $face = 0>> <<set $skin = 0>> <<set $chest = 0>> <<set $genitals = 0>> <<set $femchoice = 0>> <<set $repression = 0>> <<set $miss = 0>> <<set $miss2 = 0>> <<set $daynum to 1>>

<div class="top-links">  <a href="characteristics" class="arrow-link">←</a>  <span class="current-section">Appearance</span> <a href="relationship stats">Relationships</a> <a href="characteristics">Characteristics</a>  <a href="relationship stats" class="arrow-link">→</a> </div> <div class="stat-container"> <h3>Appearance</h3> <div class="stat-wrapper"> <img src="Images/mreowww.jpeg"> </div> </div>

<<set $currentPage = "relationships">>  <div class="top-links">  <a href="appearance stats" class="arrow-link">←</a>  <a href="appearance stats">Appearance</a> <span class="current-section">Relationships</span> <a href="characteristics">Characteristics</a>  <a href="characteristics" class="arrow-link">→</a> </div> <div class="stat-container">  <h3>Romanceable</h3> <div class="stat-wrapper">  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="noah-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="noah-bar"></div> </div> <span id="noah-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="eli-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="eli-bar"></div> </div> <span id="eli-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="julian-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="julian-bar"></div> </div> <span id="julian-percent"></span> </div> </div>  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="dani-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="dani-bar"></div> </div> <span id="dani-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="rowan-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="rowan-bar"></div> </div> <span id="rowan-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="abagail-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="abagail-bar"></div> </div> <span id="abagail-percent"></span> </div> </div> </div>  <h3>Others</h3> <div class="stat-wrapper">  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="lena-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="lena-bar"></div> </div> <span id="lena-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="adrian-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="adrian-bar"></div> </div> <span id="adrian-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="morgan-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="morgan-bar"></div> </div> <span id="morgan-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="harold-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="harold-bar"></div> </div> <span id="harold-percent"></span> </div> </div>  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="marigold-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="marigold-bar"></div> </div> <span id="marigold-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="benji-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="benji-bar"></div> </div> <span id="benji-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="jasper-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="jasper-bar"></div> </div> <span id="jasper-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="maeve-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="maeve-bar"></div> </div> <span id="maeve-percent"></span> </div> </div> </div> </div>

<<set $currentPage = "characteristics">>  <div class="top-links">  <a href="relationship stats" class="arrow-link">←</a>  <a href="appearance stats">Appearance</a> <a href="relationship stats">Relationships</a> <span class="current-section">Characteristics</span>  <a href="appearance stats" class="arrow-link">→</a> </div> <div class="stat-container"> <h3>Personality</h3> <div class="stat-wrapper">  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="boldness-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="boldness-bar"></div> </div> <span id="boldness-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="euphoria-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="euphoria-bar"></div> </div> <span id="euphoria-percent"></span> </div> </div>  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="uncertainty-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="uncertainty-bar"></div> </div> <span id="uncertainty-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="self_acceptance-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="self_acceptance-bar"></div> </div> <span id="self_acceptance-percent"></span> </div> </div> </div> <h3>Knowledge</h3> <div class="stat-wrapper">  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="transformation_awareness-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="transformation_awareness-bar"></div> </div> <span id="transformation_awareness-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="magical_knowledge-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="magical_knowledge-bar"></div> </div> <span id="magical_knowledge-percent"></span> </div> </div>  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="farm_familiarity-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="farm_familiarity-bar"></div> </div> <span id="farm_familiarity-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="fashion_sense-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="fashion_sense-bar"></div> </div> <span id="fashion_sense-percent"></span> </div> </div> </div> <h3>Physical Transformations</h3> <div class="stat-wrapper">  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="overall_femininity-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="overall_femininity-bar"></div> </div> <span id="overall_femininity-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="hair-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="hair-bar"></div> </div> <span id="hair-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="figure-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="figure-bar"></div> </div> <span id="figure-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="hands-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="hands-bar"></div> </div> <span id="hands-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="chest-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="chest-bar"></div> </div> <span id="chest-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="genitals-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="genitals-bar"></div> </div> <span id="genitals-percent"></span> </div> </div>  <div class="stat-group"> <div class="stat"> <span id="height-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="height-bar"></div> </div> <span id="height-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="face-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="face-bar"></div> </div> <span id="face-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="skin-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="skin-bar"></div> </div> <span id="skin-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="shoulders-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="shoulders-bar"></div> </div> <span id="shoulders-percent"></span> </div> <div class="stat"> <span id="voice-text"></span> <div class="stat-bar-container"> <div class="stat-bar" id="voice-bar"></div> </div> <span id="voice-percent"></span> </div> </div> </div> </div>

You walk out onto the porch, the warm glow from the kitchen spilling out golden light before narrowing and disappearing as you close the door. Dani sprawls lazily over the porch steps, legs stretched out and one arm draped behind her head. Cicadas drone in the distance. You lean against the railing, arms crossed as you watch the sunlight fade below the horizon. The wind brushes softly across the fields and the stars prick faint and bright through the dark. You're both silent, just taking in the night sky. <<button [[Comment on the quiet|d3 - dani porch talk]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 2>> <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel + 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Keep gazing at the stars in silence|d3 - dani porch talk]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel + 2>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 2>> <</button>>

You sigh and set your bag down next to the dresser, finally getting a chance to breathe. You walk to the window, staring out at the darkening sky. You breathe out slowly, sinking into the silence. Your mind drifts, thinking about the summer ahead. A change of scenery. A chance to get out. Space. That’s what you told yourself. Or maybe someone else said it first, and you just nodded along. Your phone buzzes faintly from your pocket, the screen bright in the dim. You shift slowly, limbs heavy and aching, and fish it out. The moonlight doesn't do much to ease the strain, your eyes squinting against the glow. <p>@@.red;''2 New Messages — Noah''@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Hey dude, you still alive?//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Don’t get eaten by a pig or smth//@@</p>\ A smile tugs at your lips. You've known him since elementary. After high school, everyone said they’d keep in touch. Noah’s the only one who actually followed through. Even months later, he still checks in. You thumb out a reply. <<button [["I'm dead. Ghost texting you from beyond"|d1 - noah response]]>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 1>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $noah_rel to $noah_rel + 1>> <</button>> <<button [["Might let one eat me just to spite you"|d1 - noah response]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 2>> <<set $noah_rel to $noah_rel + 2>> <</button>> <<button [["Barely survived"|d1 - noah response]]>> <<set $var to 3>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 1>> <<set $noah_rel to $noah_rel + 1>> <</button>>

You shuffle over to your bag dropped beside the dresser. The zipper catches twice before it gives, and you rummage through wrinkled shirts and soft sweats until you unearth a towel and something to sleep in. You didn’t exactly plan for style this summer. Just whatever fit in a single duffel. Your toiletries are crammed into a side pocket. You gather them into your arms, nudging the door open with your hip as you head for the bathroom down the hall. The shower is quick, just enough to scrub off the grime of the road. Steam fogs the mirror, curling lazy and soft around you. The lavender-scented soap on the ledge is warm and comforting. You just stand there forehead tipped against the cool tile, the sound of water steady and soothing in your ears. Taking in a deep breath, you rinse off, the lavender scent still clinging. After, you pull on your softest shirt and sweats. A yawn sneaks up on you as you brush your teeth slow and mechanical, eyelids heavy. You sneak another glance at yourself before leaving. As you make your way back, the lights in the other rooms have gone dark, leaving only a faint glow from the hallway. Slipping inside, you shut the door behind you and sink into the mattress, exhaling a quiet sigh. You curl onto your side, one arm tucked beneath the pillow, and your eyes drift shut. <<button [[Let yourself drift to sleep|d1 - dream]]>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ @@.player;"Never been anywhere this quiet,"@@ you murmur softly, almost whispering. Dani grins. @@.dani;"You’ll get used to it,"@@ she promises. @@.dani;"It was weird at first. But... I dunno, it’s nice. No sirens or people yelling or whatever. You’ve got space to think without everybody breathing down your neck.."@@ @@.player;"Guess we’ll see,"@@ you murmur, voice soft but warm, eyes drifting slow over the darkened fields. @@.player;"I can see the appeal."@@ <<elseif $var is 2>>\ She hums softly, then lifts a hand, spreading her fingers and holding it up flat against the sky. Tilting her head, she peers through the gaps between her fingers at the stars. @@.dani;"Kinda makes you feel small, huh?"@@ she mumbles. @@.dani;"Like, all those stars and stuff."@@ @@.player;"Yeah,"@@ you murmur back. @@.player;"Kinda makes your problems seem smaller."@@ Dani sighs, eyes searching through the dark. @@.dani;"Yeah,"@@ she whispers. @@.dani;"Like... even if everything goes to hell, at least the stars are still gonna be there."@@ @@.player;"It's kinda poetic. Makes you feel like it’s not all bad,"@@ you say, smiling but sincere. Dani stays silent but smiles too. <<endif>>\ The silence falls again, the soft chorus of crickets filling the space between the two of you. Dani's eyes drift slowly over the stars. @@.dani;"It’s, like, really dark out here,"@@ she mumbles. @@.dani;"No streetlights or anything. First time I stayed over, I thought the power was out or something."@@ @@.player;"Yeah, it's kinda eerie."@@ @@.dani;"Thought I was gonna get, like, abducted or something."@@ @@.player;"By aliens?"@@ @@.dani;"By a ghost farmer."@@ She wiggles her fingers, dragging out the words. @@.dani;"Get off my land~."@@ She snorts. @@.dani;"I dunno. It was just too quiet."@@ You smile. @@.player;"Hard to imagine you not fitting in here."@@ Dani's gaze drops from the sky, staring into the distance as she speaks. @@.dani;"I wasn’t exactly, like, a farm kid or whatever. This was supposed to be, like, a summer gig. Just me hanging around to help out, maybe earn some money."@@ @@.player;"And now?"@@ She shrugs. @@.dani;"Guess that didn’t work out."@@ There’s something a bit wistful in the way she says it. She rolls her wrist idly, like she's not sure how much she should say. @@.player;"Yeah,"@@ you admit, fingers fidgeting. @@.player;"I wasn’t exactly expecting to be here either."@@ Dani doesn’t say anything right away. Just giving you room. Then, softly: @@.dani;"You run from something? Or, just needed to be somewhere else?"@@ You think about what counts as running. About school. About silence. About waking up one day and realizing you couldn’t remember the last time you felt like yourself. Maybe it wasn’t one big reason. Maybe it was a dozen small ones you couldn’t name, but needed to get away from anyway. You think about home. <<if $bstory is 1>>\ You’d told yourself it was just academic stress. Burnout. But now that you're here, you haven’t really wanted to call home. <<elseif $bstory is 2>>\ Home was quiet. Nobody pushed. Nobody asked. You stayed a little too long without knowing why. <<elseif $bstory is 3>>\ You left for a reason. You’re just not sure how much you want to name yet. But you haven’t looked back. <<elseif $bstory is 4>>\ Home wasn't bad. That’s what makes it confusing – how you still felt like a stranger. You came here hoping something would change. <<endif>>\ Sitting next to someone who came for a summer and never left, you wonder what you were really hoping to leave behind. You part your lips. Not quite sure where to start, how much to share. <<button [[I don't really talk to them anymore|d3 - dani porch talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $homebg to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[We didn't fight or anything. I just needed space|d3 - dani porch talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <<set $homebg to 2>> <</button>> <<if $bstory is 1>>\ <<button [[It wasn't about them. School just stopped making sense|d3 - dani porch talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 3>> <<set $homebg to 0>> <</button>> <<elseif $bstory is 2>>\ <<button [[It wasn't about them. Just kind of lost, I guess|d3 - dani porch talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 4>> <<set $homebg to 0>> <</button>> <<elseif $bstory is 4>>\ <<button [[It wasn't about them. Just came hoping to feel different|d3 - dani porch talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 6>> <<set $homebg to 0>> <</button>> <<endif>>\ <<button [[You stay silent|d3 - dani porch talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 7>> <</button>>

You blink as you stand in the middle of a mossy clearing. You can’t see much, lush trees around you blocking your view – just the feeling of something brushing your shoulders. You reach up to swipe it away. Strands catch between your fingers. Hair? It shifts when you turn your head, brushing against your neck. You're not used to it. It tickles. Someone calls out to you. @@.idk;"Amelia."@@ Nobody’s ever called you that name before, but you turn anyways. It doesn’t make sense. None of it does. <<button [[You're already waking|d2 - intro]]>> <<set $hair to $hair + 3>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 2>> <</button>>

<<set $hair to $hair + 2>>\ <<set $hands to $hands + 1>>\ <<set $face to $face + 1>>\ <<set $skin to $skin + 2>>\ <<set $daynum to 3>>\ <img src="Images/slop/bedroomday.png"> You wake up with a start and are immediately blinded by the bright morning light invading your bedroom. Your face is half-buried in the pillow, and your arm’s gone a little numb. Sheets tangled around your legs, you lie there for a few long seconds. It takes you a moment to remember where you are. //Ah, right. The farm.// You stare at the ceiling. That dream... what even was that? The orchard, of all places? //And that person–// You catch the sound of running water and voices from downstairs. A door shuts. Right. Today's market day. You sigh, untangling yourself from the sheets. The dream was... weird. But the day won't wait forever. Carpe diem or whatever. <<button [[Roll out of bed ...reluctantly|d3- get up]]>> <</button>>

<<if $slippers is 1>>\ You swing your legs over the edge of the bed, slipping your feet into your gray slippers. You stand, stretching out the stiffness in your shoulders. You pad over to the dresser, your bag still slouching open. <<elseif $slippers is 2>>\ You swing your legs over the edge of the bed, slipping your feet into your blue slippers. You stand, stretching out the stiffness in your shoulders. You pad over to the dresser, your bag still slouching open. <<elseif $slippers is 3>>\ You swing your legs over the edge of the bed, slipping your feet into your fluffy slippers. You stand, stretching out the stiffness in your shoulders. You pad over to the dresser, your bag still slouching open. <<endif>>\ //Hm, what to wear?// <<button [[A simple white shirt and jeans|d3 - bathroom]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 2>> <<set $clothes to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[A comfy gray hoodie and joggers|d3 - bathroom]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 2>> <<set $clothes to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[A soft beige sweater and black jeans|d3 - bathroom]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 2>> <<set $clothes to 3>> <</button>>

<<if $slippers is 1>>\ You hesitate for a moment before picking the pair of gray cotton slide slippers. Simple and breathable, with just enough padding to feel comfortable. Dani, meanwhile, doesn’t bother with any of the slippers, padding around in her socks like it’s the most natural thing in the world. @@.dani;"Solid choice,"@@ she says, nudging your ankle lightly with her socked foot. @@.dani;"Those are always reliably comfy."@@ <<elseif $slippers is 2>>\ You hesitate for a moment before picking the faded blue woolen slip-ons. They're soft and warm, with a bit of wear at the edges that makes them feel already broken in. Dani, meanwhile, doesn’t bother with any of the slippers, padding around in her socks like it’s the most natural thing in the world. @@.dani;"Nice taste,"@@ she says, nudging your ankle lightly with her socked foot. @@.dani;"Those are Lena's favorites."@@ <<else>>\ You hesitate for a moment before picking a pair lined with plush fabric, the kind that looks like it could swallow your feet whole. Dani, meanwhile, doesn’t bother with any of the slippers, padding around in her socks like it’s the most natural thing in the world. @@.dani;"Good choice,"@@ she says, nudging your ankle lightly with her socked foot. @@.dani;"Can’t go wrong with the fluffy ones."@@ <<endif>>\ You straighten up just as Dani tips her head toward the hallway like she’s about to lead you deeper inside. But then she pauses. @@.dani;"Actually, wait."@@ She pivots. @@.dani;"You can’t just walk in without the full welcome experience."@@ @@.player;"Slippers aren’t enough?"@@ @@.dani;"Slippers are step one."@@ She shoots you a grin. @@.dani;"Step two is the official, absolutely mandatory, welcome tour."@@ You glance toward the living room, where inviting light spills in from the kitchen. Then back at Dani. She raises her eyebrows in challenge. @@.player;"Now?"@@ @@.dani;"Trust me. You’ll appreciate the lay of the land before you're half-asleep and wander into the chicken shed by mistake."@@ Before you can answer, Lena steps into the doorway and cuts in. @@.lena;"Let him rest, Dani. He hasn't even had a chance to sit down."@@ @@.dani;"It'll be ten minutes, tops."@@ Lena exhales slowly, a long-suffering smile curving at the corner of her mouth. @@.lena;"Don’t wear him out."@@ Dani’s already halfway out the door. She doesn’t wait for a response – just tosses a grin over her shoulder like she knows you’ll follow. The air outside is warm and golden in the late sun. You take a last look inside before turning toward the open door. You sigh. Ten more minutes wouldn’t hurt. <<button [[Follow her outside|d1 - tour garden + coop]]>> <<set $farm_familiarity to $farm_familiarity + 1>> <</button>>

You set the clothes onto the bed. As you tug your sleep shirt over your head, the chill in the room raises goosebumps along your arm. You pull on the clean clothes quickly, enjoying the way the fabric warms against your skin. You head to the bathroom, twisting the tap until cold water rushes out. You splash your face, the icy shock clearing the last traces of grogginess. You squint as you examine your reflection. Was your hair always this long? You let thought slip past and start brushing your teeth. The routine is calming in its familiarity. You work the toothpaste into a lather, spit, and rinse. Then, run a hand through your hair, smoothing down the stubborn strands that are always sticking up in the morning. A brush sits nearby, and you drag it through the tangles with a few careful strokes, watching as the reflection starts to look a bit more awake. You glance once more at the mirror before stepping out. <<if $clothes is 1>> \ The shirt’s soft, the jeans fit right. Simple and easy. Huh. It's suprising how much the right outfit can do. <<elseif $clothes is 2>> \ The hoodie’s warm, the joggers loose. Comfy while fashionable. Huh. It's suprising how much the right outfit can do. <<elseif $clothes is 3>> \ The sweater’s soft and the whole look just feels... right. Huh. It's suprising how much the right outfit can do. <<endif>>\ You carry that confidence with you as you step out into the hallway. The air is still cool so you rub your hands together for warmth. As you reach the bottom of the stairs, muffled conversation and the smell of something savory drifts from the kitchen. You pause for a moment, the living room quiet and still. <<button [[Head into the kitchen|d3 - kitchen]]>> <</button>> <<button [[Explore the living room a bit|d3 - living room]]>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/kitchen.png"> You step into the kitchen and you're greeted with the sigh of Lena at the stove, sleeves rolled to the elbows stirring something sizzling. Dani’s at the kitchen table, one leg tucked beneath her and a slice of toast halfway to her mouth. She brightens immediately when she spots you, eyes glinting faintly with something almost delighted. @@.dani;"You're finally up! Good morning!"@@ @@.player;"Morning,"@@ you reply, a bit sheepish. @@.player;"Wasn’t aware I was on a schedule."@@ Lena glances over her shoulder. @@.lena;"Morning,"@@ she greets, giving a small wave with her spatula. @@.lena;"Coffee’s hot, if you need it."@@ <<button [[Pour yourself a cup of coffee|d3 - coffee]]>> <<set $coffee to 1>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 1>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Skip on the coffee|d3 - coffee]]>> <<set $coffee to 0>> <</button>>

You turn away from the kitchen, stepping into the living room. As you sidestep the sofa and cross to the other side, your eyes catch on the small embroidered pillow nestled against the armrest. Delicate stitches spell out: //"Home's where the people you love are,"// the letters looped and soft. A small bookshelf sits against the far wall, its shelves crowded with books but also trinkets collected over the years. Small wooden carvings, a display of pressed wildflowers, and aged picture frames. An old clock sits in the center, its hands forever paused at 4:17. You trace a finger along the bookshelf, glancing at the mismatched spines. A family photo is nestled between a couple trinkets, partially obscured. You pause, curious. <<button [[Gently nudge it into view|d3 - photo]]>> <<set $farm_familiarity to $farm_familiarity + 2>> <<set $photo to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Leave it alone and keep moving|d3 - photo]]>> <</button>>

<<if $photo is 1>>\ Your fingers hover for a moment before you reach out, nudging the picture frame slightly into view. A much younger Lena stands beside your mom, both covered in dirt but grinning. Your mom is at the center, her hair loosely tied back, smile soft but sure. Beside her, Lena grins wide, freckles bright across her cheeks. You hadn’t realized Lena and your mom had known each other for so long. You pause for a moment, tracing the edge of the frame. <<else>>\ You pause for a moment, a part of you tempted to nudge it into view, to see the contents of the picture. But you hesitate, not wanting to intrude on something not meant for you. //It’s probably best not to snoop.// <<endif>>\ You let your hand fall back to your side, stepping away from the bookshelf and turning back toward the hall. The voices and the warmth coming from the kitchen feel more inviting than lingering in the quiet room. <<button [[Enter the kitchen.|d3 - kitchen]]>> <</button>>

<<if $coffee is 1>>\ You pour a cup of coffee, steam lazily rising up through the air. The first sip is rich and the hazelnut creamer is sweet and a bit nutty. You pull a chair out with your foot and ease into it. <<else>>\ The coffee pot sits warm on the counter, lazily rising up through the air. But you pass it by, easing yourself into a chair instead. <<endif>>\ Your eyes flick to Dani. Despite all her energy, she doesn’t have a mug at all. @@.player;"So... no coffee for you?"@@ you ask with amusement. @@.dani;"Can you imagine me on caffeine?"@@ Dani says with self-awareness. She leans forward, resting her elbows on the table. @@.dani;"I don’t need it. I wake up like this."@@ She gestures at herself, as if that explains everything. @@.player;"Honestly a little terrifying."@@ @@.dani;"It should be."@@ She grins. @@.dani;"People who need coffee? Weak. Dependent. I am entirely self-sustaining."@@ She leans back, looking entirely too pleased with herself. @@.lena;"It’s done,"@@ Lena announces, turning off the burner and reaching for the plates. As she tilts the skillet you catch a glimpse of golden-brown breakfast hash. Diced potatoes, onions, and bell peppers sautéed to a crisp at the edges. She reaches for another pan, lifting out thick slices of warm toast. Lena sets down a plate of hash and toast in front of you. @@.lena;"Eat,"@@ she urges. @@.lena;"Got a lot to do today if we want to make it to the market before noon."@@ <<button [[Dig in|d3 - breakfast]]>> <</button>>

