Donna's Diner

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What is your name? <<textbox "$PlayerName" "Debbie">> [[Time to get started.|Preamble]] <<set $FreeLunch to false>> <<set $CurrentAssign to -1>> <<set $Time to 0>> <<set $AdditiveUsed to false>> <<set $AdditiveEaten to false>> <<set $AdditiveFactor to 1>> <<set $PlayerWeight to 0>> <<set $Waitress to -1>> <<set $WaitressAssign to 0>> <<set $WaitressSkill to 0>> <<set $Grill to -1>> <<set $GrillAssign to 0>> <<set $GrillSkill to 0>> <<set $Cashier to -1>> <<set $CashierAssign to 0>> <<set $CashierSkill to 0>> <<set $CharacterArray to ["Katie","Max","Nadia","Maya","Maria"]>> <<set $StaffWeight to 0>> <<set $KatieSkill to [4,3,3]>> /*Character 0*/ <<set $KatieAssign to 0>> <<set $KatieJob to -1>> <<set $MaxSkill to [2,4,3]>> /*Character 1*/ <<set $MaxAssign to 0>> <<set $MaxJob to -1>> <<set $NadiaSkill to [5,2,4]>> /*Character 2*/ <<set $NadiaAssign to 0>> <<set $NadiaJob to -1>> <<set $MayaSkill to [2,3,5]>> /*Character 3*/ <<set $MayaAssign to 0>> <<set $MayaJob to -1>> <<set $MariaSkill to [3,5,2]>> /*Character 4*/ <<set $MariaAssign to 0>> <<set $MariaJob to -1>> <<set $MariaBedTime to false>> <<set $e01 to false>> <<set $e02 to false>> <<set $e03 to false>> <<set $e04 to false>> <<set $TotalEarnings to 0>> <<set $TotalSpare to 0>> <<set $MonthSpare to 0>> <<set $MonthEarnings to 0>> <<set $RepairsArray to [0,0,0,0,0]>> <<set $RepairsPending to 5>> <<set $UpgradesArray to [0,0,0,0,0]>> <<set $UpgradeLevel to 0>> <<set $IncomeCheckF to 68000>>

<<set $AssignSum to ($WaitressAssign + $GrillAssign + $CashierAssign)>> <<if $AssignSum < 3>> <<if $KatieAssign == 0>>[[Read notes on Katie|Katie Ref]] <</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 0>>[[Read notes on Max|Max Ref]] <</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 0>>[[Read notes on Nadia|Nadia Ref]] <</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 0>>[[Read notes on Maya|Maya Ref]] <</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 0>>[[Read notes on Maria|Maria Ref]] <</if>> You still need to hire: <<if $WaitressAssign == 0>>A waiter <</if>> <<if $GrillAssign == 0>>A cook <</if>> <<if $CashierAssign == 0>>A cashier <</if>> <<else>> You've chosen your three employees. [[Time to give them a call.|StaffConfirm]] <</if>>

Kate Birch, 23. She had an athletic build and straight, shoulder length blonde hair. Youthful, energetic and friendly. Good people skills, seems to thrive in social situations, but her can-do attitude means she'd be up for any job you gave her. <<set $CurrentAssign to 0>> [[Put file down|Staff Choose]] Consider hiring her for the: <<if $WaitressAssign == 0>>[[Waitress job|WaitressAssign]] <</if>> <<if $GrillAssign == 0>>[[Kitchen job|GrillAssign]] <</if>> <<if $CashierAssign == 0>>[[Cashier job|CashierAssign]] <</if>>

Max Wright, 28. A little taller than you, robust looking too. Dark black, short cut hair. Not talkative, but seemed very driven. She kept herself to herself for the most part, but she'd mentioned previous work as a restaurant porter, so probably knows her way around a kitchen. <<set $CurrentAssign to 1>> [[Put file down|Staff Choose]] <<if $WaitressAssign == 0>>[[Waitress job|WaitressAssign]] <</if>> <<if $GrillAssign == 0>>[[Kitchen job|GrillAssign]] <</if>> <<if $CashierAssign == 0>>[[Cashier job|CashierAssign]] <</if>>

Nadia Gomez, 35. Very tall, had to duck her head to get in the shop. (Though to be fair the doorframe isn't the biggest.) Dark brown, thick and curly hair, reaches down to her chest. Very easy to talk to, in fact you ended up chatting and almost overran the interview. History of work in hospitality, really able to make others comfortable, but isn't quite as good with her hands as she is her words. <<set $CurrentAssign to 2>> [[Put file down|Staff Choose]] <<if $WaitressAssign == 0>>[[Waitress job|WaitressAssign]] <</if>> <<if $GrillAssign == 0>>[[Kitchen job|GrillAssign]] <</if>> <<if $CashierAssign == 0>>[[Cashier job|CashierAssign]] <</if>>

Maya Ross, 22. Moderate height, slender build, straightened shoulder length blonde hair. Very businesslike, and kinda intimidating. Showed up in a black pinstripe suit. It looked more like you were here to apply for a job from her. Very professional, if a little awkward, and is very comfortable talking about money. <<set $CurrentAssign to 3>> [[Put file down|Staff Choose]] <<if $WaitressAssign == 0>>[[Waitress job|WaitressAssign]] <</if>> <<if $GrillAssign == 0>>[[Kitchen job|GrillAssign]] <</if>> <<if $CashierAssign == 0>>[[Cashier job|CashierAssign]] <</if>>

Maria Turner, 23. Slight of build, but deceptively muscular with a head of short, scruffy, ginger hair. A little bullish, but in a charming way. The typical "farmer's daughter" type. Grew up in the countryside on her parents' farm. Used to working repetitive tasks in uncomfortable environments for prolonged periods of time. <<set $CurrentAssign to 4>> [[Put file down|Staff Choose]] <<if $WaitressAssign == 0>>[[Waitress job|WaitressAssign]] <</if>> <<if $GrillAssign == 0>>[[Kitchen job|GrillAssign]] <</if>> <<if $CashierAssign == 0>>[[Cashier job|CashierAssign]] <</if>>

<<set $WaitressAssign to 1>> <<set $Waitress to $CurrentAssign>> <<switch $CurrentAssign>> <<case 0>> <<set $KatieAssign to 1>> You gave the waitressing job to Katie. <<case 1>> <<set $MaxAssign to 1>> You gave the waitressing job to Max. <<case 2>> <<set $NadiaAssign to 1>> You gave the waitressing job to Nadia. <<case 3>> <<set $MayaAssign to 1>> You gave the waitressing job to Maya. <<case 4>> <<set $MariaAssign to 1>> You gave the waitressing job to Maria. <</switch>> <<set $CurrentAssign to -1>> [[What Next?|Staff Choose]]

<<set $GrillAssign to 1>> <<set $Grill to $CurrentAssign>> <<switch $CurrentAssign>> <<case 0>> <<set $KatieAssign to 1>> You gave the kitchen job to Katie. <<case 1>> <<set $MaxAssign to 1>> You gave the kitchen job to Max. <<case 2>> <<set $NadiaAssign to 1>> You gave the kitchen job to Nadia. <<case 3>> <<set $MayaAssign to 1>> You gave the kitchen job to Maya. <<case 4>> <<set $MariaAssign to 1>> You gave the kitchen job to Maria. <</switch>> <<set $CurrentAssign to -1>> [[What Next?|Staff Choose]]

<<set $CashierAssign to 1>> <<set $Cashier to $CurrentAssign>> <<switch $CurrentAssign>> <<case 0>> <<set $KatieAssign to 1>> You gave the cashier job to Katie. <<case 1>> <<set $MaxAssign to 1>> You gave the cashier job to Max. <<case 2>> <<set $NadiaAssign to 1>> You gave the cashier job to Nadia. <<case 3>> <<set $MayaAssign to 1>> You gave the cashier job to Maya. <<case 4>> <<set $MariaAssign to 1>> You gave the cashier job to Maria. <</switch>> <<set $CurrentAssign to -1>> [[What Next?|Staff Choose]]

You've hired <<print $CharacterArray[$Waitress]>> as the waitress, <<print $CharacterArray [$Grill]>> as the cook and <<print $CharacterArray [$Cashier]>> as the cashier. [[With that, you were just about ready to start your first week.|startloop]] <<switch $Waitress>> <<case = 0>> <<set $WaitressSkill to $KatieSkill[0]>> <<case = 1>> <<set $WaitressSkill to $MaxSkill[0]>> <<case = 2>> <<set $WaitressSkill to $NadiaSkill[0]>> <<case = 3>> <<set $WaitressSkill to $MayaSkill[0]>> <<case = 4>> <<set $WaitressSkill to $MariaSkill[0]>> <</switch>> <<switch $Grill>> <<case = 0>> <<set $GrillSkill to $KatieSkill[1]>> <<case = 1>> <<set $GrillSkill to $MaxSkill[1]>> <<case = 2>> <<set $GrillSkill to $NadiaSkill[1]>> <<case = 3>> <<set $GrillSkill to $MayaSkill[1]>> <<case = 4>> <<set $GrillSkill to $MariaSkill[1]>> <</switch>> <<switch $Cashier>> <<case = 0>> <<set $CashierSkill to $KatieSkill[2]>> <<case = 1>> <<set $CashierSkill to $MaxSkill[2]>> <<case = 2>> <<set $CashierSkill to $NadiaSkill[2]>> <<case = 3>> <<set $CashierSkill to $MayaSkill[2]>> <<case = 4>> <<set $CashierSkill to $MariaSkill[2]>> <</switch>> <<set $DinerRating to $WaitressSkill + $GrillSkill + $CashierSkill>>

<<if $PlayerName == "SECRETS">> Oh ho ho, clever aren't we? [[Here you go champ.|secretroom]] <<else>> You recently got a letter from your Auntie Donna. "Dear $PlayerName, hope you're well. I heard you graduated! Great news dear, we're all very proud of you." Starting to feel your eyes glaze over, you skim through the rest of the message. "... and uncle Daniel's managed to lose his goats again, don't even ask me how..." "Jo and I found a good spot for a weekend away..." "One last thing $PlayerName , a while ago I decided that I'm going to let my diner go..." That wasn't exactly a surprise, she was pretty well off, why not enjoy an early retirement? "...and I was having some difficulty getting it off my hands. Then I thought, maybe you might like to try your hand at it. See what happens and all?" Oh wow. Well that //is// a surprise. This could be the opportunity you'd been waiting for. A chance to put your catering degree to good use and prove yourself as a capable adult. [[What's the worst that could happen?|Preamble 2]] <</if>>

Obviously, one person can't run an entire diner themselves, and dear old auntie said she wasn't sure you'd say yes, so she let all the previous staff go. You'll need to hire some people before you can get anything serious done. There were three positions needed to be filled: A waiter, a chef, and a cashier. There was one last thing you weren't quite decided on however. You couldn't make up your mind whether you should offer free lunch as part of the job. But you needed to decide either way before you could print the fliers. Lunch would: [[Come free of charge.|Free Lunch Y]] [[Not be on offer.|Free Lunch N]]

<<set $FreeLunch to true>> Free lunches were only fair, it wouldn't cut into your bottom line that much anyways. The week passes and you interview a handful of applicants, making a few notes about each of them on the day so you could compare them later on. A couple of days pass without any new applicants, so you're pretty confident you've got the final list in front of you. [[Time to choose.|Staff Choose]]

<<set $FreeLunch to false>> Don't want to make any promises, you don't know how tight money's going to be. It felt a bit miserly, but it's probably better to be safe than sorry. The week passes and you interview a handful of applicants, making a few notes about each of them on the day so you could compare them later on. A couple of days pass without any new applicants, so you're pretty confident you've got the final list in front of you. [[Time to choose.|Staff Choose]]

<<set $DinerQuality to 1 - (0.04 * $RepairsPending) + (0.5 * $UpgradeLevel)>> <<switch $Time>> <<case 0>> Everyone shows up punctually on the day and you welcome them in. You make sure everyone knows what's expected of them and all seems to be going well. But, before anyone could work, you need to do some searching in the storage room. Auntie Donna said something about there being some old uniforms out back and, while you didn't plan on a hard uniform policy, it'd be worth having a look just in case. [[You enter the room and start the search.|event0]] <<case 1>> You're just getting yourself ready for another day of work when you feel your phone start to jostle in your back pocket. Pulling it up, you check the caller ID. [[It's your aunt Donna.|event1]] <<case 2>> Everyone gets ready for the lunch shift to start, today looks like it'll be a busy one. [[Looks like you'll have to help out with this one.|event2]] <<case 3>> It looks like you were running ahead of schedule today.. Not wanting to let a spare hour go to waste, you decide to finally tackle the mess in the storage rooms at the back. Approaching the door to the storage room, you hesitate for a second, but you grit your teeth and push your way in. [[Let's get to work.|event3]] <<case 4>> The lunch shift starts up, as it always does, and you're swarmed with customers. It seems like your staff is getting a little swamped, so you decide to step in and help out. [[Time to get to work.|event4]] <<case 5>> Today felt good. Nothing spectacular, but you felt positive all the same. [[You get yourself ready for another shift at the diner.|event5]] <<case 6>> [[Something was off about today.|event6]] <<case 7>> You're just about to get everyone ready for another day of work when out of the corner of your eye, you catch sight of someone waving to you. You turn to see who on earth had decided to wave at you of all people. They were a fair distance away, but you could make them out as a out an immense, very loudly dressed, bottom-heavy woman with frizzy ginger hair. Wait a second, you thought, was that you auntie Donna? [[Yes, yes it was.|End-00]] <<default>> Default Case, skip to [[LunchTimeStart]] ]] <</switch>>

<<if $AdditiveUsed == false>> <<set $PlayerWeight to $PlayerWeight + 1>> There was enough food going spare for you to have some for lunch, so why not? You grab a spare burger, sit down at a table, peel the wrapper off and dig in. It's good, really good. It wasn't clear whether it was the boost from a filling meal, or from the renewed confidence in your diner, but after that, you felt great. [[Time to get back to work.|End of Day]] <<else>> <<if $AdditiveEaten == false>> <<set $AdditiveEaten to true>> Curious at quite what this health supplement was like, you grab a burger off the counter. Sitting down at a neaby table, you unwrap it and take a bite. At first it didn't seem any different. It just tasted... normal. But just as you were finishing the last mouthful, you felt something. It wasn't a texture. It wasn't a flavour. It was something intangible, impossible to put into just words, but whatever it was, it was really //really// moreish. [[Better get yourself some more then.|eatIn-F2]] <<else>> Even if you wanted to, there was no way you weren't going to fill your face this lunchbreak. It was all you could think about all day. You sneak off to the kitchen and scoop an armful of burgers off the counter and [[scurry away to the boiler room.|eatIn3]] <</if>> <</if>>

<<if $AdditiveEaten == false>> Not wanting to cut into your margins, you grab the homemade sandwiches out of your bag. They don't taste the best. The bread's a little stale and the fillings aren't good quality, but you suppose it's healthier than the stuff you're selling. [[Anyways. Back to work.|End of Day]] <<else>> After what happened last time, you decide to avoid eating any diner food for today. That additive is seriously dangerous stuff. Looking around the diner, you realise just how much of a mess the place is, the customers weren't even //trying// to clear up after themselves. Not wanting to leave things in their current state, you make an effort to tidy things up a little, just in case you get any more late customers. Tables were piled high with empty trays, tossed wrappers and napkins littered the floor, even some tables and chairs had been left toppled over. Amongst the detritus you find something. Buried under a mound of paper lay a couple of still-wrapped burgers. Oh no. You felt a familiar lurching sensation in the pit of your stomach. But this time you were prepared, you weren't going to lose yourself to your hunger again. Hastily, you try to scoop them off the floor, fumbling as try to ignore the fact that your mouth was drooling. Then, burgers in hand, [[you hurry to the nearest bin...|eatOwnFood-2]] <</if>>

The day continues to march on and so you resume your work. Evenings were always less strenuous than the afternoon, but the rush hour got pretty close. Eventually it comes time to close, and everyone packs up and heads off home. You empty the tills and sweep up the last of the dust from the floor before locking up. <<if $MariaBedTime == true>> Just as you grab your keys and head to lock the door, you catch sight of Maria just outside the front door. She smiles to you. You fumble with the keys for a few moments, but then eventually you smile back. [["Follow me."|MariaTalley]] <<else>> [[Time to head home.|MoneyTalley]] <</if>>

Current funds: $TotalSpare G <<if $RepairsPending == 0>> All your refurbishments have been dealt with. <<else>> There's some refurbishments you could pay a handyman to deal with: <<if $RepairsArray[0] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 840>> [[Repaint the diner. 840G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 840 ; $RepairsArray[0] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Repaint the diner. 840G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $RepairsArray[1] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1060>> [[Replace light fixtures. 1060G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1060 ; $RepairsArray[1] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Replace light fixtures. 1060G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $RepairsArray[2] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 2500>> [[Redecorate bathrooms. 2500G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 2500 ; $RepairsArray[2] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Redecorate bathrooms. 2500G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $RepairsArray[3] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1250>> [[Replace broken chairs. 1250G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1250 ; $RepairsArray[3] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Replace broken chairs. 1250G.">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $RepairsArray[4] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1800>> [[Fix tiles in the kitchen. 1800G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1800 ; $RepairsArray[4] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Fix tiles in the kitchen. 1800G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <</if>> <<if $UpgradeLevel == 5>> There are no more improvements for you to be made. <<else>> The storefront also has a general furniture and salvage page which offers: <<if $UpgradesArray[0] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 2400>> [[A light up front sign. 2400G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 2400 ; $UpgradesArray[0] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "A light up front sign. 2400G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $UpgradesArray[1] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 2800>> [[Expanded seating options. 2800G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 2800 ; $UpgradesArray[1] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Expanded seating options. 2800G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $UpgradesArray[2] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1400>> [[Self-standing chalkboard. 1400G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1400 ; $UpgradesArray[2] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Self-standing chalkboard. 1400G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <</if>> <<if $UpgradesArray[3] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1500>> [[Decorative artwork. 1500G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1500 ; $UpgradesArray[3] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Decorative artwork. 1500G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $UpgradesArray[4] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 900>> [[Menu boards. 900G|Shop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 900 ; $UpgradesArray[4] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Menu boards. 900G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> [[Log off.|Home]]

The room is full of boxes. Some large, some small, some crushed beyond repair. You can check: <<if $e01 == false>> [[The largest box|event0-A]] <</if>><<if $e02 == false>> [[A crumpled box|event0-B]] <</if>><<if $e03 == false>> [[That plastic crate|event0-C]] <</if>><<if $e04 == false>> [[The shelves|event0-D]] <</if>> <<if $ApronFound == true>> Or, you could stop rummaging and get to work. [[Leave.|event0-2]] <</if>>

Now that you were in there, you realise it really wasn't that bad. The mess was mostly inconsequential fluff: stray dishcloths, bags, cleaning equipment. So, tidying it up was a simple matter of tossing them into a box for someone to find years into the future. But just as you're closing the lid on the last box, you see something. Seemingly buried under a bunch of old boxes and old equipment was a large metal barrel, kind of like a blue oil drum. It was covered in stickers and labels, some printed, others handwritten, and had clearly been left back here for quite some time. You wipe the dust off a large and important looking red label, it read: "Unesca Health Co. Diet Supplement Additive. Manufactured 1968. Keep well sealed, use by March 2048." Never heard of this Unesca company, they'd probably been bought out or went bust long ago. Maybe there's more information on the stickers. Looking around the barrel for a little longer you found what seemed to be the instructions for use. As you kneel down to survey the thing some more, you feel a wad of papers crinkle under your knee. [[You look down.|event3-2]]

<<set $PlayerName to "Debbie">> Katie hired? (0/1) <<set $KatieAssign to 1>> Max hired? (0/1) <<set $MaxAssign to 1>> Nadia hired? (0/1) <<set $NadiaAssign to 1>> Maya hired? (0/1) <<set $MayaAssign to 1>> Maria hired? (0/1) <<set $MariaAssign to 0>> Time value? (0-4) <<set $Time to 3>> Free Lunches? (T/F) <<set $FreeLunch to true>> Additive? (T/F)<<set $AdditiveUsed to true>> [[LB-0]] [[LB-1]] [[LB-2]]

"Unesca Health Co. catalogue, 1968 edition." It was a thin, glossy magasine full of medical sounding drug names and strange looking aparatus. You're about half way through when you recognise something. "Glycero-adipocyte enzyme extract no.114 : Diet Supplement Additive." "One fifth fl. oz. of Unesca Health Co. Diet Supplement Additive is to be used per 5 kilograms of food matter. Do not exceed dosage, or use after expiry as unanticipated results may ensue." Reading further, you gather that it's was an experiemental metabollic enzyme that artificially alters metabolism and neural reward pathways when consumed alongside a meal. By increasing satisfaction and slowing the metabolism, it theoretically reduces hunger and makes the food you do eat much more enjoyable. Now you're up close, you notice there's some old dried substance around the rim. It smells faintly tangy, and makes you feel a little hungry. Just then, you feel a thought cross your mind. "Could I use this?" Now, hold on a moment. Sure, it may potentially be in date, but you have no idea whether this stuff's safe even if it //hasn't// gone bad. ...but then again, this could be just what you need, this "increased satisfaction" could boost sales by a ton. Giving it some thought you: [[Decide to play it safe and leave it well alone.|event3-3A]] [[Go ahead and crack it open.|event3-3B]]

<<set $AdditiveUsed to false>> No way in hell are you putting this stuff anywhere near you or anyone else. It's an ancient looking barrel full of experimental drugs from the 60's. What about that sounds even remotely trustworthy? You shove it back into the corner an cover it back up like you found it. [[If you were going to succeed, it'd be on your own terms.|event3-4A]]

<<set $AdditiveUsed to true>> To hell with it. The stuff says it's in date, and this could be a secret sauce that Auntie used, so why not give it a shot? Grabbing a spatula out of a box, you wipe it down and jam it under the lip of the barrel top. It takes a fair bit of force, but eventually you pry it open and set aside the lid. You look in to find a strange, orange, treacle-like fluid reaching about halfway up the inside of the barrel. After hooking up a tube and siphoning out a good amount of the substance out, you decant it into some empty plastic mustard bottles and set them aside on a countertop. Feeling emboldened, you decide to take a more direct approach. You enter the kitchen and pull the tubs of mincemeat out and place them on the countertop next to the bottles. After washing your hands, you grab a bottle, aim the nozzle into one of the tubs and give it a firm squeeze. Upon contact with the meat, the additive's smell only gets stronger, a smell so strong and sweet, you start to feel your mouth start to drool a little. You mix it in and repeat for the remaning tubs and slip them back into the fridge. Lastly you set the bottles up on the customer tables before going back to the storage room to reseal the barrel properly. With the burger meat mixed and sauce ready to be placed on tables your experiment was all set. [[All that was left was to wait.|event3-4B]]