You pick up your fork and take a bite. The hash is warm and filling, with soft potatoes, crisp edges lightly salted, and sweet, caramelized bell peppers. You can taste hints of rosemary accentuating the flavor as you eat. As you crunch into the toast's crust, your teeth sink into the soft center, lightly coated with garlic butter that adds a rich and savory taste. When you glance back up, Dani’s already halfway through her plate. @@.dani;"This is incredible,"@@ she says between bites. @@.dani;"I'm gonna marry this toast."@@ <<button [[Agree with Dani|d3 - breakfast 2]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Compliment Lena's cooking directly|d3 - breakfast 2]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Stay quiet and keep eating|d3 - breakfast 2]]>> <<set $var to 3>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You nod, swallowing a mouthful of hash with a soft laugh. @@.player;"Honestly, I have to agree with Dani. This might be the best breakfast I've ever had,"@@ you say sincerely. Dani beams at your agreement, eyes bright and almost smug. @@.dani;"See?"@@ she says, gesturing with her fork. @@.dani;"It's not just me."@@ Lena rolls her eyes but there's a faint smile tugging at her lips as she continues eating. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You glance at Lena. @@.player;"I didn't know you could cook like this,"@@ you say. Lena pauses. @@.lena;"What, you thought I survived on canned beans and spite?"@@ @@.player;"It wouldn't be out of character,"@@ you admit with a small laugh. @@.player;"But this is... really good."@@ @@.lena;"Don't get used to it,"@@ she says, modest but pleased. <<elseif $var is 3>>\ You just smile faintly and focus on your plate. The hash is hearty and satisfying, the garlic butter on the toast rich but not overwhelming, and the faint hint of rosemary lingers pleasantly on your tongue. The speed at which you finish it is compliment enough. <<endif>>\ The last of the meal passes in comfortable silence, forks scraping softly against plates. When you’re done, Dani gathers up the empty dishes. @@.dani;"I’ve got these,"@@ she says, already making her way to the sink with a determined briskness. @@.lena;"Got some things that need doing before we head out to the market,"@@ Lena says, turning towards you. @@.lena;"I’ll be tending the garden, and Dani’s got the chickens to deal with. $playername, could you take some herbs over to Eli's place? They're on the counter already wrapped up."@@ @@.player;"Yeah, I can do that,"@@ you say with a small nod, walking over. Tucked beside a vase, bundles of herbs are nestled in a small straw handbasket. @@.lena;"Great. Eli’s place isn’t far. Just follow the path past the garden gate and keep right at the fork."@@ @@.dani;"Oh! You’ll love Eli,"@@ Dani chimes in over the sound of running water. @@.dani;"They’re, like, the nicest person on the planet."@@ The word "they" gives you a brief pause. Something you’ve only really heard in passing online or someone mentioning a friend-of-a-friend back in school. @@.lena;"Tell them I said hi,"@@ Lena says over her shoulder, already halfway out the door. @@.player;"Will do,"@@ you reply. You file the thought away, still not sure why it stuck with you, and make your way out the door. You set off with the herbs, sunlight filtering through the branches as trees arch above you. Before long, you see a small cottage tucked between the trees with a faint trail of smoke rising from the chimney. Ivy climbs the walls and herbs hang by the open windows. //That must be the place.// <<button [[Knock on the door|d3 - eli intro]]>> <<set $eli_rel to $eli_rel + 2>> <</button>>

You reach toward the door, arm half-raised to knock – just as it swings open. Someone stands there, surprised. They look around your age, wearing an oversized sweater with hair that falls halfway to their shoulders. For a second, they just blink. @@.eli;"Oh,"@@ they start. @@.eli;"Um– hi?"@@ @@.player;"Hi,"@@ you echo as you awkwardly lower your arm. You lift the basket a little, as if it might somehow explain everything without you having to say a word: where you’ve come from, why you’re standing here, and maybe even who you are. @@.player;"Lena, uh– Lena sent me. I'm $playername. I’m staying with her for the summer. She said Eli might need these?" @@ You tilt the basket just enough to show the bundles inside. The startlement changes into a sheepish smile. @@.eli;"Oh!"@@ they repeat. @@.eli;"Oh, right– I completely forgot, I’m so sorry. Those are for me, I'm Eli."@@ They step forward to take the basket from you, fingers brushing yours. They step back from the doorway in invitation. @@.eli;"You, um, you can come in if you want. I was just about to steep some tea." @@ <<button [[Take them up on their offer|d3 - step inside eli]]>> <<set $eli_rel to $eli_rel + 1>> <<set $var2 to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[It's probably best to hurry back|d3 - eli leave]]>> <<set $var2 to 2>> <<set $miss to $miss + 1>> <<set $late to 2>> <</button>>

<<if $var2 is 2>>\ You hesitate. Eli’s invitation is warm, but you get the feeling that you'll be late to the market if you accept. @@.player;"Sorry,"@@ you say. @@.player;"I should get back. Lena and Dani are waiting for me."@@ Eli blinks, then nods quickly. @@.eli;"Oh– of course! Thanks again for the herbs. Come back any time!"@@ You offer a small smile before turning back to the path. The walk back is quiet, uneventful, and shorter than you remembered. You reach the farmhouse sooner than expected. You step onto the porch, the wood creaking beneath your boots, and push the door open. <<elseif $var2 is 1>>\ @@.player;"I think I should head back,"@@ you say. @@.player;"Lena and Dani are probably waiting for me."@@ @@.eli;"Oh, of course! Thanks again for the herbs."@@ Eli walks you to the door. @@.eli;"Thanks for stopping by,"@@ they say. @@.eli;"Come back any time!"@@ You offer a small smile before stepping outside. The sunlight feels sharper now after the dim lighting of the cottage. The walk back is quiet, uneventful, and shorter than you remembered. You reach the farmhouse sooner than expected. You step onto the porch, the wood creaking beneath your boots, and push the door open. <<endif>>\ <<if $late is 2>>\ Lena’s voice drifts from the kitchen. @@.lena;"$playername, that you?"@@ You call out a quick @@.player;"Yeah,"@@ as you step inside and walk to the kitchen. Dani is at the counter, popping something into her mouth. She grins when she sees you. @@.dani;"Made it back in one piece, huh?"@@ she greets. Lena glances up from where she’s stacking jars into small wooden crates. @@.lena;"We’re heading to the market soon,"@@ she says matter-of-factly. @@.lena;"Gotta grab a good spot before the rush."@@ @@.dani;"Just need to get these into the truck,"@@ Dani says, already reaching for one of the smaller crates. @@.dani;"Let’s make it fast."@@ You move to help, crouching beside a crate and testing the weight before lifting. It’s heavier than it looks, but manageable. Together, the three of you haul the boxes out the front door, the porch creaking under the shifting weight. The truck’s parked out front, its bed empty and waiting. You help load the crates, working in rhythm with Lena and Dani. It doesn’t take long until all the crates are loaded. Once the last crate is in place, Lena slams the tailgate shut and wipes her hands on her jeans. @@.lena;"Alright. Let’s go."@@ You head for the passenger side, pulling the door open. The truck’s an older model, the kind with a single bench seat running across. You climb in and slide over to the middle, leaving space. Dani follows a moment later, hopping in beside you and pulling the door shut. Lena starts the engine, the low rumble filling the quiet. The truck pulls onto the road, tires crunching over gravel. @@.lena;"We’re early,"@@ Lena says, eyes on the road. @@.lena;"Might actually get a decent spot today."@@ Dani lights up. @@.dani;"What's even better is that fewer people means more unclaimed samples to raid."@@ Lena smirks. @@.lena;"You sure have your priorities in order."@@ @@.dani;"And I'm proud of it."@@ Dani lightly nudges your arm. @@.dani;"Right? Tell me you’re not above a free fig sample, $playername."@@ You shake your head, a small smile tugging at your lips. The road stretches out ahead, quiet and familiar. The morning feels easy. Just the hum of the truck, the breeze through the open windows, and the easy rhythm of conversation filling the air. It’s a good day. <<button [[Watch the fields roll by|d3 - market intro]]>> <</button>> <<elseif $late is 1>>\ The path winds beneath the trees, leaves rustling in the wind. You reflect on what had happened. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Flowers bloom all the time. It’s just... the way it happened. The way the petals glowed, blooming from your touch. Lost in thought, you only come back to yourself when you see the farmhouse up ahead. You step onto the porch, the wood creaking beneath your boots. You enter and make your way to the kitchen. Lena glances up from where she’s stacking jars into small wooden crates. @@.lena;"Took you long enough,"@@ she greets with a smile. @@.lena;"Eli didn’t try to keep you for lunch, did they?"@@ @@.player;"No, we just talked for a bit."@@ Her mouth curves slightly with a hint of approval before turning back. With a grunt, she hoists up two stacked crates and starts walking to the front door. @@.lena;"Come on,"@@ she says over her shoulder. @@.lena;"Help me get these to the truck and we'll head out. Dani's already in the car."@@ @@.player;"Right,"@@ you mutter. You bend down to pick up the remaining crate and follow her. The crate is heavier than you expected. Not unmanageable, but enough that you have to adjust your grip as you step through the doorway. Lena’s boots scuff against the porch as she moves ahead, steady and sure, like she’s done this a thousand times before. The truck sits outside, the bed already holding a few stacked crates. Dani’s in the passenger seat, elbow propped on the window frame, beaming when she sees you. She wiggles their fingers in a wordless greeting, not bothering to lift her hand. Lena sets her crate down first, sliding it into place with practiced ease before turning to you. @@.lena;"Right there’s good,"@@ she says, nodding to the open space beside it. You lower the crate into place, careful not to drop it. As soon as your hands are free, Lena’s already moving, flipping the tailgate closed before circling to the driver’s side and pulling open the door. The truck’s an older model, the kind with a single bench seat running across. You head for the passenger side, pulling the door open. Dani shifts her legs to the side, making just enough space for you to squeeze past. You climb in, twisting slightly as you settle into the middle seat between her and Lena. For a few moments, it's quiet. The engine rumbles to life, comforting in its familiarity. Lena adjusts the mirror. Dani leans back against the window. And you– You exhale. Maybe it’s the warmth, or the way the truck rocks slightly as Lena shifts gears, or just the fact that nothing feels different. The way the world turns regardless. @@.lena;"Market’s always busy this time of day,"@@ Lena says, eyes on the road. @@.lena;"Expecting a crowd."@@ Dani turns, her attention caught. @@.dani;"Exactly! They always bring out the good stuff when more people are around. I've been thinking of all the free samples since I woke up."@@ Lena smirks. @@.lena;"You sure have your priorities in order."@@ @@.dani;"And I'm proud of it."@@ Dani lightly nudges your arm. @@.dani;"Right? Tell me you’re not above a free fig sample, $playername."@@ You just shake your head, smiling but silent. And just like that, the knot in your chest loosens, just a little. Whatever weight you carried from Eli’s, it’s still there. But for now, with the road stretching ahead and the low, easy rhythm of their voices filling the air, it feels like something you don’t have to hold so tightly. It’ll be okay. <<button [[Watch the fields roll by|d3 - market intro]]>> <</button>> <<endif>>\

<img src="Images/slop/bedroomnight.png"> The floorboards creak beneath your feet as you walk through the upstairs hallway. Lena pauses in front of the second door to the left, stepping inside. You follow. The room is small but cozy, walls painted a soft blue and curtains drifting faintly in the open window. There’s a quilt folded neatly at the foot of the bed, its colorful patches faded but warm. Lena tips her head. @@.lena;"It’s not much,"@@ she admits. @@.lena;"But it’s yours for as long as you need."@@ @@.player;"It’s perfect,"@@ you say, sincere. @@.player;"Thank you."@@ @@.lena;"Anytime,"@@ Lena replies, her eyes softening. @@.lena;"We’re glad to have you."@@ She tips her head back toward the hallway. @@.lena;"Bathroom’s down the hall, second door on the right. If you need anything, just let me know."@@ You nod. @@.lena;"Night, kid,"@@ she says fondly, and closes the door with a soft click, leaving you alone in the quiet. <<button [[Let the quiet settle|d1 - noah intro]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 2>> <</button>>

Thank you for playing to the current end of content! Apologies for ending right after the major transformation point. I just had to force myself to end somewhere. I originally planned to call it a day when I wrote the first 9,000 words. ....the word count has since tripled. And that's not even including the multiple rewrites and scrapped passages. Whoops. Anyways, this (very) early version is just a small slice of what I hope will become a much more expansive story. You've just played through a little over 35,000 words and I am so grateful you've taken the time to explore it. This game is a complete labor of love, and I am laser-focused on improving and developing it. While I do have my own vision for how the story will unfold, feedback is always welcome! If you’d like to help shape future updates, I’d be incredibly grateful if you filled out a short feedback survey. [[Here's|https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf3c0_ecJB5WZmXP5hY9ImqEuJvJSnDGWU4FIf-VHgrG215Rw/viewform?usp=dialog]] the link. If you'd like to follow the game's progress or share any other thoughts/suggestions, I've set up a Discord server. Currently, its only occupant is me, so come drop by and say hi! [[Here's|https://discord.gg/CD7zE4xMhj]] the link. And if you'd like to support my work well.... ahem. [[Here's|https://patreon.com/Avarl?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink]] the link to my Patreon. The main benefit is early access to game versions, two updates ahead. At the pace I'm currently writing, I expect to release the next update in a few weeks. In the next update, I plan to include: - Major visual UI updates - Finishing Day 4 and possibly fleshing out some of Day 5, - More time with one of the romanceable characters and meeting some of the non-romanceable ones as well! - Finally, depending on how the Patreon does, get started with the paper doll! Thank you again for being here. I can't wait to share more content soon! 🐬

<<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 2>>\ <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel + 2>>\ <<if $late is 1>>\ The truck rolls into town, tires crunching over the packed dirt road that circles the square. Oakridge unfolds in front of you with its rows of quaint buildings, flower boxes in the windows, and colorful stalls crowded around the square. Most vendors are already set up, their tables full and busy. Locals weave between them, baskets in hand and voices rising in conversation. Lena pulls into a gravel lot just off the square and backs into a narrow space between two other trucks. Dani stretches with a dramatic sigh as she steps out, arms overhead. @@.dani;"Knew we were cutting it close."@@ You climb out after her. The air smells rich with baked bread, warm earth, and crushed flowers. The square hums with life, loud and crowded. @@.lena;"Alright,"@@ Lena says, already circling to the back of the truck. @@.lena;"Let’s get our stall set up. Try not to break anything."@@ Dani pointedly avoids eye contact. You glance around. There’s people brushing past each other, the sound of laughter near the fountain, and the clatter of a cart being restocked just across the square. <<elseif $late is 2>>\ The truck rolls into town, tires crunching over the packed dirt road that circles the square. Oakridge unfolds in front of you with its rows of quaint buildings, flower boxes in the windows, and stalls already lining the square’s edges. A few early risers linger by tables of produce, but most vendors are still unloading crates and setting up displays. Lena pulls into a gravel lot just off the square, backing into a shaded spot beneath a tall sycamore. Dani stretches with a theatrical sigh as she steps out, arms overhead. @@.dani;"Didn’t think we’d actually beat the rush."@@ You climb out after her. The air smells rich with baked bread, warm earth, and crushed flowers. Somewhere nearby, someone’s playing soft music on a mandolin. @@.lena;"Alright,"@@ Lena says, already circling to the back of the truck. @@.lena;"Let’s get our stall set up. Try not to break anything."@@ Dani pointedly avoids eye contact. You glance around. The square’s coming to life around you, voices rising, fabric flapping, carts rattling down the stone paths. <<endif>>\ <<button [[Help setting up|d3 - stall help]]>> <</button>>

The stall comes together quickly. A white cloth stretches smooth over the wooden counter, corners pinned down with spare jars. Chalkboard signs lean against crates, each scrawled with neat, slanted handwriting. The jars are organized in neat rows and bundles of herbs hang from the front beam. Lena adjusts a row of jars with practiced care. Her fingers linger on a jar of rosehip jam, turning it just enough for the label to face out. She gives a small nod, satisfied. @@.lena;"Start handing out samples,"@@ Lena says, focused more on the arrangement than on you. @@.lena;"If anyone asks, the mint salve’s new. The peach jam’s the bestseller."@@ You nod and step around the side of the stall, lifting the tray carefully. The jars are small, each one no bigger than your palm, arranged around slices of bread cut into neat quarters. It doesn’t take long for people to gather. A pair of older women examine the salves with quiet interest, murmuring to each other over the lids. A young couple lingers near the teas, hands brushing as they debate which blend to try. A group of teenagers crowd near the front, eagerly reaching for samples. One of them jokes loudly about trying every flavor twice. You offer the tray to a middle-aged man in a weathered flannel shirt, who gives you a nod of thanks and bites into a slice with clear approval. Behind him, a little kid tugs insistently at his mother's sleeve, pointing at the jars. One by one, the samples begin to disappear. @@.misc2;"Oh, that’s //just// delightful,"@@ an older woman comments after trying a sample. @@.misc2;"Is this the peach jam? I’ve been hoping Lena would have more of it this week."@@ @@.dani;"It is,"@@ Dani adds cheerfully besides you. @@.dani;"You’re in luck! We brought a couple extra just in case."@@ @@.misc2;"Lovely, I’ll take two. Oh, and a bundle of lavender, if you’ve got any left."@@ As Lena turns to gather a bundle of lavender, a pair of children appear at the edge of the stall, eyes wide and curious. One of them points silently at the sample tray. You lower the tray slightly so they can reach, offering a small smile. The taller one nods politely. The smaller one giggles, crumbs already on her chin. Dani leans in beside you and offers a small jar of jam to the younger child with a wink, guiding her hand so she doesn’t drop it. More people drift past. Voices soften, footsteps slow, and the space around the stall grows a little roomier. Lena straightens from where she’s been rearranging a crate, eyes scanning the stall. She seems satisfied. @@.lena;"Alright, you two can go take a look around,"@@ she says with her hands on her hips. @@.lena;"I’ve got things covered here."@@ Dani perks up beside you like she was hoping for this. Lena notices, of course, and adds with a faint smile, @@.lena;"Besides, someone’s been eyeing the pastries since we got here."@@ Dani doesn’t deny it. @@.dani;"I was being subtle,"@@ she insists. Lena chuckles, nodding toward the far end of the square. @@.lena;"Just don’t get in trouble"@@ You glance at Dani. Her eyes are bright, already tugging lightly on your sleeve like she’s ready to bolt. <<button [[Explore the market|d3 - meryl]]>> <</button>>

The market sprawls ahead of you. People are still moving, still laughing, still weaving through it all. The energy’s shifted, but it hasn’t faded. You take a step forward, falling into stride beside Dani. To your left, a stall overflows with woven baskets and bundles of dyed wool. To your right, a small stand displays clay pots and garden charms shaped like birds and crescent moons. Further ahead, someone plays a gentle tune on a wooden flute, the notes drifting through the air. Dani slows as you near a stall filled with handwoven baskets and neatly hung satchels. Behind the counter, a woman with rolled-up sleeves looks up from rearranging her display. @@.misc;"Well now,"@@ she says, smile deepening as she squints at Dani. @@.misc;"If it isn’t Lena’s little whirlwind. Thought I saw you darting around earlier."@@ Dani grins brightly. @@.dani;"Hi, Meryl."@@ @@.misc;"Figured you’d make your way over eventually."@@ @@.dani;"Wouldn’t skip you,"@@ Dani says. Meryl snorts. @@.misc;"You’re full of something, that’s for sure."@@ Her gaze slides to you, curious. @@.misc;"And who’s this?"@@ Before you can answer, Dani gives your arm a quick, friendly pat. @@.dani;"This is $playername. He's staying with us this summer."@@ You offer a small nod in confirmation. Meryl’s eyes crinkle at the corners. @@.misc;"Nice to meet you, $playername. I imagine the farm’s keeping you busy."@@ @@.player;"It’s a bit different from the city."@@ @@.misc;"Oh, I’d bet. Life on farm’s a world of its own."@@ She reaches to the side, pulling out a small basket and passes it over. @@.misc;"Here, Dani. For your little stroll. Something to keep your hands busy while you’re running your mouth."@@ Dani laughs, taking it without protest. @@.dani;"Appreciate it."@@ @@.misc;"You let Lena know she still owes me that red clover balm, will you?"@@ @@.dani;"Will do."@@ Meryl nods, satisfied. @@.misc;"Well, don’t let me keep you. Just tell Lena I’m still waiting and I’m not above showing up at her porch if I have to."@@ Dani chuckles. @@.dani;"I'll let her know."@@ You both step away. <<button [[Keep walking|d3 - market choice]]>> <</button>>

v0.1 - 35,319 words total, 100 passages

You and Dani continue walking, passing crates of peaches, jars of honey, and a row of hand-painted signs advertising goat’s milk soap. Someone calls out a greeting from across the square, and Dani waves without breaking stride. You let your gaze wander, taking in the colors and motion. Your eyes fall on a stall draped with light scarves, fabric belts, and an assortment of hats. One of them, a straw-colored sun hat with a pale blue ribbon trailing off the brim, catches your eye. You pause without meaning to. @@.dani;"Hey."@@ Dani slows beside you. @@.dani;"You alright?"@@ You blink and glance away from the display. @@.player;"Yeah."@@ @@.dani;"Oh, you’re burning,"@@ she says, more matter-of-fact this time. @@.dani;"Like, your nose? It’s going pink."@@ You reach up, instinctively touching your face. The skin feels a little warm. @@.player;"Really?"@@ Dani nods, concerned. @@.dani;"We should’ve brought one of Lena’s hats. Or, like, you could grab something here?"@@ She gestures toward the sun hat with a grin. @@.dani;"That one would look cute on you."@@ You glance back. That one wouldn't really fit someone like you. But some small part of you wonders if that’s really true. You hesitate, one foot stepping back just a little, like you might keep walking. Dani notices. @@.dani;"I mean, only if you want. There’s a ton of stuff here. You could get something plainer. Or we could just walk in the shade."@@ She nudges your arm lightly with her elbow. @@.dani;"For real though, it doesn’t have to be that one. I just meant it might help with the sun, y’know? But hey, if it is that one, you’d rock it."@@ <<button [[Try on the sunhat|d3 - hat choice]]>> <<set $femchoice to $femchoice + 1>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 2>> <<set $hair to $hair + 2>> <<set $hat to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Try on a baseball cap|d3 - hat choice]]>> <<set $hat to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Opt to walk without a hat|d3 - hat choice]]>> <<set $miss to $miss + 1>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty + 2>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/houseexterior.png"> You grab your bag and make your way to the front door, following close behind Lena. The farmhouse door swings open before you reach it, framing a girl with wavy brown hair and dirt-smudged knees, overalls rolled up to the calves. She’s braced in the doorway like she might bounce through it. She’s all motion, hands braced on either side of the doorframe like she might spring forward at any second. She takes one look at you and immediately lights up. @@.dani;"Hey! You must be <<textbox "$playername" "Alex">>,"@@ she grins as she jogs over. @@.dani;"Finally! I’ve been waiting all morning!"@@ //This must be Dani//. You can see why Lena said she was hard to miss. @@.player;"Sorry, the bus took longer than I thought,"@@ you respond. @@.dani;"Nah, you’re good,"@@ Dani replies, waving it off. @@.dani;"Lena said you'd get here eventually. I was just keeping an eye out."@@ Lena scoffs softly beside you, unimpressed. @@.lena;"You were waiting by the window like a sad dog."@@ Dani sniffs, unbothered. @@.dani;"Details."@@ She tips her head towards the porch. @@.dani;"Anyways, come on,"@@ she says, grabbing your hand and tugging you forward. Startled by her forwardness, you stumble a bit as Dani pulls you along, her grip warm and sure. @@.dani;"You’ve got good timing. We just finished up for the day, so you'll get a break before we put you to work."@@ @@.player;"That sounds ominous."@@ Dani tosses a grin over her shoulder. @@.dani;"Consider it, uh- character-building or whatever." @@ @@.player;"Right. Is that what we're calling it?" @@ She laughs. @@.dani;"Stick with me,"@@ she says, squeezing your hand. @@.dani;"We’ll make a farmer out of you yet."@@ You roll your eyes, but you don’t pull away when she tugs you inside, her fingers still wrapped loosely around yours. At the entryway, Dani lets go, kicking off her boots with a practiced ease. You follow her lead, setting down your bag before bending down to unlace your shoes. A wicker basket to the side holds a jumble of slippers peeking out. <<button [[Wear the pair of gray cotton slide slippers|d1 - slippers]]>> <<set $slippers to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Wear the pair of faded blue woolen slip-ons|d1 - slippers]]>> <<set $slippers to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Wear the the beige fluffy slippers|d1 - slippers]]>> <<set $slippers to 3>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You match her pace, the gravel crunching beneath your shoes. @@.lena;"Figured you’d show up half an hour ago. Dani’s been buzzing around since yesterday."@@ <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You glance back, watching the bus round the corner at the edge of the lot, already halfway down the road. You didn’t even hear it leave. It’s a bit too late to change your mind now. Lena glances back, brow slightly creased. @@.lena;"Hey, you alright?"@@ Startled, you catch up to her sheepishly. @@.player;"Sorry."@@ Lena just shrugs. @@.lena;"Figured you’d show up half an hour ago. Dani’s been buzzing around since yesterday."@@ <<endif>>\ @@.player;"Dani?"@@ you prompt. @@.lena;"Farmhand. She helps out around here when she’s not getting into trouble. Been here a while now."@@ Lena chuckles fondly. @@.lena;"She’s hard to miss."@@ The truck door groans as you pull it open. You pause before climbing in and sliding into the bench seat. The leather's warm from the sun. It's nostalgic in a way that makes you feel twelve again for half a second. Lena flicks the radio on, old country songs twanging softly. Neither of you talk much as she pulls onto the winding road leading deeper into the countryside. Your thoughts drift. How did you end up here anyway? <<button [[You needed a break from college|d1 - arrival]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty + 1>> <<set $bstory to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[You never figured out what to do after graduating high school|d1 - arrival]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty + 2>> <<set $bstory to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[You just needed to get away from home|d1 - arrival]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty + 1>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 1>> <<set $bstory to 3>> <</button>> <<button [[You came hoping you might feel different|d1 - arrival]]>> <<set $repression to $repression + 1>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty + 1>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 1>> <<set $bstory to 4>> <</button>>

<<set $self_acceptance to $self_acceptance + 1>>\ <<if $var is 1>>\ You raise an eyebrow. @@.player;"Hope it’s not someone she didn’t like,"@@ you say with a small grin. Eli smiles back. @@.eli;"No, definitely not. If Lena didn’t like you, you’d know. She can be scary."@@ @@.player;"That’s comforting."@@ <<elseif $var is 2>>\ @@.player;"What do you mean by that?"@@ you ask, watching their expression. Eli hesitates, then shrugs a little. @@.eli;"I just think Lena notices people who feel a bit... out of place. Not in a bad way. Just, people figuring things out."@@ You pause, the comment catching you off guard. @@.player;"I don’t think I feel out of place though."@@ @@.eli;"No, I know. I didn’t mean it like that."@@ They’re quick to soften the edge. @@.eli;"It’s more like... sometimes people don’t realize they’re carrying questions until they slow down long enough to hear them."@@ That sticks with you for a moment. You look away. <<elseif $var is 3>>\ You don’t say anything, just giving a small nod. Eli doesn’t seem to mind the silence. <<endif>>\ You take a sip of the tea. The taste is immediate and surprising. It’s definitely tea, there's no sugar or cream. But somehow, there’s a strong note of honey and milk. You blink, looking down at the cup. It’s good. @@.player;"That’s... really good. I didn’t know tea could even taste like this,"@@ you say. @@.player;"I thought tea was just be leaf water British people pretend to enjoy."@@ Eli smiles. @@.eli;"Yeah, it gets that reputation. I think most people just haven’t had good tea."@@ You take another sip. The warmth settles deep in you. A light breeze slips in through the open window, ruffling the drying bundles overhead. On the table, a few loose petals lift and scatter from one of the bowls. Eli leans forward, gently gathering them back. Their hand pauses over the bowl. @@.player;"I forgot I was halfway through these,"@@ they say quietly. You follow their gaze to the setup in front of them: a small pile of bright yellow flowers, half of them still intact, the rest reduced to loose petals and discarded stems across a few mismatched bowls. Eli picks up a fresh flower, thumb moving gently to ease the petals free. It’s a slow, practiced motion. You watch for a moment, then glance toward the second pile of untouched blossoms nearby. You set your cup down, only a little left at the bottom. <<button [[Offer to help|d3 - eli help]]>> <<set $eli_rel to $eli_rel + 1>> <<set $late to 1>> <<set $magical_knowledge to $magical_knowledge + 1>> <<set $var2 to 0>> <</button>> <<button [[Get going before it gets late|d3 - eli leave]]>> <<set $late to 2>> <</button>>

The two of you walk into a quieter stretch of the square, away from the busiest paths. You look around. Stalls circle a shaded courtyard, their tabletops covered in everything from soft bundles of yarn to jars of polished stones. She nudges your arm, then points casually at the stalls. "So... what’re you feeling first?" -- ~~//Note:// You’ll only get to check out one of these stalls right now. If you let Dani choose, she’ll head toward a stall run by people she knows. Don’t stress about it though, these are pretty brief interactions. If you miss someone today, you’ll have more chances later. The other stalls are pretty cool too!~~ <<set $plantstall to 0>>\ <<button [[Head to the table of leafy potted plants|d3 - plant stall]]>> <<set $var2 to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Check out the display of hand-carved trinkets|d3 - harold stall]]>> <<set $harold_rel to $harold_rel + 1>> <<set $var2 to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Let Dani choose where to start|d3 - harold stall]]>> <<set $harold_rel to $harold_rel + 1>> <<set $plantstall to 1>> <<set $var2 to 2>> <</button>>

<<if $hat is 1>>\ You reach out before you even have the chance to second-guess yourself. Your fingers brush the brim, then pause. You stand there a second longer, wondering if this is silly, if it’s allowed, if it matters. Then you lift it and settle it onto your head. You're sure you look ridiculous. Propped beside a stack of folded scarves, a standing mirror invites a quick glance. Just enough to check the look. Your eyes catch on it for just a second. The hat sits lower than you expected, brim shading your face, and– Huh. Your hair looks... a little longer. Maybe it’s just the shape of the hat. The way it frames your face. You don’t look that different but something about it feels nice. You don’t linger on the thought. @@.dani;"Nice pick,"@@ Dani says with a toothy grin. @@.dani;"That one looks good on you."@@ You glance away. This hat has the widest brim, good for the sun. You’re just being practical, that’s all. //Right?// You pay for the hat at the counter and keep walking. <<elseif $hat is 2>>\ Your eyes skim past the sunhat and land on a baseball cap tucked toward the corner of the stall. Soft gray, lightly distressed along the seams, with a slightly curved brim. It looks broken-in. You reach for it. It fits neatly in your hands, the fabric warm from the sun. You turn it once, thumb brushing the brim. No logo. No flash. Just something easy and familiar. <<button [[Wear it normally|d3 - cap choice]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Flip it backwards|d3 - cap choice]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>> <<else>>\ You shake your head. @@.player;"I’m fine,"@@ you say. You step away from the display before either of you can say anything else. Dani doesn’t argue. She just falls into step beside you again, hands tucked loosely into her pockets. You catch her glancing over once, but she doesn’t push. The stall fades behind you, though some small part of you keeps thinking about it. You keep walking. The sun presses steady across your shoulders, the back of your neck. You rub your arm absently, eyes flicking from stall to stall, not really seeing any of it. //Still... you almost did.// <<endif>>\ <<if $hat isnot 2>>\ <<button [[Continue exploring the market|d3 - market choice 2]]>> <</button>> <<endif>>\

<<if $var is 1>>\ You slip the cap on the usual way, tugging the brim just low enough to shade your eyes. It fits snug but not tight. You don’t think much about how it looks. Maybe that’s the point. Dani glances over, then gives a small nod. @@.dani;"Looks solid."@@ @@.player;"Thanks,"@@ you say, adjusting the brim. @@.player;"I'll take it."@@ You pay for the cap at the counter and continue walking, rejoining the flow of the market. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You turn the cap in your hands once, then again. You could wear it like a normal person. Or... You put it on and immediately flip it around, brim to the back. The sun doesn't hesitate to hit your face again. Terrible sun protection. Unmatched vibes. Dani pauses mid-step and squints at you. She opens her mouth. Closes it. @@.dani;"You look like someone who’d start a podcast."@@ You flash the most charming grin you can muster. @@.player;"Maybe I am."@@ She groans, grinning back. @@.dani;"God, Lena’s gonna love this."@@ You pay for the cap at the counter, ignoring the expression the vendor has. Then, you continue walking, rejoining the flow of the market. The sun presses steadily across your face. After a minute of walking, you quietly turn the hat back around. Swagger doesn’t beat sunburn. But it was funny while it lasted. <<endif>>\ <<button [[Continue exploring the market|d3 - market choice 2]]>> <</button>>

<<if $var2 is 1>>\ You and Dani make your way across the courtyard, weaving past a few chatting vendors and a kid planted in the middle of the walkway, deeply focused on a rock in their hand. You slow down in front of a table tucked beneath the shade of a tree. <<elseif $var2 is 2>>\ Dani grins and gestures you to follow. She weaves between the stalls like she knows exactly where she’s going. You catch up just as she slows beside a table tucked beneath the shade of a tree. <<endif>>\ Behind the table stands a broad-shouldered man with short gray hair. He’s focused on a small piece of wood in his hands, sleeves rolled to the elbow as he shaves it down with a curved knife. He doesn’t look up when you stop. Just finishes the curl he’s working on, then sets the blade down beside him. @@.dani;"Hey Harold,"@@ Dani greets casually. @@.dani;"Busy morning?"@@ He grunts. @@.harold;"Steady enough."@@ You glance between them, unsure if that was meant to be the start of a longer conversation. It wasn’t. After a second, Harold’s eyes flick to you. @@.harold;"You’re the one staying with Lena?"@@ You nod. @@.player;"Yeah. I’m $playername."@@ @@.harold;"She said you might come by."@@ He nods toward the table. @@.harold;"Alright, go ahead. Take a look." @@ He picks up the wood piece again and resumes carving. You hesitate. Does he... dislike you? It's hard to tell. Still, it’s probably fine if Dani knows him. You file away the thought and scan the display. It's simple. No sign, no labels, no prices. Just rows of hand-carved tools, bowls, spoons, combs, and small wooden figures. One of the combs is carved with a floral pattern that runs down the handle. Next to it, a thin bracelet made of smooth wood with spirals carved into the surface. There’s also a tiny fox, its tail curling around its paws like it’s sitting down attentively. <<button [[Ask Dani if she's going to get anything|d3 - harold stall reply]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Pick up the fox and turn it over in your hand|d3 - harold stall reply]]>> <<set $harold_rel to $harold_rel + 1>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Ask what kind of wood he uses|d3 - harold stall reply]]>> <<set $harold_rel to $harold_rel + 1>> <<set $var to 3>> <</button>>

A linen cloth drapes the table, its corners pinned with smooth stones. Rows of ceramic pots line the surface in soft, irregular patterns. Around the legs of the table, small plants cluster in mismatched containers, their leaves brushing against the dirt floor. A young woman sits behind the stand, reading a book. She looks up when you approach and offers a small smile. "Hey there. Let me know if you’re looking for anything in particular." You step closer and glance over the plants. One pot holds a trailing vine of green and pink heart-shaped leaves. Another holds a tiny blooming kalanchoe, the petals clustered in a neat coral dome. Dani lingers nearby, already eyeing a tiny cactus shaped like a pebble. @@.dani;"They’re cute,"@@ she comments. You nod, half-listening. Back home, you had more plants than windows. You didn’t bring any with you. <<button [[Consider purchasing the variegated string of hearts|d3 - plant purchase]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Consider purchasing the flowering kalanchoe|d3 - plant purchase]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Consider purchasing the tiny cactus|d3 - plant purchase]]>> <<set $var to 3>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You run your thumb over the edge of one of the heart-shaped leaves. It's soft but firm. The vines are long, trailing in loose spirals that twist gently when you move the pot. It looks like the kind of plant that takes up space one strand at a time until it’s everywhere. Every leaf is streaked like watercolor, pink bleeding into green, green into an ivory white. You don’t usually go for things like this. But it’s hard to look away. <<button [[Choose it and bring it home|d3 - plant purchase 2]]>> <<set $plant to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Decide not to buy anything|d3 - plant purchase 2]]>> <<set $miss to $miss + 1>> <<set $plant to 0>> <</button>> <<elseif $var is 2>>\ Small pale pink blossoms dot the top, like they’re trying to be subtle about being beautiful. You’re not usually drawn to flowers, but there’s something about the way it holds its color. You brush a bit of soil from the pot rim. <<button [[Choose it and bring it home|d3 - plant purchase 2]]>> <<set $plant to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Decide not to buy anything|d3 - plant purchase 2]]>> <<set $miss to $miss + 1>> <<set $plant to 0>> <</button>> <<elseif $var is 3>>\ You reach for a tiny round cactus nestled near the front. Its spines are soft-looking but not to be trusted. Cute. The vendor comments. @@.misc2;"That one doesn’t need much. Bit of sun. Forget to water it for a week or two and it'll be completely fine."@@ <<button [[Choose it and bring it home|d3 - plant purchase 2]]>> <<set $plant to 3>> <</button>> <<button [[Decide not to buy anything|d3 - plant purchase 2]]>> <<set $miss to $miss + 1>> <<set $plant to 0>> <</button>> <<endif>>\

<<if $plant isnot 0>>\ You step away from the stall with a small pot in your hands. It's warm under the sun, soil still clinging to the base. Your latest impulse adoption. You’re definitely starting another plant collection. Maybe one even bigger than the one you had before. //Whoops.// <<elseif $plant is 0>>\ You step away from the stall without anything in your hands. You liked a few of them, but nothing felt like the one. And honestly? That’s fine. Not every cute plant needs to come home with you. <<endif>>\ <<button [[Continue exploring the market|d3 - hat stuff]]>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You turn toward Dani. @@.player;"What about you? See anything you like?"@@ Dani grins. @@.dani;"I already have too many trinkets. My shelf’s completely filled with random stuff."@@ She leans in closer to the display anyway, eyes scanning the rows with obvious fondness. @@.dani;"But this stuff’s good. He’s always been good."@@ Harold doesn’t look up, but his hand slows for a moment. Then, he keeps working, the soft scrape of the blade filling the space where a conversation would’ve gone. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You reach out and lift the small fox from the table. It’s lighter than you expected. The wood is warm from the sun, smooth in some places and a little rough in others. Harold glances up once, just briefly. @@.harold;"That one’s cedar,"@@ he says. @@.harold;"My apprentice carved it from a split log. The ear’s wrong."@@ Then, goes back to carving. You trace the curl of its tail with your thumb and look closer. //He's right.// One of the ears is just a little off-kilter, like it’s listening sideways. Harold doesn’t say anything more. He just keeps working, the soft scrape of the blade filling the space where a conversation would’ve gone. <<elseif $var is 3>>\ @@.player;"What wood is this?"@@ you ask, pointing at a smooth bracelet near the middle. Harold pauses for a moment. @@.harold;"Oak. Old fence post."@@ @@.player;"Really?"@@ He nods. @@.harold;"Had to sand it down deep, but it holds shape."@@ You look down again. The bracelet you’d been eyeing is pale and fine-grained, nothing like the rough, splintered edge it likely came from. Harold doesn’t say anything more. He just keeps working, the soft scrape of the blade filling the space where a conversation would’ve gone. <<endif>>\ Dani eventually stretches her arms overhead. @@.dani;"We should probably keep moving. Thanks Harold."@@ He doesn’t look up, but he grunts in farewell. Just once. You glance at the table one last time before stepping away from the stall. <<button [[Continue exploring the market|d3 - hat stuff]]>> <</button>>

The crystal stall sits half in shadow beneath a faded canvas awning, tucked between louder booths. A pale linen cloth drapes across the table, pinned at the corners with smooth river stones. Crystals of all shapes and colors are arranged in loose clusters. Some are polished smooth, others carved in the shape of animals. In the center, a wooden rack displays wire-wrapped pendants, each strung on thin leather or threadbare cords. Behind the table, an older woman sits on a canvas folding stool. Her silver hair is pinned back loosely and her hands are busy with a bit of wire. She glances up as you approach and gives a friendly nod. Dani slows beside you, scanning the table. Her face settles into a look of polite interest layered over mild confusion. After a moment, she leans in. @@.dani;"So... are you supposed to pick the one that calls to your soul or something?"@@ You glance over and blink. @@.player;"Isn't that how all decisions are made?"@@ She lifts her hands in mock surrender. @@.dani;"Okay, fair. I just think this is definitely more your speed." @@ @@.player;"It’s peaceful."@@ She leans in slightly to squint at a particularly shiny stone, nudging it lightly with her finger. @@.dani;"Yeah, I can see that. It’s nice. Just not really my thing. Anyways,"@@ she says, attention now captured by a nearby cider stand, @@.dani;"that line’s getting longer, so I’ll be right over there if you need me."@@ You nod. @@.dani;"Good luck choosing your... soul rock."@@ She gives the table one last puzzled look before slipping off. You roll your eyes before settling your gaze back onto the table. You’re not sure what you’re hoping to find. You wouldn’t wear something like a pendant. But you stay near the rack anyway. <<button [[Take a closer look at the pendants|d3 - pendants]]>> <</button>>

@@.dani;"Alright,"@@ Dani checks in. @@.dani;"Two stalls down. You still holding up?"@@ You nod, whatever’s in your hand still warm from the sun. @@.dani;"Cool."@@ She nudges your arm gently, eyes scanning the other stalls. @@.dani;"Let’s see what else we find."@@ You look around. <<button [[A stall of crystals catches your eye|d3 - crystal stall]]>> <<set $crystalstall to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[A rack of embroidery kits stand out to you|d3 - abagail stall]]>> <<set $abagailstall to 1>> <<set $var2 to 1>> <<set $abagail_rel to $abagail_rel + 1>> <</button>> <<if $var2 is 1>>\ <<button [[Let Dani choose this time|d3 - abagail stall]]>> <<set $var2 to 2>> <<set $abagailstall to 1>> <<set $abagail_rel to $abagail_rel + 3>> <</button>> <<elseif $var2 is 2>>\ <<button [[Let Dani choose again|d3 - abagail stall]]>> <<set $var2 to 2>> <<set $abagailstall to 1>> <<set $abagail_rel to $abagail_rel + 6>> <</button>> <<endif>>\

<<if $var2 is 1>>\ You head toward a small stall tucked beneath a pale yellow awning. Embroidery hoops hang from the back board, depicting tiny bees, clusters of wildflowers, and a small frog in a mushroom hat. Dani follows your line of sight and her eyes light up. @@.dani;"Nice taste."@@ Before you can answer, she steps ahead and calls out brightly, @@.dani;"Hey, Abby!"@@ <<elseif $var2 is 2>>\ Dani flashes a grin. @@.dani;"I got you. I have excellent taste."@@ You follow her to a small stall tucked beneath a pale yellow awning. Embroidery hoops hang from the back board, depicting tiny bees, clusters of wildflowers, and a small frog in a mushroom hat. @@.dani;"Hey, Abby!"@@ Dani calls as you approach. <<endif>>\ The woman behind the table doesn’t look up right away, her fingers stacked with rings as she finishes a stitch. She’s wearing a loose dark cardigan despite the heat, her dark hair pinned messily with a silver clip. A string of blue thread clings to her elbow. @@.abagail;"You're still calling me that,"@@ she says, still focused on her work. Dani leans casually against the table. @@.dani;"Yeah, it's cute."@@ @@.abagail;"Doesn’t mean I like it."@@ @@.dani;"That's what makes it cute,"@@ Dani says, then adds with a grin, @@.dani;"Abagail."@@ That gets a small smile. Abagail ties off the thread and finally glances up. She pauses, eyes flicking between the two of you. @@.abagail;"You brought someone,"@@ she remarks. @@.dani;"Dragged him along actually."@@ You give a small half-wave. @@.player;"Hi."@@ <<if $hat is 1>>\ @@.abagail;"Hello,"@@ she says, giving you a nod. She glances up at your hat. @@.abagail;"The color suits you."@@ You weren’t expecting that. @@.player;"Thanks,"@@ you say, a little quieter than you intended. She just smiles and turns back to the table. @@.abagail;"Let me know if anything catches your eye. Most of the kits are beginner-friendly. A lot of them started as lesson sets for kids, so they're meant to be forgiving."@@ <<else>>\ @@.abagail;"Hello,"@@ she says, giving you a nod. @@.abagail;"Let me know if anything catches your eye. Most of the kits are beginner-friendly. A lot of them started as lesson sets for kids, so they're meant to be forgiving."@@ <<endif>>\ @@.dani;"Even I finished one,"@@ Dani chimes in, grinning pridefully. @@.abagail;"Barely."@@ @@.dani;"Rude! My bee was //majestic//!"@@ Abagail glances sideways. @@.abagail;"It was missing a wing."@@ Dani lifts her chin. @@.dani;"'Twas stylized. You wouldn't know art."@@ You lean in a little as they continue exchanging jabs, scanning the kits. They're laid out in tidy rows, each one tucked into a paper sleeve with a small sketch on the front. The kits are quiet things. Small, silly, and endearing. One shows a few fuzzy moths circling a lit candle, their wings soft and round, the flame stitched in warm oranges and yellows. Another has a frog so round it’s almost a circle, its little legs splayed underneath like little forks. There’s a field of violets, soft and layered, the purples shifting between pale and dusk-blue. Next to that is a worm in a striped sweater, mid-wiggle, with a tiny smile on its face. And near the end: a hedgehog curled up beneath a toadstool, paws tucked close, the mushroom’s cap shading its back like a little umbrella. @@.dani;"You know,"@@ Dani muses, @@.dani;"if you do the frog one, I’ll personally make sure it gets framed and hung on Lena’s wall."@@ Abagail's lips purse. @@.abagail;"Please don’t."@@ You think, uncertain. Embroidery isn't something that you normally would be interested in. //But these designs are just so fun.// -- ~~//Note:// Choosing a kit will allow you to periodically work on embroidering. You'll be able to gift the finished product to a romanceable character.~~ <<button [[Pick up the moths and candle kit|d3 - abagail stall reply]]>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 1>> <<set $embroidery to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Pick up the extremely rotund frog kit|d3 - abagail stall reply]]>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 1>> <<set $embroidery to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Pick up the field of violets kit|d3 - abagail stall reply]]>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 1>> <<set $embroidery to 3>> <</button>> <<button [[Pick up the worm in a sweater kit|d3 - abagail stall reply]]>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 1>> <<set $embroidery to 4>> <</button>> <<button [[Pick up the curled-up hedgehog kit|d3 - abagail stall reply]]>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 1>> <<set $embroidery to 5>> <</button>> <<button [[Pass on the kits|d3 - abagail stall reply]]>> <<set $miss to $miss + 1>> <<set $embroidery to 0>> <</button>>