Invalid Weight Value [[Skip to morning|Morning]]

<<set $PlayerWeight to $PlayerWeight + 1>> ... but you're not fast enough. Your judgement begins to cloud, and your stomach gurgles ferociously. Barely half way over, with your knees getting weak and your mind starting to cave in, you collapse onto a nearby chair. Hastily, you unwrap a burger and bring it to your expectant mouth. What came next was another haze of vacant feeding. Stuffing your mouth with heavy, glorious excess, feeling the warm grease fill your mouth and trickle down your throat. There wasn't any point in resisting your cravings any more, you thought, not when the reward was //this good//. Eventually you finish the last mouthful, and come back to your senses. Yet again, you've made a complete mess of yourself but thankfully, nobody was paying any attention to you. Stifling a burp, you wipe yourself off and struggle to your feet. [[Quiety you clear up and try to move on with the day.|End of Day]]

<<if $PlayerWeight <= 2>> <<set $PlayerWeight to 13>> <<else>> <<set $PlayerWeight to $PlayerWeight + 20>> <</if>> A little sheepishly, you go back to the kitchen and grab another burger from the pile and bring it back to the table. You remove the wrapper and sink your teeth in without hesitation. Quickly, you tear the burger to pieces, but again, you feel just as, if not more dissatisfied than when you ate the first. Not even thinking, you grab a third, savaging it in moments, and you finally start to feel full. Well that was odd, you think, must be that "increased satisfaction" the leaflet mentioned. At least this confirmed that the stuff hadn't gone intert. Anyways, lunch break was over. [[Time to get back to work.|End of Day]]

<<set $PlayerWeight to $PlayerWeight + 1>> As the fog of hunger begins to absorb your every thought, you slump heavily to the floor. Without hesitation you stuff a grease-drenched burger into your already dribbling mouth and suddenly all is well. The flavour fills your senses, the mass of burger crammed into your mouth quickly chewed up and swallowed to make space for another one. Some small part of you at the back of your head was screaming for you to stop. To look at the blubbery, gluttonous mess you'd become and show even a sliver of restraint. But that little voice could never hope to compete with the roaring hunger growing within. You just ate enough burgers to feed a family of four for an - admittedly weird - breakfast, lunch and dinner. You. All by yourself. Restraint wasn't even remotely part of the equation any more. Fullness, however, was. Taking a minute to let the food settle, you take the opportunity to assess the damage, both to the burgers, and yourself. Streaks of thick burger grease run all the way down your forearms and neck, and your shirt is utterly filthy. The wardrobe malfunctions don't stop there either. All that gorging caused your stomach to swell to an absurd degree, causing the buttons on your shirt to tear through their stitching or just ping clean off. For a moment you consider grabbing a few more, however a quick check of the time showed you were already running five minutes over the lunch break. The shock instantly clears your head. Thankfully, the boiler room was where you kept the spare uniforms. It took you a while to find one that'd cover your... unique proportions. [[But eventually you did, and you were back to work in an instant.|End of Day]]

<<set $Time to $Time + 1>> <<if $PlayerWeight <= 2>> Morning comes the sun rises and you bounce out of bed bright and early. You dress yourself in the blink of an eye and zip down the stairs. After a swift breakfast, you grab your keys and head out the door. <<else>> <<if $PlayerWeight <= 4>> Shafts of light illuminate your room, gently nudging you awake. Feeling well rested, if still a bit foggy, you slip your clothes on make your way downstairs. You fix yourself some cereal and chew on it slowly. Once finished, you tidy up and make your way outside. <<else>> <<if $PlayerWeight <= 6>> Blearily you come to at the sound of your morning alarm and, with a bit of effort, pull yourself out of bed. You struggle a little with your clothes, but after wrestling with the fabric, you manage to make yourself decent. After fixing yourself a hearty breakfast, you clear up and head out the door.. <<else>> <<if $PlayerWeight <= 15>> After a handful of snoozed alarms, you decide to stop ignoring the time and groggily roll out of bed. You lumber into the kitchen and grab a bunch of whatever food you can get your hands on before stumbling out the door. <<else>> <<if $PlayerWeight <= 23>> Sunlight shimmers gently through your curtains, tugging you awake. After a bit of a struggle, you manage to sit yourself up on the edge of the bed, and then get yourself on your feet. You dig through piles of discarded clothing, searching desperately for something that wasn't smeared with some form of foodstuff. After a couple of minutes you find something. You really need to do some laundry. For breakfast, you grab whatever you can find and munch on it until you feel like you've had enough. Somewhat sated, you open the door and head for work. <<else>> <<if $PlayerWeight <= 25>> After a handful of snoozed alarms, you attempt to roll yourself out of bed. It takes more than a few failed attempts before you properly manage to overcome gravity and force your doughy body to its feet. You've barely started the day and you're already out of breath. Clothes were another struggle too, but after considerable efforts you manage to make yourself somewhat presentable. Somewhat. A good deal of you was still exposed to the air, but at this point you took what you could get. You waddle clumsily down the stairs and into the kitchen, grab any variety of foodstuffs from the cupboards, cram it into your pudgy face and stumble off to work. <<else>> The alarm sounds for the third time this morning. You'd been awake for all of them. The only problem was that you couldn't do anything about it, your gelatinous mountain of a body pinning you to your bed with more force than you could hope to muster. Then, as you struggle again to roll upright, you hear a menacing creaking noise. You freeze, trying to remain absolutely still. Your belly has other ideas however, sloshing and swaying beligerently, the noises growing louder and louder until you're met with a sharp crunching noise and a sudden lurching sensation. One thing leads to another and, next thing you know, you're stood over the remains of your demolished bed frame. Damn, this was going to be hard to replace. That'd have to wait though. You desperately strain and tug at your woefully outdated clothes, breaking into a sweat just trying to get the waistband around your swollen calves. The final result looked more like a string-wrapped ham than anything, but it was better than nothing. It'd have to do. Waddling down the stairs, you struggle with every wobbling step you take as you feel your hips squeeze against the bannister. The sensation sparks a thought in the back of your mind. Is it possible to get too fat for a house? Running late, you chug a half carton of milk and cram a couple of fistfuls of cereal before squeezing yourself out of the doorframe. <</if>> <</if>> <</if>> <</if>> <</if>> <</if>> [[Off to work you go.|Commute]]

The lunch rush finally came to an end, and as the last customer left through the door, you flipped the sign to "Closed". You breathed a sigh of relief, now you were free to relax for a spell while everyone outside went back to their daily business. <<if $FreeLunch == true>> <<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> [[Now'd make a good time to sort out some lunch.|LB-2]] <<else>> [[You're now free to sort out some lunch.|LB-1]] <</if>> <<else>> [[You could use the time to make yourself some lunch.|LB-0]] <</if>>

<<set $e01 to true>> Biggest box, best chances right? Nope. It's just full of spatulas and spare parts for things you've never heard of. Oh well. [[Go back.|event0]]

<<set $e02 to true>> <<set $ApronFound to true>> Looking inside the crushed box, and you're very pleased to discover it's filled with a bunch of old uniforms. At a glace you immediately notice some branded aprons. These would be perfect. Something easy to put on to clearly distinguish staff from customers. Not to mention the red and white colour scheme was quite stylish. You set the aprons aside and start rummaging around, curious as to what sort of other items of clothing you could find.. It was just white cotton shirts and red shorts really. But the range of sizes did puzzle you. Most were normal sized, within a certain range of heights and widths, but every so often you'd pull out something that was as about as wide as you were tall. You weren't one to judge, but it got you wondering. Just how big were some of the staff here? [[Go back.|event0]]

<<set $e03 to true>> It's full of glossy magazines. They all show either the diner or your aunt, under headlines like: "Local marvel diner hosts eating competition." "Interview with best diner proprietor in the county." "How does she do it? The secrets behind Donna's Diner." You had no idea this place used to be so popular, almost makes you wonder why she retired. <<if $ApronFound == false>> Oh well, you're not going to find any aprons in here. <</if>> [[Go back|event0]]

<<set $e04 to true>> There's a few small boxes littered around the shelves, full of a variety of tat and miscelanious thingies. Oh, wait actually there's a small bundle of cash with the words "Repairs fund" scrawled on it on black sharpie. It contains 1250G. <<set $TotalSpare to $TotalSpare + 1250 >> [[Sick.|event0]]

You hit accept and raise the device to your ear, instantly your met with a voice you'd heard a thousand times before. "Oh hey $PlayerName it's me, auntie." "Hi auntie, how's it going?" You reply, trying to keep a positive tone to mask the confusion beneath. "What's the occasion? You don't normally call out of the blue like this." "Ho ho don't be so, do I really need a reason? Besides, I'd be quite a terrible aunt if I'd saddled you with my old diner left you to the wolves, wouldn't I?" "Haha, no I supppse you wouldn't." You chuckled politely. "But actually you're right, clever as ever, just like my-" Your eyes glazed over for a minute as she rattled off another anecdote about something or another. "- and I wanted to let you know I'm going away for a while to Morocco, lovely place in fact- Well anyway, I'll be off-grid for most of it, so I just wanted to check in, see if you had any burning questions before I head off." [["Well, there are a couple of things."|event1-2]] [["No, I think I've got the hang of things already."|event1-3]]

<<set $E2 to 0>> <<set $E2A to false>> <<set $E2B to false>> <<set $E2C to false>> Hungry customers make their way through the doors and very quickly everyone is rushed off their feet. Time passes, as it tends to do, and the lunch period nears its end. [[Just a few more things left and you'd be done.|event2-2]]

<<set $E4 to 0>> <<set $E4A to false>> <<set $E4B to false>> <<set $E4C to false>> Despite the chaos, your staff seem to be doing decently well, there's only three things that desperately need your attention. [[Still, those things do need dealing with.|event4-2]]

<<if $E2 == 3>> All done. You'd bought yourself some breathing room, and thankfully the rest of service went on unobstructed. [[And then before you knew it, it was time for lunch.|LunchTimeStart]] <<else>> <<if $E2A == false >>[[Serve the pizza.|event2-3A]]<</if>> <<if $E2B == false >>[[Clear the table.|event2-3B]]<</if>> <<if $E2C == false >>[[Take out the bins.|event2-3C]]<</if>> <</if>>

<<set $E2A to true>> <<set $E2 to $E2 + 1>> You pick up the pizza and set it down on the customer's table. They thank you with a kind smile, and you return to the counter. [[Always nice to serve a polite customer.|event2-2]]

<<set $E2B to true>> <<set $E2 to $E2 + 1>> You approach the table to go and grab the dirty plates, the couple was still seated but they'd clearly finished eating so you might as well clear up. "Hi guys, you enjoyed your meal?" You say as you gather the plates and silverware, a formality at this point more than anything. "Anything else I can get you?" "Nah, we're good I think." Says one of them, an scruffy looking guy, somewhere in his thirties. "I know I've had my fill, I think we'll hit the road." As he gets up to leave and you turn to carry off the plates, your eyes turn towards his other half. She stood up from the table, towering a good head and a half over you, with an equally imposing hour glass figure "Come on darling, I'll start the car." She chimes, before turning to you and adding, "Thanks again for a lovely meal, I know we'll come back here some time soon." The couple leave, clearly pleased with your service. It's a shame to see them go, [[... but you'd be lying if you said you didn't enjoy watching her leave.|event2-2]]

<<set $E2C to true>> <<set $E2 to $E2 + 1>> You go out back and start lugging bin bags into the waste disposal unit. They're not exactly heavy, but they're big enough to be a struggle to wield, so it takes a few trips to clear them out. [[You chuck the last bag in and dust yourself off and make your way back inside.|event2-2]]

Before you grab lunch, you could do a little socialising. <<switch $Time>> <<case 0>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-0-0]]<</if>> <<case 1>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-1-1]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-1-1]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-1-1]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-1-1]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-1-1]]<</if>> <<case 2>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-2-1]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-2-1]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-2-1]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-2-1]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-2-1]]<</if>> <<case 3>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-3-1]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-3-1]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-3-1]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-3-1]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-3-1]]<</if>> <<case 4>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-4-1]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-4-1]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-4-1]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-4-1]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-4-1]]<</if>> <<case 5>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-5-1]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-5-1]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-5-1]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-5-1]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-5-1]]<</if>> <<case 6>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-6-1]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-6-1]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-6-1]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-6-1]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-6-1]]<</if>> <<default>> <</switch>> [[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Self]]

You could check on in on your staff before sorting out your food. <<switch $Time>> <<case 0>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-0-0]]<</if>> <<case 1>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-1-1]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-1-1]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-1-1]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-1-1]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-1-1]]<</if>> <<case 2>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-2-1]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-2-1]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-2-1]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-2-1]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-2-1]]<</if>> <<case 3>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-3-2]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-3-2]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-3-2]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-3-2]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-3-2]]<</if>> <<case 4>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Katie|ChatKatie-4-2]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-4-2]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-4-2]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-4-2]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-4-2]]<</if>> <<case 5>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Katie|ChatKatie-5-2]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Find out how Max is doing|ChatMax-5-2]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-5-2]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Look for Maya|ChatMaya-5-2]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-5-2]]<</if>> <<case 6>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Find Katie|ChatKatie-6-2]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in with Max|ChatMax-6-2]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-6-2]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Search for Maya|ChatMaya-6-2]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Drop in on Maria|ChatMaria-6-2]]<</if>> <<default>> <</switch>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>> <<switch $Time>> <<case 0>>[[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Self]] <<case 1>>[[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Self]] <<case 2>>[[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Self]] <<case 3>>[[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Maria-3]] <<case 4>>[[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Maria-4]] <<case 5>>[[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Maria-5]] <<case 6>>[[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Maria-6]] <<default>>[[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Self]] <</switch>> <<else>> [[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Self]] <</if>>

Before you grab lunch for yourself, you could do a little socialising. <<switch $Time>> <<case 0>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-0-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-0-0]]<</if>> <<case 1>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-1-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-1-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-1-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-1-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-1-0]]<</if>> <<case 2>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-2-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-2-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-2-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-2-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-2-0]]<</if>> <<case 3>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-3-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-3-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-3-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-3-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-3-0]]<</if>> <<case 4>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-4-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-4-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-4-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-4-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-4-0]]<</if>> <<case 5>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-5-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-5-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-5-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-5-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-5-0]]<</if>> <<case 6>> <<if $KatieAssign == 1>>[[Chat with Katie|ChatKatie-6-0]]<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == 1>>[[Check in on Max|ChatMax-6-0]]<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>>[[Find Nadia|ChatNadia-6-0]]<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>>[[Talk to Maya|ChatMaya-6-0]]<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == 1>>[[Hang out with Maria|ChatMaria-6-0]]<</if>> <<default>> <</switch>> [[Leave them be and sort out your own lunch.|LB-Self]]

You approach Katie, she's eating lunch. "Hey $PlayerName, how's it going?" The two of you chat for a while, mostly smalltalk, until you asked what she did before working here. "I used to be a pretty big name in track and field events, I even had a couple of local records you know." She trails off, in a somewhat dejected tone. "But ever since I graduated, I've found it hard to make time for it. It sucks, but I've got to make ends meet somehow I guess." At least you pay good wages, if that's any consolation. [[Not sure it is, but whatever.|LB-0]]

"Maybe Max isn't as hostile as she appears?" You say to yourself as you walk over to her. The headphones blasting loud, angry music and her lack of eye contact would indicate otherwise but still you try. You sit across from her and try to catch her attention. No success. She's too busy nibbling at her lunch and scrolling through ignored texts to give you any mind. Maybe now's not a good time. Or at least that's what you tell yourself before you go to leave. But, just as you go to stand, Max darts her eyes up to meet yours. It was a brief moment, you almost believe you imagined it, but you could've sworn you saw her flash an attempt at a smile at you. Still, you've got stuff to do, so you return the gesture and go on your way. [[Maybe next time you see her she'll say something.|LB-0]]

Let's see what Nadia's up to. She's wandering around the diner, taking in the scenery it seems. In particular, the photos hung up around the walls. "Say $PlayerName , got any of the stories behind these? I don't recognise any of these people, but they've got to be up here for a reason, right?" Taking a step closer for a better look, you notice the same young woman in most of the photos. She looked a bit older than your age with light curly hair, and a big smile on her face every time. "Wait, that must be my aunt." You exclaim. "Who?" "The one who ran this diner, Donna. I'd recognise that smile anywhere." "So she'd been running this place that long? Damn. She's got to at least remember some of these then." [[Maybe you should ask Auntie yourself?|LB-0]]

You figure it'd be a nice idea to chat with Maya. She was sat by the window, tapping away at her phone with a serious look on her face. "Um, hey there Maya." You say, not entirely sure whether she's even noticed you were there. "Hello." She replies without breaking eye contact with her phone. "You good?" "Yes." Maybe it's bet to cut your losses and leave her alone. [[For now at least.|LB-0]]

You find Maria sat in one of the booths, reclining happily and looking around aimlessly. She seems content. "How's it going Maria?" "I'm good $PlayerName , just having some time to myself. You're welcome to stay for a while though." The two of you sit in relative silence for a bit, watching the world go by outside the window. "So, how come you moved out from the countryside? Most people can't wait to get out of the city these days." "I got bored I guess. Once you've met everyone in your local community, that's it. Plus everyone's really busy with manual labour all the time, there's no time to sit down and hang out with people." The two of you slip back into a contented silence for a bit longer but eventually you get up and head out. [[You've got more to do.|LB-0]]

As you pass by Max, you can't help but feel like you recognise the music coming from her headphones. You can't remember what, but it's definitely familiar. You continue to loiter just out of her eyeline, trying to put a name to the memory never, quite getting there. That is, until she catches sight of you. "Need something $PlayerName ?" She asks, slipping her headphones down around her neck, giving you the chance to hear the music with full clarity. "Is that Apple Shampoo?" you blurt out, a little blunter than you expected. You see a glimmer of joy behind Max's eyes at your words, and you reckon she sees the same look in you because she gestures for you to sit down next to her. As soon as you're seated, she turns to you and gives you an intense look. "So, what's your favourite track?" After a second's thought, you respond with a confident "I'm a Dog." Max paused for a second to process before bursting out with laughter. "Oh man that's a good one. You remember that time he did a live set and kept baiting the audience with the intro? What a legend." The pair of you go on to share takes on other tracks for a while. You may think "Close Talker" was a weird departure from his regular stuff, but Max remained absolutely adamant that it was a fantastic development of his style. Who would've guessed? Max, a fellow Apple Shampoo fan? [[Ah well, back to work.|LB-0]]

You find Nadia and quickly strike up conversation. The story goes as follows: You got on the phone with Auntie last night, turns out a lot of them were just to celebrate regular customers, truckers, locals, family's, or the occasional local celebrity. That kinda sentimental stuff. "So what is it with that cheerleading team?" Nadia interjects. "They hardly look like the kind to frequent a burger joint, and way too young to be famous for anything worth framing on a wall." She makes a good point, and yet you still feel like there's something familiar about it. "Hold on a sec." You pause, before rushing off to grab your phone out of your coat. A few seconds of scrolling through your camera roll and you find the photo you were looking for: the family barbeque last summer. You zoom in near Auntie Donna and hold it up next to the photo cheerleader squad. "Look it's my Auntie Jo!" You shout. "There, third cheerleader from the left. The tall one. This must've been around the time they met." What a weird thought. They'd been married since before you can remember, a really happy couple too. "Wow, she sure looks, uh, you know... a little different now?" Nadia said, trying her best to sound polite. "Guess she gave up cheerleading to hang out with your aunt." You look at the back and forth from your phone to the frame a few times. ...yeah she was right. Aunt Jo in the print was svelte and lean, modern day Jo was deci. [[They're happy though, and that's what counts.|LB-0]]

Maya's looking bored. Maybe this time she'll be a little more talkative. But, as you sit down across from her, you notice she seems a little agitated. "You ok Maya?" You ask. "Yes." She replies. "I am doing fine." "Are you sure? You look like there's something bothering you." "N-no I'm quite alright, it's just-" She wrings her hands as she speaks. "I've just never had to spend this much time in a common diner until I took the job." Never? Common diner? Was she the distant granddaughter Marie Antoinette or something? Maybe if you knew what the problem was you could help her out with it. "You've really never been in a diner before?" You ask jovially. "Uhm, not in a long time at least, it's normally my driver who handles places like this. I just wait in the car." Despite the idea of having a personal driver being totally unheard of to you, to Maya she said it as if it was as common as sliced bread, so you didn't bother to interrogate it any further. "What do you think of the place now you're here?" "Well, it's nice. It's not pretending to be more than it is, I like it." She went on to list a few more minor points about the decor being simple, the lights being brighter than other restaurants, that kind of thing, until she cut herself off abruptly. "Oh u-um sorry, I don't want to sound like I'm making fun." While you'd normally be inclined to not believe a statement like that, the look on Maya's face seemed sincere. It was an odd choice of words for an even weirder scenario, but why make a fuss? You do wonder, however, what kind of an upbringing she had that made her this way. [[Maybe another time.|LB-0]]

To your surprise, Maria is still loitering on the staff side of the countertop, looking out at the restaurant's seating area. You notice she's smiling to herself as you get a little closer. "What's got you in such a good mood?" You ask playfully. "OH- um what? Hey $PlayerName I didn't see you there. I was just... uh- wiping down the countertop. Yeah I saw it was a little dirty so I thought I'd give it a wipe-down." Sure thing Maria, sure thing. "You want a hand then?" You offer. "Oh uh yeah sure, thanks." She was trying to hide her blushing cheeks but was doing a terrible job at it. As you help her wipe down the counter, you keep catching her grinning to her self and making happy little noises. "Well, I think this counter's nice and clean now. Thanks for the help, $PlayerName , I'll be getting to my break now if that's ok with you." She walks away, trying so hard to look normal it was almost comical. Part of you considers asking her what the deal was, but you decide against it for now. [[You probably wouldn't get a straight answer anyway|LB-1]]

"Hey $PlayerName, I've got a question." Katie waits for you to sit down before continuing. "You look way too young to have bought a whole-ass diner, what's the story here?" You explain the situation with your aunt, sprinkling in the odd anecdote about her more unique qualities: antique coin collecting, the failed oil paintings, that one time she divorced to go backpacking and ended up bare-knuckle fighting a camel. You know, the classics. Katie cut you off, more than a little baffled. "W- wait. Wait hold on, I need to know: who won the fight? Her or the camel?" "Now you mention it, I don't think she ever said." "Maybe it was a draw?" Katie said. "Like, they realised they were of equal strength, and there wasn't anything to gain by fighting any more, so instead they became inseparable friends?" A disturbingly valid answer. "Your aunt Donna sounds like a real character." "Yeah she is. [[She really is.|LB-0]]

Max isn't in her usual spot today, you notice. Instead of huddling in one of the corner booths she's seated at one of the tables in the middle of the diner. "Hey Max, how's it going?" You start, making your way over to her table and sitting down next to her. "Not much $PlayerName , just been feeling pretty good recently is all." She seems a bit fidgety, like she's got something gnawing at her, so you decide to press her and see what's really going on. "You sure I can't help you with anything there Max?" "Uhm... well uh you see $PlayerName ..." she stutters, eyes flitting around the room trying to avoid contact with yours. "I kinda made you a mixtape." Oh. Wow, people still do that? "I know people used to put them on casettes, but I don't even have a player, so I made you one on Spoofy instead." It's become obvious that you've not said anything this whole time, because Max has started looking more a little bashful. "Um it's ok if you don't want to I'll just-" "Max," you interject, pulling out your pair of ear buds. "I'm sure I'll love it." The two of you scooch closer and split the pair of dinky headphones as Max pulls up the playlist. As if there was any doubt, it was banger after banger. Devil's Lighthouse, Hibernation, 12 Foot Home Depot Skeleton, the list seemed to go on forever. [[Until you ran out of songs that is.|LB-0]]

Feeling like a change of pace, you wander over to Nadia for a chat. "Hi Nadia, how's it going?" "Not much man, just eating lunch, how about you?" You sit yourself down at her table. "I dunno, a little stressed I suppose." "How come?" "Well, I kinda feel a little out of my depth." You sigh. "I'm barely a graduate and yet I've convinced myeself I can run a whole diner. Even my Auntie didn't go straight into management. She was a waitress here for well over a year before her dad even considered letting her run the place." "Come on, don't do yourself dirty like that $PlayerName , you've been doing great so far." She says, putting her hand on your shoulder. "Everyone working here's happy, the customers keep coming and this place is making enough money to keep the lights on. You don't need to compete with anyone but yourself, yeah?" "I suppose you're right Nadia, thanks." You respond, genuinely uplifted by her words. [[Time to put that positive energy to good use.|LB-0]]

You see Maya wandering around the diner, looking all over the place, as if she were lost or something. You go over to find out what was going on. "Hey Maya, are you looking for something?" You ask. "No, just soaking up the scenery." She says. "I used to go to a diner just like this when I was little." "You went to fast food restaurants?" You interject. "With all these clothes and talk of chauffers, I figured you were from a rich family." "Oh I am." She says, "Very rich. But that's exactly the problem. Ever since his company got bought out by a big investor, father wants us all to behave properly, eat fancy foods and wear expensive clothes. That kinda stuff." She lets out a sigh. "But when I was growing up, we didn't have any of that. We'd go out to a drive-in on Fridays and stuff. So working here kind of lets me go back to that in a way." [[Huh, who'd have guessed?|LB-0]]

Maria's leaning against the countertop again, you approach her. "You looking for something Maria?" "Oh me? Nah, just thinking to myself" She says, "When I said I left the countryside to meet new people, I didn't just mean friendship and gainful employment you know?" "I'm not sure I follow." You say. "So, it turns out living in a small parish community isn't so fun for bi women. Either the women aren't interested, or the guys think you're after a threesome. That's why I moved here, I figured city folk would have more modern attitudes, not to mention the people here are much more my type." You ask her what she means by that. She hesitates and tries to gesture in a vaguelly hourglass shape. Still a little confused, you ask her again. "Ok ok ok alright." She relents, in a strained but hushed tone. "I'd like my partner to be big. Not like thick, I mean big big." "But what's that got to do with moving to the city?" You ask. "Come on $PlayerName , you own a fast food joint, what HASN'T that got to do with it? Seeing anyone even remotely overweight was unheard of back on the farm. Everyone was too busy to pack on any pounds that weren't muscle." She pauses. "But then one day one of my cousins' friends came over to stay the weekend and well..." Gradually Maria's face became flushed. "She was big, easily the largest woman I'd ever met, and I just couldn't get enough of her." "So you moved out to find someone who fit your tastes better? Isn't that a bit drastic?" "I mean, I wasn't getting anything out of moping about on the farm for the last few years. Plus, if things take a turn for the worse, I can always go back again. [[She had a point, it was like she'd planned it all out.|LB-0]]

Katie seemed a bit out of sorts today, so you go over to her to see how she's doing. "Oh hey $PlayerName , I didn't see you there." You ask if there's anything wrong. "It's nothing serious, just a little bummed out. I tried signing up for the local gym, but it turns out they're shutting down that branch. Probably trying to save the parent company money or something there's not exactly many people who uses it anyways." You think to yourself for a moment and ask what's so special about that gym. "Jogging's a perfectly good form of exercise, and it doesn't cost anything either." You say. Katie pauses, taken off-guard by your suggestion. "Huh, I guess you're right, I can't believe I didn't think of that. You know what, that might be a lot of fun actually. Thanks, $PlayerName , I'll give it a shot" Sounds like you did good. [[Nice one.|LB-0]]

As you approach Max, you notice she's struggling with something and muttering under her breath. "Are you there," You say, getting closer. "What's with all the fuss?" Max looks up at you for a second, looks back down at the bundle of horrors in her hands, lets out a sigh of resignation and bungs the... thing in her rucksack. "Urgh, what a waste of time." Max mutters once more before turning her face to meet yours. "Sorry about that, my headphone cables got tangled on the way over. I tried unwinding them but it just wasn't happening. Looks like we won't be listening to music today." As the words left her mouth, Max slumped back in her seat with a half-joking scowl on her face. "Dammit, I had some good ones today too..." Then, in a stroke of highly-limited genius, you gestured at Max for her to get up and follow you. Curious, if a little puzzled, she follows you into the storage room. "And we're here why exactly?" Max said, giving you a side-on look. "We don't need headphones in here. Nobody can hear much of anything through these walls, so just blast it as loud as you can. And that was exactly what happened. "Dying Alone" "Cuchito" "Only as Good as My God" again, the list only seemed to go on and on, but you eventually had to cut it short otherwise you'd run into the evening shift. [[It'd be worth it though.|LB-0]]

You decide to check in on Nadia. She was sat by herself, tapping away at her phone with a quietly smouldering frown. The lack of a friendly hello felt like a bad omen by itself, this didn't bode well at all. For a split second you saw a look of searing rage fill her face before she slammed her phone down into the table. A couple of deep breathing cycles passed before she even considered speaking. "Sorry $PlayerName it's just- Ugh, god dammit. Why does she always do this." She mutters something under her breath and clenches her fist for a second, but before you can ask her what's going on, she cuts you off. "It's my sister, she's bugging me about money. She's bloody useless, spends it all on dominoes delivery, shoes and scented candles and never has anything left for rent or bills." You take a moment to let her breathe before placing your hand on her shoulder. "Are you doing ok Nadia? If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask." Saying something like that out loud made you feel oddly responsible, mature even. "Thanks $PlayerName , but I think I'll leave her to the wolves this time. For a couple of days at least. I'm sick of bailing her out but I can't just ditch my family, you know?" The two of you start chatting again, about this that or the other, the gloomy atmosphere having passed. [[Good job you.|LB-0]]

You find Maya in her usual place, but instead of her her recently positive demeanour, she's got a look of concern about her. "Are you ok Maya? You look a little stressed." "Ugh yeah, where do I even start?" She groans. You can hear an untapped frustration bubbling up inside her. "It's just- it was my father's idea I got a job right? I saw the ad for here and thought it'd be enough for him. That a proper job would do me good in his eyes." "But now he's saying I need to start looking for a management position, something senior. It's driving me nuts. Who cares if I'm not assistant manager or whatever? It's just a title for crying out loud!" Just as you were thinking about making a suggestion, she cuts back in. "And another thing. He's saying I need to find a boyfriend or I'll be miserable and lonely. Like, what the hell? As if I needed any more reminders that I'm not living up to his expectations." "I'm sorry $PlayerName I don't mean to moan, it's just I felt like I'd explode if I didn't tell someone." It was an unexpected outburst, that was sure. [[But it seemed to have done her good.|LB-1]]

After a bit of searching, you find Maria sat in a window seat, staring off into the distance whistfully. You sidle up next to her and try to see what she was staring at, but seems she wasn't really looking at anything in particular. "What's up Maria, you're being awfully quiet today." You remark. In response, she lets out a long and tired sigh. "Nothing $PlayerName , just having a slow one, ya know?" The two of you shoot the breeze for a while, talking about all kinds of inane things, until the topic of dating comes up. "Oh don't even get me started," Maria grumbles, "if I had a penny for every lackluter flirting attempt I've received at bars, I'd be able to afford a small yacht." "It's all the same awful pickup lines, and while I'm flattered that they're interested, none of them are really my... type, if you catch my drift." She gives you a knowing look and gestures her hands in the shape of a thick set of curves. "Maybe you just need to keep at it?" You say. "It could just be a case of bad luck afterall." Maria pauses on that thought for a bit. "Yeah I guess, maybe you're right. Doesn't make it sting any less, but thanks." She gives you a slightly pained, but sincere smile. [[You return the gesture and leave her be.|LB-0]]

Katie's looking like her regular peppy self. "Hiya $PlayerName , thanks for getting me out of my funk the other day, it was really kind of you." Noticing she's wearing exercise-wear and has a slight glow to her, you ask her what she's been up to. "Oh right yeah, I just snuck in a short jog around the block at the start of break. It felt great, you should try it!" <<switch $PlayerWeight>> <<case 0>> You think about it for a minute, but you're doing fine health wise as-is, so you politely turn down her offer. <<case 1>> It would be a good habit to get into to shed a few excess pounds. Maybe today isn't the right time to get started though. <<case 2>> You want to turn down her offer. Not that it didn't sound fun, but the idea of going for a jog made you feel very conscious of the wad of pudge sat under your shirt. <<case 3>> Not likely. They probably don't make exercise gear in your size, and you didn't really like the idea of wearing personal clothes while getting all sweaty. <<case 4 5 6>> "No thanks Katie, I think I'm good" you say. Why bother going for a run? You liked being fat and you had no suspicion that that'd change any time soon. It was a much more enticing plan to spend your lunch break in the diner and find something good to eat instead. <<case 10 11 12 13 15 16>> Fat chance of that happening. You felt so sluggish and bloated lately, there was no way you'd be doing anything more than a slight speedwalk. Even then, that would only be at a push. <<case 20 21 22 23 24 25 26>> Fat chance of that happening. You could barely stop yourself from emptying your pantry every night, who knows what state you'd be in if you actually tried to exert yourself. The idea alone made you feel tired and sweaty. It'd be much more comfortable for you to just sit here and fill your face. <<default>> Uhh... weight value error. Contact Dev. <</switch>> "Oh well." Katie says, unphased if a little disappointed. "Your loss, maybe another time yeah?" [[Yeah, sure thing Katie.|LB-0]]

As per usual, you sit with Max and get ready to share more artists. However, this time she looks a lot more eager to start than usual. "You good there Max?" You ask. "You look a little twitchy." "Yeah I'm great," she responds, "I've got something new this time and I want to see what you think." You take the headphones from her like normal and she starts the track. It was a lot... //messier// than her normal finds, pretty amateur sounding to be honest. The audio was crunchy, some of the parts weren't really all that in-time, something in there definitely needed tuning... ...but you couldn't deny how real it felt. There was a raw - if a little unpolished - energy to it. It was familiar and but kind of new and unstable at the same time. "Hey Max what band is this again?" You say. Normally she'd list the names of the band and the artists from the word go, but this time, she gave you a funny look. You give her a puzzled look and she responds by pointing at herself. "Wait, no. You did- Shut up, no way." Her face was beaming with smugness. And quite frankly, she'd earned it. "I found a USB microphone in my parent's attic, and I just sort of started messing about. Next thing I knew, I'd made this. It's a bit of a mess, but like... I made somthing!" Damn, almost makes you want to give it a shot yourself. [[Almost.|LB-0]]

You go to check on Nadia, but before you realise what's going on, Nadia's got you locked in a hug. "Uh... um Nadia? What's all this about?" You say, voice muffled against her chest. She doesn't respond, and didn't seem to be letting go any time soon, so you hug her back. Honestly? it was nice. Unexpected, for sure, but it was nice. Your pent up stresses seemed to melt away under Nadia's warm embrace. Giving you one last squeeze, she lets you go and you're left feeling light as a feather. "Sometimes people just need a hug, you know?" She said. "Also you look exhausted." She was right, you'd been feeling spread thin recently. It took a lot of effort to keep on top of everything at the diner, and you were beginning to feel it catching up with you. "Don't burn yourself out yeah?" [["I'll try my best Nadia."|LB-0]]

You find Maya sat comfortably in one of the booths, looking pleased with herself as she watched the clouds go by outside. "You know my dad was giving me heat about getting a better paid job?" She says, "Well, ever since my parents divorced, he's been trying to get back into the dating scene. To little success." She pauses for effect. "Until a couple of weeks ago that is. Turns out he's managed to find someone, and it what's more it was going well enough for him to take her home to introduce us. That's when I actually got to see the woman, and my god she was massive. I'm talking like hips wider than the door frame, tits the size of your head and then some more kinda big." Maya's smirk turned to full on grin. "Ever since then he's been way less pushy about the employment "problem". In fact he's never been this relaxed, and honestly neither have I." It was nice to see her so carefree again. [[Never would've guessed THAT was the solution though.|LB-0]]

Quite out of the ordinary, you find Maria with her head buried in her phone, not paying you even remotely any mind until you sat down next to her. "Someone's looking pleased with themself." You remark. Maria turns to with a you a sly, self satisfied grin before showing you her phone. It showed a lengthy texting session between her and someone saved under the name "Sonya <3", every message seemingly a more blunt innuendo than the last. "I met her at a bar last night, La Rika's, you know the one? It's just past the train station, kinda sleazy but the drinks are half off on Tuesdays" She spoke feverishly, and with absolute enthusiasm. "I almost didn't go last night actually, it was getting kinda late but I didn't have any other plans so I thought 'screw it why not' you know?" She rambles on for a bit. "Anyways, just as I thought about heading home this girl approached me and offered to buy me a drink, I couldn't really get a good look at her in the dark, but an offer's an offer, so I rolled with it and we got chatting." She pauses. "Well I say chatting, she was definitely looking to hook up. She was being very forward, kept sidling up to me, putting her hands on my shoulder, playing with her hair, that kinda thing. Once I'd finished my drink she asked if I wanted to split a desert with her." "They serve deserts at a bar?" You interject. "Yeah I had no clue either. I'll be honest it wasn't that great but she didn't seem to care. By the time I'd had a couple of spoonfuls she'd basically finished the whole thing." She paused again. "That was when she asked if I wanted to come back to her place." "Oh damn." You blurt out. She grins smugly again. "Of course I said yes, it'd have been rude not to. but then as she was climbing the stairs out in front of me I made eye contact with her absolute dumptruck backside. I'm talking like-" Maria started making weird cartoon sound effects and gesturing like a proud fisherman to illustrate her point. "...I'll be honest I barely remember what happened after that, but I woke up the next morning and she'd stayed the whole night. So we swapped numbers before she left." "You think you'll call her again?" You ask. "Yeah I think so, I'm a little nervous, but it can't hurt to try right?" [[You wish her luck and leave her be.|LB-0]]

Katie looks like she's good for a chat. You ask her how she is. "I'm doing alright thanks, just watching the world go by." You sit with down with her for a bit. "You know, it's times like this I wish I could be a bird," She starts. "Like, imagine getting to be out in that, feeling the wind on your face, the warmth of the sun. And that's just all you had to do." "Yeah that does sound nice." You add. "I don't think I'd be able to eat worms every day though. They probably taste gross." "Good point $PlayerName , good point." Katie retorted, with a mock-intellectual tone. "I don't think I'd be able to live off seeds either, though I guess seagulls eat pretty well. Stealing ice cream and chips, terrorising kids at the beach and all that." "Oh I dunno, I've heard insects are going to be the new health food in a few years." You joke. "You know, I think I'll stick to the food here for now." Katie laughs. [[No chance you'd serve a locust burger under this roof.|LB-1]]

As you pass by Max, you can't help but feel like you recognise the music coming from her headphones. You can't remember what, but it's definitely familiar. You continue to loiter just out of her eyeline, trying to put a name to the memory never, quite getting there. That is, until she catches sight of you. "Need something $PlayerName ?" She asks, slipping her headphones down around her neck, giving you the chance to hear the music with full clarity. "Is that Apple Shampoo?" you blurt out, a little blunter than you expected. You see a glimmer of joy behind Max's eyes at your words, and you reckon she sees the same look in you because she gestures for you to sit down next to her. As soon as you're seated, she turns to you and gives you an intense look. "So, what's your favourite track?" After a second's thought, you respond with a confident "I'm a Dog." Max paused for a second to process before bursting out with laughter. "Oh man that's a good one. You remember that time he did a live set and kept baiting the audience with the intro? What a legend." The pair of you go on to share takes on other tracks for a while. You may think "Close Talker" was a weird departure from his regular stuff, but Max remained absolutely adamant that it was a fantastic development of his style. You were just about to go off on "Can't Be Beat" before Max cut you off to grab her phone from her bag to share her playlist, and as she got up and bent over to retrieve it, you glanced over at her and found it almost impossible to take your eyes off of her ass. You knew it was rude to stare, but god damn... You snap back to reality as she eagerly brings up Spoofy on her phone to show her "best of" playlist and you proceed to judge her tastes accordingly. Who would've guessed? Max, a fellow Apple Shampoo fan? [[What are the chances?|LB-1]]

You find Nadia and quickly strike up conversation. The story goes as follows. You got on the phone with Auntie last night, turns out a lot of them were just to celebrate regular customers, truckers, locals, family's, or the occasional local celebrity. That kinda sentimental stuff. "So what is it with that cheerleading team?" Nadia interjects. "They hardly look like the kind to frequent a burger joint, and way too young to be famous for anything worth framing on a wall." She makes a good point, and yet you still feel like there's something familiar about it. "Hold on a sec." You pause, before rushing off to grab your phone out of your coat. A few seconds of scrolling through your camera roll and you find the photo you were looking for. The family barbeque last summer. You zoom in near Auntie Donna and hold it up next to the photo cheerleader squad. "Look it's my Auntie Jo!" You shout. "There, third cheerleader from the left. The tall one. This must've been around the time they met." What a weird thought. They'd been married since before you can remember, a really loving couple too. "Wow, she sure looks, uh, you know... different now?" Nadia says, trying her best to sound polite. "Guess she gave up cheerleading to hang out with your aunt." "Yeah I suppose so. Maybe this place is a bad influence or something?" You joke. "Ha, maybe it is.' Nadia chuckled. As she turned to return to her seat, you notice Nadia's been looking a little soft around the edges herself. Maybe there's more truth to your joke than either of you realise. [[They're happy though, and that's what counts.|LB-1]]

Maya's looking bored. Maybe this time she'll be a little more talkative. As you sit down across from her, you notice she seems a little agitated. "You ok Maya?" You ask. "Yes." She replies. "I am doing fine." "Are you sure? You look like there's something bothering you." "N-no I'm quite alright, it's just-" She wrings her hands as she speaks. "I've just never had to spend this much time in a common diner until I took the job." Never? Common diner? Was she the distant granddaughter Marie Antoinette or something? Whatever it was, she was clearly on edge. Invasive personal questions can wait, right now the best thing would be to make her feel comfortable. "Wait here, I'll be right back." You tell her to wait there while you get her something from the kitchens. A couple of minutes pass and you return with a freshly grilled cheese sandwich in hand. "Here." You set the plate down in front of Maya and take your seat opposite her. "For you." For a few seconds, Maya seems to assess the sandwich, planning her approach, trying to find the cleanest spot to grip the bread. She lifts it up, strings of melted cheddar trailing behind it as she moves it to her face to take a bite. It takes a moment, but after a couple of mouthfuls, Maya seems to relax somewhat. "Good right?" You say, giving her a knowing smile. "Yes it is, it's..." she pauses, looking for the right words. "It's perfect, thank you $PlayerName ." Strange as that sounded, it's nice to know you did some good today. [[Best to leave her to enjoy the rest of it.|LB-1]]

To your surprise, Maria is still loitering on the staff side of the countertop, looking out at the restaurant's seating area. You notice she's smiling to herself as you get a little closer. "What's got you in such a good mood?" You ask playfully. "OH- um what? Hey $PlayerName I didn't see you there. I was just... uh- wiping down the countertop. Yeah I saw it was a little dirty so I thought I'd give it a wipe-down." Sure thing Maria, sure thing. "You want a hand then?" You offer. "Oh uh yeah sure, thanks." She was trying to hide her blushing cheeks but she was doing a terrible job at it. As you help her wipe down the counter, you keep catching her glancing back up at the other staff members. "Well, I think this counter's nice and clean now. Thanks for the help, $PlayerName , I'll be getting to my break now if that's ok with you." She walks away, trying so hard to look normal it was almost comical. Part of you considers asking her what the deal was, but you decide against it for now. [[You probably wouldn't get a straight answer anyway|LB-1]]

"Hey $PlayerName, I've got a question." Katie waits for you to sit down before continuing. "You look way too young to have bought a whole-ass diner, what's the story here?" You explain the situation with your aunt, sprinkling in the odd anecdote about her more unique qualities: antique coin collecting, the failed oil paintings, that one time she divorced to go backpacking and ended up bare-knuckle fighting a camel. You know, the classics. Katie cut you off, more than a little baffled. "W- wait. Wait hold on, I need to know: who won the fight? Her or the camel?" "Now you mention it, I don't think she ever said." "Maybe it was a draw?" Katie said. "Like, they realised they were of equal strength, and there wasn't anything to gain by fighting any more, so instead they became inseparable friends?" A disturbingly valid answer. You continue to regale Katie with stories of Donna's larger-than-life escapades, Katie slurping a milkshake while she listens intently. Just as she reached the end of her drink, she paused before remarking, "Your aunt Donna, she sounds like a real character." "Yeah she is Katie." You say. [[She really is.|LB-1]]