<<set $abagail_rel to $abagail_rel + 1>>\ <<if $embroidery is 1>>\ You hold the kit in your hands for a moment. The paper sleeve is warm from the sunlight, the little sketch of moths and flame delicate beneath your thumb. @@.dani;"It’s pretty,"@@ Dani says, leaning in to peek at it. @@.dani;"Kinda dreamy. Feels like something you’d pick."@@ You blink. @@.player;"What does that mean?"@@ She shrugs. @@.dani;"Dunno. Just fits."@@ You look back down at the tiny moths, drawn in looping lines, their wings soft and round as they hover around the flame. You think of a poem you were forced to read in school: //The Lesson of the Moth// by Don Marquis. About moths that were willing to burn for beauty. But these ones don’t look like they’re burning. Just drifting close. Basking in the warmth. <<elseif $embroidery is 2>>\ The little frog beams up at you from the sketch. @@.dani;"You picked the frog!"@@ Dani beams. @@.dani;"Excellent taste."@@ You glance down at the sketch again. The frog is so round it’s practically a circle. Its stubby legs stick out from beneath it like little forks, its eyes wide and slightly uneven. @@.player;"I don’t know what I’m going to do with this,"@@ you mutter, a little helpless. Dani leans in. @@.dani;"Display it. Carry it in your wallet. Get it tattooed. The possibilities are endless."@@ @@.player;"You’re ridiculous."@@ @@.dani;"And yet,"@@ she replies, grinning, @@.dani;"I’m right."@@ You can't help but concede to her wisdom. <<elseif $embroidery is 3>>\ @@.dani;"Pretty choice,"@@ Dani says, peering at the little sketch. @@.dani;"Kinda fits you."@@ You glance down. The violets are small, layered with dusky blues and pale purples stitched into soft clusters. You’re not sure if they do fit you. But something about them feels peaceful. <<elseif $embroidery is 4>>\ Dani leans in to glance at the sketch. @@.dani;"Okay, that one’s actually adorable. Look at him."@@ You do. The worm’s got a tiny smile stitched in pink, mid-wiggle, its sweater striped like a candy cane. It’s endearingly silly. You raise an eyebrow. @@.player;"He’s well-dressed."@@ @@.dani;"You picked the sweater worm,"@@ Abagail notes, deadpan. You pause, glancing up. @@.player;"Yeah?"@@ She shrugs. @@.player;"Good choice."@@ You look back down at the worm. It’s dumb. And small. And it makes you smile. <<elseif $embroidery is 5>>\ You pick up the kit and glance down at the sketch again. The hedgehog looks like it’s napping, paws folded close, the toadstool above like a little shelter. Tucked away because it’s small, and the world is big. Dani leans in over your shoulder. @@.dani;"Aww. That’s cute."@@ You nod slowly. @@.player;"Yeah. It’s hiding but somehow in a cozy way."@@ @@.abagail;"That one’s new. No one’s picked it yet."@@ You pause and smile a little. Maybe the little hedgehog was waiting for the right person. <<elseif $embroidery is 0>>\ Your eyes examine each kit, trailing from moths to hedgehogs, but nothing quite sticks. @@.player;"Sorry,"@@ you murmur, taking a half-step back from the display. @@.player;"They’re all really cool but nothing’s really jumping out at me."@@ Abagail just reaches for her thread again. @@.abagail;"It’s alright. Not everything has to come home with you."@@ @@.player;"Thanks for letting me look."@@ @@.abagail;"Of course. They’ll be here if you come back."@@ She pauses, eyes flicking up briefly. @@.abagail;"I hope you do."@@ You offer a small smile. @@.player;"I’ll keep that in mind."@@ She nods. "Good." <<endif>>\ <<if $embroidery isnot 0>>\ <<button [[Purchase the kit|d3 - abagail stall purchase]]>> <<set $femchoice to $femchoice + 1>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<elseif $embroidery is 0>>\ <<button [[Step away from the stall|d3 - abagail stall leave]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>> <<endif>>\

You bring the kit to the front to pay. Or at least, the edge of the table, where a little metal cash box sits between a spool of thread and stub of a pencil. Abagail wraps your choice in a sheet of brown paper, then tucks in a slip of written instructions. Her handwriting is neat and narrow, like it’s trying not to take up too much space. @@.abagail;"There you go."@@ She passes it across the counter. @@.player;"Thanks."@@ Her eyes don't meet yours as she hands over your change. She hesitates, hand hovering over yours. @@.abagail;"If you finish it, come back and show me."@@ You blink. She's quick to clarify. @@.abagail;"No pressure. I just like seeing what people make with them. Plus, I’ve got more patterns if want something harder."@@ You smile. @@.player;"I'll drop by."@@ <<button [[Step away from the stall|d3 - abagail stall leave]]>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You slip the bundle under your arm as you rejoin the bustle of the market. Dani waves goodbye to Abagail and catches up to you with an easy grin, hands in her pockets. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You rejoin the bustle of the market. Dani waves goodbye to Abagail and catches up to you with an easy grin, hands in her pockets. <<endif>>\ She glances at you. You match her gaze for half a second before looking ahead again. Her eyes narrow as her grin sharpens. @@.player;"What."@@ @@.dani;"She likes you,"@@ she says, casual. Your feet almost miss a step. @@.player;"What? No. She was just being polite."@@ @@.dani;"//Mmhm//. Real polite. Especially when she said that last part."@@ You shoot her a look. @@.player;"She barely even said anything"@@ She shrugs. @@.dani;"She doesn’t talk that much to people."@@ @@.player;"And that was talking?"@@ Dani tips her head, eyes glinting. @@.dani;"For her, yeah. Plus, she looked right at you when she did."@@ You look ahead, not answering. Dani bumps your shoulder. @@.dani;"It’s okay, you’re allowed to be liked."@@ You shake your head, trying not to smile. She doesn't say anything else, but she's still grinning as the two of you drift through the market. The rest of the afternoon passes by. The memories all blur together, going from stall to stall, color to color, moment to moment. You meet more people than you can keep track of. You resist (and then don’t resist) the urge to stop at nearly every table. Dani makes fun of you when you pick up another sample. You make fun of her when she gets distracted by hand lotion that smells like honey. Somewhere along the way, you almost buy a small wooden duck. But the true heartbreak of the afternoon comes later. You wait in a slowly crawling line at Marigold’s stall. It’s right there. You can smell the peach turnovers. Hope burns bright. And then, three people away, Marigold stands on her tiptoes and announces she’s just sold the last one. Together, you and Dani share a look of shared devastation. @@.dani;"It was right there,"@@ she whispers. @@.dani;"I could smell it."@@ You nod solemnly. @@.player;"We were so close."@@ By the time you make it back to Lena’s stall, your legs ache and your arms are a little fuller than you expected. @@.dani;"We were too late,"@@ Dani announces to Lena, slumping onto the table as she recounts the afternoon's events. <<if $hat is 1>>\ @@.lena;"A true tragedy,"@@ Lena comments with a smirk. Then she turns her attention to you, glancing at your hat with a smile. @@.lena;"Alright. How did you find the market?"@@ <<else>>\ @@.lena;"A true tragedy,"@@ Lena comments with a smirk. Then she turns her attention to you. @@.lena;"Alright. How did you find the market?"@@ <<endif>>\ <<button [[Reply with enthusiasm|d3 - market wrap up]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $marketlike to 1>> <</button>> <<if $adrian_rel isnot 0>>\ <<button [[Mention Adrian|d3 - market wrap up]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <<set $marketlike to 1>> <<set $adrian_rel to $adrian_rel + 1>> <</button>> <<endif>>\ <<if $abagail_rel isnot 0>>\ <<button [[Mention Abagail|d3 - market wrap up]]>> <<set $var to 3>> <<set $abagail_rel to $abagail_rel + 1>> <<set $marketlike to 1>> <</button>> <<endif>>\ <<button [[Admit it wasn’t really your thing|d3 - market wrap up]]>> <<set $var to 4>> <<set $marketlike to 2>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ @@.player;"My legs hurt. My wallet hurts. But I want to come again. It was really fun."@@ <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You give a small nod. @@.player;"There was someone selling carved stuff. He was cool"@@ you say. @@.player;"Kinda makes me want to come back next week."@@ <<elseif $var is 3>>\ You think for a second. @@.player;"There was someone selling embroidery. She was really interesting."@@ You don’t mention what Dani said. @@.player;"Kinda makes me want to come back next week."@@ <<elseif $var is 4>>\ You shrug. @@.player;"Honestly? It wasn’t really my thing." @@ You glance at Dani before quickly adding, @@.player;"It wasn’t bad. Just... a lot."@@ <<endif>>\ <<if $marketlike is 1>>\ Lena smiles. @@.lena;"I’m glad,"@@ she says. @@.lena;"The first market trip’s always a little overwhelming, but it gets better each time. You’ll start recognizing faces. Finding favorites." @@ <<elseif $marketlike is 2>>\ Lena hums thoughtfully. @@.lena;"Fair enough. It can be a lot, especially your first time out."@@ She glances toward you with a small smile. @@.lena;"Appreciate you tagging along anyway." @@ <<endif>>\ She glances over her shoulder, then back at the half-packed stall. @@.lena;"Anyways. I’m just about finished packing. Help me get the rest in the truck and we’ll head back."@@ <<button [[Help load the truck|d3 - dinner]]>> <</button>>

You scan the displayed pendants. Each one is wrapped in wire – some with precise spirals, others crisscrossed tightly. You glance over your shoulder. Dani’s already halfway to the cider stand. You turn back. You don’t have to put one on. You can just... keep it. Just in case. The stones themselves are full of soft color and texture. You find yourself moving down the line without meaning to, wondering what each are supposed to say. A soft pink stone dangles at the edge. You glance at its tag. Rose quartz. Next to it, a smooth green pendant wrapped in copper wire – aventurine. A bit further down, Citrine. A golden-orange stone that could be mistaken for a shard of crystalized sunlight. You pause, unsure why you’re drawn to these in particular. Maybe it’s just the way they catch the light. Maybe it’s something else. <<button [[Get the rose quartz pendant|d3 - crystal reaction]]>> <<set $femchoice to $femchoice + 1>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 2>> <<set $pendant to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Get the aventurine pendant|d3 - crystal reaction]]>> <<set $femchoice to $femchoice + 1>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 1>> <<set $pendant to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Get the citrine pendant|d3 - crystal reaction]]>> <<set $femchoice to $femchoice + 1>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 1>> <<set $pendant to 3>> <</button>> <<button [[Step away without picking one|d3 - crystal reaction]]>> <<set $miss to $miss + 1>> <<set $pendant to 0>> <</button>>

<<if $pendant is 1>>\ You reach for the pale pink pendant and lift it gently from the rack. The stone is smooth and slightly cloudy. The silver wire wrapping is simple, just enough to hold the shape together. You run your thumb along the curve of it. It’s smooth. It reminds you of something gentle. You wouldn’t wear it, but you don’t want to put it down either. The vendor’s voice cuts through gently. @@.misc2;"Funny how people always hesitate with that one. Like they think wanting it means something."@@ You pause. The pendant is still in your hand. She folds a cloth square without looking up. @@.misc2;"Go on. Take it if you like it. You’ve already picked it. Might as well call it what it is."@@ You glance down at the stone again, thumb still resting on the curve of it. @@.player;"How much?"@@ @@.misc;"Ten."@@ You pass her a crumpled bill. She wraps the pendant in a small cloth scrap and folds it with practiced hands before handing it over without ceremony. You’re still tucking the bundle into your pocket when Dani reappears, two paper cups in hand. @@.dani;"I come bearing cider,"@@ she announces, offering you one. @@.dani;"They had a seasonal flavor and I panicked. Hope you like the weird spices."@@ You take the cup. It smells like cinnamon, citrus, maybe something else. You sip. It’s not bad. She eyes the cloth-wrapped pendant in your hand. @@.dani;"Let me guess. The pink one?"@@ You blink at her. @@.dani;"What? I have taste. And a good read on people."@@ She shrugs. @@.dani;"It suits you."@@ <<elseif $pendant is 2>>\ You reach for the green aventurine pendant and lift it gently from the rack. It’s colored like moss under shallow water. Copper wire is wrapped tight around the stone, complementing the soft green. You run your thumb along the curve of it. It’s smooth. It has a weight to it that’s comforting. You wouldn’t wear it, but you don’t want to put it down either. The vendor’s voice cuts through gently. @@.misc2;"Aventurine’s for stability. People tend to wear it when they want to feel more calm and steady."@@ You glance down at the stone again, thumb still resting on the curve of it. @@.player;"How much?"@@ @@.misc2;"Ten."@@ You pass her a crumpled bill. She wraps the pendant in a small cloth scrap and folds it with practiced hands before handing it over without ceremony. You’re still tucking the bundle into your pocket when Dani reappears, two paper cups in hand. @@.dani;"I come bearing cider,"@@ she announces, offering you one. @@.dani;"They had a seasonal flavor and I panicked. Hope you like the weird spices."@@ You take the cup. It smells like cinnamon, citrus, maybe something else. You sip. It’s not bad. She eyes the cloth-wrapped pendant in your hand. @@.dani;"Let me guess. The green one?"@@ You blink at her. @@.dani;"What? I have taste. And a good read on people."@@ She shrugs. @@.dani;"That’s the one I almost picked for you before wandering off."@@ @@.player;"Almost?"@@ She grins. @@.dani;"Yeah, then I remembered I have no idea what I’m doing."@@ You roll your eyes but a small smile gives you away. <<elseif $pendant is 3>>\ You reach for the citrine pendant and lift it gently from the rack. It’s a little rough around the edges but the color is warm and bright, like sunlight caught in stone. Copper wire is wrapped tight around the stone, complementing the warmth. You run your thumb along its uneven edge. It’s not perfect but that’s what makes you want to keep holding it. You wouldn’t wear it, but you don’t want to put it down either. The vendor’s voice cuts through gently. @@.misc2;"That one’s for courage. Forward motion, change, and momentum."@@ You glance down at the stone again, thumb still resting on the curve of it. @@.player;"How much?"@@ @@.misc2;"Ten."@@ You pass her a crumpled bill. She wraps the pendant in a small cloth scrap and folds it with practiced hands before handing it over without ceremony. You’re still tucking the bundle into your pocket when Dani reappears, two paper cups in hand. @@.dani;"I come bearing cider,"@@ she announces, offering you one. @@.dani;"They had a seasonal flavor and I panicked. Hope you like the weird spices."@@ You take the cup. It smells like cinnamon, citrus, maybe something else. You sip. It’s not bad. She eyes the cloth-wrapped pendant in your hand. @@.dani;"Let me guess. The yellowish one?"@@ You blink at her. @@.dani;"What? I have taste. And a good read on people."@@ She shrugs. @@.dani;"It suits you."@@ <<elseif $pendant is 0>>\ You hover for a moment longer. They’re nice. Beautiful, even. But nothing quite sticks. You can’t explain it. In Dani’s words: nothing really calls to your soul. You exhale softly and step back. @@.player;"Thanks for letting me look,"@@ you say to the vendor. She smiles and nods. You step away from the stall to go find Dani. You spot her already making her way to you, two paper cups in hand. @@.dani;"Hey,"@@ she says when she draws near, offering you a cup. @@.dani;"They had a seasonal flavor and I panicked. Hope you like the weird spices."@@ You take the cup. It smells like cinnamon, citrus, maybe something else. You sip. It’s not bad. She eyes your empty hand, the stall, then back at you. @@.dani;"Didn't get anything?"@@ You shake your head. You both stand there for a moment, sipping cider as the crowd shifts and swirls around you. There’s nothing in your pocket. But you don’t feel like you missed anything. <<endif>>\ <<if $pendant isnot 0>>\ You slip the pendant into your pocket and step away from the stall. Dani walks next to you for a few steps before glancing over. @@.dani;"You gonna wear it?"@@ @@.player;"Nope."@@ She nods, like that makes sense. @@.dani;"Still. It’s nice."@@ That’s all she says. <<endif>>\ The rest of the afternoon passes by. The memories all blur together, going from stall to stall, color to color, moment to moment. You meet more people than you can keep track of. You resist (and then don’t resist) the urge to stop at nearly every table. Dani makes fun of you when you pick up another sample. You make fun of her when she gets distracted by hand lotion that smells like honey. Somewhere along the way, you almost buy a small wooden duck. But the true heartbreak of the afternoon comes later. You wait in a slowly crawling line at Marigold’s stall. It’s right there. You can smell the peach turnovers. Hope burns bright. And then, three people away, Marigold stands on her tiptoes and announces she’s just sold the last one. Together, you and Dani share a look of shared devastation. @@.dani;"It was right there,"@@ she whispers. @@.dani;"I could smell it."@@ You nod solemnly. @@.player;"We were so close."@@ By the time you make it back to Lena’s stall, your legs ache and your arms are a little fuller than you expected. @@.dani;"We were too late,"@@ Dani announces to Lena, slumping onto the table as she recounts the afternoon's events. <<if $hat is 1>>\ @@.lena;"A true tragedy,"@@ Lena comments with a smirk. Then she turns her attention to you, glancing at your hat with a smile. @@.lena;"Alright. How did you find the market?"@@ <<else>>\ @@.lena;"A true tragedy,"@@ Lena comments with a smirk. Then she turns her attention to you. @@.lena;"Alright. How did you find the market?"@@ <<endif>>\ <<button [[Reply with enthusiasm|d3 - market wrap up]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $marketlike to 1>> <</button>> <<if $adrian_rel isnot 0>>\ <<button [[Mention Adrian|d3 - market wrap up]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <<set $marketlike to 1>> <<set $adrian_rel to $adrian_rel + 1>> <</button>> <<endif>>\ <<if $abagail_rel isnot 0>>\ <<button [[Mention Abagail|d3 - market wrap up]]>> <<set $var to 3>> <<set $abagail_rel to $abagail_rel + 1>> <<set $marketlike to 1>> <</button>> <<endif>>\ <<button [[Admit it wasn’t really your thing|d3 - market wrap up]]>> <<set $var to 4>> <<set $marketlike to 2>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ It still doesn’t feel quite real. The landscape outside the window blur together. You keep expecting the city to reappear in the distance, but it never does. Just more quiet fields, stretching on and on. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ There’s something steady about it all. No rush, no noise, just space to breathe. You let yourself lean into it a little. <<elseif $var is 3>>\ The longer the ride goes, the more the emptiness settles in. There’s no one else to overhear, no buildings to break up the quiet. You watch a single crow cut across the sky and feel a strange kind of distance from everything. Like you’ve drifted somewhere you’re not sure you belong. <<elseif $var is 4>>\ There’s something about the space out here that feels less empty and more like its waiting. Not for anything dramatic. Just open. Maybe you could fill it. <<endif>>\ You're lost in your thoughts for the rest of the ride. After what feels like the hundredth field of corn, the bus finally comes to a stop. The driver calls out gruffly. @@.misc;"End of the line."@@ You sling your bag over your shoulder and walk down the aisle. You're the only one left on the bus. //Figures.// Who else would come all the way out here? Then you’re out in the open air, the sun dipping low in the sky. The door clatters shut behind you as you’re left standing alone by the roadside. Then a door slams. @@.lena;"Hey you."@@ You turn around. It's Lena, waving at you as she crosses the gravel lot. She's an old family friend, practically an aunt. She looks much the same as you remember: her skin tanned from years working under the sun, chestnut hair streaked with gray and pulled back in a messy braid, a flannel shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows. It's been years since you last saw her but the warmth in her eyes is just as familiar. @@.lena;"Didn’t think you’d actually go through with it,"@@ Lena says. @@.lena;"Thought for sure I’d get a text saying you changed your mind and stayed home."@@ You shift the bag on your shoulder and shrug. @@.player;"I considered it."@@ She chuckles and reaches to take your bag before you can protest. @@.lena;"Come on, let’s get you out of this heat,"@@ she says, already turning toward the old green pickup parked a few yards away. <<button [[Follow her to the truck|d1 - truck drive]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Glance back at the bus|d1 - truck drive]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty + 1>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>>

You stare out the window, trying not to think too hard. <<if $bstory is 1>>\ Everyone said you had potential. That you were gifted. Responsible. The kind of kid who didn’t cause trouble, who never asked for too much. It got harder to live up to that the older you got. You tried to want what they wanted – school, career, structure. You wore the clothes that made your mom happy. Said the things that made your teachers proud. It worked. For a while. Then it didn’t. It wasn’t a single moment that did it. No dramatic breakdown. Just a slow unraveling of unanswered group projects, a growing pile of unread emails, friends who stopped noticing. So when your parents suggested a summer away you didn’t argue. Your mom called Lena. You packed a bag. You didn’t pack like you’d be gone forever. But you didn’t leave anything important behind, either. You didn’t say it out loud, but some part of you was relieved. You don’t know what’s supposed to happen out here. You just know it’s the first time in a long time no one expects anything from you. <<elseif $bstory is 2>>\ You didn’t go anywhere after graduation. No college. No gap year. No bold leap into the unknown. You told people you were taking time to figure things out but the answers just never showed up. You watched your friends scatter to new cities and campus bookstores and overpriced apartments. But you were still in your childhood room, working late shifts at the grocery store, dodging questions about your future. Some of your friends kept in touch. For a while. Then less. You weren’t lazy. You weren’t unmotivated. You just froze. Like every version of your life stretched out in front of you and none of them felt right. Your parents eventually stopped bringing it up. Until one night, your mom asked if you'd be open to spending the summer with Lena. You said yes, mostly because you didn’t have a better idea. And because maybe part of you is tired of being the one who stayed behind. <<elseif $bstory is 3>>\ It wasn’t a bad house. Not on paper. The lights worked. There was food in the fridge. Your mom made sure you went to the doctor. She asked about your day. Your dad was quieter. Separate. He was there, technically, at the dinner table, in the living room chair, on the driveway on Sunday mornings. But he lived like a guest. Or maybe like you were one. There were routines. Smiles. Birthdays remembered. And still, everything felt like it had to be earned. Like love only came if you performed the right version of yourself at the right time. You spent a lot of time in your room. A lot of time trying to take up less space. There were other things too. Small moments. It was death by a thousand cuts, and you could list each and every one. But what would that change? Your mom brought up the farm out of nowhere. Like she’d been thinking about it for weeks. You said yes. Not because you particularly wanted to go. Because you needed to leave. And even now, part of you still wants to believe they meant well. <<elseif $bstory is 4>>\ Nothing was technically wrong. You weren’t failing anything. You hadn’t blown up your life. No one yelled. No one cried. You were just going through the motions. Doing what you were supposed to. And feeling like you were watching someone else do it. You kept telling yourself it would click eventually. That maybe next semester, or next summer, or with new friends, you’d finally feel the way you were supposed to. Settled. Real. But it didn’t come. And the more you tried to ignore it, the louder it got. You don’t know what it is. But when your mom mentioned Lena, you surprised the both of you by agreeing almost instantly. You didn’t come here looking for an answer. You just came to see if something might feel different. If you might feel different. And that thought scares you more than you want to admit. <<endif>>\ You’re still chewing on the thought when a jolt in the road nudges you out of your head. You blink, pulling yourself back into the present. Lena pulls over beside the garden gate. @@.lena;"Home sweet home,"@@ she says, a smile tugging at her mouth. @@.lena;"Or, close enough."@@ You glance outside, the sun's already dipping low by the time you arrive. The whitewashed wood and sloping roof, garden spilling over with blackthorn and lavender, the barn’s red paint a little faded but bright against the field. You exhale slowly. It’s different. But maybe different isn’t so bad. -- ~~//Note:// Try clicking the floating buttons at the bottom! Use the arrows to go back and forward between passages. Click the flower button between them to see your stats, relationships, and character appearance (appearance not yet implemented). Click it again to exit the stats menu.~~ <<button [[Step out and see what different has to offer|d1 - dani intro]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 1>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 2>> <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel + 3>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ @@.player;"I don’t really talk to them anymore,"@@ you say quietly. You keep your gaze forward, scared that saying it any louder might make it more real. Dani tilts her head toward you, curious. @@.dani;"Yeah?"@@ You look away. @@.player;"Yeah."@@ Dani doesn’t push. She only nods as if she’s seen this shape before, worn it in different colors. Like she understands something without needing it spelled out. @@.dani;"Yeah,"@@ she says after a moment. @@.dani;"Sometimes space is the only thing that makes sense."@@ <<elseif $var is 2>>\ @@.player;"We didn’t fight or anything."@@ You shrug a little. @@.player;"I just... needed space I guess."@@ You’re not sure if that’s the whole truth, but it’s close enough for now. Dani tilts her head toward you, curious. @@.dani;"Yeah?"@@ You look away. @@.player;"Yeah."@@ Dani gazes upward, eyes tracing something only she can see. @@.dani;"That kind of distance sneaks up on you,"@@ she says, not looking at you. @@.dani;"One day you realize you’re further than you meant to be."@@ She doesn’t sound sad. Only honest. Like someone who’s walked the long way home more than once. <<elseif $var is 3>>\ @@.player;"School just stopped making sense,"@@ you say. You glance over at her, then back at the sky. @@.player;"I kept going because I was supposed to. And then I just didn’t."@@ Dani tilts her head toward you, curious. @@.dani;"Yeah?"@@ You look away. @@.player;"Yeah."@@ Dani nods slowly, lips pressing together like she gets it, perhaps a bit too well. @@.dani;"It’s weird, right? You would think there’s a reason it stops feeling right."@@ She lets the thought linger, her gaze focused upwards. Like she’s tracing some old version of herself across the sky. <<elseif $var is 4>>\ You glance over at her, then back at the sky. @@.player;"Nothing big,"@@ you murmur. @@.player;"Just felt kind of lost I guess."@@ Dani tilts her head toward you, curious. @@.dani;"Yeah?"@@ You look away. @@.player;"Yeah."@@ She nudges a loose bit of grass with her foot. @@.dani;"Lot of places to end up when you’re not aiming for one."@@ A pause. Then: @@.dani;"Kinda glad it was here."@@ <<elseif $var is 6>>\ @@.player;"I just..."@@ You trail off for a second. @@.player;"Came hoping to feel different."@@ You don’t explain what you mean. You’re not even sure you could. Dani tilts her head toward you, curious. @@.dani;"Yeah?"@@ You look away. @@.player;"Yeah."@@ @@.dani;"Hey,"@@ she says, eyes still on the stars. @@.dani;"That’s as good a reason as any. Better than most probably."@@ <<elseif $var is 7>>\ No words come out. Not out of fear. Just... too many possible answers. So you let the quiet stay. And Dani lets it stay with you. She keeps her eyes on the stars. @@.dani;"It's alright. Sometimes it’s not about putting it into words,"@@ she says softly. <<endif>>\ The breeze shifts. A soft rustle of grass. Dani shifts slightly, arms wrapping around her knees. Dani exhales, tension slipping from her shoulders. @@.dani;"Guess we should head in,"@@ she says after a while. She pushes to her feet, one hand braced against the porch railing. @@.dani;"Come on,"@@ she grumbles. @@.dani;"If I fall asleep out here, I’m blaming you."@@ <<button [[Head back inside|d3 - turn in]]>> <</button>>

You help load the last crates before settling into the truck. Lena drives with easy confidence, one hand draped over the steering wheel. Dani hums under her breath as she looks out the window, absentminded and tuneless. The drive back blurs by, the wind brushing your face when Dani cracks her window open halfway. By the time you pull into the driveway, the sun’s low in the horizon. <<if $hat is 1 or $hat is 2>>\ You take off your hat and follow Lena and Dani inside, arms full of bags. A paper-wrapped loaf of sourdough is tucked under Dani’s elbow like a football. <<else>>\ You follow Lena and Dani inside, arms full of bags. A paper-wrapped loaf of sourdough is tucked under Dani’s elbow like a football. <<endif>>\ Lena doesn’t say much. She moves with quiet efficiency, setting her things down and heading straight for the stove. A pot appears. Water. Then the unmistakable scent of something herbal and familiar: soup, already made, already waiting. @@.lena;"Still good,"@@ she says, lifting the lid. @@.lena;"Reheats fine."@@ Dani sets the bread down on the counter with a thud. @@.dani;"We got the last sourdough,"@@ she announces, peeling the paper back. @@.dani;"It smells amazing."@@ You lean in slightly. It does. Bowls come out. The soup is simple, with bits of carrot and potatoes. Lena slices the sourdough, muttering something about the knife being too dull. Dani steals an end piece and starts gnawing away at it. The bread’s crusty and sour in the best way. The soup’s hot and a little peppery. The kitchen fills slowly with steam, spoon clinks, quiet chewing. The meal winds down slowly. The soup’s gone, the bread’s almost there. Bowls are scraped clean. Lena rinses the dishes one by one, not in a rush. No one says much, just unwinding after a long day. After a moment, Dani stands, stretches, and wanders toward the back door. @@.dani;"I’m gonna get some air,"@@ she says, one hand on the door handle. She glances your way. @@.dani;"You can come too, if you want."@@ <<button [[Accept her offer|d3 - dani porch]]>> <<set $var2 to 1>> <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel + 5>> <<set $danitalk to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Stay inside|d3 - stay inside]]>> <<set $miss to $miss + 1>> <<set $var2 to 2>> <<set $danitalk to 0>> <</button>>

You shake your head. @@.player;"Think I’ll stay in."@@ Dani shrugs and steps outside. The door clicks softly shut. You linger in the kitchen for a moment as Lena finishes wiping down the counter. @@.lena;"She goes out there most nights,"@@ Lena says, not looking up. @@.lena;"Likes the quiet."@@ She reaches for a stack of clean towels, drying her hands as she shifts things around. Without thinking, she passes them your way, already occupied with something else. @@.lena;"Mind sticking those in the bottom drawer?"@@ You take them and crouch down. The drawer gets stuck partway. You try again, nudging it left on instinct. It gives with a dull wooden clunk. Lena looks over at the sound. @@.lena;"Right. Forgot to warn you. It’s always done that."@@ You place the towels inside and smooth them out before closing the crooked drawer. You straighten. @@.lena;"Alright. Go get some rest."@@ Lena says. You nod. <<button [[Head upstairs|d3 - turn in]]>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/bedroomnight.png"> <<if $var2 is 1>>\ You push to your feet, limbs aching a bit from the day's traveling. The cicadas' droning creates a steady chorus beneath the dark. You follow Dani inside, the door creaking softly behind you. Lena is sitting in the kitchen, cupping a mug of tea. She looks up and hums with approval. @@.lena;"Figured you two would come in soon,"@@ she says. "You two should go get some rest." You nod and head upstairs. <<endif>>\ <<set $text to "">>\ <<if $plant is 1>>\ <<set $text to $text + "You walk over to the window and set the string of hearts you bought earlier on the windowsill. ">>\ <<elseif $plant is 2>>\ <<set $text to $text + "You walk over to the window and set the potted kalanchoe you bought earlier on the windowsill. ">>\ <<elseif $plant is 3>>\ <<set $text to $text + "You walk over to the window and set the tiny cactus you bought earlier on the windowsill. ">>\ <<endif>>\ <<if $plant is 1 or $plant is 2 or $plant is 3>>\ <<if $pendant is 1>>\ <<set $text to $text + "Then, you take out the rose quartz pendant and place it on your desk, too tired to figure out where it should go.">>\ <<elseif $pendant is 2>>\ <<set $text to $text + "Then, you take out the aventurine pendant and place it on your desk, too tired to figure out where it should go.">>\ <<elseif $pendant is 3>>\ <<set $text to $text + "Then, you take out the citrine pendant and place it on your desk, too tired to figure out where it should go.">>\ <<elseif $embroidery is 1 or $embroidery is 2 or $embroidery is 3 or $embroidery is 4 or $embroidery is 5>>\ <<set $text to $text + "Then, you take out the embroidery kit and place it on your desk, too tired to figure out where it should go. ">>\ <<endif>>\ <<else>>\ <<if $pendant is 1>>\ <<set $text to $text + "You take out the rose quartz pendant and place it on your desk, too tired to figure out where it should go.">>\ <<elseif $pendant is 2>>\ <<set $text to $text + "You take out the aventurine pendant and place it on your desk, too tired to figure out where it should go.">>\ <<elseif $pendant is 3>>\ <<set $text to $text + "You take out the citrine pendant and place it on your desk, too tired to figure out where it should go.">>\ <<elseif $embroidery is 1 or $embroidery is 2 or $embroidery is 3 or $embroidery is 4 or $embroidery is 5>>\ <<set $text to $text + "You take out the embroidery kit and place it on your desk, too tired to figure out where it should go. ">>\ <<endif>>\ <<endif>>\ Your room is dim when you enter. $text <<if $var2 is 2>>\ You can the door creak outside – must be Dani coming back inside. <<endif>>\ <<if $hat is 1>>\ You sigh and set your hat on the dresser. You kick off your slippers without aiming and flop onto the bed. <<elseif $hat is 2>>\ You sigh and set your cap on the dresser. You kick off your slippers without aiming and flop onto the bed. <<else>>\ You sigh. You kick off your slippers without aiming and flop onto the bed. <<endif>>\ You lie there for a while, phone in hand. Scroll through the same three apps. Nothing new. No messages. Open one, close it, open it again anyway. You check your texts, even though you already know what’s there. Scroll past old group chats, muted threads, half-finished conversations. Nothing worth replying to. Not tonight. You swipe back to home. Open the weather app for no reason. Close it. Scroll again. And then, for no clear reason, you open Notes. You don't really journal. you've just seen people talk about it online, how it gives you clarity or helps you process your thoughts or something. Usually with nice handwriting, fairy lights, and a pastel notebook involved. You don't have any of those. But the blank page in front of you feels like somewhere to start. You turn on the bedside lamp and think about what you might write. Or if you even want to. <<if $late is 1>>\ <<button [[That flower at Eli's place|d3 - journal 1]]>> <<set $j1 to 1>> <</button>> <<endif>>\ <<if $hat is 1>>\ <<button [[The hat you chose earlier|d3 - journal 1]]>> <<set $j1 to 2>> <</button>> <<endif>>\ <<button [[How you feel about the farm so far|d3 - journal 1]]>> <<set $j1 to 3>> <</button>> <<button [[I don't want to think about today|d3 - journal 1]]>> <<set $j1 to 0>> <</button>>

<<if $j1 isnot 0 >>\ <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 3>> You stare at the empty screen a while longer, thumb hovering over the keyboard. You’re not sure what you’re hoping to get out of writing this. But you start typing anyway: -- @@.writing;// <<if $j1 is 1>>\ @@.writing;//I need to write this down. I need to see the words in front of me so I can stop pretending it didn’t happen. That was magic. Right? It had to be. It moved. It glowed. I know what I saw. I’ve been replaying it over and over in my head, trying to convince myself it was just wind or sunlight or something explainable. But it wasn’t. It glowed. That’s the part I keep circling back to. The glow. It wasn’t reflection. It wasn't heat. It was coming from inside the petals. Like something lit up from the inside, just for a second. Flowers don't do that. So, I’m writing it down. Not because I’m trying to make sense of it (I’m not sure if I even can), but because I need to pin it to the page. I need to pin it to the page, like proof. Like evidence. Something I can hold up and say: //"See? It happened. I didn’t make it up."// If I don’t, I’ll keep second guessing it. I’ll let it blur. I'll keep questioning myself until I eventually believe that I just imagined it. But it happened. I touched a flower and it bloomed. It glowed at the edges like gold under water. And Eli didn’t say a word. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t look up. I kept wondering if I should say something. That's the worst part is. I didn’t say anything. I could’ve asked. Could’ve said, //"Hey, Eli, did you see that?"// But I didn’t. <<if $magicattitude is 1>>\ I don’t know why. Part of me thinks I didn’t want to risk them denying it. Like, if they said //"I didn't see anything. Are you sure?"// I’d also start to believe it wasn’t real. But it was real. And I want to understand it. I want to see it happen again. I want to know what else has always been there. I want to know what else I’ve missed. <<elseif $magicattitude is 2>>\ Because if they’d said "yes," that would’ve confirmed it. And I don’t think I could’ve handled that. I didn’t feel scared in the moment. But I feel it now. Not of the flower, but what it means. If that was real, then the world is not what I thought it was. But it's more than that. If the world can shift like that. If can just change quietly, without warning... how am I supposed to trust it again? No one said a thing. Nothing in the room changed. But I did. It felt like I’d seen something I wasn’t meant to. Like I’d knocked on a door that wasn’t meant for me. And now I can’t stop thinking about what might be behind it. <<endif>>\ <<elseif $j1 is 2>>\ I didn’t think it would matter. It was just a hat. Just something for the sun. I don’t even know why I stopped at that stall. I remember standing there, thinking it’d be easier to keep walking. But Dani said something before I could. I told myself it was just practical. But honestly, there was more to it. There was something about the way it felt. The weight of it. The way it framed my face. It feels strange to even write but: I think I liked how I looked. It was like I’d borrowed someone else’s reflection. Honestly, I didn’t really want to give it back. And then Dani said it looked good on me. Like it was nothing. <<if $abagailstall is 1>>\ Later, Abagail said the same thing. Just glanced at it, said the color suited me, then looked away like it was nothing. <<endif>>\ And I smiled back, like it was nothing too. But here I am, writing about it. So maybe it wasn’t. <<elseif $j1 is 3>>\ The farm is... nice. <<if $bstory is 1>>\ The days here somehow feel longer. It’s not like school, where everything blurs together and you only notice how tired you are once the semester ends. Out here, there’s space between things. Time to notice details. Quiet moments. Honestly, I’m not used to any of it. The quiet, the slow pace, the people who don’t expect anything from me. And that’s what’s been getting to me the most. Because back home, I always knew what version of myself I needed to be. The reliable one. The smart one. The kid who knew what he was doing. Even when I didn’t. Especially when I didn’t. This morning, I was delivering herbs and ended up walking under the trees for a while. I just stood there, listening to the leaves. Watching how the light filtered through them. <<if $late is 1>>\ Later, I sat in a cottage I’d never been in before and drank tea with someone I barely knew. <<endif>>\ Even now, the window’s cracked open. I can hear the wind brushing through the trees and the chirping of a stubbornly loud cricket. No one’s asked me what I’m going to do next. For the first time in months, I don’t feel like I’m failing just because I don’t know. I’m not where I thought I’d be. But I think the sky’s starting to clear. <<elseif $bstory is 2>>\ Back home, I always felt like I was waiting for something to start. A job. A reason. A plan that made sense. I thought time would help me figure it out, but it just made the silence feel heavier. There’s this email I never answered about a certificate program. It was short, local, flexible. I marked it as unread, started at a draft for two days, and never hit send. I used to replay little things like that in my head. As if fixing just one of them would make the rest line up. But time doesn’t fold back like that. I kept telling myself I was just tired. That maybe I’d wake up one morning and feel ready. But days stopped meaning anything. And eventually, I stopped noticing they were passing. Here, it’s different. Not because I’m suddenly motivated. But because I wake up and things happen. This morning, I helped deliver herbs. Dani dragged me halfway across a market. There were so many new faces it made me realize how long it’s been since I saw anyone new. None of it means I’ve figured it out. But I think I’ve finally started looking. <<elseif $bstory is 3>>\ It’s strange being in a house where I’m not trying to take up less space. I don’t think I realized how much I’d built my life around anticipating other people. Their moods, movements, subtle tone shifts. Always listening for footsteps coming down the hall. There wasn't yelling or slamming doors. Just this quiet understanding that things were easier if I shaped myself to fit the cracks. I don’t know how to stop earning a place I already have. The farm is still unfamiliar to me. The quiet feels too open. It feels like there should be a checklist, or a reason, or someone nodding from the sidelines saying, yes, that’s enough now. But no one’s waiting for that. No one’s measuring me here. Some part of me keeps expecting the quiet to end to snap closed like a trap I didn't see. Blood, bone, viscera. Not just to catch me, but to punish me for letting my guard down – tearing through me just to prove I was right to flinch. But it hasn’t. And today, for just a little while, I let myself believe it might not. It feels indulgent. But, I let myself do it anyways. And the world didn’t correct me for it. This morning, I delivered herbs and ended up walking under the trees for a while. I just stood there, listening to the leaves. Watching how the light filtered through them. Later, Dani dragged me halfway across a market. Even now, the window’s cracked open. I can hear the wind brushing through the trees and the chirping of a stubbornly loud cricket. For once, it feels like I’m somewhere I don’t have to brace. I don’t know how long this feeling will last. But I think I want to stay in it, for just a little longer. <<elseif $bstory is 4>>\ It’s strange how easy it is to go through your life without ever really being in it. I think that’s what I was doing before I got here. Just moving forward because it was what came next. I came here because I wanted to feel something shift. Something small. Just enough to prove I hadn’t gone numb all the way through. I just couldn’t keep pretending I remembered the last time any of it truly felt like mine. That's what scared me. Not that I was unhappy, but that I didn't even care enough to be unhappy. There was this night, two weeks before I left. I was sitting on my bed with the lamp on, still wearing jeans and a jacket, even though I’d been home for hours. My phone was facedown beside me. I just sat there, staring at nothing. I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t tired. I wasn’t anything. And I thought: if this is all it ever is, would I even notice? And now I’m here, on this strange little farm, surrounded by people who seem to belong to themselves in a way I’ve never figured out. Lately, I’ve caught myself feeling a little more present. This morning, I delivered herbs and ended up walking under the trees for a while. I just stood there, listening to the leaves. Watching how the light filtered through them. <<if $late is 1>>\ Later, I sat in a cottage I’d never been in before and drank tea with someone I barely knew. <<endif>>\ Even now, the window’s cracked open. I can hear the wind brushing through the trees and the chirping of a stubbornly loud cricket. They’re small moments, but I notice them all. Because in those moments, I don’t feel so far away from myself. <<endif>>\ <<endif>>\ //@@ -- You stop typing. Reread the last line. Once. Then again. You don’t delete or rewrite anything. You just sit there for a bit, the glow of the screen soft before closing the app. Tilting your head back, you let out a sigh. Writing helped. At least enough to try it again occasionally. <<else>>\ You stare at the screen for a while. Type a few words. Delete them. You sit there for a few minutes, watching the screen dim before letting it go dark. //Maybe another day.// <<endif>>\ You flop back down, throwing your phone beside you on the bed. You cover your eyes with the crook of your arm and just lie there. After a moment, you get up. You should probably go shower and wash the day away. <<button [[Go to the bathroom|d3 - bathroom 2]]>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/eliinterior.png"> The shift is immediate. The inside is cool and dim compared to the sunlight outside, lit mostly by the open windows and the glow of a small lamp in the corner. The room is small but cozy, with a circular wooden table near a window, strewn with little ceramic bowls and sprigs of half-sorted herbs. A kettle murmurs faintly on the stove. Eli nudges the door closed behind you and carries the basket over to the table, setting it down with care. @@.dani;"I was in the middle of sorting some flowers earlier,"@@ they add, trying to explain the scattered bowls on the table. The kettle begins to whistle. Eli pulls their attention away from you and walks towards the stove. They set a small clay teapot on the counter and pour the water in a slow spiral over the leaves. You take a seat as the scent begins to rise, warm and floral. Eli brings the teapot over along with two cups. @@.dani;"It’s orchid literati,"@@ they say, shyly. @@.dani;"Which sounds fancier than it is, I promise."@@ You breathe in the steam. @@.player;"Smells really good,@@" you say. Then, after a pause: @@.player;"Your place does too. It’s nice."@@ Eli looks up. @@.eli;"Oh. Um– thanks. I keep meaning to organize it better, but... it just kind of stays how it is."@@ @@.player;"It's cozy,"@@ you reply. Eli glances around the room and smiles. @@.eli;"I moved in a couple years ago. Lena was actually the one who helped me get settled,"@@ they add. You cock your head. @@.player;"Really? She seems more like the ‘tough it out’ type."@@ Eli shakes their head. @@.eli;"She’s just not very talkative. She’s a lot softer than she likes people to think."@@ They turn their attention to the teapot, pouring the tea and slides a cup toward you. You wrap your hands around the cup, letting the warmth settle into your palms. @@.eli;"She’s been talking about you coming for a while,"@@ they say. @@.eli;"I think she wanted it to go well. Just didn’t know how to say it." @@ @@.player;"She seems kind,"@@ you murmur. Eli nods. @@.eli;"She is, she notices everything. I think it’s her way of caring."@@ Their fingers tap softly against the rim of their cup. A small smile tugs at the corner of their mouth. @@.eli;"You probably remind her of someone. Or maybe she just sees something in you."@@ You're not sure how to respond to that. <<button [[Say something lighthearted|d3 - eli talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 1>><</button>> <<button [[Ask what they mean by that|d3 - eli talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Stay nothing, just nod|d3 - eli talk 2]]>> <<set $var to 3>><</button>>

@@.player;"Do you want help?"@@ you ask, reaching toward the nearest bowl. Eli looks up, surprised. @@.eli;"Oh– of course,"@@ they say, a little caught off guard. @@.eli;"Thank you."@@ They slide the extra bowl a closer to you. @@.eli;"These are calendula. They can be made into ointment for your skin. It’s just pulling the petals off,"@@ Eli explains, holding up one of the yellow flowers. @@.eli;"Start at the edge and work your way around. The green part at the bottom can go in the scrap bowl."@@ You take a flower from the pile and turn it in your fingers. The petals feel soft and almost silky. They come away like tissue. You look up and meet Eli's gaze. They smile. @@.eli;"Just like that."@@ The two of you work quietly. There’s something oddly soothing about the rhythm of it: pluck, place, discard. Every so often, you pause to sip your tea. And each time your cup gets low, Eli refills it without a word, like it’s just part of the routine. The bowls fill slowly. The sweet scent clings to your fingertips. You're close to finishing when a petal catches on the edge of your nail and flutters to the table. You move to put it back– You freeze. Just for a second, it looks like it moved on its own. Not from the breeze. Not from you. You glance toward the bowl. Another petal shifts. Then, a flicker. A faint shimmer glides along the edge of a petal in the bowl, like sunlight caught on the rim of a glass cup. It’s gone almost as soon as it appears, but you saw it. You blink. The petal that shimmered now lies perfectly still, tucked among the rest like nothing ever happened. Your eyes drift back to the one that fell, the one that slipped from your hand before the strange glimmer. It’s just sitting there. You hesitate. <<button [[Put it back|d3 - eli fwoosh magic]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Leave it there|d3 - eli fwoosh magic]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>>

<<set $magical_knowledge to $magical_knowledge + 2>>\ <<if $var is 1>>\ You cautiously pick up the petal. Nothing happens. You exhale, dropping it back into the bowl, trying not to overthink it. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You're not touching that. Hell no. <<endif>>\ You eye the rest of the petals before deciding to keep going. You make sure to give a wide berth to the one that shimmered. As you reach for the next flower, your fingers brush lightly over a flower near the rim. This one looks slightly wilted, its petals curled in and a little dull. It shifts when you touch it. The flower flares open, its petals unfurling as a golden glow travels along the edges. You jerk your hand back. //What the fuck.// You look up. Across from you, Eli's doesn't notice, focused on finishing the pile in front of them. Glancing back down, the glow has faded. The flower is still again. But its open now, the color brighter. But otherwise ordinary – if you didn’t know better. You think about saying something. But the words don’t come. You don’t want to sound weird. Or worse like you imagined it. But whatever that was... that definitely wasn't normal. It makes you feel– <<button [[Curious|d3 - eli magic reflection]]>> <<set $femchoice to $femchoice + 1>> <<set $magicattitude to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Unsettled|d3 - eli magic reflection]]>> <<set $magicattitude to 2>> <</button>>