Max isn't in her usual spot today, you notice. Instead of huddling in one of the corner booths she's seated at one of the tables in the middle of the diner. "Hey Max, how's it going?" You start, making your way over to her table and sitting down next to her. "Not much $PlayerName , just been feeling pretty good recently is all." She seems a bit fidgety, like she's got something gnawing at her, so you decide to press her and see what's really going on. "You sure I can't help you with anything there Max?" "Uhm... well uh you see $PlayerName ..." she stutters, eyes flitting around the room trying to avoid contact with yours. "I kinda made you a mixtape." Oh. Wow, people still do that? "I know people used to put them on casettes, but I don't even have a player, so I made you one on Spoofy instead." It's become obvious that you've not said anything this whole time, because Max has started looking more a little bashful. "Um it's ok if you don't want to I'll just-" "Max," you interject, pulling out your pair of ear buds. "I'm sure I'll love it." The two of you scooch closer and split the pair of dinky headphones as Max pulls up the playlist. However, as you try to get as close, something keeps getting in your way. After a bit more chair shuffling you realise that it's not the chair that's getting in the way, it was Max's hips. "Oh, uh sorry Max." "It's ok $PlayerName , I guess I should be watching what I eat. Hold on, do you mind if I..?" The two of you try to negotiate your chairs into a configuration that works for the both of you. It was a brief struggle, there was the occasional slip up where hip met hip, and hand met doughy thigh, but eventually you both got comfortable. As if there was any doubt, it was banger after banger. Devil's Lighthouse, Hibernation, 12 Foot Home Depot Skeleton, the list seemed to go on forever. [[Until you ran out of songs that is.|LB-1]]

Feeling like a change of pace, you wander over to Nadia for a chat. "Hi Nadia, how's it going?" "Not much man, just eating lunch, how about you?" You sit yourself down at her table. "I dunno, a little stressed I suppose." "How come?" "Well, I kinda feel a little out of my depth. I'm barely a graduate and yet I've convinced myeself I can run a whole diner. Even my Auntie didn't go straight into management. She was a waitress here for well over a year before her dad even considered letting her run the place." "Look here man, as far as I'm concerned, you're doing fine." While Nadia normally gave off a kinda nonchalant energy, this time she was speaking earnestly. "The building's still in one piece, we're all still employed, and most importantly..." She leans in close to whisper. "These burgers are really f-ing good." "I mean look at me, you've turned me into a bit of a chubster." She says, grabbing her belly fat with both hands and giving it a hard squeeze. "You wouldn't see this in any old third-rate diner." Her eyes meet yours and the two of you can't help but burst out laughing. "Thanks Nadia, you're great." "Don't mention it, it's what you pay me for after all." She joked. [[If it was, you'd probably need to give her a raise.|LB-1]]

You sit down next to Maya as she struggles to negotiate her hands around a pretty big hot dog. Finally she managed to find a way to grip it without getting any sauce over her hands, but just as she was about to close her mouth around the end of the bun, a sliver of thick red ketchup slipped off and tumbled on to her pinstripe-clad thigh. "Oh for the love of- Sorry $PlayerName, I'll be with you in a minute..." She quickly set down her lunch and attacked the blob with a fistful of napkins, muttering small curses under her breath. "That was dry-cleaned this morning!" With disaster averted, Maya picked her hotdog back up and took a bite. "You ok now Maya?" You say, "I don't know how you're brave enough to stack up that many sauces in clothes like yours." "I'm not sure, I wasn't really thinking about it." She says, looking back at her hotdog. "I've been trying all the foods here at the diner and I think I got carried away. I don't usually get to eat food like this." "How do you mean?" You interject. "With all these clothes and talk of chauffers, I figured you were from a rich family." "Oh I am." She says, "Very rich in fact. But that's exactly the problem. Ever since his company got bought out by a big investor, father wants us all to behave proper, eat fancy foods and wear expensive clothes. That kinda stuff." She finishes her mouthful and dabs the ketchup from her chin with another napkin. "But when I was growing up, we didn't have any of that. We'd go out to a drive-in on Fridays and stuff. So working here kind of lets me go back to that in a way." [[You decide to leave her to her hotdog.|LB-1]]

Maria's leaning against the countertop again, you approach her. "You looking for something Maria?" "Oh me? Nah, just enjoying the view." She says as she nods towards the rest of the diner, or rather more specifically, the other staff members. "When I said I left the countryside to meet new people, I didn't just mean friendship and gainful employment you know?" You give her a puzzled look. "So, it turns out living in a small parish community isn't so fun for bi women. Either the women aren't interested, or the guys think you're after a threesome. That's why I moved here, I figured city folk would have more modern attitudes, not to mention the people here are much more my type." You ask her what she means by that. She hesitates and tries to gesture in a vague "S" shape. Still a little confused, you ask her again. "Ok I'll say it." She relents, in a strained but hushed tone. "I like 'em big . Not like thick, I mean capital B Big." "But what's that got to do with moving to the city?" You ask. "Come on $PlayerName , you own a fast food joint, what HASN'T that got to do with it? Seeing anyone even remotely overweight was unheard of back on the farm. Everyone was too busy to pack on any pounds that weren't muscle." She pauses. "But then one day one of my cousins' friends came over to stay the weekend and well..." Gradually Maria's face became flushed. "She was big, easily the largest woman I'd ever met, and I just couldn't get enough of her." "So you moved out to find someone who fit your tastes better? Isn't that a bit drastic?" "I mean, I wasn't getting anything out of moping about on the farm for the last few years. Plus, if things take a turn for the worse, I can always go back again." [[She had a point.|LB-1]]

You make your way over to Katie expecting her usual lively demeanour. Instead you're met with a new quiet and sheepish side that you've never seen before. "Say, um $PlayerName." She says as she fidgets in her seat. "Do you think you've got any spare uniform in the back? I-uh don't think mine fits me any more." Her eyes dart down to her well-rounded midriff. The pattern on the T-shirt was stretched thin as she tries to keep herself covered, though a sliver of pudge still slipped out over her waistband despite her efforts. You take her to the boiler room where you keep the spare clothes, and rummage though the pile for a handful of sizes, passing over anything worthwhile over to Katie. You would typically go for one size up from her current measurements, but you weren't entirely convinced that'd be enough. And maybe some bigger shorts too. Just to be safe. She assesses the clothes, grimacing slightly at the size but also relieved at the offer of proper covering. She turns to you and smiles. "Thanks, you're the best, $PlayerName . I think I'll change in here if that's ok." [[You nod and leave her to sort herself out.|LB-1]]

You find Max sat in one of the booths munching away at her lunch, so you sit yourself across from her. "Hey $PlayerName , you found any good music lately?" "Honestly, not really." Max says, looking a little disappointed. Only for a moment though. "Nothing wrong with listening to the classics though, I was relistening to one band the other night, felt like I was a teenager again. Hold on I'll show you." She sidled out of her seat and made her way around to your side. You moved up against the window to accommodate her, but when she got seated you realised just how snug this arrangement was. Your hips were met with unyielding plaster to your left, and Max's taut jeans and warm rolling hips on the other. You try to stifle your discomfort, partly so you wouldn't upset Max, but also because you didn't //really// want her to stop. Either way, she wasn't going anywhere, and she had music to share, so you might as well try to get comfy. Sometimes you wriggle a little in your seat and your eyes catch Max's. Maybe it's just your imagination, but part of you thinks she knows what she's doing. Maybe it could just be you're misreading her, maybe she doesn't have a clue what she's doing. [[But then, maybe she does.|LB-1]]

There's a brief lull in activity, and the mood strikes you to check in on Nadia. Nadia catches sight of you as you approach. "Hey $PlayerName , how're you doing?" "Good." You say, "I've been having a pretty good week. Looks like you're enjoying yourself too." You add, gesturing to the chunky-looking burger she'd been eating until you came over. "Oh shut up you." She laughs. "A girl can treat herself can't she? Especially one as hard working as me." She raises her arms into a mock strongman pose and pouts dramatically. "Besides, you're the boss here remember? If you didn't want people eating your food, then you shouldn't make it so damn good." Fair point. Nadia clearly knew what she was talking about, as she'd clearly been very generous with the self love. Being as tall as she was, it made her gains a little less noticeable, but when you've been eating that well for that long, it was going to become obvious eventually. Her belly had softened, that was true, but that wasn't really where the most of it went. Her waist and upper thigh were squeezing outwards at the fabric of her trousers, creating a defined muffin top all around her midriff, and a very tight-looking fit around the hips. Her chest had also grown a fair bit heavier which, without an updated wardrobe, made for a distractingly tight-fitted look. [[If she's going to keep this up, it'd be hard to stay focussed on your work.|LB-1]]

You find Maya in her usual place, but instead of her her recently positive demeanour, she's got a look of concern about her. Upon seeing you approach, she seems to relax a little, and you've barely sat down before she starts talking. "Hi $PlayerName , how are you?" she blurts out. "U-um I'm good than-" "Great! I- um... I-" Maya pauses and stammers, clearly trying to say something but didn't have the words to say it with. "It's a-uh kind of personal question... but um..." "Do you want to talk somewhere more quiet?" She nods, and you both get up from your seats and enter the relative privacy of the storage room. You turn to Maya, who still looks to be simmering with bashful energy, her breathing a little shaky, and her hands trembling somewhat. "Am I fat?" She seemed dead serious, her eyes silently pleading for an answer. "Maya where's this coming from?" You ask, trying to avoid an uncomfortable answer. "Just tell me." She cuts you off swiftly, intent on hearing an answer. You look up and down her, and you've got to be honest. She is. Her belly was rounded and soft, and her thighs were a fair bit squishier than they used to be. No doubt brought on by her recent comfort eating habits during lunch breaks. "Y- um yeah. I- I'm sorry Maya, you are a bit-" She sighs. "Yeah it's ok, I thought so. My dad's been bothering me about it, says I'll never get a proper boyfriend if I've got a fat arse, just some 'low-income perv' or something." You can hear an untapped frustration bubbling up inside her. "It's just- it was his idea I got a job right? I saw the ad for here and thought it'd be enough for him. That a proper job would do me good in his eyes." "But now he's on my case about my weight. It's driving me nuts. Who cares if I'm chubby? It's my body, and I'm 22 for crying out loud!" The two of you pause in silence for a spell. Both surprised at the outburt that just happened. "I'm sorry $PlayerName I didn't mean to yell. If it's alright with you, I think I'm going to get back to my lunch." She, left quietly fuming. You were pretty sure that her lunch habits would put her long past chubby sometime soon. But who were you to stop her? [[She was right to do as she pleased.|LB-1]]

Katie's looking like her regular peppy self. Well... kind of. "Hey $PlayerName , lovely day isn't it?" She says, pausing for a moment to gather confidence before saying what was really on her mind. "Uh... would you mind if I have another look in the boiler room after this shift? It's uh... welll-" You didn't need to ask to understand why. Her belly had grown round and fat, softly brushing up against the booth table infront as her swelling hips pressed themselves against the confines of the bench behind her. She was fat, considerably so, and yet outside of a little embarrassment, it didn't seem to affect her mood that much if at all. "Cool, thanks. Don't worry, I know where the uniforms are, I'll sort myself out in a minute." She said, giving her belly a gentle pat. "Looks like my cheerleader days are long behind me now. Oh well. At least that means I get to eat what I want now!" She gives you a quick grin before picking up her burger taking a large bite. Good for you Katie. [[Good for you.|LB-1]]

"Hey $PlayerName , give me just a second, I need to grab the headphones." Max went to squat down and rummage through her bag, but just as she was halfway down to the floor, you heard a loud shredding noise. Her face fell as the two of you realised what the sound meant. "Oh." You both said in bashful unison. "Say, um $PlayerName , you've got spare clothes in the back right?" You lead her to the back and point out the box full of spare uniforms. As she passes, you see manage to catch a glance at the tear along the inside of her thigh. It started at the front of her crotch and traced its way around the inside of her thigh and around her left butt cheek, it wasn't a wide tear, but it was long enough that you definitely couldn't miss it. "Oh well. These jeans were getting old anyway." Max muses, running her hand absent mindedly over the edge of the tear. "I don't know if we'll have much luck $PlayerName , you think a regular uniform's going to fit this?" She punctuates the sentence with a firm smack to her rear. You watch her butt jiggle for a moment, transfixed by its heft, before snapping back to the task at hand. "Uh- I dunno Max, I think you'll be surprised." You say, pulling out the uniform box and handing it over. After a bit of rooting around, she pulls out a pair of folded shorts. "Ah ha! These have GOT to fit!" She slips out of her jeans at alarming pace and the shorts are on even faster still. But for some reason she pauses. "Hey um, $PlayerName , did you ever get a look at the staff when your aunt ran the diner?" "Uh, I don't know, I didn't really visit that much. Why?" You immediately answer your own question upon seeing Max pull the drawstring on her shorts a good foot and a half to get the waistband snug. A baffled "Oh." Was all you could manage. "They must've liked food even more than us lot I guess?" She says to herself. "Based on this design, I suppose that must've been part of the appeal huh?" She had a point. While the waistband was as wide as anything, the length left very little to the imagination. Max turned to get a better look at herself in a discarded bathroom mirror, giving you a good view of her magnificent ass, almost entirely bare. But just when you thought you'd got away with sneaking a look, your eyes met in Max's reflection. You tried to avoid letting on, but your evasive squirming told her all she needed to know. She gave you a knowing look and wiggled her hips playfully. [[Guess she didn't mind the attention after all.|LB-1]]

Nadia might be good for a chat about now. You find her sat at a table looking very pleased with herself. "Heya $PlayerName how's it going?" For a moment words fail you. Nadia was about half-way through a howl of spaghetti the size of your head, and was clearly enjoying every moment. It shouldn't have surprised you at this point, but seeing her eating something that large was still a shock. "You good there?" Nadia's words snap you back to reality. You'd been staring. "U- uh um... yeah I'm good" You stammer. "Mind if I join you?" She nods, and you sit down across from her. "Do we even serve spaghetti like... that?" You say as Nadia crams it into her mouth for a bite. "I don't remember putting anything that big on the menu." She finishes her mouthful quickly before answering. "Uh no, I kinda... customised mine." She admits. "I got real hungry ok? So got a salad bowl and filled it up from the pan, there's not a problem with that right?" You consider it for a moment, but when she was enjoying it that much, it was hard to say no. Also, you would never admit it to her face, but her growing body was becoming a bit of a fixation for you. Relative to the rest of her, you'd say her belly was modest, but that's only because it was overshadowed by her huge hourglass figure. Literally. Her basketball-sized tits hung low and heavy, barely held back by her meagre bra. Her hips completely covered the chair she was sat on, with a good deal of ass hanging over the edge. Her belt audibly strained and creaking with every slight movement. "Looks good on me, doesn't it?" She says. Her sudden blunt tone throwing you off-axis. "Huh?" You say, feigning ignorance. "Oh come on don't play dumb." She teases. "I have no idea what you mean." You respond in a sarcastic tone, causing Nadia to giggle, blushing very slightly. She was having fun. You were too. [[What more could you ask for?|LB-1]]

You find Maya sat comfortably in one of the booths, looking pleased with herself as she munches away happily on a heavily loaded slice of pizza. Approaching her and sitting down across from her, you ask why she looks so smug. "You know my dad was giving me heat about this?" She grabs her belly rolls and gives them a heavy shake to illustrate. "Well, since my parents divorced, he's been trying to get back into the dating scene, but wasn't having much success." She pauses for effect. "That is until a couple of weeks ago. Turns out he's managed to find someone, and it what's more it was going well enough for him to take her home. That's when I actually got to see the woman, and my god she was massive. I'm talking like hips wider than the door and then some kinda big." Maya's smirk turned to full on grin. "Ever since then he's been way less negative about my weight "problem", in fact the fridge has never been so full. and honestly neither have I. I'm starting to understand the appeal now actually." She runs her hands down her figure, down the sloping dome of her rolling gut and around to her squishy hips. "What do you think $PlayerName ? Are you a fan of big girls?" [["Absolutely."|ChatMaya-5-1-B]] [["Not really my type."|ChatMaya-5-1-A]]

You find Maria sat at a table looking across the diner whistfully. "What's got into you?" You say, jokingly as you sit down next to her. "See something you like?" "You could say that." She sighs. <<if $KatieAssign == 1>> You notice Katie get up across the room, and Maria's gaze seems fixated on her. Her breathing growing short when, much to Katie's emabarrasment, her shirt slid up over her belly. <<else>><<if $MaxAssign == 1>> As Max left her seat to deal with something, you noticed Maria's gaze seemed to be fixated on her. Then, as Max bent over to pick something up, Maria tensed, fingers digging into her thighs at the sight of Max's plush ass. <<else>><<if $NadiaAssign == 1>> Nadia stood up, seemingly to stretch herself, and Maria's gaze in turn seemed trained upon her every move. Drinking in every bend, arc and fold in her softened physique. Maria's mouth was hanging slightly open. <</if>><</if>><</if>> "You know Maria," You remark, "if you're going to perv on your coworkers, you might want to be a bit more covert about it." She tenses and slowly turns towards you. "Hey I'm just teasing." You say, giving her a friendly nudge. "Don't worry, I'm not going to stop you." Maria gives you a somewhat nervous smile, but upon seeing you really were just teasing, she relaxes again. <<if $PlayerWeight >= 3>> In fact, upon turning to look at you, she was struggling to stop herself from eyeing you up as well. You could feel her eyes running over your rolls and folds hungrily. <</if>> You sit with her for a bit longer, watching the rest of the staff do their own thing for a while. But eventually you decide to leave Maria to herself for a bit. [[You had your own business to attend to.|LB-1]]

As you approach her, you notice Katie isn't as chatty as she normally is. She's got a puzzled expression on her face as she nibbles her burger. You also can't help but notice that her belly's grown substantially. Her shirt's really struggling to keep itself together under the strain from the swell. It doesn't show any signs of damaged material, but it wouldn't hold out for long the way things were going. "Say, $PlayerName have you changed the recipe for your burgers recently?" "Yeah... something like that." You say. "I've tweaked the recipe as a little experiment, see how people like it." "I thought so. Whatever you've done it's really good, I can't get enough of it. I think you should keep it." As you go to leave, Katie butts in with another question. "Do you think I could get away with another one of these?" "Yeah I don't see why not, the leftovers won't keep so go ahead." The words had barely left your mouth before she left to get her second serving. And third. [[Maybe there won't be any leftovers today afterall?|LB-2]]

Normally Max would be talking your ear off about some new artist by now, but today she's been weirdly quiet. Instead of talking music, she's been nigh on transfixed by the burger she's been eating. "You good there Max?" You say, hoping to get a response. "Oh yeah sorry $PlayerName , it's just..." She pauses. "Have you changed the recipe for these things recently? They're really moreish." Taking a glance at her shows that she's definitely had more than one so far today. She'd stacked up a few on a tray, and while she probably thought nobody would notice, the button on her jeans had been undone and definitely wasn't going to be easy to put back any time soon. Her plush thighs really were really putting the "stress" in stressed jeans. You wonder whether she'd have to go through a wardrobe revision soon. [[She doesn't really seem to care about that at the minute though.|LB-2]]

Nadia put you in a good mood last time you spoke to her, so you figured it'd be worth seeing what she was up to. You found her engrossed in a rather heavy looking burger, letting out occasional mumbles to the effect of "oh yeah" or "so good". Clearly she was enjoying her self, because she didn't even notice you until tapped her shoulder. She jumped out of her skin as if you'd jolted her out of a dream. "Oh jeez don't scare me like that $PlayerName , why'd you sneak up on me?" Not wanting to explain that you'd walked up to her in full view of her line of sight, you just said that it was worth it for her reaction. "I knew you were a great cook, these new burgers are something else dude. It's kinda embarrassing but this isn't even my first one today." Nadia nods towards the pile of dirty wrappers and napkins as she wiped some sauce from her chin and stifled a small burp. She may have had a craving, but at least she was going to keep her manners while scratching that itch. To an extent that is. Despite her clean face and hands, she'd undone her fly and was letting her gut hang free. Maybe to alleviate pressure in the moment, or perhaps as a countermeasure for more indulgences later on. Either way, her fat belly was looking full and round, and with a slowly thickening layer of chub over the top. Her shirt had ridden up over it too, making what used to be a regular t-shirt look like one of the more provocative styles of crop top. A plunging V-neck shape left most of her steadily rising cleavage on show, the tightness of her bra also helping to squeeze more and more skin out into the open. It was oddly hypnotic, to see someone so invested in indulging themself, not giving a damn at what they looked like. [[You'd stay and watch, but unfortunately you had stuff to do.|LB-2]]

Across the room, you catch sight of Maya and decide to find out what she's up to. Upon setting your eyes on her, something immediately struck you. She's ditched the suit. Instead of her stylish - albeit comedically snug - pinstripe suit, she had found herself a set of uniform that fit her. Clearly a very large one by the fact that she could even wear it at all, but it still wasn't enough to preserve any modesty. Between that and the unbrushed hair, she was almost unrecognisable. Her tits were pretty much the only thing on her that was fully concealed. The branded t-shirt morphed around their relatively modest size like clingfilm, as her gut hung out in the open, exposed and unconfined. Proud even. "You look more comfortable there Maya, everything ok?" You say. She looks up at you from her seat, pausing her eating for a while. "Oh yeah, much better thanks." She sighs, the relieved tone just as ill-fitting as the meagre cotton she was wearing. "I did think about getting a new suit fitted, but when I saw the price quote I figured I'd just use the clothes you had in the back." She cuts herself off with a grunt as she starts fiddling with the waistband of her puny shorts. She manages to unhook the last of her beanbag of a gut, letting it droop just a little bit further. She gives another relieved sigh and reaches for her drink to slurp on, seemingly having already forgotten that she was talking to you just seconds ago. You decide to leave her be. [[She'd only get distracted again anyway.|LB-2]]

You find Maria back in her usual spot by the countertop with that same fascination look on her face. She was watching the other staff members with an intense fixation, barely taking her eyes off them. Until she noticed you standing next to her that is. "AGH! Jeez don't scare me like that $PlayerName ." "Are you ok? You're staring again." You say, a little bluntly. "Yeah I'm fine. It's just-" She stutters, "You're seeing this too right? Everyone else's eating so more than usual today. Not just these guys here but the customers too. It's really weird, did I miss a memo or something because this just isn't normal." "Don't worry it's nothing really. Just trying out a new sauce." You respond. "I guess it's just been really popular." It's not entirely clear whether she bought the story, but it was enough to keep her quiet for now. "I uh- I don't know, I didn't mean to you know? I just kinda couldn't take my eyes off them. Watching them filling their faces like that, so much of it - so fast as well - it's... hypnotic. I- I could never do it myself, but, like seeing them letting loose like that is so-" Cutting herself off, Maria took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from getting overheated. But it didn't do much to help her outward appearances, she was blushing like a tomato and her eyes kept darting back towards the glutting happening on the opposite side of the counter. You decide to leave her be for now. [[She clearly had a lot on her mind.|LB-2]]

You decide to sit with Katie for a bit. As you approach, she doesn't even register you. In fact it's only when you try to talk that she looks up from her food and notices you've even sat down. "Oh. Uh, hey." That was it, she said her part, and with that finished, went back to chewing away at what appeared to be at least the fifth burger so far. She was almost a whole other person, she looked like she was carrying the weight of one too. Her eyes had glazed over again, fingers thoughtlessly gripping the the bun, squeezing the meat inside, causing grease to drip down her forearms and off her elbows, leaving smears across her face and stains on her shirt. You'd think she'd have noticed that her shirt only covered her tits, that her swollen gut was now pressing firmly into the table or that it's growth had forced her ballooning thighs further and further apart. Apparently not. Instead she was busy cramming her face, only really giving pause to knead her fat belly between mouthfuls to make space for even more. Katie's thoughts were being slowly consumed by hunger, her appetite spiraling out of control. It was near impossible to believe she used to be an athlete. She'd ruined her figure, with her growth and gluttony only seeming to be accelerating. [[Well, you say she ruined herself. But you definitely helped.|LB-2]]

You find Max just where you expected, hunched over a mountain of greasy food, ass spilling generously over the edge of two combined chairs, belching and gasping with every fat-drenched mouthful. Until now, you wondered what the natural progression would be once she'd outgrown her leggings. Now, it seems blindingly obvious. Stretched taut over her barrel-like thighs was a pair of thin cotton shorts. If it weren't for the obvious waistband strip, you genuinely wouldn't have been surprised if they turned out to just be underwear. Nothing was left to the imagination. Each gelatinous asscheek was criss-crossed with stretchmarks, new and old, shuddering and jiggling with every noise the slipped out from Max's grease-smeared lips. You knew you wouldn't get an intelligent response, but you figured you'd see what she had to say. "Heya Max, you look like you're having fun, need anything?" She seems to pause for a second, her glazed eyes rolling lazily in your direction. "You look like you've got a lot to eat here, but just let me know if you need more, yeah?" With that she seems to perk up. Well, one word was probably doing all the work, that being the offer of "more". She nodded enthusiastically, desperately trying to vocalise through the mouthful of garbage inside her mouth. "Ok Max, I'll be right back, ok?" You scurried away and returned, brandishing a bowl of pasta the size of a small animal. You set it down in front of her, and before you could even let go of it she lunged forward, dignitiy be damned, and fed from it like a pig from a trough. No cutlery, no hands, just her mouth merging with pasta like she owed it a favour, barely coming up for air. Her gelatinous legs were trying desperately to keep her balanced, though the increasingly aggressive quivering would seem to imply that, even with half her ass still spilled over her makeshift bench, trying to support her sagging body was a losing game. It seemed like she knew as much too, as her slurping and munching only became more fervent, desperate even, the more feeble her trunk-like legs became. That was, unfortunately, until they gave way entirely, causing her to slump back into her seat - or rather seats - with a dejected burp. The gorging, the belching, the borderline nudity, it was amazing just how different she was from just half a year ago. From fashion savvy and music conscious to a grunting, sweaty mountain of simple-minded blubber. You were fascinated, and couldn't wait to see where it would go next. [[But until then, you had other things to do.|LB-2]]

As you approach the table Nadia's sat herself down at, you notice the piles of napkins, wrappers and food traces strewn around her. You watch her stuff herself with burger after burger, moaning with pleasure between each mouthful. Eventually, she finished the pair of burgers in her hands and her mind seemed to clear for a bit. "Oh... huff... h- hi... $PlayerName ... I, uh... I didn't see you there." She took a moment to wipe her hands and face clean. "Sorry, I've... //urp// just been... well, not hungry exactly." She winced and put her hands against her firm, bulbous gut. "...I dunno, when I stop eating, it only takes a minute or two and then food's all I can think of. I feel like I should be more worried than I am, I mean look at the state of me." Nadia slips both hands under her monstrous gut to give you a demonstrative shake. "But before I can do anything about it... I... //urp// just want... another..." Something within her gives way. Her hands slide out from under her rolls, clumsily seize a burger from her pile and bring it up to her drooling lips. As soon as meat hit mouth, her eyes glazed over and she let out a slow and dull-minded moan. You take a step back. In part to get out of the way of Nadia's haphazard grasping, but also to better survey the damage. Even since she started here, Nadia struggled with the doorframes. For the first week, it wasn't uncommon to hear the occasional thud followed loud swearing as she underestimated the clearance between her head and the frame. Now, however, she'd still struggle with doorways for entirely different reasons. Her belt screamed with every one of Nadia's clumsy movements, down to its final loop, which had stretched long past repair. Fat billowed over the sides and squeezed out behind her, her fluffy thighs supported an apron-like belly which was itself kept in perpetual shade by a pair of gargantuan tits. She must struggle to get around. [[You wonder how she'd navigate the front entrance.|LB-2]]

More obsessed than curious at this point, you go in search of Maya. You struggle to make her out through all the detritus strewn around the diner, but just out of the corner of your eye you catch sight of her. She's sat at a table piled high with enough food to for a family of four, glutting herself on everything your diner could offer. Her thick legs smothereing her ankles like a bad costume. Her monumentous gut reaching to the extremes of her frame. The top blubber-ball sitting high and proud across her chest while the second roll hung low like a steel bell of lard. The Donna-brand shirt didn't even cover as much as a bikini top at this point. It wasn't that there weren't ones that'd accommodate her gargantuan body, but - simply put - in her eyes, it would've consumed time that'd be far better spent gulping down a calorie-dense slurry. So, it was never going to happen. Not even if the pitiable cloth disintegrated where she sat. Her chair groaned and strained under her mass, each slight motion accompanied with a good few seconds of pendulous wobbling and a fit of wooden creaking noises. Conversation was definitely off the table at this point. She leaned over for another mound of food to suckle from, but with this shift in her centre of gravity, the chair had had enough. The front two legs snapped like twigs, sending Maya tumbling forward and tipping her gut-first onto the cold tiled floor. The impact rolled her onto her gut, straddling it like a concussed yoga instructor, exposing her near naked rear. It was only now that you realised just how obese Maya had become. Until now, you thought you understood, but seeing her lie a good foot off the ground, blubbery limbs spilling over the sides like waterfalls of flab, it made it plain how brain-shatteringly far gone she was. Maya, a little dazed, rolled onto her backside and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, taking a minute to attempt - and fail - to process what happened. It wasn't long before her senses returned to her enough for her to grab a plate off of the table and resume eating. You look at her, her jiggling legs spread wide by her yoga ball-esque belly, her graceless slurping and chomping at piling masses of food, at how her nearly tent-sized clothes looked like grossly indecent strings criss-crossing her unendingly swelling body. You did this. Either by intention or negligence, you'd turned her into the graceless sow hunched infront of you. Body sprawling out across the floor tiles like raw cake batter. There was nothing you could do to remedy the situation now. [[Not that you had any intention to.|LB-2]]

When you find Maria in one of the booths, you notice she's visibly quaking and soaked in a thin layer of dewey seat. "Oh crap Maria are you ok? You look like you're about to pass out." You call out. She shoots you a nervous smile and you decide to sit down next to her. "Yeah I'm fine $PlayerName there's nothing wrong I'm just- I- uh..." <<if $MaxAssign == 1>> Her voice trails off as Max waddles past the booth to the countertop, piling her tray high with heavy and greasy foods, before returning to her seat, feet pounding the floor as her body swaying and undulating fervently with every step. <<else>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>> Her voice trails off as Nadia lumbers past your booth to the countertop, piling her tray high with heavy and greasy foods, then returning to her seat, grunting and huffing, her belt audibly straining as her pillowy gut stretches it to and beyond its limit. <<else>> Her voice trails off as Maya waddles past your booth to the countertop, piling her tray high with heavy and greasy foods, then returning to her seat, grunting and huffing, filling her face with a burger before she's even sat down. <</if>> <</if>> It was pretty clear that her thoughts were elsewhere, so you coughed politely to bring her back to reality. It didn't make a difference, so instead you change tack. "See something you like?" You tease. Without switching focus, she nods silently. "I bet you wish you could get up and close to all that, yeah?" Another slack-jawed nod. "I'm sure all you need to do is ask. They don't seem to be in a judgy mood right now." Her head whips round to face you, eyes gleaming with eagerness. "Y-you think so?" She stammers. "Give it a go, what's the worst that could happen?" You respond, egging her on just a little more. [[You decide to leave her with that thought and get back to what you were doing.|LB-2]]

You make your way to bed, worn out after a long day of work. Starting to feel the drowsiness set in, you change into your nightwear and slip under the covers and get comfy. [[It's barely a matter of minutes before you're asleep.|Morning]]

Starting to feel sleepy, you make your way into the bedroom. As you're changing out of your work clothes, you notice a layer of plushiness around your waist that you hadn't felt before. It was barely noticeable when you stood infront of the mirror, but there was no mistake. You were clearly softer to the touch. "Huh," you think, "Suppose it was bound to happen, working around food all day. But it's probably nothing worth worrying about." [[It's barely a couple of pounds.|Morning]]

It's getting late. Tired from a long day's work, you make yourself comfortable, curling up tight in the cool bedsheets. Rain pattered quietly against the window pane, wind rustled the trees outside, street lamps hummed softly. Perfection. As you're revelling in the moment, you readjust your position and realise that you can't quite get your knees up to your chin. It took a few more attempts to realise that the problem wasn't a lack of flexibility, but instead one of obstruction. In simple terms, your belly was getting in the way. Shocked, you sit up and give it a gentle prod. Nope, definitely real. Looks like you'll need to start cutting back on the junk food before this becomes a problem. But that was a something for another day. Right now, the best thing for you was simple. [[A good night's sleep.|Morning]]

Time comes for you to go to bed. But as you go to slip on your pyjamas, you realise they just aren't going to budge. You tug a little harder, they inch up your thighs some more, but barely. Despite this, you still try to force yourself into them. Defeated, you pry your legs out and, after chucking them across the room, grab a larger pair of baggy joggers from the wardrobe. They slip on effortlessly. Clearly, these fit you much better. Plenty of slack all over, comfy material, perfect for sleeping in. ...but you can't help but feel a twinge of shame that you've begun to outgrow your wardrobe. Then again, if you could still get by as-is, why stress out over it? You were generally happy, the only difference was that you'd need bigger clothes. [[No use in losing sleep over a little extra fat.|Morning]]

Same as any other day, the sun goes down and the need to sleep rears its head once more. Starting to feel a little drowsy, you roll off the sofa and plod your way to the bedroom and slip into your nightwear. This time, there were no struggles. You'd found a few pairs of particularly slack shorts and some very loose and airy t-shirts. They slipped on effortlessly and hung on your body so gently you barely noticed they were there. Well, as long as you avoided the mirror. Or looked downwards. Because, as a result of your un-curbed appetite, you look like you'd gotten stuck in a tyre swing. Twice. Once for your doughy rolls of your belly that crept around to your back, and another for your chunky thighs and even chunkier rear. But honestly, you didn't care any more. Not out of defeat or apathy, but instead because you actually enjoyed the feeling of power that accompanied your newly acquired heft. You liked the softness of your body, the soft jiggling feeling that accompanied every movement. Sometimes you'd catch yourself groping at your pillowy thighs. [[It was kinda fun actually.|Morning]]

Clumsily, you stumble into your bedroom and start wrestling with your work clothes. They'd been so tight of late, but they were especially uncomfortable after today's binge. First you struggled to unhitch the buttoned fly. It took a couple of minutes, but finally you managed to release it. Relieved, you drop onto the bed. As you do, your tightly packed belly causes three shirt buttons fly off, clattering to a halt on your bedroom floor. It didn't matter much to you though, that shirt was getting old anyway. Plus, at least this way you had less laundry to worry about, especially since this shirt ended up acting as your bib during lunch. You flick the last of the buttons open and toss aside the shirt, leaving you in just your underwear. You let out a sigh of relief as you let your skin breathe, gently giving your tender belly a well-earned massage. Pyjamas seemed like too much effort for tonight, so you decide to call it quits and go to sleep as you were. [[Clothes were overrated anyway...|Morning]]

Lumbering through your house, the floorboards creaking and groaning with every earthshaking step you took, you scoured the cupboards for any remaining scraps to drag back with you to your bedroom. However, after consuming half the week's resupply on the walk back a couple of days ago, it was looking bleak. Even though the jar of pasta sauce was looking fairly tempting, you still managed to draw a line at consuming raw ingredients. Guess you'll just have to make do with what you've already got. You waddle into the bedroom, making sure to turn to one side and try - in vain mind you - to suck in your gut. It was still a very tight squeeze, but this was pretty much the only way you fit through door frames these days. Jostling free, you stumble across the room, dropping your immense body onto your bed, causing it to scream out in metallic agony. But, at least for now, it held firm. Leaving your waterbed-esque to body come to a standstill by itself, you lean over to one side and retrieve "The Stash". A collection of carrier bags filled with junk food of all forms: sweet, salty, soft, crunchy, it was all there in one form or another. You didn't waste a moment, hands grasping away for something to begin cramming into your hungry mouth. It was almost routine by this point, quickly establishing a rhythm. Taking a deep breath before forcing as much as possible into your face, chewing the mass-produced slurry before swallowing and taking another gasp of air. Occasionally you take pause to massage your swollen gut, belch, or just let out a moan of pleasure at the sheer excess of it all, but inevitably you always return to eating. Always eating. Only eating. Feeding your gaping hunger was all you wanted to do and you did your damnedest to make that a reality. Then, as if by clockwork, just as final mouthful was swallowed, you passed out into a deep, sweaty food coma. [[And you'd do it all again tomorrow?|Morning]]

Her face dropped. "You what?" Maya looks at you with a more than puzzled expression. "But I thought... What are you playing this game for then?" She asks, clearly baffled. "Maya, what are you on about?" "Come on $PlayerName , you wouldn't be playing this game if you weren't into that kinda thing." Oh we're doing one of these things. "Come on Maya, you've got to let me at least have the option to say no, otherwise what's the point in branching the dialogue?" "To give you the illusion of choice, that's why." [[Aaaaanyways...|LB-1]]

Maya nods in acknowledgement and eyes you up and down. "Yeah I thought so. Don't think I haven't caught you sneaking looks at the others when they're not looking." You feel you face turn warm and flushed. Clearly you weren't as covert about it as you thought. "Seems like the perfect line of work for someone like you actually." She leans over to you, her tone becoming more hushed and a little husky. "You sell all this heavy food, get to watch all your customers come and go, you let the staff have lunches for free, watch us all get nice and fat on your handouts AND get paid for it? I mean, it sounds like a dream come true for you, right?" She'd read you like an open book. However, unlike any normal person discovering that their boss was using their position to oggle the staff, she didn't look upset at all. "Don't worry I'm not judging." She opens her mouth wide for another slice of heavy-set pizza, shooting you a quick wink before taking a bite. "Quite the opposite actually." You feel an bashful warmth wash over you as she licks her lips suggestively. [[It's probably time to get going.|LB-1]]

The great thing about working in your own diner is that you don't have to worry about going hungry, that being said, it might not be the best habit to start eating all the merchandise. Do you: [[Get something from the kitchen.|eatIn]] [[Eat the sandwich you made this morning.|eatOwnFood]]

Dropping yourself on to your bed, you feel your gut squeeze against the walls of the shirt that confined it. You'd been treating it well recently, some would even say spoiling it. Every time it asked, you responded, answering with whatever food was on hand. While previously you were frustrated at how quickly the last offering was forgotten, by now you'd begun to enjoy the rhythm, and also the sensation, of it. The regularity quickly went from irritating to comfortingly familiar, you'd also started to appreciate the slowly building ache of a stomach being packed to its limits. It was uncomfortable but pleasurable, almost addictive. After the nightly snack raid on your bedroom stash, you'd slip into a comatose state of satisfied fullness. [[And tonight was another such night.|Morning]]

It was getting late, and after today you were more tired than ever before. Between the ravenous customers and your woefully packed gut, you'd spent all day in some form of discomfort, but now that you were home you could relax properly. Slumping on to your bed, you unhook your shirt buttons and let your taut and round belly hang free. It was weird, you thought, that you managed to eat so much food in one sitting, you'd never done anything remotely like it before and with how you felt right now you wouldn't be doing it again any time soon. Well, at least that's what you thought when you got home. Now that you had a moment to yourself you realised that you were sarting to feel oddly hungry again. Still obnoxiously full, of course, but there were definitely the beginnings of hunger pangs creeping in. A little confused, you strip and slip on something more comfortable for bed, but as you laid down, the hunger only continued to gnaw at the sides of your brain. So, to set your mind at ease, you get up and fix yourself a midnight snack. [[Finally sated, you laid down for a good night's sleep.|Morning]]

Just as you turn your thoughts towards your own lunch, something catches your attention out of the corner of your vision. It was Maria. She was ferrying more food to where the others were seated, hauling it by the armful. Then, when there wasn't any more space left to fill, she sat and watched, fascinated as the others scarfed it down at alarming speeds. Her hands would fidget and twitch every so often whenever one of them let out a groan or a belch, clearly growing more agitated by the minute. [[Better leave her to it and deal with your own lunch.|LB-Self]]

1: Make each girl's gain independent of eachother? 1b: Make thin girls comment on gaining ones every now and then? 2: Add more unique moments/interactions involving staff. 3: Randomise certain meals. 4: Devise endings 5: More cycles, make gains more gradual (insert before 3?), add one final level after the current 4 (build 0.1). 5b: Better explaination of timescale (imply days/weeks/month per cycle) 6: Finance system.

<<set $MonthSpare to 250 * ($DinerRating * $DinerQuality) * $AdditiveFactor>> <<set $MonthSpare to Math.trunc($MonthSpare)>> <<set $MonthEarnings to 2.5*$MonthSpare>> <<set $$MonthEarnings to Math.trunc($MonthEarnings)>> <<set $TotalSpare to $TotalSpare + $MonthSpare>> <<set $TotalEarnings to $TotalEarnings + $MonthEarnings>> The next few week plays out largely the same, without big events or moments of note, and before you know it, you've reached the end of the month. Time to take inventory and balance the books. This month, the diner took in a total of: $MonthEarnings G which, after wages, bills, taxes and other various expenses, leaves you with $MonthSpare G to invest back into the business. It's getting late, but you could browse the the online marketplace for a bit. [[Do some shopping.|Shop]] [[Go to bed.|Home]]

<<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> Interestingly, despite the... intense effect the additive was having, during shifts, your staff still managed to keep up an air of professionalism. [[Which was a major achievement, all things considered.|event5-2-2]] <<else>> Today was pretty straightforward, all things considered. Busier than usual, your staff being put under a fair bit more pressure than normal. But, not so bad that you needed to step in to keep things running. [[You only needed to sit back and watch it unfold.|event5-2-1]] <</if>>

It was quiet. Oddly quiet. Not exactly silent, but there was a stillness in the air. [[Like something was about to happen.|event6-1]]

The sky is overcast and miserable, the atmosphere is quiet, and yet Katie seems more twitchy than you've ever seen her before. "Say, uh, Katie," You say, "you aren't on something are you? It's just-" "Oh, no, sorry $PlayerName nothing like that." She responds, "I think some days my body forgets I'm not living the athelete lifestyle any more, that's all." You don't have a clue what she means. Judging by the look on her face, she can tell. "It's a bit like when you don't walk a dog. If you don't tire them out, they get bad tempered and hyperactive, and I'd been so used to exercising for hours every day, that standing around at work feels like I'm wasting away." "Isn't there a way you could wear yourself out before your shift or something?" You ask. "I've tried thinking of ideas, but I've not really had any luck so far-" She stops sharply as a flash of inspiration crosses her face. "Oh what about that gym just outside town! I'd need a subscription, sure, but it's better than nothing right?" Her mood improved dramatically at the idea of exercise equipment. Yours, however, only soured at the thought. All those sweaty health nuts and macho-men clanking irons every hour of the day. [[You couldn't imagine anything worse.|LB-0]]

"Hey $PlayerName , check out what I've got!" The sound of Max's voice gives you a start. "Oh hi Max, what - uh... is that?" You can't quite work out what the thing is, but you could tell it was small and metallic. "It's a headphone splitter." She remarks, with a proud grin. "Oh that's clever." You say. Well, it would be if you had anything worth using with it. That is, until she pulls out two pairs of pretty hefty looking headphones and gives you a nod to come sit with her. "Check these out." Max says as she plugs in all the right cables. "They're serious gear, noise cancelli-" Her voice is cut off sharply as she places them over your head. You try to make out her muffled words for a moment longer before you're ears are filled with music. Closing your eyes, you sit back and melt into the sounds, letting it wash over you. You knew Max had you covered. By the time the last track ends you feel almost a different person. The pair of you slip off your headphones and sit there in a quiet reverie for a minute. "Man that was great." You say, a little dazed. [[Shame can't stay for longer.|LB-0]]

"Hey Nadia." You say, sitting down next to her. "Hey $PlayerName , how are you doing?" "Much better than before, thanks." You sigh, relieved that the rough patch had passed. "You've been really helpful Nadia, I'd probably still be in that slump if you hadn't said anything." Hearing your words, Nadia gives you a smile warmer than you'd ever seen. "It's no problem $PlayerName , that's what friends do right?" You'd never really given it much thought, but hearing her call you a friend gave you pause for thought. When you hired these people, they were just names on a sheet. But now you'd had time to get to know them, and your diner had become quite a cosy little group. "Thanks Nadia, you know I'd do the same for you." You say. You chat for a little bit, but with time getting ahead of you... [[You decide it was best to make a move.|LB-0]]

You decided to hang out with Maya for a little bit. She was leant against the countertop, scrolling idly through her phone. Upon getting a little closer, she catches sight of you and sets her phone down on the countertop. "What's up $PlayerName , you look a bit out of it." "Oh nothing really, just found some weird stuff in the storage room. This old barrel full of orange slime. I can't get rid of it easy, and I don't think this is something I can just tip down the drains." "Wait, you mean the one with a big Unesca brand stamp on it right?" Maya starts. "I think it's best you leave that one alone for now." <<if $AdditiveUsed == true>>"I wasn't planning on doing anything with it, don't worry." You say, lying through your teeth. "How come you're familiar with the company? I'd never heard of them until I saw that label."<<else>> "I wasn't planning on doing anything with it, don't worry." You say, there was no way in hell you'd go anywhere near the contents of that barrel again. "How come you're familiar with the company? I'd never heard of them until I saw that label."<</if>> "Well." Maya says, "A couple of decades ago my dad did some dealings with a food processing company. The name on that barrel circulated the industry almost like a bad smell. Nobody associated with them openly, but everyone had done business with them in some form at some point in the career." "What sort of stuff did they do?" "That's the thing, nobody would talk about it. Something about diet and nutritional supplements? Outside of that your guess is as good as mine." Strange, you thought, what was it doing in here? [[Then again, do you really want that answer?|LB-0]]