<<if $magicattitude is 1>>\ It wasn’t normal. You know that. But instead of fear, it leaves something else humming in your chest. The feeling that a door you didn’t even know was there has been left slightly ajar. Because if that flower really moved, if it glowed, then maybe the world is much different than you were taught to believe. And suddenly, you're aware of the seams. <<elseif $magicattitude is 2>>\ It wasn’t normal. You know that. And the more you sit with it, the more your chest tightens. Not from fear. Fear implies danger, something to run from. This is something more than that. Because if that flower really moved, if it glowed, then everything you know about how the world works would be... Incompatible. Two conflicting truths, pressed too tightly together. One has to give. <<endif>>\ Eli speaks as they finish up their pile, interrupting your thoughts. @@.eli;"Phew, thanks for helping."@@ They glance over at your almost empty bowl. @@.eli;"Wow, you got through a lot."@@ You blink. @@.player;"Guess I got in the rhythm."@@ Eli smiles, nudging your bowl. @@.eli;"You’ve got a good touch. The petals didn’t even tear."@@ You manage a small smile. @@.player;"I liked it."@@ Eli stacks the bowls slowly, careful not to spill any petals. @@.eli;"I’ll finish the rest later,"@@ they say. @@.eli;"It always takes longer than I think."@@ You reach for your cup again. The tea’s gone cold, but you sip it anyway. You swallow, shifting in your seat. @@.player;"I think I should head back,"@@ you say finally. @@.player;"Lena and Dani are probably waiting for me."@@ @@.eli;"Oh– right. Sorry for keeping you for so long."@@ @@.player;"You didn’t,"@@ you reply. @@.player;"It was nice."@@ Eli walks you to the door. @@.eli;"Thanks for stopping by,"@@ they say. @@.eli;"And, um... for the help."@@ @@.player;"No problem,"@@ you reply, stepping outside. The sunlight feels sharper now after the dim lighting of the cottage. @@.player;"Thanks for the tea."@@ Eli smiles. @@.eli;"Of course. Come back any time!"@@ You smile and give a small nod, grateful for the offer. <<button [[Head back to the farmhouse|d3 - eli leave]]>> <</button>>

<<if $femchoice isnot 0>>\ <<if $hat is 1>>\ <<set $text to "You did the same when you wore that hat. You thought it was just the way it framed your face. Or the angle. Or the light.">>\ <<endif>>\ <<set $hair to $hair + 8>>\ <<set $transformation_awareness to $transformation_awareness + 6>>\ You step into the shower. Your muscles ache a little from walking around all day. You close your eyes and stand there a while, letting the water pour over your shoulders, your back, the nape of your neck. Arms loose. Head down. Your breath slows. Your hand reaches up to push your wet hair back from your face and– //What the hell.// Your hand pauses, fingers still tangled. You force your eyes open, water stinging the corners. You try again, running your fingers through slower this time. The strands cling to your neck. They shouldn’t. You clutch a fistful of it and hold it in front of your eyes. They slip between your fingers and settle across the top of your shoulders. You know it wasn’t this long before. When you woke up this morning, you thought your appearance looked different. You just brushed it off. $text But this? There’s no explaining this away. And now your brain is racing. Did anyone notice? Was it like this earlier? Has it been growing all day? When did this even start? Most importantly: What the hell is going on? You go through the motions, trying to calm yourself down and settle back into autopilot. You reach for the soap without thinking, just needing to do something. You lather your body before working the soap around with your hands. You run your palms over your arms, your shoulders. Then your hand moves across your ribs, up over your chest, and everything locks up. You press your hand flat against your chest. Or... that’s the problem. Not so flat. You jerk your hand away like you’ve touched something you shouldn’t. You do it again, slower this time. Just to be sure. You lay your hand on your chest before pressing carefully. Your fingertips sink just slightly inward There’s a fullness there. Not just soft but denser. Just enough that the water curves differently as it runs over it. You test a second time. Hoping that somehow, it’ll be gone this time. Light touch, then firmer. You flinch, sensitive nerves lighting up beneath your skin. A sound slips out before you can stop it. Half gasp, half yelp. Louder than you intended. @@.player;"What the fuck."@@ You take a step back, and your heel skids slightly on the tile. You lose your balance, hand slapping out against the wall to catch yourself. Water splashes against the back wall with a sharp smack. Too loud. It echoes off the bathroom tiles, catching every sound and flinging it back at you. You hear a door creak outside. Your eyes go wide. Shit. Right. Dani’s room is right there. Lena mentioned it when she led you to your room when you first got here. She probably heard everything. A pause before footsteps make their way to the bathroom. Dani's muffled voice drifts through the door. @@.dani;"Hey, you okay? I thought I heard a thud or something."@@ You scramble to find your voice. @@.player;"Yeah,"@@ you call back. @@.player;"Sorry, just uh– got shampoo in my eyes."@@ You cringe. The words sound stupid the second they leave your mouth. You imagine her standing on the other side of the door. Concerned, hand hovering near the knob, trying to decide if she should check. You //know// it’s irrational. But your panicked brain doesn’t care what you know. Water runs down your face, stinging your eyes. But you don't blink. You barely breathe. Frozen in place, your body tenses as you brace for the sound of the doorknob turning. After barely a moment, too long a pause, her voice sounds back casually. @@.dani;"Alrighty,"@@ Dani says lightly. @@.dani;"Try not to blind yourself in there."@@ The floorboards creak. Soft steps padding away. The sound of a door clicking shut. You still don’t move. You count to five. Then ten. Just to be sure. Your shoulders sag as you finally exhale. You look down again, scanning your body for anything else that might’ve changed. Nothing new. Not that you can tell, anyway. And that tiny flicker of relief? It barely touches the unease still crawling under your skin. You shut off the water and you wring out your hair with both hands. You remember reading somewhere that you’re supposed to do that with longer hair. Apparently, rubbing it too hard with a towel can cause breakage. Better to be gentle and keep it healthy. You’re not even sure why you’re being so cautious. But you do it anyway. Just in case. You dry off the rest mechanically, wrapping the towel around your waist, and stepping out onto the cold tile floor. You look toward the mirror through the steam. You can't see anything clearly. Just color and blur. A smudged silhouette, framed in fog. You move slowly. Like you’re afraid the glass might crack if you get too close. You reach up and wipe a slow arc across the center. You stare. Your hair is longer and healthier than it’s ever been. Your eyes are wide. Your mouth slightly open. You don’t recognize the shape of your collarbones. And then, lower, there’s a faint swell behind your nipples. Not fat, but like there’s a small marble underneath. Something stirs in your chest. You try to name the feeling. <<button [[You feel strangely interested|d3 - transform reaction]]>> <<set $self_acceptance to $self_acceptance + 1>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 4>> <<set $transformReaction to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[You feel uncomfortable|d3 - transform reaction]]>> <<set $transformReaction to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[You feel something you push down|d3 - transform reaction]]>> <<set $euphoria to $euphoria + 2>> <<set $repression to $repression + 3>> <<set $transformReaction to 3>> <</button>> <<elseif $femchoice is 0>>\ <<set $miss2 to $miss2 + 1>>\ You step into the shower. Your muscles ache a little from walking around all day. You let the water pour over your shoulders, your back, the nape of your neck. Then, you reach for the soap and go through the motions. Lather and rinse. Eventually, you shut off the water and step out the shower. The air outside the shower feels colder than you expect. You pat yourself down with the towel before slipping into your clean clothes. You glance at your reflection, but the mirror’s already fogged over. Just the blur of your outline. You hang up the towel and flip off the light. -- ~~//Note:// You just missed a major transformation point! If you're not interested in that part of the story, totally feel free to continue. But if you are, it's because your hidden "femchoice" stat is currently at zero. You need at least one to experience the transformation. After all, the land’s magic reacts to $playername’s mindset and intentions. If he's not ready or curious enough, nothing happens! An easy way of increasing "femchoice" would be getting the sunhat at the market.~~ <<button [[Head back to your room|d3 - bedroom]]>> <</button>> <<endif>>\

You get out of the bed and make your way to the bathroom, trying not to wake anyone that might already be sleeping. You're halfway there before you realize you forgot your towel. You double back, muttering under your breath, and grab it from the hook behind your door. You flick on the bathroom light, catching sight of yourself in the chipped mirror. Hair mussed, eyes a little tired. As you wait for the shower water to run warm, the thought drifts into your head: you look... //different//. Or maybe just less like you’re waiting for something to crack. <<if $j1 isnot 0>>\ //Was that all it took? Just putting it into words?// <<endif>>\ The mirror is already starting to fog. You watch yourself fade at the edges. <<button [[Step into the shower|d3 - holy poo transform (shower)]]>> <</button>>

It’s still you. But you don’t look like you did yesterday. You don’t look like the person who rolled out of bed this morning. With your hair, you don’t look like someone anyone back home would recognize without a second look. <<if $transformReaction is 1>>\ And worst of all, you don’t look away. It's hard to stop. There's something about your reflection that holds your attention. You turn your head slightly, watching the way your hair moves. The way it clings to your neck. You give it one last glance before stepping back. Not because you need to. Just... because you want to see it one more time. <<elseif $transformReaction is 2>>\ You glance down. Then quickly away. The longer you stand there, the worse it gets. It's like the steam isn’t hiding you anymore. Your own reflection is too close, too unfamiliar. The shape of your chest. The length of your hair. You tighten the towel and step back. Whatever this is, you don’t want to look at it any longer than you have to. <<elseif $transformReaction is 3>>\ You look harder, like maybe there's you missed. Some mistake or flaw that you can point to and say, that's why it feels off. But you can't. Because it doesn't feel off. And that's the problem. Beyond that, you can't find any flaws either. The thought that the reflection in the mirror could be you makes your heart flutter. And not in a bad way. That’s what makes you pull back. You look away. Adjust the towel. Fix your expression. You shut the feeling down before it gets any louder. You don’t want to know what it was going to say. <<endif>>\ You step away from the mirror, still wrapped in the towel. You reach for the clothes you brought in earlier and slip them on. You hang the towel back on the hook and run a hand through your hair. It’s still damp. Still longer than it should be. You turn off the light and step out into the hall. <<button [[Head back to your room|d3 - bedroom]]>> <</button>>

<<if $miss2 is 0>>\ You step back into your room and ease the door shut behind you, careful not to glance at the bedroom mirror. Just what was that? Genuinely. What the fuck. You just stand there for a moment before collapsing face-first into the bed. You immediately regret that, wincing as pain flares across your chest. Right. Not a great time for face-plants. You flip onto your side and groan into the pillow. As you wallow in your misery, a thought hits you. Surely, the internet holds the answer. You grab your phone from where you tossed it earlier and start typing. "spontaneous hair growth?" You frown. Nothing helpful. Forget the hair, that wasn't even your real question. You type what you really want to know. "male nipple sensitive to touch reddit" You immediately regret your search. The top result has a blurred thumbnail and the word "tingle" in the title. You don’t click. You try one final time. "sore lump under nipple" There. A few results that actually sound useful. One of them describes something that matches. A small lump. Tender. Right under the skin. ...Breast buds? You read the phrase again. Sounds about right. You’re finally getting somewhere. However, the universe is a sick bastard with a cruel sense of humor. Just as you find something useful, your searches come up with no explanation as to why you suddenly have them. //Back to square one.// Defeated, you let the phone slide from your hand and thump softly onto the mattress beside you. You just stare at the ceiling while your mind races, trying to make sense of it all. Was it stress? Some weird long COVID symptom? Or maybe it was all that soy milk your mom used to buy. You drank too much of it as a kid and now you're feeling the consequences. <<if $magical_knowledge isnot 0>>\ //....magic?// Your mind flashes to what happened at Eli's. You can already hear the headlines: Newly discovered flower species causes spontaneous jug growth in teen. <<elseif $magical_knowledge is 0>>\ //....magic?// <<endif>>\ You chuckle at the thought. You're joking, but honestly? You have no clue how to feel right now. Probably panic. Maybe scream into a pillow. But that's a job for tomorrow's you. For now, you’re too tired. You close your eyes and let the weirdness fade. <<elseif $miss2 is 1>>\ You step back into your room and ease the door shut behind you before flopping onto the bed. Today involved way too much walking for your liking. Your muscles ache, just as they have been for the past two days. At this rate, you'll be ripped by the time summer ends. Farm life sure is different. People here are so much more active. You stare at the ceiling. The day has been filled with excitement. Still, you can't shake the feeling that you're somehow //missing// something. You flip onto your side. //Whatever.// It's probably nothing. And even if it wasn't, that's a job for tomorrow's you to deal with. For now, you’re too tired. You close your eyes and let the weirdness fade. <<endif>>\ <<button [[Let sleep take you|d4 - wake up]]>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/bedroomday.png"> <<set $hair to $hair + 2>>\ <<set $hands to $hands + 1>>\ <<set $face to $face + 1>>\ <<set $skin to $skin + 2>>\ <<set $daynum to 4>>\ You wake up to the pale morning light shining through the window. It's early. The house is still quiet, just muffled birdsong drifting through the window. You swing your legs over the side of the bed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You stand and stretch before glancing towards the mirror. Ah, right. That’s just... @@.player;"Splendid,"@@ you mutter. You taste the word as it comes out your mouth. It's acerbic, almost metallic. //Couldn’t have asked for better. Who’d want it to reverse anyways?// You sigh. There's no point in complaining. Instead, you step closer to the mirror. You stare for a moment before raking your fingers through it. How in the world are you going to explain that away? <<if $hat is 1 or $hat is 2>>\ You glance over to the table, spotting the hat from yesterday. Maybe you don't need to explain anything after all. You decide to– <<button [[Hide your hair under the hat (Content End)|content end v0.1]]>> <<set $var2 to 1>> <<set $hairhidden to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Not hide your hair (Content End)|content end v0.1]]>> <<set $var2 to 2>> <<set $hairhidden to 1>> <</button>> <<else>>\ You sigh. There really is no good explanation. You'll figure it out when you get there. For now, the only thing you can do is to start the day. <<button [[Walk to the bathroom (Content End)|content end v0.1]]>> <</button>> <<endif>>\

d3 allow alex to hide their hair under hat. Oh and decide if you want a haircut. But it grows back anyways lmao. Lol how it leads up to is, later in the day, dani finds out. And she;s like. Oh... want me to cut if for you? She does a horrible job, completely fucks it up. lena gets to see. Later you find out it has all grown back (maybe after sleep?). All you can think is. Well fuck, how the hell am i going to explain this to dani (who you’ve told that oh, my hair just grows really really really fast. Or that you accidentally rubbed a hair growth serum. Lmao and you get to choose the lie) do smth with developed chest buds? maybe some sort of pressure on them? bumped into smth? someone hugs u? and then holy shit ow you go to breakfast. it's awkward as fuck. lena purposefully doesn't say anything. upon seeing you, her brow furrows in confusion and her nose crinkles (fix this word). she just silently takes another sip of coffee. dani doesn't have that tact. she just fucking blurts that shit out (we love dani) "what the hell happened to your hair bro" "lena clearly noticed, but is clearly just staying silent to not make you feel uncomfortable" dani blurts it out " ". she apparently has the tact as an elephant in a china shop. her face clearly shows her baffled amusement. "damn you got some super hair growth serum" or maybe, lena sees you first in the hallway. then dani comes down. and then immediately goes like, bro wtf near the end of tour, you realize wow, it has changed a lot since you were last here

You follow Dani out onto the porch. She heads down the steps, waving for you to follow. You step onto a path that curves alongside the house. The garden stretches out beside you with herbs and flowers in a kind of organized chaos. Dani brushes her fingers along the plants as she walks. @@.dani;"I’ll show you the coop first, then the barn, and we’ll loop around from there."@@ @@.player;"Alright. Lead the way, tour guide."@@ As you both round the back of the house, you spot a chicken coop with short red walls and peeling paint. A few hens pick lazily at the grass, with a rooster high on the fence like he’s supervising. @@.dani;"That one’s General Tso. He thinks he runs the place,"@@ Dani remarks. You blink. @@.player;"Like... the dish?"@@ Dani grins. @@.dani;"Kind of. But also because he once chased off a raccoon by himself and now the others won’t go near the feeder until he’s done."@@ You’re not sure if the other chickens are genuinely afraid of him, but they do give him a wide berth. Dani steps past her and opens the coop door just enough to peek inside. After a moment, she closes it again with a nod. She dusts off her hands and jerks her chin toward the path ahead. @@.dani;"Alright. Barn’s next."@@ She gestures for you to follow before walking off. You glance ahead. The barn roof is just visible beyond the trees, red against the dimming sky. <<button [[Follow behind Dani|d1 - tour barn + creek]]>> <<set $farm_familiarity to $farm_familiarity + 1>> <</button>>

You trail Dani down the path. You pass a shed tucked near the path, leaning slightly off-center. The barn rises ahead, a crooked weather vane spinning lazily on top. As you get closer, the air shifts. Less wildflowers, more manure and old hay. The kind of smell that's sharp and faintly sour. @@.player;"I remember this smelling worse when I was little."@@ @@.dani;"That's probably because it did."@@ She grins over her shoulder. @@.dani;"There used to be goats in here. One of them used to let out horrible screams every sunrise."@@ You frown, the memory surfacing with an unpleasant clarity. @@.player;"Right, I'd forgotten about that."@@ Dani swings open one of the side doors with a practiced shove. The inside is dim, cool, and cluttered. Rakes lean against the wall, a rusted bucket sits upside down in the corner, and something like a harness dangles from a beam overhead. @@.dani;"Anyways, no animals now. They were still here when I first moved in, but they kept breaking stuff and bullying the wheelbarrow. One of them flipped it right onto Lena."@@ You blink. @@.player;"Flipped it? Like, actually?"@@ @@.dani;"Full-on launched it. She was fine, but that was the last straw."@@ She gestures toward a dented wheelbarrow leaning against the wall. @@.dani;"So they got sent to Maeve’s place down the road. You’d probably remember her house if you saw it. She has actual fences. And, like, patience."@@ @@.player;"I think I do remember it. Big oak tree in the yard?"@@ @@.dani;"Yup."@@ She glances back inside the barn. @@.dani;"Now it’s just storage, cobwebs, and a dumb ol’ bucket."@@ You don’t stay long. Dani closes the door behind you, and the two of you follow a thinner path that curves away from the barn and into a patch of trees. A shallow creek winds through the grove, water moving slow over smooth rocks. A narrow footbridge spans the bank, its boards worn but still steady. Dani steps ahead, careful on the planks. You pause at the edge of the creek, something tugging at you. @@.player;"I used to catch tadpoles here."@@ Dani pauses on the other side of the footbridge, turning slightly. @@.dani;"Yeah? Didn’t picture you as the tadpole-catching type."@@ You crouch down for a second, brush your fingers across the edge of a rock near the waterline. The surface is cool, slick with moss. @@.player;"I think I was a lot more outdoorsy back then."@@ She kicks a pebble into the water. @@.dani;"They’re probably still around."@@ You smile at the warm memory. It's been years since you last came to the farm. It's nice to see that some things have stayed the same. You stand back up and follow Dani across. The trees thin ahead, and beyond them, you see the orchard. <<button [[Keep walking toward the trees|d1 - tour orchard]]>> <<set $magical_knowledge to $magical_knowledge + 1>> <<set $farm_familiarity to $farm_familiarity + 1>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/orchard.png"> The trees thin as you climb a low ridge, and then the orchard opens around you in uneven rows of apple trees. It’s not a neat orchard. The trees lean this way and that, gnarled in places, branches heavy with green fruit in various stages of ripening. A few apples lie in the grass, half-pecked or bruised. Grasses grow up between them, long and uncut, waving gently in the breeze. @@.dani;"Lena says it used to be tidier. Years ago, before some storm came through and knocked a bunch of stuff sideways."@@ @@.player;"She ever think about cleaning it up?"@@ @@.dani;"She says things grow the way they want to now. Maybe she's right."@@ You follow her a few steps deeper, until the trees open slightly. Then, you see it. A shape, between two trunks, standing still in the dappled light. At first, you think it’s a trick of the shadows. The orchard is full of sunlight cut into pieces by branches and leaves. But this isn’t like that. The light falls unevenly everywhere else in swaying patches of gold and strips of shadow as the wind blows through the branches. Except here. Here, it’s even. Still. Like the world forgot to touch this one spot. It has the shape of a person. Tall. Upright. No details. Just the outline, blurred at the edges like heat rising from asphalt. You stop without meaning to. The back of your neck prickles. Then you blink, and it’s gone. The spot where it stood is empty. Just two trees, the light back to patches and slants between moving leaves – like it never paused at all. Dani’s voice cuts in, light and easy, a few steps ahead. @@.dani;"Anyway, that’s pretty much the grand tour."@@ She turns, walking backward again. @@.dani;"Let's head back before the bugs start coming out."@@ You follow her back the way you came, glancing back once. The orchard stays quiet behind you. <<button [[Follow Dani back to the house|d1 - rejoin kitchen]]>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/kitchen.png"> <<if $slippers is 1>>\ <<set $text to "gray cotton slippers">>\ <<elseif $slippers is 2>>\ <<set $text to "faded blue slippers">>\ <<elseif $slippers is 3>>\ <<set $text to "fluffy slippers">>\ <<endif>>\ The walk back is quieter. The sun’s lower now, shadows beginning to stretch. By the time you reach the house again, the last of the light is slipping below the horizon. You step through the front door after Dani. You slip on the $text you chose earlier, the smell of chamomile floating from the kitchen. @@.dani;"Kitchen’s this way. Lena probably beat us to the tea."@@ You follow her deeper into the house, making sure to bring your bag with you. The room opens into a cozy sitting area, walls painted a creamy avocado green. Lena glances up as you come in, sipping from a mug. @@.lena;"Everything alright out there?"@@ @@.dani;"Yeah. Just walked the loop. Showed him the orchard."@@ Lena nods, eyes flicking to you. @@.lena;"You holding up alright?"@@ @@.player;"Yeah. Just tired."@@ Exhaustion settles over you as you say it, the ache of the road still lingering. Lena just nods before rising to her feet. @@.lena;"Figured,"@@ she says. @@.lena;"I’ll show you your room. Should have everything you need. If it doesn’t, just holler."@@ @@.dani;"I’ll be out on the porch, if anyone needs me,"@@ Dani calls over her shoulder. Lena gestures for you to follow. You shift your bag higher on your shoulder, the house already quieting around you. <<button [[Follow Lena upstairs|d1 - head inside]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 2>> <</button>>

<<set $hair to $hair + 2>>\ <<set $face to $face + 1>>\ <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 3>>\ <<set $daynum to 2>>\ <img src="Images/slop/bedroomday.png"> You wake up with a strange feeling in your chest. //What a weird dream.// You sit up slowly, the soreness from yesterday still clinging. You hesitate as hair brushes your cheek, just a little. It's a bit longer than you remember. You run your hand through it and sigh. It's probably just bedhead. You stretch once before getting out of bed and heading down the hall to start the day. The bathroom’s cold. You brush your teeth, splash water on your face, and run a hand through your hair. Back in your room, you tug on a pair of pants and pull a hoodie over your head. Downstairs, you can hear voices. You sigh. //Day two on the farm. Hooray.// <<button [[Head downstairs|d2 - breakfast]]>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/kitchen.png"> The kitchen’s already full of movement when you come down. Dani’s finishing off a piece of toast, crumbs scattered in front of her. Lena stands by the stove, pouring hot water into a mug. @@.lena;"Morning,"@@ she says without turning. @@.lena;"There’s bread and jam if you want something quick."@@ You nod, grabbing a plate and helping yourself. The toast is still warm. You sit across from Dani, chewing slowly, not quite awake yet. @@.lena;"We’ve got a delivery coming later. Someone’s going to need to help unload."@@ @@.dani;"Not me,"@@ Dani says immediately. @@.dani;"I’m fixing the gate today. That's going to take a while."@@ She turns to you, tilting her head. @@.dani;"Oh no, a surprise labor shortage. If only there was somebody conveniently available and moderately strong-looking..."@@ You don’t look up, focusing intently on your plate as you chew. Dani leans across the table with a grin. @@.dani;"If only there was somebody here with arms. And a back. And nothing better to do."@@ You're suddenly very invested in the wall across from you. Wow, truly mesmerizing. Dani gives your foot a light kick under the table, just enough to make you look up. You glance towards Lena for backup. She doesn't meet your gaze. //Treachery.// @@.lena;"We do need the help,"@@ she says with a shrug, as if that settles it. @@.dani;"You’ll do great,"@@ Dani adds, entirely too cheerful. @@.dani;"I’d help, but I have to take care of the gate."@@ You nod slowly, accepting your fate. You finish the last bite of toast, glumly dragging it through the smear of jam left on your plate like it might buy you another minute. It doesn’t. Lena nods toward the back. @@.lena;"Everything’s out by the shed. Should go in the back of the barn."@@ You stand and brace yourself for whatever awaits. <<button [[Head outside|d2 - help crates]]>> <</button>>