You decide to hang out with Maria for a spell. She was sat by the countertop, staring out the window at passersby. "What you up to Maria?" You ask. "Hmm? Oh, nothing really, just watching people." She says in a relaxed tone. You pull up a chair and join her, sitting in relative silence for a few minutes, seeing the world go by outside. Then, just as you were getting a little bored, you turn to say something to Maria. But as you turned towards her to speak, you saw her mouth droop open and her face flush with red, her eyes fixated on something just outside of your view. You turn back to see what all the fuss was about, and catch sight of an immense woman sauntering past the window. Each plodding step caused her body to jiggle softly, but it didn't seem to affect her dignified composure. She was magnificent, swanning along as if she were half her weight. You watch her, enthralled, until she finally walked out of view. You turn to look at Maria as she turns to you. The look she gives you says all you needed to know. "So that's your type?" You say. "Yeah. When I said I like big," She says, "I meant BIG big." "Huh, you know, I didn't imagine you'd go that far." You remark, "But I can't fault you for it. More to love and all that." "Hah, yeah that's one way of putting it." She chuckles. [[You decide to leave her to her people spotting for a while.|LB-0]]

You'd barely made eye contact with Katie before she was shouting out in your direction. "Hey HEY! $PlayerName !" She cried out, "Guess what?" Despite her best efforts, you didn't have a clue what there was to guess. "Weeeell... a certain someone's been scouted for a competitive running team." She was smiling ear to ear, brimming with infectious enthusiasm. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, it's just weekends. But like, come on!" "Wicked," you say. Even if you didn't understand the specifics, that didn't mean you couldn't share in her excitement. "when did this all start?" "Just the other day actually. I was jogging past the park and I saw someone sprinting up and down the playing fields, so I went over to see what was up, and we ended up chatting for a bit. I did some timing for them, and then just as I was thinking about heading off home, a couple of other guys showed up." "What was the deal with them then?" You ask. "Well, the three of them were members of a relay team and I'd caught them right as they were getting ready to practice. At least, if their fourth member hadn't pulled out with a sprained ankle at the last minute." "Ouch." "Yeah I know, real rotten luck there. For them at least, not me, because I offered to be a substitute for them and they said yes. Running stuff happened, and I think they took a shine to me, because they asked for my number to get in touch with me later, messaged me that evening and next thing I know I'm part of the team while their other member recouperates." "Aw man that's great news." "Yeah right $PlayerName , I know you're just saying that to be polite." "No that's really cool," You say "There's no way in hell I'd ever do it myself, but honestly that makes it even more impressive." "Aw, thanks. You sure I can't convince you to give running a try?" "Don't push it." You say in mock outrage. [[Watching atheletes struggle from afar was much more fun.|LB-0]]

You find yourself wondering what Max has been up to. So, as always, you track her down and take a seat next to her. Except, this time, she was already mid-conversation. She acknowledged you with her eyes, and gave you a friendly nod, but the words she was speaking where clearly directed at someone on the other end of her phone. "Uh-huh, yeah, and what time are you coming by? Ok, cool I'll see you tonight." With those parting words, she hung up and set her phone back down on the table. "Sorry about that $PlayerName I was just sorting out some plans for this evening, I've gotten involved with this group and-" She bounces in her seat with excitement."-we've got a booking at a nightclub tonight!" This was a new side to Max, or at least one you'd seen very little of. She was brimming with energy, a joi de vivre almost entirely unifitting for someone who dressed so dourly. "Wow," you say, "how'd you manage that?" "Well it's a funny story actually-" Max then went on to tell you at great length how she managed to become the emergency bassist for a group known as "Wet Sox". You didn't make sense of all the details, but you definintely made out something about a chihuahua and a broken collarbone. "So yeah we're playing at a club tonight, don't know if it'd be your thing though, the sound's pretty... uh, abrasive?" "Oh it can't be that bad Max, got any recordings?" You see her hesitate, but she still pulls out her phone, passes you a pair of headphones and hits play, just like normal. Nothing could've prepared you for what you were about to hear, words just could not do it justice. It was like someone had loosed a wild honeybadger in your ears. Something between Scythelord and a dialup modem. It was fascinating, but almost entirely agonising to listen to. "I uh- th..." You stumble. "Do you like it at least?" "Yeah, it's an acquired taste, but it's really fun to play, and the audience seems to like it so..." "Well in that case, break a leg I guess?" "Thanks $PlayerName I'll let you know how it goes!" Max smiles, brimming with excitement. You'd probably never show up to a gig yourself, but at the very least you were going to be supportive. [[It was pretty exciting to be honest.|LB-0]]

Feeling a little worse for wear, you go looking for Nadia. But when you find her, she looks at you with an expression not too dissimilar from the one you imagine is on your own face. "You too huh?" She says, gesturing for you to join the seat next to her. "Yeah," you huff, "you wanna talk about it?" Nadia hesitates for a moment. "Nah not really, it's not worth it." She pauses again. "How about we hug it out instead?" "Yeah go on." You sidle up and collapse into eachother, arms draped exhaustedly around eachother. But, despite the real lack of effort going into it, it was working. While not quite a panacea, the results were hard to argue with. It felt like your stress was melting away like ice under a sun lamp and you could feel yourself returning to your old self. No words are exchanged, not even a glance. Everything that needed to be said had already been said, anything else was superfluous A few minutes pass, and eventually you decide to break it up. You look back over at Nadia, she looks back at you, and you both release a deep sigh. "Better?" She says? "Definitely. You?" "A million times so." You chat for a little bit. But, with time running a little short, you get up. [[You still had things to attend to.|LB-0]]

Maya's leant against the countertop, scrolling through her phone. Wanting to make conversation, you approach her and ask how she's doing. "I'm good thanks, a little tired, but nothing I can't handle." She says, putting her phone away. "I haven't been getting the best of sleep recently." "Oh dear, how come?" You ask. "Three words." She says. "Dad's. New. Girlfriend." Oh. Oh right. "Yeah it's a bit awkward, but I'd rather that than the endless browbeating." She yawns. "Though I might need to invest in a set of earplugs or something." Maya pauses before changing the subject. "Anyway, I was wondering something the other day." "Yeah?" You ask, desperate to think about anything else. "You run this place, manage the finances and all that, but you don't seem to splash out on anything fancy for yourself. What's the deal?" "I'm not sure I understand your point." You say. "Running a diner must pay pretty well, I mean." She responds. "I suppose so, but I don't really pay myself any more than I have to. Upkeep's pretty steep as-is, and I'd rather you guys got a pay increase before I raised mine." "Huh," Maya looked at you with a mix of surprise and admiration, taken a little aback by your lack of corporate style self-interest. "I thought for sure you'd be taking the lion's share. Guess I was wrong." You're not sure what to make of her words. [[But you decided to take it as a positive.|LB-0]]

<<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> Maria seemed a little lost in thought, so you were a little apprehensive about disrupting her, but upon setting eyes upon you, she seemed to snap back to attention. "Hey $PlayerName , can I ask you something?" She says, gesturing for you to join her. "You just did." You joke. "But do go on." Maria chuckles at your lame joke. "Have you noticed the customers have been getting a little- well, quite a lot uh..." She fumbles to find a polite way of putting it. "Massive?" She lets out a nervous laugh, and mops a bead of sweat off her forehead. "I'm not complaining, far from it in fact, but my lord some of these people don't even fit through the doorframe any more, let alone the seating we've got." Her thoughts seem to run away with her for a moment, but she quickly brought herself back to the conversation at hand. "But it's weird right? People don't normally just turn into brainless pigs by themselves. Well, some might, not this many people at least." "I suppose the food here triggers something in people?" You say. "Maybe everyone's like that deep down, and these people are just being honest about it?" "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that was some cartoon villain's monologue." Maria says, jokingly. "One with an evil scheme to turn everyone into big, sweaty gluttons." She pauses for a second, thinking about what she just said. "Actually, I think I'd watch that cartoon." [["Same."|LB-0]] <<else>> You sit down next to Maria as she gazed out the window. "People watching again?" You say. "Nah, not today. Nobody's out there in that weather, it's miserable." She nods towards the window, its pane lashed with cold, heavy rain. You can barely make out the outside world through it. "Besides, I've had my fill of people oggling for the day." She smiles to herself and leans back in her chair. "See something you like today?" You say, half jokingly. "I mean take your pick $PlayerName , your little diner here's got itself some regulars." She was right. There were quite a lot of them too. All kinds of shapes, all kinds of race and gender Some were loud, proud and larger than life, others were quiet and meek, but there was one commonality between them all, their gradually increasing size. "Guess I was right to choose here to work. As cute as it is to think about a petite little thing getting a taste of secretary spread, I think this place is way better for me." "You know Maria, it's only going to get better with time." "Can't wait $PlayerName , can't wait." [[Neither could you.|LB-0]] <</if>>

"You're looking a little glum today Katie, what's up?" She was slumped in a booth seat by the window, looking outside with a vacant expression. "Huh? Oh, me? No, don't worry I'm fine, just feeling a bit sluggish today." She replies. "Say, you don't have any more of those stories about your aunt do you? I'd love to hear any more if you've got them." "Oh, yeah, sure, I've got a few more good ones." As you say those words, Katie's face lights up and she instantly springs back to life. "Actually, do you want to know how she managed to get her hands on this very diner?" "I mean how could I say no to an offer like that?' Katie says, brimming with excitement. You tell her about the wealthy oil baron she met by chance at the local bar. "He owed her a favour you see, they made friends over a couple of drinks and arranged a meet in an underground poker ring. It was there that he ended up gambling his whole estate in a game of Texas Hold'em. And he nearly lost it all, too, but my aunt caught the other guy slipping cards out of his sleeve when he thought nobody was looking. She exposed the cheater and saved the guy his fortune, so as thanks he gave her a business card and said 'Ask for Robert E. O. S., they'll sort you out." "Next thing you know, she's bought up an old rundown greengrocers and completely refurnished it." As you tell your stories, you notice Katie keeps tugging on her shirt, only for it to start riding back up a few moments later. Not that you've been staring, but she seems quite a bit softer than you remember when you first met. She's got a definite pudge sneaking over her waistband, and her sleeves look a bit snug. You suppose she's making the best of the free lunches. [[Well, it was only fair. They were free after all.|LB-1]]

As you make your way over to Max, her eyes meet yours and she starts waving and calling out to you. "Hey $PlayerName , check these out!" She said, brandishing two chunky-looking pairs of headphones. "I got them on the cheap in town last night, wanna see if they're any good?" You nod enthusiastically and slip yourself into the end of the booth seat as Max shimmies down the bench to make room. She lifs up a pair and holds it either side of your head. "Check this out, they're noise cancelli-" her words were cut short as she slipped the headphones on. She continued to talk, based on lip-reading you could guess she was talking about how strong they were. Point proven, you pull them off your head and the sound washes right back into your ears. "Oh wait hold on I forgot something, gimme a sec-" Max reaches over you, grabbing for her bag, giving you a front-row view of her ass. You tried to avoid oggling her, especially when she was leaning over you like this, but it was like it was exerting a magnetic pull on your brain. "Aha! Found it." Max announced. She scrambled back into an upright position and sat back down before revealing a small metallic object from her hand. "And that is?" "A headphone splitter." Max said, plainly. "How else did you think I was going to use two pairs of headphones?" She had a point. You slipped your pair back on and before long Max had her phone running all sorts of tracks. It was a relief to be able to hear the music so cleanly. [[But, unfortunately, time came to attend to other things.|LB-1]]

You find Nadia seated in the far corner of a booth, gnawing at a chip with an uncharacteristically sour expression on her face. "What's the matter Nadia?" You say, sitting yourself down across from her. "Nothing important $PlayerName don't worry about it." She huffs. "Just my shitheel sister asking me for money again." As if to punctuate her point, she savages a bite off of her burger before continuing. "She's never been responsible with the stuff. Someone always has to bail her out of some dumb corner she's trapped herself in. But this time I've honestly just had it with her, I'm leaving her to deal with it by herself." Speaking out loud seemed to do her some good though, you could see the pent up anger releasing itself as she spoke. "I know I'm hardly one to talk right now-" she says, gesturing to her increasingly soft frame, "but that girl seems to do nothing but waste her money on food. I've never seen her even try to get a job, she just sits around, leeching off of everyone else she knows." "NEET?" You say. "God no, she's a total mess." Nadia responds. You don't think she quite understood, but honestly it wasn't worth the effort, so you decide to leave it be. "What are you going to do then?" You ask. "I think I'll let her squirm for a while. I can't abandon her completely, but I also can't keep rewarding this behaviour. Maybe let it sit for a couple of weeks before offering her anything, you know?" [[It was stuff like this that made you glad you were an only child.|LB-1]]

You decided to hang out with Maya for a little bit. She was leant against the countertop, scrolling idly through her phone. Upon getting a little closer, she catches sight of you and sets her phone down on the countertop. "What's up $PlayerName , you look a bit out of it." "Oh nothing really, just found some weird stuff in the storage room. This old barrel full of orange slime, I can't get rid of it easy, and I don't think this is something I can just tip down the drains." "Wait, you mean the one with a big Unesca brand stamp on it right? I think it's best to leave that one alone." "I wasn't planning on doing anything with it, don't worry." You say, there was no way in hell you'd go anywhere near the contents of that barrel again. "How come you're familiar with the company? I'd never heard of them until I saw that label." "Well, a couple of decades ago my dad did some dealings with a food processing company. The name circulated the industry almost like a bad smell. Nobody associated with them openly, but everyone had done business with them in some form at some point in the career." "What sort of stuff did they do?" "That's the thing, nobody would talk about it. Something about diet and nutritional supplements? Outside of that your guess is as good as mine." Maybe it's for the best, you thought, even if it'd boost your sales, you were doing fine as-is. Plus, Maya's looking like she's filling out her suit a little more each week. So spiking the food would probably affect your staff just as much as your customers. [[Probably more, actually.|LB-1]]

After a bit of searching, you find Maria sat in a window seat, staring off into the distance whistfully. You sidle up next to her and try to see what she was staring at, but seems she wasn't really looking at anything in particular. "What's up Maria, you're being awfully quiet today." You remark. In response, she lets out a long and tired sigh. "Nothing $PlayerName , just having a slow one, ya know?" The two of you shoot the breeze for a while, talking about all kinds of inane things, until the topic of dating comes up. "Oh don't even get me started," Maria grumbles, "if I had a penny for every lackluter flirting attempt I've received at bars, I'd be able to afford a small yacht." "It's all the same awful pickup lines, and while I'm flattered that they're interested, none of them are really my... type, if you catch my drift." "Maybe you just need to keep at it?" You say. "It could just be a case of bad luck." Maria pauses on that thought for a bit. "Yeah I guess, maybe you're right. I think I'll have a break tonight though. Maybe watch a film with a pint of icecream, recharge a little you know?" She gives you a slightly pained, but sincere smile. "Sounds good to me." You say. [[You shoot her a smile and leave her be.|LB-1]]

You look about the room, hoping to find Nadia sat at a table or something. Unfortunately, you weren't having much luck, so you decide to sit yourself for a bit. However, you'd barely sat down before Nadia came bursting out of the storeroom door, phone proudly raised into the air. "Haha! $PlayerName you have GOT to see this." She thundered towards you and thrust her device into your hands. "You know those old photos we found a while ago? Well..." She waddles around to the opposite chair and dropped herself down, sending her doughy body into undulating fits, like a parade float had been filled with marshmallow instead of helium. The chair groaned complaintively and Nadia shot you a look of comedic shock as she tried to still her bouncing tits. "-well as I was trying to say..." She resumes, sliding her hand across the table and pointing at the photo she had brought up on her phone. It was a diner. Your diner. "I think I found some more articles about this place." Nadia gestures for you to scroll down. You do, revealing a series of cover photographs for various stories in the local newspapers about your aunt's diner. Some of them you recognised a few were from old framed photos in your aunt's house. You suppose that she must've hung onto any good press she got as a matter of pride. Then, as you scrolled, the photos became a little less familiar. There were a few more with the local cheerleading team, but very quickly you noticed that the team was look less and less athletic with each promotional event they were involved in. And Donna's proud grin seemed to only grow wider in turn. Eventually you hit a point where the cheerleaders had been totally replaced, at which point Nadia leant over and started pointing to something towards the back of the photo. "Look there, I think that's the old team right there, the big girls in the skimpy uniform." Nadia laughed. "It looks like your aunt was a very persuasive woman." You set down Nadia's phone and return it to her. "She's always had a way with words." You say. [[She never told you anything about this though.|LB-1]]

You sit down across from Katie. She's peppy as ever, chewing away happily at a hotdog, and humming to herself quietly. "Hiya $PlayerName ." She says, setting her food down and picking up her drink for a sip. "How's it going?" "I'm doing good Katie, just felt like hanging out for a bit." She smiles, touched by the gesture. The two of you chat for a while, mostly about nothing at all, until a thought dawns upon you like a brick through a window. "FUCK!" You exclaim. "The freezer shipments haven't been put away yet! Dammit, they've probably started thawing by now." "Oh shit, you need help?" Katie said, spitting out her straw. You respond with a panicked nod and rush to your feet. But when you turned to look behind you, you realised Katie was having a little difficulty extracting herself. Her decision to sit in a booth would've been poor at the best of times, but right now the size mismatch was more obvious - and impractical - than ever. Her belly squeezed and mashed itself against the table as she fumbled her arms to get a good grip on the edge of the seat, her chubby rear preventing her from turning to free herself. You decided to give her a hand, grabbing her wrist and tugging ferociously while Katie's blubbery body jostled and undulated so violently her shirt un-tucked itself from her waistband. But, after a short struggle, you managed to free her from her confines. She lurched to her feet much faster than her body could keep pace with, causing her to stumble over, knocking the both of you off balance and, before you knew what to do about it, your vision went dark and you felt a large warm smooshing sensation against your head. It took a bit of time to regain your senses. And after a not insignificant amount of effort - and more than a little stifled swearing - you managed to wriggle free and catch your breath. "Oh my god I'm SO sorry $PlayerName , are you ok?" Katie said in a tone somewhere between desperately concerned and deeply mortified. "Urgh, yeah, I'm ok Katie, just a bump." Again, your memory returned, and the panic returned. "We can talk later, those shipments need freezing." "Aye aye captain." It was uncomfortable work, cold too, but with efforts combined, you and Katie make light work of the shipment, moving like a well oiled machine. Sorting out anything clearly melted, checking for leaks, cramming anything still good in the chest freezers and mopping up the odd puddle. "-and I think that's everything." You say, letting out a loud sigh. "Thanks Katie." "Say, uh, $PlayerName , you know the stuff we couldn't save." "Yeah?" "It's still edible right?" "Yep, it's just risky to re-freeze food. Health and safety you know. Why?" "Would you mind if I...?" Katie makes a grabbing motion at one of the big tubs of icecream. You chuckle. "Well, it's only going to be thrown out otherwise. Fill your boots." [[Katie and you share a look and you leave her to her own devices.|LB-1]]

Looking around, you realise you have no idea where Max actually is. You give the room another once-over, but still no sign of her. Then, just as you were considering giving up and trying again later, you heard stumbling and then the clatter of cardboard boxes coming from the storeroom. You approach the door and give it a tentative knock. "Are you ok in there?" You call out. "Yeah, I-I'm fine don't - hrk - worry about me, I'll be out in a minute." The voice was muffled, but you could tell it was Max. She didn't seem in distress or anything, so you took her at her word and leave her to it for a bit. You sat by yourself, alone in your thoughts for a bit and then- BANG The storeroom door burst open - nearly flying off its hinges - revealing Max stood proudly in its frame. Nearly filling it too. She marched over to you proudly, moving with a level of confidence you'd never seen before. "So, what do you think?" She says, gesturing towards herself with a flourish. You look her up and down, trying to take her all in, which was made a little dificult by just how close she was. But, considering her wardrobe was literally disintegrating the week prior, she was looking stylish as hell. A pair of thick-threaded fishnets wrapped around her giant pillowy thighs, not tight enough to look painful, but just snug enough to lightly squeeze a diamond pattern into her legs. A heavy black skirt sat on top of her plush hips and, while it wasn't provocatively short, you'd be lying if you said it wasn't more than a little distracting. There was a gentle muffintop spilling over the waistband, pale fat forming handful-sized wads of incredibly squishable mini-rolls, left exposed by the black crop-top. A polite cough from Max snapped you to your senses, as you realise you'd been staring straight at her thighs, point blank range, for at least half a minute. "I- uh- y- you uh-" you stammer, trying to pretend that you'd been doing literally anything else. "You look- uh..." "Good isn't it?" She says, blustering straight past your stammering."I'm really happy with the look." She gives you a wry smile. "And it seems like you do too." She seats herself next to you, warm pudge spilling over into your space, and the two of you talk. About music, about life, anything that came to mind. Max would occasionally make small remarks about feeling confident with her new size, wanting to show it off, every time making side-on glances at you, as you became slightly more flustered with each one. It was nice. Awkward at points, but in a kinda fun way. [[Alas there were other things to deal with.|LB-1]]

You catch sight of Maya sat at a nearby table. She's slouched back with an breathless look on her face, and seemed too distracted to notice you'd sat down across from her. "Are you doing alright there Maya?" You say cautiously, not wanting to startle her. "Yeah, huff, I'm ok $PlayerName , just- I just over did it with lunch." She grimaces as she attempts to sit herself up, one hand to hoist herself upright, the other tenderly placed over her distended gut. It was squeezed tight by Maya's buttoned shirt and suit trousers, not quite threatening to split the seams, but definitely enough to dig in in all the wrong places. "I'm not judging." You say. "In fact, quite the opposite." "Hah, very funny." Maya chuckles. "But this is actually really quite uncomfortable, do you mind if I undo a couple of buttons for the time being?" "Yeah go on, I don't have a problem with it." You say. "Thanks, I'll make myself decent when shift starts again, but ugh jeez I should've just shown some restraint." With a couple of delicate hand movements, she unbuttons her shirt, pings open her fly and lets out a sigh of relief as her stomach slumped forward, spilling outwards like a ball of proving dough. Maya pauses to run her hands back and forth over the surface of her belly, reddened by pressure and friction. Taking in slow, rhythmic breaths, the pale globe of fat between her legs rising and falling in turn. "Unff... oh god I'm stuffed. I knew I was going to regret it later, but I just couldn't help myself." Your eyes fixate on Maya's methodical stroking as she describes her predicament, following her hand up, down, and around the swollen mass that made the rest of her otherwise pudgy body look svelte by comparison. "You know, I'm never going to lean my lesson." She continues, "I'll have forgotten by tomorrow and done this all over again. Maybe even more, who knows." From the sound of her voice, you could tell she wasn't lamenting her plight. You looked up to her face, eyes smouldering as she admired her body, she was revelling in it. Her words started trailing off into quiet mumbling, and your remarks seemed to fall on deaf ears. [[It might be best to leave her to herself for a while.|LB-1]]