The morning air is cooler than you expected. You follow the dirt path around the side of the house, toward the shed. Just outside it, there’s a small stack of crates waiting near the wall. Nothing too dramatic, a little more than a half-dozen. Still, they look just awkward enough that it’s not going to be a one-trip job. You crouch by the first one. It’s not heavy, but it’s bulky, with no good place to grip. The wood’s splintering near the corners. You blow out a breath and shift your stance. The grass is still damp under your shoes. You try not to think too hard about how badly you’re about to fumble this. You eye a crate. You could probably just lift it. Or you could think about it a little longer and maybe avoid a pulled muscle. You... <<button [[Just go for it|d2 - crate choices]]>> <<set $var2 to 1>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Try tilting it|d2 - crate choices]]>> <<set $var2 to 2>> <</button>>

<<if $var2 is 1>>\ You take a deep breath, brace your feet, and heave the crate upward. The edges bite into your palms as you stumble forward a few steps, muscles already complaining. It’s doable, just a bit awkward. Halfway there, you pause to adjust your grip and catch your breath. It feels heavier now, your confidence leaking away fast. You start calculating exactly how many more steps you'll have to take. Your arms ache already, and there’s still the sharp turn near the fence, that patch of uneven ground, that stupid dip in the ground– You exhale through your nose. Maybe if you just– //Nope.// This was a mistake. You’re debating whether to just drop the whole thing when a voice calls out behind you. @@.rowan;"You were really about to carry every single one like that, huh?"@@ You turn your head. A woman stands near the shed, a few paces from the fence line. Her braid is pulled over one shoulder and holding a helmet. She's definitely not hiding the fact that she’s been watching. @@.player;"I was doing fine."@@ You let down the crate with a grunt. She watches, head tilted slightly. @@.rowan;"Sure. Looked real effortless."@@ <<elseif $var2 is 2>>\ You crouch low and wedge your fingers under one side of the crate, tilting it carefully until it rocks onto a corner. It’s not elegant, but it works. You give it a slow pivot and watch it shift forward a few inches. Smart. Controlled. You feel a small flicker of pride – this might actually go faster than expected. You keep going, nudging the crate forward across the dirt. The wood scrapes a little, but nothing dramatic. Then it wobbles. The edge catches a dip in the path, and your balance slips. You catch the crate before it flattens completely, but your hand throbs where it clipped the edge. //Shit.// You exhale through your nose, crouching again. It's okay. Not a disaster. Just... harder than it looked in your head. You push the crate another few inches. You pivot, drag, reset your footing. Over and over. At this pace, you might get it to the barn by sunset. You hope. You’re halfway through trying to angle it past the fence post without slamming it into your shin when a voice drifts in from behind. @@.rowan;"What’s the endgame here? Inch it all the way to the barn?"@@ You turn your head. A woman stands near the shed, a few paces from the fence line. Her braid is pulled over one shoulder and holding a helmet. She's definitely not hiding the fact that she’s been watching. @@.player;"It was working."@@ You stand back up, flexing your sore fingers. @@.rowan;"Sure. Looked real efficient."@@ <<endif>>\ She doesn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she steps over to the post near the shed wall and grabs a faded canvas jacket slung over it. Gives it a quick shake and tosses it over her shoulder. She glances at the crate. @@.rowan;"You must be pretty stubborn. Or a little dumb."@@ @@.player;"Can’t it be both?"@@ That gets a slight grin. @@.rowan;"You know there’s a wheelbarrow in the barn right?"@@ //Oh, right.// You saw it during the Dani's tour yesterday. You glance her way, curious. @@.player;"You're here often?"@@ @@.rowan;"Something like that."@@ She nods back toward the shed. @@.rowan;"I’m the one who dropped off those crates. Only came back for my jacket."@@ @@.player;"Ah."@@ You nod once. @@.player;"I’m $playername."@@ @@.rowan;"Rowan."@@ A half-grin. @@.rowan;"Nice to meet you, $playername."@@ Her gaze flicks back to the crate. @@.rowan;"You want a hand with that one? I’ve got a minute."@@ <<button [[Accept her offer|d2 - rowan crate]]>> <<set $rowan_rel to $rowan_rel + 2>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Do it yourself|d2 - rowan crate]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/barn.png"> You walk deeper into the barn and spot it leaning against the far wall, half-swallowed by a collapsed tarp and a cracked feed bin. The wheelbarrow. It’s old, dented in on one side, and the front wheel leans like it’s been through one too many disasters. But it still rolls. You haul it out, test the balance, and steer it back toward the shed. The handles are rough, the wheel squeaks, and it pulls slightly to the left every few feet. Not great. But workable. You load it up. Too much, apparently. The moment you start to turn, the weight shifts. The whole thing lurches and for a second, you think it’s all going to tip. You catch it in time. Barely. //Okay. Lesson one: don’t stack it that high.// You unload two crates, reposition the others, and try again. It wobbles, but stays upright. Your next mistake is taking a corner too fast. //Lesson two: it’s not a shopping cart. Go slow.// The wheel jams slightly on a ridge in the dirt path, and you stumble forward, catching yourself on instinct. The crates teeter but settle. The trip after that, you overcorrect and walk too stiffly. The weight drags your arms down, your shoulders tense, and you nearly drop the whole thing from sheer strain halfway back to the barn. //Lesson three: if you fight it, it fights back. Keep it moving. Maintain momentum.// Eventually, you start to find the rhythm. Small loads, even weight. Keep the wheel in the middle of the path. Don’t watch the crates, watch where you’re going. You get faster. Not good, necessarily, but better. Trip by trip, the stack by the shed shrinks. Your arms start to ache. Your legs feel like they’ve been filled with gravel. The sun climbs higher, and the back of your hoodie sticks to your neck. You stop wiping the sweat from your face somewhere around trip five. You drop the last crate into place, straighten up, and rest your hands on your hips. Your fingers buzz with effort, your breath comes uneven, and your legs feel like they might crumple if you stop moving. But at least you're done. <<button [[Take a break|d2 - rest]]>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 4>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ @@.player;"Uh. Yeah, sure. Thanks."@@ Rowan steps in without ceremony, setting her helmet on top of the crate and grabbing the other side. The two of you lift together. You both walk in step towards the barn. Somewhere nearby, a fly buzzes past your ear and disappears. @@.rowan;"So,"@@ she says after a few steps, @@.rowan;"how about you? I haven’t seen you around before."@@ @@.player;"I’m staying with Lena for the summer,"@@ you say as you shift your grip. @@.rowan;"Just the summer?"@@ You nod. @@.player;"Yeah."@@ @@.rowan;"Mhm."@@ There’s a faint smile on her face as she looks ahead again, like she’s filed something away. Before you can dwell on the thought, the two of you reach the barn. Rowan sets her end down on the ground and unhooks the latch before pushing one of the doors open. You carry the crate inside together and set it down just off to the side. She wipes her palms on the legs of her jeans. @@.rowan;"There. Now you only have, what, a dozen left?"@@ She grins, backing up a step. @@.rowan;"You're on your own for the rest of 'em."@@ You sigh. @@.player;"Yep. I’ll probably drop dead after."@@ She starts to step away. @@.rowan;"Good luck."@@ @@.player;"Hey, thanks again. I appreciate the help."@@ @@.rowan;"Don’t mention it."@@ She shifts the jacket on her shoulder, tone easy. @@.rowan;"See you around, summer."@@ She turns and heads back towards the shed, helmet swinging from her fingers. You watch her leave before exhaling. //Time to go find that wheelbarrow.// <<elseif $var is 2>>\ It’s one crate. You can handle one crate. Probably. No point dragging someone else into it when you’re almost there. @@.player;"Nah, I’ve got it,"@@ you say with more certainty than you feel. Rowan raises an eyebrow. @@.rowan;"Suit yourself."@@ She shifts the jacket on her shoulder and turns back toward the shed, helmet swinging from her fingers. You watch her leave before exhaling and turning back to the crate. <<if $var2 is 1>>\ You shift your stance, trying to lift again. It barely moves before your arms scream in protest. You give up. <<elseif $var2 is 2>>\ You try pivoting it more. It inches forward, scraping along the dirt but it’s slow. You give up. <<endif>>\ //Time to go find that wheelbarrow.// You head for the barn. The doors creak when you unlatch them, the wood stiff from heat. You tug one open wide enough to slip inside. The barn is dim and warm, the air thick with the smell of hay and dust. <<endif>>\ <<button [[Look around|d2 - crates wheelbarrow]]>> <</button>>

You lean against the inside of the barn doorway to catch your breath. You just stand there. Then, you hear footsteps on gravel. You turn your head to see Lena standing just outside, a glass jar of water in her hand. Her eyes scan the stacked crates. Then she looks at you, smiling. @@.lena;"You figured it out."@@ You just nod. She offers the water. You don’t realize how thirsty you are until you’ve already downed half of it. @@.lena;"That wheelbarrow’s been around since before you were born,"@@ she adds while glancing at you. There's the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth – maybe amusement. Maybe pride. You just smile, tired. @@.player;"That explains a lot."@@ @@.lena;"You did good,"@@ she says simply. She looks back toward the shed, shielding her eyes with her hand. @@.lena;"Take a break. Market day's tomorrow. You’ll want your energy."@@ And with that, she starts back the way she came, patting your shoulder once before leaving you in the doorway. You stand there for a moment longer, sipping at the water. When you drain the last of the water, you make your way back towards the house. The sun’s higher now, the heat weighing heavily on your shoulders. As you come around the corner of the shed, you spot Dani kneeling by the fence, hammering a board into place. She hasn’t noticed you yet. <<button [[Go back to the house|d2 - wander]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Say hi first|d2 - wander]]>> <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel +2>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/houseexterior.png"> <<if $var is 1>>\ You head towards the porch without calling out. Behind you, you hear another thud of Dani's hammer driving into the fence post. You slip inside, set the empty jar by the sink, and step back out into the afternoon light, stretching your arms over your head. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You shift course and walk toward the fence instead. Dani glances up as you approach, brushing the back of her hand across her forehead. @@.dani;"Hey, you didn’t die! Impressive."@@ @@.player;"Barely made it."@@ She leans back with a grin onto her planted foot, the hammer hanging loose in her hand. @@.dani;"Thanks for picking up the slack, by the way. I owe you one. I would’ve done it myself, but, y'know–"@@ She gestures at the pile of boards besides her. @@.dani;"Farm life is mostly just fixing stuff before it falls apart."@@ You shrug, smiling. @@.player;"It’s fine. Good workout, I guess."@@ Dani laughs. @@.dani;"You must have a masochist streak in you."@@ She flashes you another grin, shakes her head like she honestly respects it a little, and turns back to hammering. You leave her to it and slip inside, setting the empty jar by the sink. Then, you step back out into the afternoon light, stretching your arms over your head. <<endif>>\ The yard is quieter now. The hammering fades into the background, rhythmic. The farm stretches out ahead of you, bright and open. You wander without thinking. There’s no immediate rush to be anywhere. No one calling for you. For the first time today, you're free. You glance around the farm. The shed behind you, the stretch of orchard off to the right, the tangled beds of herbs and low stone walls by the garden. You could stay here, just catch your breath. But your feet are already pulling you toward the trees. The orchard. It's not far, just past the garden and a little downhill. You saw something strange there yesterday. A figure... shimmering. You think about whether it's worth checking again. But when you look up, you discover you're already halfway there, your wandering feet having betrayed you. A breeze tugs gently at your sleeves. The leaves ahead shift with a soft rustle. <<button [[Keep walking toward the orchard|d2 - orchard]]>> <</button>>

maybe if your relationship w/ dani is high enough + you go porch scene + specific responses: you dream that you're dani. and at the end of whatever alex says, you whisper under your breath: but i'm just really glad you're here <<if $danitalk is 1>>\ <<endif>>\ Cicadas like chirp or wtv. you feel liek this awward tesnion from trauma dumping n shit. start from: "She shrugs. @@.dani;"Guess that didn’t work out."@@" [something something tension. scared how he'll react. shouldn't have said that.] She rolls her wrist idly. Then to your suprise: "@@.player;"Yeah,"@@ you admit, fingers fidgeting. @@.player;"I wasn’t exactly expecting to be here either."@@" You're suprised. and think. reminicing about your own past. then "Then, softly: @@.dani;"You run from something? Or, just needed to be somewhere else?"@@" and then wtv alex's response is, go off that

<img src="Images/slop/orchard.png"> The grass is taller than you remember. You step through the orchard gate, letting it swing shut behind you with a soft creak. The trees look the same as yesterday, leaning in odd directions, branches heavy with green apples, most of them still small and hard. Some are scattered in the grass, a little too early. A few are pecked or half-crushed where something’s stepped on them. You walk in a little farther. The ground dips unevenly beneath your shoes, the grass soft and patchy. A low branch brushes your shoulder as you pass under it. You glance toward the same spot as yesterday. Where you saw it. Between two trees, near the ridge. Same angle, same light. But this time, the shadows sway like normal. The air isn’t still. You step toward it, slower this time. Nothing. Just the orchard. You wait a second longer, just in case. Then you squint and lean a little to the left. Maybe it was a reflection. Or a trick of how the sun hit the trees. You check the ground. There’s nothing out of place. A few rocks. Some fallen fruit. A half-buried root that almost trips you when you shift your weight. Still nothing. You even walk between the two trees, stepping where the figure was standing yesterday. Again, nothing. You’re not sure what you were expecting. That if you stepped between them, maybe it’d open into something else. A hidden door. A portal. Maybe the trees would shift, or the wind would pause, or the figure would appear right in front of you. Instead, you just feel a little silly. Maybe a bit disappointed, too. You let out a breath and stand there a moment longer. Whatever you saw yesterday, it’s not here now. Maybe it wasn’t really here at all. As your eyes wander, a realization catches up with you. You’ve been here before, you realize. Not just yesterday. Years ago. You take a slow step foward, eyes drifting from trunk to trunk. You used to spend time out here. Not every day, but enough that it comes back in pieces now. The itch of tall grass on your arms. The trees that were easy to climb, not like the tall one by the road. The ways you'd end up with grass stains on your pants and dirt on your knees, and your mom would get annoyed about the laundry. You pause beneath one of the larger trees and tip your head back. The sun flickers through the leaves, and just for a second, it's easy to picture yourself smaller. Shoes too loose. Hair sticking to your forehead. No phone. No plan. Just an entire orchard to run around in until you got hungry or tired or yelled at to come inside. You were the type to spend all day– <<button [[Climbing trees|d2 - orchard 2]]>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 2>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Watching the bugs|d2 - orchard 2]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 2>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Wandering the rows|d2 - orchard 2]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 1>> <<set $var to 3>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ <<set $benji_rel to $benji_rel + 6>> You used to climb the trees here all the time. The tallest ones, usually. The ones with patchy bark and way too many ants. There was one near the edge of the orchard that had a forked branch just wide enough to sit on if you wedged your knees right. You’d haul yourself and dangle your legs over the side, pretending you were in a lookout post. Once, you got stuck. Not high, but high enough that jumping felt like a bad idea. You yelled for help, but no one heard. Eventually, you just braced yourself and dropped. You scraped your hands and landed crooked. It hurt, but you didn't cry. You remember limping home and pretending you were totally fine. You probably weren’t. You run your hand along a low branch now. The trees are lower than you remember. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You used to lie flat on your stomach in the grass, elbows propped up, watching ants as they worked. Sometimes they’d be carrying crumbs or flower petals. Once, you saw three ants try to drag a dead beetle across a stick. They dropped it twice and gave up. You watched the whole thing like it was a drama. You’d give them names. Make up little jobs for them. One was always the scout. One was definitely the boss. Some were builders and farmers. Your shirt would get grass stains. Your arms would get itchy. But you didn’t care. You glance down now and spot a trail of ants near your foot. Different ants, probably. But just as busy. <<elseif $var is 3>>\ You’d walk the orchard like it was a game. You had rules. Only turn at trees that leaned. Avoid any dirt patches. If you stepped on a twig, you had to start over. You’d pretend the rows were hallways in a vast castle, or that you were a fox, running away from hunters. You remember it now, clear as day. All those dumb little rules and games you made to amuse yourself. You take a few steps forward now, reminiscing. <<endif>>\ You shift your weight, about to move on. And something falls out of a tree behind you. //Thunk.// A solid mass hits the grass behind you. You flinch and spin around, heart spiking. There’s a kid on the ground. Flat on his back. Legs sprawled. You rush a few steps toward him. @@.player;"Whoa, are you okay?"@@ He props himself up on his elbows. His hair’s a mess of curls and twigs, and there’s a smear of dirt across his shirt. @@.benji;"I think so,"@@ he says, blinking up at you. You stop a few feet away, still trying to figure out where the hell he even came from. @@.player;"Did you– were you up in the tree?"@@ He nods and looks up. @@.benji;"Yeah. I was trying to see the apples."@@ You follow his gaze. The branches don't look even remotely safe. He must have fallen pretty far. @@.player;"You’re lucky you didn’t break something."@@ @@.benji;"Nah, the grass is soft."@@ He shrugs. @@.benji;"Plus, the trees never let me fall too hard."@@ You blink. //What does that even mean?// He doesn't elaborate, just checking his elbows for scrapes. You just stare at him for a second. He doesn't seem hurt. That's good. @@.player;"Are your parents nearby?"@@ @@.benji;"Sort of. We live close." He points off vaguely into the trees. "I come out here a lot. Lena yells if she catches me."@@ You raise an eyebrow. @@.benji;"She says I’m gonna snap my neck and then she'll have to explain it to my mom."@@ He grins a little, like he's quoting her word for word. @@.player;"And you keep doing it anyway?" @@ @@.benji;"Yeah. It’s fun."@@ He shrugs. You can't say you approve but the little guy's growing on you. You glance back at the tree, then at him again. He’s probably not done climbing things. //Wouldn't be responsible to just leave him out here.// You sigh and offer him a hand. @@.player;"C'mon, I'll walk you back home."@@ He looks at you properly for the first time, then grins and takes your hand. @@.benji;"I'm Benji."@@ @@.player;"$playername."@@ You help him up and he immediately starts walking ahead. <<button [[Walk Benji back|d2 - julian house walk]]>> <<set $benji_rel to $benji_rel + 3>> <</button>>

You follow Benji along a narrow path that cuts between the trees. It’s not marked, just a faint trail where foot traffic has worn down the grass. He walks ahead like he knows every step. @@.player;"Didn’t know anyone lived out this way,"@@ you say after a while. Benji shrugs. @@.benji;"We’re not far. Like fifteen minutes if you cut through the orchard. More if you take the long way."@@ He hops over a root, then glances back. @@.benji;"We moved here... four years ago? I was little."@@ @@.player;"From where?"@@ @@.benji;"The city."@@ He says it like it’s another planet. @@.benji;"My parents wanted to be closer to nature or whatever."@@ He kicks at a patch of moss, then shrugs again. @@.benji;"I like it."@@ The trees begin to thin, opening into patches of sunlight and grass. Stone walls curve along the edge of the path. @@.benji;"There’s a hill near our place where I can see the farm,"@@ he says, continuously chattering. @@.benji;"Sometimes I sit up there and watch the chickens run around."@@ He glances at you with caution. @@.benji;"Don’t tell Lena though."@@ You look over. @@.player;"Why? She's mad about you sitting on a hill?"@@ @@.benji;"She doesn't want me on her roof,"@@ he says, like it's the most obvious answer in the world. You blink. That wasn't where you thought this was going. @@.benji;"She thinks I'll climb up there again."@@ He grins. @@.benji;"You can see all the way to the barn from there."@@ He doesn’t sound sorry. You don’t say anything. There’s not much point in arguing with a kid who sees climbing rooftops as perfectly reasonable. And then, ahead, you see it. The house. It’s tucked against a low hill, part-shaded by tall trees on one side. Small and hand-built, with mismatched windows, a crooked porch, and bright blue paint peeling just a bit around the doorframe. Benji cuts through the grass toward the porch, dodging the fluttering line of laundry and hopping up the first two steps. You follow a little more cautiously. Benji doesn’t knock. He turns to you instead. @@.benji;"You can do it,"@@ he says, gesturing toward the door. @@.benji;"It's probably better if they see you first."@@ You raise an eyebrow. @@.player;"You get in trouble a lot?"@@ He just grins. <<button [[Knock on the door|d2 - julian intro]]>> <<set $julian_rel to $julian_rel + 4>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/julianhouse.png"> You lift your hand to knock. Before you reach the door, someone rounds the side of the house, carrying a bowl of ripe strawberries. He stops when he sees you, a little surprised. Then he grins. He’s younger than you expected. Just a little older than you, with sandals and sun-browned skin. The brown curls and wide smile make his relation to Benji instantly obvious. He gives you a quick once-over, curious. And then he sees who's with you. @@.julian;"Again?"@@ he says, walking over. @@.julian;"Let me guess. Tree?"@@ Benji nods, proudly holding his arms out. @@.benji;"No bruises. I landed soft."@@ @@.julian;"Better than last time,"@@ the young man says, setting the bowl carefully on the porch railing. Benji just beams, completely unbothered by the young man's pointed look. He turns to you next. @@.julian;"Sorry– hi. I’m Julian, his brother."@@ He extends a hand. You shake it, his grip warm and firm. @@.player;"$playername."@@ Julian's smile returns. He glances at the bowl, then plucks a strawberry from the top and holds it out to you without hesitation. @@.julian;"Want one?"@@ he says. @@.julian;"I just picked them. Figured I’d share before Benji eats all of them."@@ You take it and bite into it as Julian steps away – it's sweet. As you finish chewing, you watch him cross the porch toward Benji, who’s crouched near a flowerpot, poking curiously at the dirt. Julian crouches beside him, ruffles Benji’s hair, then gently taps the tip of his nose with a knuckle. Benji scrunches his face in protest, but doesn’t swat him away. Julian smiles for just for a second before standing again and glancing back at you. @@.julian;"Thanks for walking him back."@@ His voice is warm.@@.julian;"You with Lena?"@@ "Yeah, I'm staying with her for the summer." You tilt your head. @@.player;"How’d you know?"@@ @@.julian;"It's not exactly hard. She’s usually the one bringing him back."@@ He says, then adds with a grin. @@.julian;"Might drop by sometime. Benji says you’ve got good apples over there."@@ You raise an eyebrow. @@.player;"They aren’t ripe yet." @@ Julian shrugs, the smile still tugging at the corner of his mouth. @@.julian;"That’s okay. I could just stop by to see you."@@ Your chest tightens, just a little. You pause, caught off guard. <<button [[Play it cool|d2 - julian 2]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 3>> <</button>> <<button [[Blush a little|d2 - julian 2]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>> <<button [[Tease him back|d2 - julian 2]]>> <<set $var to 3>> <<set $boldness to $boldness + 1>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ @@.player;"Sure,"@@ you say casually. @@.player;"Not a bad reason to stop by."@@ Julian smiles, then pauses, having registered what he just said. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You feel your ears warm. @@.player;"Oh,"@@ you say, a little too quickly. @@.player;"Uh– yeah. That’d be fine."@@ You’re not sure why you said it like that. But he definitely noticed. Julian blinks, like he just registered what he said. <<elseif $var is 3>>\ You raise an eyebrow. @@.player;"Just to see me? That’s bold."@@ Julian startles slightly. @@.julian;"Wait, what? No– I mean– yeah?"@@ He squints at you, confused, then groans softly. <<endif>>\ @@.julian;"Wait, that came out weird, didn't it?"@@ He laughs, mostly at himself. @@.julian;"I swear I wasn't trying to flirt. I just– Benji seemed to like you. And you seemed cool. I dunno."@@ He shrugs helplessly, scratching at his cheek. @@.julian;"Still,"@@ he adds, @@.julian;"wouldn’t mind running into you again."@@ You smile. @@.player;"Same here."@@ Just then, Benji jogs up from the edge of the yard, cutting between the two of you with his fist. He's holding something loosely. @@.benji;"Here."@@ He holds it out gently. @@.benji;"You can have this one."@@ It’s a small rock. You take it without thinking. Julian looks over with a smile and rests a hand lightly on Benji’s head. @@.julian;"He gives things to people he likes,"@@ he says, looking down at his brother. @@.julian;"Usually it’s a stick."@@ You smile. @@.player;"Thanks, Benji."@@ He nods once. Julian watches him for a moment longer, then lifts his hand and ruffles his hair once, fond. Benji grins, then dashes through the side gate without another word. Julian watches him go, then glances back at you. @@.julian;"Safe walk back, $playername."@@ You wave, the stone still in your other hand, and turn to leave. <<set $benji_rel to $benji_rel + 1>>\ <<button [[Make your way back|d2- walk back]]>> <</button>>