You find Maria sat in her corner again. Over the last couple of days, you noticed she'd taken to this one seat in particular, choosing to sit in it at the start of every lunch shift, hardly moving until work began again. "Comfy there are we?" You tease. "Sure am. Care to join me?" She says. You take her offer and sit down next to her, fit snuggly in the very furthest corner of the diner. <<if $PlayerWeight >= 5>> <<set $MariaBedTime to true>> You try and sidle up next to her, but very quickly realise that the both of you overestimated the space you tried to squeeze into. Although you knew you weren't exactly the same slender self that opened the diner months ago, but even then you were a little surprsed to find that neither was Maria. "You too?" You say, blushing slightly. "Yeah," She sighs, trying to tuck herself as far into the corner as posslble while you while you heaved yourself into the seat. "this place is a bad influence I suppose." Maria had grown very rapidly considering how rail-thin she was only a couple of months ago, but even her doughy bumpkin physique looked slender next to your gelatinous body. Your hips were spilling over onto her lap like a wave of lard. "Well I suppose I should get going." You say. "I've got a couple of things to do..." Upon hearing those words leave your mouth, Maria reflexively shot her hand out and grasped your leg. She then immediately gasped in embarrassment, realising what she'd done. "I-i- I'm so sorry $PlayerName I didn't mean to-" She whimpers, clearly embarrassed at what she'd done. You, however, had no issue with the extra attention. You slump back down into the seat again, making sure to land a little closer this time. Maria let out another whimper and tentatively placed her hands over the doughy mass of your thigh. She squeezes her hands gently, slowly at first, but gradually easing up a little the longer she spent grasping at your fat body. The two of you continue in total silence for a good while longer, Maria's hands slowly migrating up your thigh and towards the underside of your rolling gut. It felt fantastic, you could feel your thoughts clouding over, your legs beginning to squirm. Suddenly the delerious silence was shattered by the ringing of your phone. You desperately scramble for it, hardly able to coordinate your hands, only for it to cut off right as it went to voicemail. Must've been a scam call. Now, phone in hand, you realise that time was getting away with you. Regrettably you had to cut it short and deal with the rest of the diner before the last shift began. But, just before you pried her hands from you, you leant in to whisper something into Maria's ear. [[Then began the long struggle to pry yourself out of the diner booth.|LB-1]] <<else>> You try to sidle up next to her, but very quickly you realise there was less space than you were expecting. Well, more accurately, the space hadn't changed, there was just more Maria. You look at her in surprise. "You too?" You say cautiously, not entirely knowing how she'd react. "I-I- uh yeah. I was spending so much time watching everyone else's waistlines..." She sinks her hands into her newly plush belly, kneading it anxiously. "I forgot to keep an eye on my own." "Are you ok with that?" You say, placing a hand on her shoulder. She hesitates for a second, but eventually she turns to you and nods silently. "Yeah I think so." Again, she kneads and prods her stomach a little more. "Just a shock I think." The both of you sit and watch the world outside for a while, but eventually you realise time is beginning to pass you by. [[You decide to head out and deal with other things.|LB-1]] <</if>>

You decide to check in on Nadia. You find her sat in a booth, chewing away at a sandwich with a fascinated expression on her face. And, upon noticing you approaching her, she immediately calls you over. "Can I ask you a question?" She says with a semi-serious tone. "Yeah?" "Did you change suppliers recently?" You pause. "It's not important, just wondering why today's food tastes so different. Not in a bad way, mind you, in fact it's quite the opposite. I'm just curious what it is." Well, obviously you couldn't tell her the whole truth, but you were never that great at barefaced lies. "I, uh, I wasn't happy with the quality of our condiments, so I switched to a nwe supplier. While I was at it, I found some new ones I wanted to try out." "Huh, neat." The answer seemed to satisfy her, because she went straight back to munching away, absorbed in her own little world. [[You leave her to it.|LB-2]]

Just as you were contemplating going to hang out with Maya, you turn around to find her walking in your direction, burger in hand. "Say $PlayerName , you didn't happen to see that weird barrel in the back of the storage room did you?" "Uh no, I don't know what you mean." You say, doing your best to look natural as you told such a barefaced lie. "Why, should I be worried?" "I'm not sure, but I caught the Unesca stamp on one of the shipping labels and thought I'd double check with you." She says, inbetween bites of her burger. "It might be nothing, but my dad worked in food distribution a few years back and that name came up a lot." "How so?" You ask. Hoping quietly that you hadn't accidentally administered a high-grade nerve agent to your customers. "Nothing serious I don't think. If there was anything to worry about, I'm sure that we would have heard of a scandal by now, right?" She remarked. "Guess there's nothing to worry about then." Maya chewed through her mouthful before cramming the last of the burger into her mouth. She absent mindedly ran her hand over her belly, its rounded form jutting out from under her suit. She turned to leave and swung by the countertop to grab something else to eat before sitting at a nearby table. It wasn't impossible that the Unesca sauce was benign, you suppose, and a cursory glance at the search results for Glycero-Adipocyte Enzyme Extract revealed nothing eyebrow raising. Infact, rather oddly, it barely returned anything at all. Nah, it'd be fine. It's not like a secretive megacorp to hide it's wrongdoings in plain sight with jargon and obfuscated language right? [[Right?|LB-2]]

Before you could head over to Katie to see what was up, she had gotten up from her seat and made her way over to you. Well, over to the counter top you were stood behind at least. "Hey Katie, what's up?" You say, trying to strike up conversation. "Uhh... wh- what? Oh right! Hey, sorry $PlayerName I was off in my own world there for a second." She pauses, appearing to lose her train of thought for a few more seconds. "Just getting myself a bite to eat, you know, I've been really hungry recently. Dunno why, but whenever I'm alone I find myself snacking on something before I even know what's going on." Even as she was talking just then she was picking at an unclaimed order of french fries sat out on the countertop. "I've got to hand it to you as well, the stuff you sell here really hits the spot. I just kinda feel great after I've lunch here. Anyway, I'll stop bugging you, see you at the end of break." Katie picked up her tray and headed back to her spot by the window, carrying what some would consider a large meal for even the most active of olympians. And this was her second serving. You watch her struggle to negotiate her pudgy body into the booth seating, her belly squishing and jostling as she tries to avoid dropping any of her precious cargo. [[Can't keep staring at her forever though.|LB-2]]

Feeling curious about what Max is doing, you find her sat at a table, scarfing food like it was going out of fashion. "Hey Max, how are you doing?" "Mmmrrff, huooOOOOORRRP, hufff, hey $PlayerName I- huff I'm good." She went back to filling her face for a good minute before realising she'd left you in the lurch. "Unf, sorry, how are you- urp - doing?" You gave some inane response, "I'm good" "Same as usual" that kinda thing, and before you could even finish she was back to ignoring you in favour of her food. Since she wasn't paying you any mind, you let your eyes wander over her body, drinking in her bulbous figure as she filled it more and more. Her swelling gut squeezed against the waistband of her already borderline collapsing jeans. You knew worn knee patches were in vogue, but multiple hand-sized windows of bare, flabby ass seemed less like a fashion statement, and more like a lack of effort. Just as you were about to leave, a noise grabbed your attention. Max's started to groan indecipherably, she was definitely attempting words but for whatever reason it just wasn't happening. Then, just as her breaths started becoming short, a loud pop filled the air, followed by a delicate clatter. Immediately, Max let out a gasp of relief, her belly drooping lower in her lap, spilling out just a little more than it had already, now no longer confined by its denim prison. With that, she went straight back to feasting, and you decided to leave her to it. [[There wasn't going to be any more excitement for today.|LB-2]]

You found Maya in one of the booths, munching away at a more than hearty-sized lunch. But as you sit down to chat, you notice she'd unbuttoned her shirt, belly hanging free. "Oh, uh, yeah... my suit was getting kinda tight. ...a-and I would've changed out into something else, honest. But I didn't know where to look, so this was the best I could do." She leant forward to reach another plateful of food, causing her bloated stomach to press into the booth table, squeezing out a sharp belch before grasping a plate and slumping back into a more comfortable position. Having retrieved a stack of pancakes, she gave her belly a tender rub along where it dug into the table as she shoved forkfuls of syrup coated pancakes into her hungry mouth. Her body had become puffy and soft all over, making her look a little like a marshmellow. Her arms and legs were rounded, deep creases forming along her joints, a gentle collar of fat beginning to form around her neck, and a delightfully soft second chin along with it. None of this seemed to slow her however, as she continued tearing away at the stack with silent fervour. It was pretty clear she wasn't going to be interested in talking right now. [[So, quietly, you slip away to attend to other things.|LB-2]]

You approach Max at her table. "Hey Max, found any good bands recently?" No response, she's too absorbed in her food to even register your presence. Not that you're really that surprised, you've seen the effect the additive had on your customers, why would Max be any different. Might as well listen to some tunes while you're here though, you think. You go to sit at her table but upon reaching the table, you realise the lack of a spare chair. You look around for a moment, puzzled. There were definitely two chairs for this table... Upon closer inspection, there were. They hadn't gone anywhere. It's just that Max was using both to form a makeshift bench for her titanic ass. Even then, its great wobbling mass threatened to fill both in the coming future. You pull up another chair from a neighbouring table anyways, and stick in your earphones. Max's constant grazing: the crunching, slurping and grunting drowned out any sound your dweeby buds could hope to muster. Though just as you considered leaving, there was a brief pause. Max stopped stuffing herself and, for just a second, you thought you'd be able to listen uninterrupted. However that hope was immediately shattered by an earsplitting belch. Max let out a short sigh of relief before quickly returning to eating. She'd piled her tray high to save her the extra trips, though at her current pace, she'd probably go back for at least one or two refills before lunch was over. Watching her you notice what her diet's done to her. Her face had grown soft and pudgy, fluffy arms squeezed savagely by long-outgrown sleeves. Despite swapping already sizeable shredded jeans for an even larger baggy tracksuit, any slack that it used to have was quickly filled by the rising tide of flesh. It only took a few clumsy, waddling strides for the waistband to slip down and expose her belly, or leave half her ass hanging free, though that didn't exactly happen often since she didn't do that much walking anyways. You decide that the music wasn't worth the effort, and stick your earbuds back in your pocket in defeat. [[It was a shame, but the alternative was much more fascinating.|LB-2]]

You attempt to strike up conversation with Maria, but she quickly brushes you off. "Sorry $PlayerName , I'd love to chat," She nods downwards to her armfulls of food. "but I'm a little preoccupied right now." You let her go, scurrying off to wherever she was off to. [[She was really enjoying this.|LB-2]]

You were wondering what Katie was up to, however after a quick glance around the diner, you realise you couldn't find her at all. So, curiosity unsated, you decide to explore the diner a little, see if you could work out where she'd gotten to. No sign of her in the main seating area. Nor was she in the storeroom. You also weren't convinced she'd even fit in the clearning supplies cupboard at this point. That just left the kitchen. You made your way behind the countertop and approached the kitchen entrance. Rounding the corner you catch a glimpse of a bright white light illuminating part of the wall. You knew that light. It was the kind fitted on the inside of the refrigerator units. Getting closer, you notice a number of empty icecream tubs strewn across the floor. Reaching out your hand, you grasp the handle to the open door and push it shut, silencing the whirr of the refrigerator fans working on overtime. That was when you started hearing noises coming from just out of view behind the fridge units. It wasn't anything loud, but it was distinct. Grunts, snorts, wet slopping noises and the odd deep, guttural belch. You take a few steps, round the corner. [[And you're met with an unimaginable sight.|ChatKatie-6-2b]]

You don't even have to look around to figure out where Nadia had set herself down. All you needed to do was follow the noise. And this time, it led you to the far corner of the diner, where Nadia had just barely squeezed herself into a booth seat. Her oceanic hips meant that her entire side of the table was filled with rolls of clammy lard, her breasts taking up a considerable amount of the table space too, her grease-smeared cotton vest top doing very little to keep her dignified. But it was clear that dignity wasn't a priority. As you approached, the noises became more distinct. The chewing, the grunting, the moans. Mumbling became words, not exactly coherent sentences, but they were definitely attempts to make verbalise something. As you sat down across from her, she had her greasy lips wrapped around a hotdog smothered in a landslide of sauces, almost as much of it spilling over onto her hands and cheeks as was making its way into her bottomless pit of a stomach. With each mouthful, she let out a deep primal grunt, her eyes wandering lazily around the table to find the next thing to fill herself with. In what seemed to be an attempt to make up for the lost table space, Nadia seemed to have not only piled what room was left even higher than usual, but also made use of her cleavage as makeshift storage as well. Burgers and cakes sat precariously all over her expansive chest, or was nestled snugly within her canyon-esque cleavage. With the last scrap of hotdog devoured, Nadia's mouth was left unobstructed for her gluttony fuelled, free-associative burbling to flow forth. Between belches and groans, she attempted to say something to you. "H-uuuuooORRRP -ey $PlayerName sorry I- hic - didn't see you..." Her words trailed off as her hands scoured the table for something new to feed herself. "Unf, I would've said hi earlier but -urp- I was so hungry. By the time I'd finished eating I'd uh... forgot." Her words trailed off as she slid a fistful of french fries into her mouth. You didn't respond. There wasn't any use in it, because it was obvious it was going to fall on deaf ears. She'd melted into a lethargic puddle of sweaty, hedonsistic flab. Her entire existence had become dedicated to food, moaning almost erotically with each filthy mouthful. It was entrancing. even thinking about it made you feel a little hot under the collar. [[But you couldn't stare forever.|LB-2]]

You don't bother distracting Maria this time, it was obvious she was already making herself very, very busy. So, instead, you decide to sit back and watch her do her thing. She moved alarmingly fast, resorting to anything short of vaulting over tables, zipping back and forth from the kitchen to the diner space, hauling her usual trayfuls of increasingly heavy foodstuffs for the others to gorge on. Unusually, she wasn't really trying to hand-feed anyone today, just stockpiling. She did seem to have a more intent look on her face today, maybe she had something in mind this time? <<if $AdditiveEaten == true>>Looking at all that food though, it did make your stomach growl something fierce. For a second, you consider taking something from the pile yourself. But no, you thought, that could wait. [[Well, for a short while at least.|LB-2]] <<else>>[[Guess she's got something bigger in mind?|LB-2]] <</if>>

Just as you were on your way to bed, you caught something out of the corner of your eye. It was your reflection. But there was something different about it this time, a certain je ne sais quoi. Maybe not the weight - though it couldn't exactly be said that you were going to stop growing any time soon - but instead how you carried it. Thinking about it, you did feel like you were getting more comfortable with your ever expanding frame. Instead of trying to place one foot in front of the other, awkwardly mashing your fluffy thighs past eachother, you waddled proudly, swinging your hips back and forth, sending the rest of you into fits of aggressive jiggling. Belts were a thing of the past, if your belly didn't fit inside the clothes, it hung free and exposed. Lovingly, you watched your reflection as you squeezed and kneaded your plush body, watching how it jiggled and sloshed, rose and fell. You didn't see anything to be ashamed of, you were fat, very fat infact, and just as, if not more, happy. Infact, your little act of self love kept you hypnotised for quite some time, it was only when you heard your phone buzz that you realised you'd been stood fondling yourself for just over half an hour. [[Oops. Time to get some sleep.|Morning]]

Tonight was going to be an early night, you decided, today had been long and tiring. You clean yourself up quickly, change into your nightwear, and get comfy. But something didn't feel quite right. The blankets were right, temperature was perfect, but still you felt a little off. You wriggle a little bit before you realise that your clothes were sitting pretty tightly across your squishy frame. Looks like that plan of yours to cut back on junk food had fallen through. Actually, to be fair, you weren't trying to enforce it in the first place, so what did you expect? Oh well, the damage had been done, not really anything you could do about it now. Well there were a few things, but that didn't exactly sound fun. [[Besides, you couldn't exactly do any of that right now.|Morning]]

Just as you get ready to head to bed, you hear a slight grumbling noise come from your midriff. "Today must've been tougher than I realised," You think to yourself, "because damn I'm hungry." Something modest, nothing too heavy, maybe some toast or an apple? The complaintive grumbles from your stomach seemed to answer that question with an insistent "Both", with the aches of hunger being persistent as they were, you figured there was no harm in complying just this once. Thankfully, it appeared to hit the spot perfectly. [[Perfect, time for bed.|Morning]]

Today was a bit more hectic than others, best get some shuteye and prepare for tomorrow. You take off your work clothes, shower, and slip into your pyjamas. But just as you go to leave the bathroom, you catch yourself in the mirror. "Oh my god." You exclaim. "What happened here?" You turn to one side, giving yourself a clear profile view of your body. The sight gives you quite the shock. Your belly was distended and round, jutting out beligerently under the layers of soft cotton. "I guess I overdid it a bit at lunch today. Damn, I didn't realise it was this obvious though..." You mutter under your breath, rubbing at the mound, seeing how it responded to pressure. It had a layer of squishiness to it, but a good deal of it refused to yield to your hand, indicating that you really had just eaten that much. You should probably start cutting back seriously sometime soon, but it'd be a lie if you said you didn't enjoy getting yourself into this mess. [[Maybe a night's sleep would provide some clarity.|Morning]]

After a brief struggle, you finally manage to squeeze your titanic ass through the bedroom door. You stagger from the momentum, causing your gelatinous body to undulate aggressively, almost causing you to topple over. Just as you're taking a breather, you feel an all-too-familiar gurgling sensation in the pit of your stomach. By now, it was almost routine, and you knew you only had a matter of minutes before you'd relent. Hastily you waddle towards your bed. Each step felt heavy and precarious, heaving your immense body across the room was made significantly harder by the low light and the ocean of wrappers, napkins and other snack food detritus strewn across the floor. Finally, you reach the bed and flop onto the matress. The impact causing your bed frame to scream under the gargantuan strain. For a moment, you think you're in the clear. That the hunger went away by itself. You sit up and try to catch your breath, grunting and huffing after the arduous trek from the sofa to your bed. But your optimism was clearly unfounded, as it was barely moments before your thoughts began to turn towards the spare bag of chocolate at the foot of the bed. "Well... I've earned it really." You think. "It takes a lot of energy to move a body this huge, so this chocolate would be just to keep my strength up." You say as your pudgy hands clasped around a large bag of chocolate chips. "Don't want to waste away now, do we?" You continue to tell yourself as you reach for another family-sized bar of milk chocolate. You continue shovel chunks of the stuff into your ravenous maw, each one accompanied with an excuse lazier than the last until eventually you gave up with the pretense of restraint entirely. You were perfectly content, scarfing mouthuls of thick, luxurious chocolate, guzzling away until you finally felt the beginings of a food coma setting in. Chewing slowed, eyelids drooped, and finally, you fell into a deep sleep. [[You slept fat and happy that night.|Morning]]

You stumble into the bedroom, your swollen belly swaying back and forth. Although you hate to admit it, as soon as you got home you flung open the fridge and filled your face with whatever was within arms reach. It wasn't even clear whether it was hunger anymore, it was almost like a lust to feel full. Feeling it starting to catch up with you, you slump on to the bed and creak yourself on to your back, hands cradling a taut, globe-like gut, stroking it, soothing it, and eventually, playing with it. Feeling its weight shift as you push it around. You hadn't made these kinds of stuffings part of your routine long enough for it to really start to impact your figure, but you could tell that if you continued to adore this sensation as much as you did right now, you'd be the size of a whale by the end of the year. Though, you thought, was that really a bad thing? If you were this fascinated with your belly now, imagine how great it'd be when it was this round all the time? Slowly, you find your eyelids drooping, rocked to sleep by images of indulgence and excess. [[You smile at the thought, and pass into a deep sleep.|Morning]]

Katie, or at least what you assumed was Katie, was slouched in the corner with a tower of pint tubs, scooping dripping fistfuls of half-melted icecream into her mouth. She was insatiable. Pudgy hands shovelling all kinds of flavours into he gluttonous maw, sucking and slurping away at her bloated fingers between scoops before smearing the leftovers on what you assume was supposed to be her shirt. Her monstrous gut laid bare on the cold tile floor, spilling outward like a wave of pale, clammy flesh, smeared with the remains of vanilla, chocolate, the really nice strawberry flavour that you saved for customer birthdays, and all kinds of god-knows-what flavours of sorbets. Although vastly dwarfed by the main event that was Katie's gargantuan belly, the rest of Katie's body stood as a (barely) walking monument to her astonishing eating habits. The legs that used to carry her soaring across track and field with ease were now quivering and shapeless, spilling out on to the floor; arms - once supple and lithe - now clumsy and puffy; chins and neck converging into a singular doughy collar, dripping with much the same mess as the rest of her. There was no sense of decency, no concept of restraint, just... ...just pure, unfettered greed. There was no way you'd be able to separate her from her hoard, and there was much hope of getting her on her feet, even if you did have any proper muscle mass. [[So, you chose the easy option and leave her to it.|LB-2]]

<<switch random(1, 3)>> /*1 for clear sky, 2 for rain, 3 for heat*/ <<case 1>> As you shut the door behind you, you were met with the bright warm light of the sun. A breeze was blowing, just barely enough to make a sound. You walk to work in relative peace. [[What a pleasant start to your day.|startloop]] <<case 2>> Shutting the door behind you, you're immediately lashed with a cold spattering of rain. It was a miserable trek to work, each gust of wind kicked more spray into your unwitting eyes. [[At least you were relieved to get indoors.|startloop]] <<case 3>> It was a cold morning. Your breath made clouds of vapour and the grass was still shimmering with frost. It was uncomfortable, but you felt quite a bit more awake having faced the chill. [[It was such a relief to get into the warm.|startloop]] <<default>> Something went wrong, keep moving and message the dev. [[Oops.|startloop]] <</switch>>