You head back the way you came, hands in your pockets and Benji’s rock warm in one of them. By the time the farmhouse comes into view, you spot Dani first. She’s standing in the driveway, hands on her hips, squinting down at something propped up against the fence. Lena’s nearby, arms crossed, looking vaguely amused. Dani notices you and waves, already grinning. @@.dani;"You’re just in time!"@@ she calls. @@.dani;"Come see what we found."@@ You cross the yard toward them. Dani shifts her weight and nudges the object with the toe of her boot. @@.dani;"You ever ridden one of these before?"@@ It’s a bike. It's a bit rusty in places but the shape’s all there. @@.player;"Oh, I have. Nice. Where did this come from?"@@ @@.dani;"Barn. Buried under half a decade of cobwebs."@@ She steps aside with a mock flourish. @@.dani;"Lena says it’s yours if you want it."@@ Lena shrugs. "@@.lena;Figured it’d be better than walking into town all summer."@@ Dani crouches beside the rear wheel. @@.dani;"Tires are still holding air. I cleaned the chain a little. It turns fine."@@ She shifts to you with a smile. <<button [[Respond with appreciation|d2 - bike]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel + 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Respond dismissively|d2 - bike]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel - 2>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You glance at her, impressed. @@.player;"You really cleaned this up?"@@ Dani shrugs like it’s nothing. @@.dani;"You were gone a while. Chain was gross, but the rest just needed a little love."@@ You glance at her, then back at the bike. @@.player;"Thanks. Seriously."@@ @@.dani;"Don’t mention it. Consider it thanks for covering the crates for me,"@@ she replies, smiling. Lena glances at the sun and nods toward the house. @@.lena;"Come look it over later. For now, let’s get inside before the bugs get too excited."@@ <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You eye the bike, the words slipping out before you can stop them. @@.player;"Bit of rust on the handlebars. Not sure if I’ll end up using it."@@ Dani’s grin wavers for half a second. You’re not sure if you imagined it. @@.dani;"Sure. No pressure."@@ She brushes her hands on her jeans as she stands, shrugging. @@.dani;"It’s just there if you want it."@@ Lena steps in smoothly, glancing at the sun. @@.lena;"Give it a proper look later. For now, let’s get inside before the bugs get too excited."@@ <<endif>>\ <<button [[Head inside|d2 - dinner]]>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/kitchen.png"> You follow them up the porch steps and into the house, the door creaking shut behind you. You make it to the kitchen just as dinner prep gets underway. Lena’s by the stove, stirring something that smells like garlic. Dani’s grabbing glasses from the shelf while chattering non-stop, her words spilling out in bright, tangled bursts. You help where you can, grabbing forks and setting out plates. Dinner comes together fast. You ease into a chair as everything hits the table. Dani’s already sprawled into one of the chairs, one leg tucked beneath her. She picks up right where she left off. @@.dani;"Anyway, the market’s gonna be wild tomorrow."@@ She gestures with her fork. @@.dani;"Last time, some kid tried to ride one of the goats. Just, like, climbed right on and yelled ‘giddy-up!’ before anyone could stop him."@@ You grin at the thought. @@.player;"And how did that go?"@@ @@.dani;"The goat sprinted halfway down the lane and crashed into Mrs. Callahan’s stall. Fruit everywhere," she says, gesturing animatedly. @@ @@.player;"That sounds... intense."@@ Lena chuckles softly, sipping from her water glass. @@.lena;"The market’s got a certain energy to it. Chaos and all, it’s the highlight of the week for half the town."@@ @@.player;"So, the market’s a big deal around here?"@@ Dani perks up immediately, eyes bright. @@.dani;"Oh yeah. Twice a week down in Oakridge for just about everything. Produce, flowers, homemade jam. You would love it." @@ She hesitates for a moment. @@.dani;"Hey,"@@ Dani says suddenly, leaning towards Lena. @@.dani;"We should bring $playername with us! To the market, I mean. He can get some fresh air and meet some of the locals."@@ Lena doesn’t even look up from her plate. @@.lena;"I had assumed we were."@@ She glances over at you for confirmation. Your fork pauses halfway to your mouth. A whole crowd of strangers, new faces, small talk you won’t know how to dodge. The idea of going out tomorrow presses at your chest. But Dani’s already beaming, eyes bright as she waits expectantly. //It’s not like you had any other plans.// @@.player;"Sure,"@@ you say after a moment. @@.dani;"Perfect! We’ll leave early so you get the full experience,"@@ Dani says. @@.dani;"The flower shop's got really pretty bouquets and we can get these amazing pastries from Marigold’s stand and–"@@ @@.lena;"Breathe,"@@ Lena interrupts with a smirk. <<button [[Ask about Marigold's stand|d2 - ask marigold]]>> <<set $uncertainty to $uncertainty - 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Look around the room, just listening|d2 - chatter]]>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 1>> <<set $dani_rel to $dani_rel + 1>> <</button>>

You tilt your head and glance at Dani, setting your fork down for a moment. @@.player;"Marigold’s stand? What's so special about the pastries?"@@ @@.dani;"Oh, Marigold's a genius,"@@ Dani gushes between bites. @@.dani;"She’s been running the bakery in town forever. She makes these //amazing// little hand pies. Practically raised half the kids in Oakridge on her cookies. You’ll love her. She gives out samples if you ask real nice."@@ @@.lena;"She gives out samples if you look hungry,"@@ Lena corrects as she reaches across the table, picking up a pitcher to refill her water glass. @@.lena;"Or, if Dani’s following you around looking pathetic."@@ @@.dani;"Hey! I do not look pathetic. I look //charming//. It’s strategic,"@@ Dani retorts. You hide your smile behind your glass. @@.dani;"She’s a little odd, though,"@@ Dani continues, her attention back on you. @@.dani;"Markets that her blueberry scones are good luck. Mrs. Hargrove swears up and down that the scones were what saved her garden last year."@@ You glance at Lena for confirmation. @@.lena;"That’s just how Marigold is,"@@ she says with a fond shake of her head. @@.lena;"Espouses all sorts of old wives’ tales. You’ll get used to it."@@ You find yourself nodding slowly, mouth curling faintly at the corners. @@.player;"I think I’ll like her,"@@ you admit, voice soft but warm. @@.lena;"She’ll like you,"@@ Lena says simply, scooping another helping of vegetables onto her plate. @@.lena;"She likes just about everyone, but she’ll like you."@@ There’s ease in the way Lena says it, like it’s a fact as obvious as leaves changing in autumn. You glance down at your plate, then back up again, unsure how to respond. But you believe her. As the conversation dips for a moment, your gaze drifts to the window. You catch a glimpse of the garden beyond. Plants sway softly in the breeze. Dani follows your gaze. @@.dani;"Garden’s looking good,"@@ she remarks offhandedly. @@.lena;"Lena’s practically got a forest of herbs out there. Uses them for just about everything."@@ You find yourself glancing back at Lena, curiosity sparking. <<button [[Ask Lena about the garden|d2 - ask garden]]>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 2>> <</button>>

You let the sound of their voices fill the space. Your eyes drift over the shelves cluttered with jars and dried herbs, the framed photos on the walls – faces you don’t recognize smiling bright at the camera. Your gaze lingers on one photo in particular. Lena, her hair shorter but still streaked faintly with gray, a soft, tired smile curling at the edges of her mouth. Dani’s there, too, younger and a bit shorter, eyes wide and bright and unguarded, a wide grin splitting across her face. The photo stays in your mind even as you turn back to them. There’s something magnetic about it, how at home they seem. It’s clear how much the farm means to them. The way they talk about it fondness peaking through every word. The way Dani’s eyes brighten and the way Lena's smiles come quietly and unhurried. You can't help but wonder what it is that makes this place feel so special. What pieces of it hold the most weight, what stories the walls have gathered and never spoken. As you pick at the last few bites on your plate, your gaze drifts to the window. You catch a glimpse of the garden beyond. Plants sway softly in the breeze. Dani follows your gaze. @@.dani;"Garden’s looking good,"@@ she remarks offhandedly. @@.lena;"Lena’s practically got a forest of herbs out there. Swears by them for just about everything."@@ You find yourself glancing back at Lena, curiosity sparking. <<button [[Ask Lena about the garden|d2 - ask garden]]>> <<set $lena_rel to $lena_rel + 2>> <</button>>

@@.player;"You really use herbs for everything?"@@ you ask, glancing back toward the window. Lena's eyes flick to the plants outside the window. @@.lena;"Not everything,"@@ she admits. @@.lena;"But almost."@@ Dani grins. @@.dani;"Headache? Mint tea. Sore throat? Thyme and honey. Bad day? Lavender in the bath."@@ Lena shrugs. @@.lena;"The land’s generous."@@ You tilt your head. @@.player;"You mean like... metaphorically?"@@ Dani snorts softly. @@.dani;"You’ll get used to it. Every time I think Lena’s said the most cryptic thing imaginable, she outdoes herself the next day."@@ She throws a mischievous glance across the table, grinning. @@.dani;"Bet you cackle when no one’s around."@@ Lena rolls her eyes, utterly unimpressed. @@.lena;"And risk the air of mystique I’ve worked so hard to cultivate? Never."@@ The conversation lulls as dinner winds down. Lena finishes the last bite on her plate, pushes her chair back with a soft scrape, and carries her dish to the sink. You and Dani follow, falling into the rhythm of rinsing plates and stacking leftovers without needing to say much. The kitchen falls into the kind of content quiet that settles in after a good meal. Once everything’s clean, Lena dries her hands on a dish towel and glances over her shoulder. @@.lena;"You two should get some rest,"@@ she says. @@.lena;"Market’s going to be busy tomorrow."@@ Dani stretches with a yawn, arms reaching high above her head before she drops them with a sigh. @@.dani;"I’m gonna get some fresh air before it gets too chilly."@@ Lena shrugs. @@.lena;"Suit yourself."@@ @@.player;"I’m gonna head up. Moving those crates was exhausting."@@ you admit. You flex your arms a little. Still sore. Dani gives you a lazy wave, already halfway to the door. <<button [[Head to your bedroom|d2 - bedroom]]>> <<set $transformation_awareness to $transformation_awareness + 1>> <</button>>

<img src="Images/slop/bedroomnight.png"> You close the bedroom door behind you. The room is lit by the rapidly fading light slipping in through the window. You pull off your shirt. The fabric sticks a little, damp with sweat you hadn’t noticed until now. Your shoulders ache, your arms feel heavy. But that’s expected. You spent half the day fighting a wheelbarrow. It’s when you stretch your arms over your head that you pause. Something feels off. You glance down. At first, you think maybe your muscles tightened or cramped weird. But no, nothing like that. You turn, catching your reflection in the mirror across the room. You step closer. You blink. You shift your weight. Raise your arms. Let them fall. Turn sideways. Your muscle’s still there, no different than it was yesterday. But the frame holding it? Your shoulders are... narrower. The span between them feels closer together. It's a subtle change. Barely even noticeable. You rub a hand over the back of your neck. Maybe you’re just tired. Or dehydrated. Or your posture’s weird after all the lifting. You try rolling your shoulders. Stretching again. Shrugging. Still there. You step back from the mirror, like distance will make it make more sense. Maybe it’s lighting. You haven’t looked this closely in a while. Probably just one of those things. It’s nothing. You tell yourself that. <<button [[Get ready for bed|d2 - get ready bed]]>> <</button>>

You brush your teeth. Rinse your face. Step into the shower and let the hot water run over you. You dry off without thinking. You glance in the mirror as you pull on a fresh shirt. It settles over your shoulders, covering the difference. //See? Nothing. It’s fine. You’re just tired.// You head back to your room. The hallway’s quiet, lights dimmed. You close the door behind you and flop down onto the bed, hair still damp. You sit up and pick up your phone without thinking. Just habit. The screen lights up. No notifications. You stare at it for a second, thumb hovering. <<button [[Text Noah|d2 - phone]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <<set $noah_rel to $noah_rel + 2>> <<set $noahtext to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Scroll through social media|d2 - phone]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You tap open Noah's name and type: <p>@@.player;//You still up?//@@</p>\ A second later: <p>@@.noah;//Barely//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Why, you miss me already?//@@</p>\ You snort softly. <p>@@.player;//Nah//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//Just forgot how boring it is here at night//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Go churn butter or wtv people out there do//@@</p>\ You roll your eyes, already halfway to calling him an idiot. But before you can type anything, another message pops in: <p>@@.noah;//Anyways//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Feels weird not seeing you every day tbh//@@</p>\ You adjust your pillow behind your back before typing. <p>@@.player;//Aw//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//Miss me that much?//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//Fluttering my eyelashes n shit//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Bro fuck off//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//I'm content with my newfound peace//@@</p>\ You smile at the screen, then tilt your head a little, thinking. <p>@@.player;//How’s things with crossword girl?//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Nah//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//We broke up a while back//@@</p>\ Your fingers slow. <p>@@.player;//Oh, shit//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//Sorry//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Nah, it's chill//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Sucked for a bit but I'm good now//@@</p>\ You hesitate, then: <p>@@.player;//Guess you're stuck with me//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Nightmarish idea//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//Fuck you too//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//Anyways, I'ma go sleep//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//Gn, sorry for the accidental landmine btw lol//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//You're fine. Gn//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Have fun tm!//@@</p>\ You smile and set your phone down. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You scroll. Someone from high school just got an internship with a consulting firm in Chicago. The caption has a smiling emoji and a prayer hands. You keep scrolling. An old classmate posts a blurry picture of beer cans on a lawn chair with the caption "let’s never grow up". The grass is patchy. One sock is visible in the corner of the frame. You scroll past. A couple you used to hang out with is on a road trip. Sunlit selfie. Holding hands. They’re standing in front of some lake with a golden retriever in the background, all glowing and perfect. You scroll past before you really read the caption. Someone vague-posting about outgrowing people again. Skip. You pause on a post from someone you used to talk to every day. It’s their birthday. You forgot. You like the post without thinking and scroll on. At some point, you switch over to watching reels. A cat falls off a table. Someone makes a grilled cheese with six kinds of cheese and a blowtorch. An animated skeleton dances to Brockhampton. You scroll. Peter Griffin starts explaining thermodynamics as Minecraft parkour footage plays in the background. You blink. You swipe. Peter again – this time it’s Keynesian economics. //God your algorithm is so fucked.// You scroll. And scroll. And keep scrolling. Time slips. Hours pass before you even look up. The screen says 1:48 a.m. You groan to yourself, @@.player;"What the hell am I doing?"@@ You sigh and set your phone down. <<endif>>\ You roll over onto your side. Tomorrow's market day, probably best to get some rest. You tug the blanket up over your shoulder, and close your eyes. <<button [[Go to sleep|d2 - dream]]>> <</button>>

You’re standing in the orchard, barefoot. The grass is cool beneath your feet. You don’t remember walking here. The orchard is bathed in golden light, sun low like late afternoon. Trees stretch in every direction. There’s no wind. No birdsong. Just quiet. You take a step. Then another. Each footfall lands softly, cushioned by the soft grass. You keep walking, not sure where else to go. Then, you see them. A person, far down the row, just where the trees begin to thin. They’re facing away from you, standing still and gazing into the distance. Same height. Same build. But there are some subtle differences. They stand straighter. More relaxed. Their hair is long, falling in waves that reach their upper back. You can’t make out their face. They still haven’t noticed you. <<button [[Call out to them|d2 - dream 2]]>> <<set $var to 1>> <</button>> <<button [[Approach quietly|d2 - dream 2]]>> <<set $var to 2>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You open your mouth to call out. But nothing comes. Your mouth moves. Air passes between your lips. But there's just no sound. No voice, not even a rasp. You try again. Louder. You push from your chest The person's posture shifts. They tilt their head slightly, like they almost heard you. But they don’t turn. You try one more time, feet planted and pushing with everything you have, like the sound could force its way out if you just tried hard enough. Still, nothing. But this time, a breeze moves through the still orchard, soft but jarring, as if the world’s suddenly remembered to breathe. Ahead, the person shifts, their hair catching the light. They begin to turn. <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You take a slow step forward. The grass is longer here, brushing above your ankles like reeds. You take another step. And another. But the person doesn't get any closer. The orchard shifts around you. Trees that weren’t there before now line the path. The space between you and the person stretches – the rows impossibly longer, the path curving slightly. You break into a jog. Branches now begin to tilt just slightly into your path. No matter how much you try to speed up, the gap never closes. Still, you keep going. The ground rises slightly beneath your foot, uneven. A branch snaps under your feet. //Crack.// The sound reverberates, loud in the otherwise soundless orchard. Ahead, the person shifts, their hair catching the light. They begin to turn. <<endif>>\ <<button [[Meet their gaze|d3 - intro]]>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ <<elseif $var is 2>>\ <<endif>>\ ----- put everything under here in var = 1 <<if $hat is 1>>\ <<set $text to "sunhat">>\ <<elseif $hat is 2>>\ <<set $text to "baseball cap">>\ <<endif>>\ you stuff it all under the hat and look into the mirror again. //There, that'll work.// You didn't account for how weird you look wearing a $text indoors, but it's better than the alternative. Sigh, with that problem sort of solved, that's a huge issue you don't have to deal with/huge burden lifted off your shoulders. Time to go start the day You decide not to. (give internal reasoning as to why). you try to think of alternate ways to solve the issue. You sigh. There really is no good explanation for this. You'll figure it out when you get there. For now, the only thing you can do is to start the day. <<button [[Walk to the bathroom (Content End)|content end v0.1]]>> <</button>>

replace content end. the plan is - both passages lead to this one. if it's from "hat hide" (aka if $hat is 1 or 2), you decide to go to the bathroom and get ready. but if directly from wake up, you directly go into walking to bathroom scene when you see dani if hat: phew, that really paid off. relief/thank god i did that if no hat: you freeze. you didn't expect to encounter this already. you're not ready. you figured you'd think about it a bit more. shit fuck. and if you have hat too: aw fuck should've hidden hair

<img src="Images/slop/d1intro.png"> You find yourself in an unfamiliar room. Wood floors. Dim light. You don’t know how you got here. You don’t know what this place is. You look around for answers in the threadbare room. All that you find is a dusty old desk, an equally decrepit chair, and a mirror facing away from you. //What... what is this place?// You’re still trying to piece it together when you hear it. Crying. Not loud, just quiet gasps. The brittle sound a body makes when no one's coming. You freeze, trying to discern the source of that //awful// sound. You cock your head – it's coming from outside the door. Maybe there's somebody that needs your help. Maybe you're stuck in a horror movie. Hard to tell. Either way, it doesn't seem like there's any other way out. <<button [[Go investigate|d1 - intro 2]]>> <</button>>

You step outside, greeted by a windowless hallway. The hallway is long but you spot a half-open door at the end, warm light spilling out. The crying is emanating from there. You hesitate. You call out, cautious: @@.player;"Hello? Are you alright?"@@ The crying cuts off. Not slowly – //mid-gasp//. You freeze. And then, sensibly, you take a step back into the room you came from. Nope. Absolutely not. This is the part where people die in movies. You’re not opening that door. You’re not even staying in the hallway. No. Instead, you’re going to sit down, close your eyes, and hope that when you open them, you're somewhere else. Preferably on a beach, coconut in hand. You shut the door and listen for any sounds. Nothing. You let out a sigh of relief before turning around – only for your lungs to seize up again. The room hasn’t changed. Same table, same chair, same mirror. But now, there's a small journal in front of the mirror, already open. You didn’t hear anyone. You didn’t hear anything. You call out quieter this time, out of self-assurance more than anything, not actually expecting an answer. @@.player;"Is anyone here?"@@ As expected, silence. Still, hearing your own voice break the eerie quiet is comforting. You get closer to the journal, now standing in front of the mirror. //Weird.// You're not in it. Just the room is reflected in the mirror, as if you aren't standing right in front of it. You crouch to read the journal. You squint, unable to make out the words. You lean in as you try to decrypt the scribbled words. Something flickers in the mirror. Your head snaps up. Your reflection's returned. But it's not really you. Eyes too wide. Face half in shadow. You scrabble backwards in panic, nails scratching the floor. Your lips don’t move, yet the other you smiles. //Crack.// The glass shatters, bursting outwards. Your head jerks back violently– –just as the bus bumps over something in the road. <<button [[You jolt awake|d1 - bus ride]]>> <</button>>

<<if $var is 1>>\ You text back: <p>@@.player;//I'm dead. Ghost texting you from beyond.//@@</p>\ His response pops up second later: <p>@@.noah;//Great. Means even death can't get you rid of me.//@@</p>\ <<elseif $var is 2>>\ You text back: <p>@@.player;//Might let one eat me just to spite you.//@@</p>\ His response pops up second later: <p>@@.noah;//Lmk how that works out for you. Even pigs have standards.//@@</p>\ <<elseif $var is 3>>\ You text back: <p>@@.player;//Barely survived.//@@</p>\ His response pops up second later: <p>@@.noah;//Good. Means I can still make fun of you.//@@</p>\ <<endif>>\ You smile, already typing a response. "//Lol, fuck o–//" Noah follows up with another text, cutting you off before you can finish: <p>@@.noah;//Did I tell you we tried to go cow tipping last night?//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//No??//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//We get there and one of the cows is already lying on its side//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//I was like damn. $playername beat us here//@@</p>\ Your fingers hover. <p>@@.player;//Are you fr calling me a cow//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Nah//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Just you and gravity are close friends//@@</p>\ You pause, exhaling through your nose. <p>@@.player;//Dude, I'm going to murder you//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Lol//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//But seriously, you good?//@@</p>\ You hesitate at the sudden question, tipping your head back. Your eyes search the ceiling, and you breathe out slowly. When you glance back at your phone, your thumbs are slow and careful. <p>@@.player;//Yeah//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//It’s nice. Different, but nice//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Good//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//I'm glad to hear that//@@</p>\ You smile. <p>@@.player;//It's rare that you're this sweet.//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//But thanks. I appreciate you checking in.//@@</p>\ <<set $noah_rel to $noah_rel + 2>>\ <p>@@.noah;//Ofc man//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Anyways, I'ma dip. Gotta sleep soon//@@</p>\ <p>@@.player;//Gn//@@</p>\ <p>@@.noah;//Gn!//@@</p>\ You set down your phone on the dresser. <<button [[Get ready for bed|d1 - get ready for bed]]>> <<set $noah_rel to $noah_rel + 1>> <</button>>