<<if $AdditiveEaten == true>> <<if $PlayerWeight <= 20>> You wave back and rush out to meet her, slumping into your aunt's arms for one of her famously smothering hugs. You cherish the moment but all of a sudden you're lurched out of it by a loud gurgling noise from your stomach. Ignoring it, you continue to squeeze as much comfort as you could out of this moment, but eventually it gurgles again, though considerably louder louder this time. "Have you been eating alright $PlayerName ?" Donna asks, prying you off of her to eye you up and down. "I've not heard a stomach rumble like that in ages. Come on, lets get inside and you show me around quick, then you can tell me more after you've had a bite to eat hm?" <<else>> You wave back and waddle out to meet her. You push the front door open, and squeeze your ass through the frame. Last time you saw her in person, you were just a twig of a thing, so your newfound immensity was probably quite a shock to her. After a labourious trudge down the pavement, you finally reach speaking distance. "Well this is quite the surprise $PlayerName , I always had you pegged as a scrawny little thing." She opens her arms for a hug and, quite exhausted, you collapse into her. "Looks like I was wrong, just a matter of environment I suppose." She stroked your head tenderly, just like she used to when you were barely as tall as her knee, and you felt all your worries dissolve. The moment, however, was cut short when your stomach decided to make a gurgling noise so loud you could feel it physically shaking you. "Oh ho ho, speaking of." Auntie Donna started, "How about you show me what you've done with the place and then you can grab yourself a bite to eat?" <</if>> She had a point. Despite your best attempts to feed yourself this morning, it felt like you'd hardly eaten at all. It could wait a little bit, you thought, but you'd definitely need to do something about it before shifts started. [["You want to follow me inside auntie?"|End-G1]] <<else>> You wave back at her and rush out to meet her, leaping into her arms for one of her famously smothering hugs. <<if $PlayerWeight <= 4>> She stumbles back a little at the impact, guffawing loudly as she did. "Ho ho well look at you $PlayerName , get a load of you. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were starting to look like me!" Donna laughed, slapping her leg in amusement at her own remark. You regain your balance and release your poor aunt from the embrace, blushing more than a little at her comments. <<else>> "Well that certainly is a welcome party." She guffaws as she crushes you into her bosom, her decepitvely muscular arms holding you in a vice-like grip for a few moments before releasing you. You gasped for air a second to regain your composure. <</if>> "How was the trip auntie?" You say, "Anything fun happen?" "Oh nothing really, it was a lovely place but it was really quite boring actually." She moaned. "But I did win these in a game of poker on my last night though..." She pulled back the neck of her blouse to reveal a densely packed golden necklace, its jewels clattering and glittering in the morning sun. "Not bad eh?" Donna said, tucking it back into her clothes. "No, not at all." You reply, dumbfounded at the woman's extravagance. "Anyway, no use dilly-dallying out here all day, let's see how you've been looking after the place while I've been gone." She said before barrelling past you towards the front entrance. <<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> [[You just about manage to keep pace with the juggernaut of a woman.|End-11]] <<else>> [[Desperately you rush to catch up with her.|End-01]] <</if>> <</if>>

Before you turn towards matters of your own food, you hear something that catches your attention. It was a combination of quiet whimpering noises and hushed whispers, barely loud enough to hear, but distinctive enough to tell that you weren't hearing things. Curiosity piqued, you put lunch on hold for the time being and follow the noise to its source. To no-one's surprise it didn't take long. After all, the diner wasn't exactly full of hiding spots. But what you found definitely gave you pause. <<if $MaxAssign == 1>> Maria was kneeling on the floor next to Max, tenderly caressing her exposed gut. The added pressure causing her to let out whimpers and moans as the touch alleviated some of the tension of her bloated gut. Clearly, she wasn't quite full enough. Max started reaching for another bite to eat, only for Maria to give her a quiet reassurance and reach for the food herself and bring it up to the glutton's lips. She'd then resume her position and continue to grope and massage Max's gut as it continued to fill even further. It was almost tender, the eagerness yet delicacy with which Maria handled herself. If it wasn't for the fact that she was groping a woman in broad daylight that is. <<else>> <<if $NadiaAssign == 1>> Maria had parked herself in a chair next to Nadia, one hand on her exposed belly, squeezing and massaging it as she let out quiet gasps, whimpers and moans; the other hand grasping at more food to ferry into Nadia's drooling mouth, holding it just out of reach until she started looking agitated at which point Maria would let her have it. It was impressive, the weird blend of tenderness and perverse intensity Maria was exhibiting. She was so attentive and sensitive, but that was heavily overshadowed by the fact that she was openly groping a woman's gelatinous stomach in a public space. <<else>> You find Maya flat on her back, limbs splayed out as her massive gut pinned her to the floor, groaning as Maria ran her hands up and down the bulbous mass. As you got a little closer to Maya you noticed the remains of food smattered all over her face and shirt, but most surprising was the dull-eyed grin creeping across Maya's face as Maria whispered to her about how big and heavy she'd gotten, something between pride and gentle arousal. Maya mumbled something to her under her breath and Maria crept around to the space between Maya's legs. Maria seemed to struggle for a moment as she tried to jam her fingers in between the strings of the waistband knot, pulled tight by the immense weight from the gut it tried to contain. You hear an exasperated gasp of relief as Maria fell on to her back. Maya's gut wobbled as it slumped further downwards between her legs. Maria sat and watched it heave and undulate, utterly fascinated. Another mumbled grunt came from Maya and Maria resumed her squeezing and caressing like before, her touch was tender but firm. You considered interrupting them, that it wasn't appropriate to be doing this on the diner floor during work hours. Then again, you were closed for a break, and they weren't near any windows, so you figured it wasn't doing any harm to let them have their fun. <</if>><</if>> [[Better leave them to it and deal with your own lunch.|LB-Self]]

Again, you hear a quiet kerfuffle coming from somewhere nearby. And again you decide to investigate. It was even quicker finding them than last time, in part because it was you knew what to expect. But also they were louder this time. Quite a bit louder. <<if $KatieAssign == 1>> Katie was squeezed precariously into a booth seat, belly smooshed tight against a table piled high with all kinds of hot and heavy foods. On the other side was Maria, clambering over the tabletop, fork in hand. Making sure Katie's mouth was filled at all times, and softly squeezing her puffy cheeks in between. You'd be tempted to say it was weird to spend your lunch feeding someone else, but both of them seemed to be perfectly content as they were. Infact, Katie seemed pretty enthusiastic, opening her mouth obediently in anticipation whenever Maria grabbed another forkful. Not wanting to intrude, you turn back around and leave them to it. <<if $AdditiveEaten == true>>You'd be lying if you said you weren't a little jealous though.<</if>> <<else>> <<if $MayaAssign == 1>> You find Maya flat on her back, limbs splayed out as her massive gut pinned her to the floor, groaning as Maria ran her hands up and down the bulbous mass. As you got a little closer to Maya you noticed the remains of food smattered all over her face and shirt, but most surprising was the dull-eyed grin creeping across Maya's face as Maria whispered to her about how big and heavy she'd gotten, something between pride and gentle arousal. Maya mumbled something to her under her breath and Maria crept around to the space between Maya's legs. Maria seemed to struggle for a moment as she tried to jam her fingers in between the strings of the waistband knot, pulled tight by the immense weight from the gut it tried to contain. You hear an exasperated gasp of relief as Maria fell on to her back. Maya's gut wobbled as it slumped further downwards between her legs as Maria sat and watched, fascinated. Another mumbled grunt came from Maya and Maria resumed her squeezing and caressing like before, her touch was tender but firm. You considered interrupting them, that it wasn't appropriate to be doing this on the diner floor during work hours. Then again, you were closed for a break, and they weren't near any windows, so you figured it wasn't doing any harm to let them have their fun. <<if $AdditiveEaten == true>>Something within you was deeply curious about how it'd feel to let loose and pig out just that hard. Unfortunately you didn't really have the opportunity right now.<</if>> <<else>> Maria had parked herself in a chair next to Nadia, one hand on her exposed belly, squeezing and massaging it as she let out quiet whimpers and moans; the other hand grasping at more food to ferry into Nadia's drooling mouth, holding it just out of reach until she started looking agitated at which point Maria would let her have it. It was impressive, the weird blend of tenderness and perverse intensity. She was so attentive and sensitive, but there was no way around the fact that she was openly groping a woman's stomach in full view of everyone else. <<if $AdditiveEaten == true>>Something within you wondered what it'd be like to receive that kind of attention. Not that you had the gall to ask for it though.<</if>> <</if>> <</if>> [[Better leave them to it and deal with your own lunch.|LB-Self]]

<<if $AdditiveEaten == false>> As was pretty much routine by now, you heard the muffled sounds of giggles, this time coming from the storage room. You looked around, wondering which member of staff Maria had sequestered herself with. But, try as you might, you just couldn't work out where anyone else was. Maybe she'd taken both of them? It'd make sense honestly, why choose to have your way with one when you could have both? [[A wise choice.|LB-Self]] <<else>> However, your thoughts were cut short by a noise coming from the kitchen. As per usual, you went to investigate, and, just as expected, you found Maria scooping up armfuls of leftovers. Your eyes meet and you see her hesitate for a moment. "Uh, you um, you are cool with this right?" She says. "I wouldn't want to-" "No, no it's fine Maria, I'm not going to stop you." Your words put her instantly at ease, but after a moment's thought, you see a new look cross her face. One more playful, coy even. "Say $PlayerName ~ " She purrs, southern drawl in full force. "Would you like to uh..." Maria nods towards her arms full of food and gives you a suggestive look. [[Decline politely.|LB-Maria-6b]] [[Nod silently.|LB-Maria-6a]] <</if>>

"Sorry Maria, but I- uh, I think I'm good" You say, trying your best to sound polite. "I'd rather do it myself you know." "No, that's ok," She responds, totally unperturbed, "...besides, I've got another one waiting for me out there anyway." And with that, she vanished off to somewhere else, letting out a sultry giggle as she went. [[...anyways.|LB-Self]]

"Ok," She chuckles, taking a step towards you. "and what exactly did you have in mind?" "Uh, I uh-" Words evade you as she unloads the food onto the countertop. "Could you uh-" Words fail you, but Maria seems to understand all the same. She clasps a hotdog in her hands and brings it to you, watching you eagerly as you open your mouth instinctively. "Go on, it's all yours $PlayerName ." You feel yourself slowly leaning further and further forward until you wrap your lips around the sausage and take a bite. With the tear of the bun and the splitting of the hotdog, you feel a wave of catharsis rush through you, eking its way out as a quivering whimper. You chewed the mouthful slowly, wallowing in the delerious high of the moment as Maria brings the remainder of the hotdog to your lips. Slowly you made your way down the hotdog, tenderly chewing away at each mouthful with Maria's purring encouragements caressing your ears. As you finish the first, she turns away to pick up something else, but between the buzz of anticipation and the mind-numbing blend of positive stimuli, you feel your knees buckle, causing you to slide down the cabinet behind you to the cold tiled floor. Seeing you in your predicament, Maria let out another intoxicating chuckle and knelt down on the floor infront of you. She raises another hotdog to your mouth, and before she could even say "open wide" you'd already slid your mouth half-way down it. The second hotdog was gone in a fraction of the time of the first, the third even quicker, then the fourth, fifth... [[It wasn't long before you lost count completely.|LB-Maria-6a-2]]

Next came the burgers, which were a little more awkward than the hotdogs, but that couldn't stop you from taking bite after bite of thick and heavy meat. You noticed yourself whimpering and mewling as Maria pushed each new item into your increasingly greasy mouth, or running her surprisingly delicate hands through your hair. Then, just as you finished the last mouthful of what could've easily been the sixth burger, a sudden sense of discomfort tugged you back to reality. "Uurrrghh..." you moan, the combination of grease-filled cheeks and the addictive high of all this attention left you unable to fully vocalise what the matter was. "UUuooofff" "Ohh, someone feeling a little full?" Maria was with you in a heartbeat, kneeling closer to you than before. "It's ok, I know something that'll help..." She quickly put her hands to work, slipping them under your waistband and unhooking the buttoned fly, letting your distended gut settle, hanging free, <<if $PlayerWeight >= 20>> "You know, I've been itching to do this for a while actually." She whispers, sinking her hands into your doughy gut. "I just knew you were sneaking food during shifts, and watching you grow bigger and bigger, slower and slower..." She leans in and runs her hand down your face, resting under your chin, squeezing playfully at the doughy layer of fat that had built up around your once slender jaw. Then, with her other hand, she pressed your shoulder backwards, nudging you to suggest laying back on the floor. Fully surrendered at this point, you shuffle forwards and slump back on to the floor, limbs splayed out like a blubbery starfish, your monstrous gut pinning you to the floor, sloshing back and forth like a beanbag full of cottage cheese. Just about able to tilt your head down toward yourself, you try and glance at whatever Maria had decided to do next. She'd straddled your gut like a saddle, her entire body weight practically indistinguishable from that of your own belly, hands kneading away like a cat making its bed. It felt so good. Her hands sunk deeper, her legs began to squeeze and writhe as well, your breaths become short and sharp as she started to rock back and forth, your body moving in turn like a human waterbed. You felt something building up inside you. Each squeeze eeking it closer and closer to the surface, a warm and heavy sweat starting to bead on your forehead. Something within you was screaming to get out. "You ok down there?" Maria said, concerned by your sudden breathlessness. You nod, and her worries dissolve, her hands pressing just that bit further, her body moving just that little bit more, that searing sensation inside you becoming almost unbearable. [[Until...|LB-Maria-6a-2a-2]] <<else>> "Seems like you're a little new to this, huh $PlayerName ?" Maria remarks, sliding her soft hands back and forth over the bloated globe that your belly hand become over the past half hour "Well I suppose we've all got to start somewhere right?" You felt like you were beginning to lose grip on reality, you were already pretty out of it after being stuffed to the gills, but the pleasant squeezing of your desperately packed stomach tipped you over the edge into a mumbling idiot. "Oouugh, yeah, that's- urp- more of that..." you manage to mumble. A few more groping squeezes, and you felt the discomfort subside a little and your thought begin to clear. It took a few seconds to fully regain your bearings, but Maria readily helped you onto your feet again. "Oh man, that-" you struggle to gather the words, for a second "-that was unreal. Oh my god." "I know, and somehow-" Maria steps closer to you again, her body pressing into yours and placing her hands around your gut "-somehow it's even better when it's my boss. We could even make this a regular thing, you know?" "Perhaps I should add it to your job desciption?" You say, running your hands playfully along her arms. She giggled, enticed by your forwardness. It was then that your phone let out a loud ping. It wasn't for anything important, but you were suddenly made very aware of the time. Or rather, the lack thereof. You'd have to cut the moment short, the evening shift was going to start picking up soon. [[There could be a next time though...|End of Day]] <</if>>

BUUOOOORRRRP The noise shook the room, not to mention yourself. But now the pressure had been relieved, and you felt yourself regain the ability to think clearly again. You look down at your belly, expecting to see Maria still astride it, but to your surprise she wasn't there. Confused, you pry yourself into an upright position. It took a bit of effort, well, a lot actually, but you managed to get yourself upright before too long. Maria was flat on her back, apparently having fallen off at some point. Most likely the earthshaking belch, but you weren't cognisant enough at the time to make any conclusive judgements. Starting to get concerned, you shuffle over to her to see if she was ok. Again, it took a considerable amount of effort to haul yourself towards her, but you finally managed to get yourself in a position to see how she was. She was fine, not even dazed. But as soon as your eyes locked, she started to snicker. You couldn't help but chuckle too. Then snickers became giggles, and giggles emerged into full bodied laughter. Before you knew it, the pair of you were guffawing like idiots. You helped eachother to your feet, shaking with laughter the whole time. "Oh man, I was'nt expecting that." She says. "Me neither." You say, "You're ok though right?" "Totally. As large as this thing is," She says, patting your gut, "I don't think it's big enough to need a guard rail." "Yet." She winks. It'd be a bit of struggle to keep your thoughts in check, but there wasn't much left of the work day left now. [[Should be just about doable.|End of Day]]

"That all?" Donna remarked, "Oh good, I'll be back to check up on you some time in May, but until then, I'll wish you all the best. Sayonara!" With that, the call ended. You always forgot just quite how eccentric she was, but underneath the bravado you knew she was doing it out of love. It was early December now, so she'd be back in something like five or six months. Better make her proud in the mean time. [[Speaking of, it was time to get to work.|event1-4]]

"What is it dear?" [["How do you handle the stress?"|event1-2a]] [["How come I have to repair this place myself?"|event1-2b]] [["How come I had to hire my own staff?"|event1-2c]] [["Actually I think that's everything."|event1-3]]

"Stress? Hmm that's a tough one." She mumbled. "It's been a long time since I struggled with that kind of thing, but I think what helped me was taking joy in everyday things." "How so?" "The morning dew, a good sunset, birdsong, that kind of thing." She paused for a moment. "Or cute girls, that one always worked for me." Duly noted. [["Anything else dear?"|event1-2]]

"Ah, well I'm sure you realise I retired a while ago now." She says. "Life simply got ahead of me and I had to let the place go. It was only recently that I even had time to think about the place." "But then why leave it with me?" "Oh I don't know dear. I thought maybe it could make for a bit of life experience for you, but then again, maybe I should have given it a bit of a spruce up before handing it over." [["Anything else dear?"|event1-2]]

"I couldn't exactly call up my old staff nowadays dear, they've all moved on." She said, a twinge of sadness in her voice. "Besides, I'm sure you've made yourself quite the team without my help." [["Anything else dear?"|event1-2]]

<<if $E4 == 3>> [[Well, that's all done.|LunchTimeStart]] <<else>> <<if $E4A == false >>[[Clear the tables.|event4-3A]]<</if>> <<if $E4B == false >>[[Plate up the pizza.|event4-3B]]<</if>> <<if $E4C == false >>[[Clean up the spillage.|event4-3C]]<</if>> <</if>> <<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> <<set $AdditiveFactor to 1.6>> <</if>>

<<set $E4A to true>> <<set $E4 to $E4 + 1>> <<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> You grab a tray and start stacking the dirty glasses and plates. There's a lot more than you were expecting. Stacking the plates on the tray starts to feel a little too precarious, so you decide to make two trips of it. You try and wade through the customers to the kitchen, but for whatever reason, they don't react to your presence until you need to push them out of the way - politely of course, you weren't going to start throwing hands with your own source of income - but it definitely made things harder. The return trip was largely the same, though at least this time you knew what to expect. [[Now, what's left?|event4-2]] <<else>> You grab a tray and start stacking the dirty glasses and plates. There's quite a few things to carry, and it starts to feel a little precarious, but after gritting your teeth and wading through the crowd, you're in the kitchen before you know it. [[Now, what's left?|event4-2]] <</if>>

<<set $E4B to true>> <<set $E4 to $E4 + 1>> <<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> You slide a spatula underneath the pizza and usher it on to the serving plate for someone to take it away to a table. Curiously, you notice the order it's taken away with seems like it'd be for a large family but instead it's only going to a lone couple. Huh, weird. No point judging them though, they're the ones payng yur bills. [[Now, what's left?|event4-2]] <<else>> You slip a spatula underneath the pizza and usher it onto the serving plate. Within seconds, it's whisked away to a table. [[Now, what's left?|event4-2]] <</if>>

<<set $E4C to true>> <<set $E4 to $E4 + 1>> Someone must've spilled their drink earlier, because a small puddle of fizzy orange liquid was beginning to coagulate with the dirt on the floor. You grab a mop and start soaking up the stuff, trying to avoid knocking into customers as you worked. Now that the puddle had been dealt with, the tiles that were underneath it were arguably cleaner than they were before. Whatever the drinks companies were putting in their product, it must be powerful stuff. It was a little concerning. But if it was that bad they wouldn't sell it, right? Right? [[Anyway, what's left?|event4-2]]

<<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> Sat waiting for you were a man and a woman. Both of immense proportions, fat bodies spilling out over the table, as well as eachother. Flesh merging with sweaty flesh, as they gradually marched their way through the piles of food they'd amassed. You smiled politely as you set down the plates, the couple hardly acknowledging your presence outside of a nod and a stifled burp. You withdrew to the safety of the countertop, having to wade through some of the patrons on the way. <<else>> You approach the booth and set down the food infront of the hungry customers. It was a man and a woman, the woman being a good foot taller than her partner. As you placed the plates down on their table, they turned to thank you. You smiled politely and withdrew quickly to the safety of the countertop. <</if>> [[Looking back across at them, it struck you.|event5-5]]

<<if $AdditiveUsed == true>> You needed to squint a little, and even then the semblance was only slight. But if you were guessing correctly, they were the first customers you served by yourself. They were barely recognisable though, each of them easily weighed more than their combined weight last you saw them, and then some. Their sweet, lovey-dovey demeanor had caved, single-minded hunger filling in its wake. They belched and grasped for a new morsel, sometimes even right out of eachother's hands. <<else>> You served that couple just a few months ago. They were your first actually, now that you think about it. How quaint. It was nice to know you had regulars, especially a couple so sweet. And you could tell they were regulars, because the both of them were looking pretty well-fed, for the lack of a better term. They could hardly keep their hands to themselves, surreptitiously caressing eachother's curves and rolls at every chance they'd get. They seemed happier in their current state, if anything. <</if>> In a weird way, it put things in perspective as to how far you'd come. [[Makes you wonder what the future had in store for you.|LunchTimeStart]]

<<if $FreeLunch == true>> Despite presumably also having consumed some of the Unesca additive, your staff members managed to keep themselves fairly composed during work hours. You could tell they were flagging towards the end of certain shifts. They'd start eyeing up their orders, losing their train of thought as they caught wind of smells from the kitchen, but thankfully they managed to hold it together while the customers were still in. [[Just about.|event5-3]] <<else>> There were some days where the customers got more ravenous and impatient than usual, but your staff had seemingly learned to take it in their stride. It was unfortunate that sometimes the patron's lack of manners extended to the occasional impolite word, but thankfully those incidents were few and far between. [[They'd rather be fed sooner than start any arguments over the matter.|event5-3]] <</if>>

You'd have struggled to imagine this life a year ago. That sofa surfing waster struggling to make ends meet for their degree wouldn't have been able to conceive that they'd not only have a stable job, but one with responsibilities at that. It was kinda wild. [[So far it'd been pretty fun though.|event5-3]]

You both walk in silence, not entirely sure what to say to eachother as you walk down the path toward your home. Upon reaching the front door, you fumble nervously with your keys and kick the door open. You try to be courteous and step aside in the cloakroom to let Maria enter the hall first, but very quickly you realise your mistake when she tried to pass you, getting you both wedged in the tight confines of your own house. It was a little humiliating, but the sudden, intense contact definitely wasn't getting any complaints from either of you. "So, um make yourself comfortable," You say, gesturing to your sofa, "I've just got a couple of things to sort out still." [[You lumber into the kitchen to fetch your laptop.|MariaEvening1]]

You slump down into your chair, open your laptop and boot up your spreadsheets. <<set $MonthSpare to 250 * ($DinerRating * $DinerQuality) * $AdditiveFactor>><<set $MonthSpare to Math.trunc($MonthSpare)>><<set $MonthEarnings to 2.5*$MonthSpare>><<set $$MonthEarnings to Math.trunc($MonthEarnings)>><<set $TotalSpare to $TotalSpare + $MonthSpare>><<set $TotalEarnings to $TotalEarnings + $MonthEarnings>> So far this month, the diner took in a total of: $MonthEarnings G which, after wages, bills, taxes and other various expenses, you're left with $MonthSpare G to invest back into the business. [[You could open the marketplace.|MariaShop]] [[Or you could cut to the chase.|MariaEvening2]]

Current funds: $TotalSpare G <<if $RepairsPending == 0>> All your refurbishments have been dealt with. <<else>> There's some refurbishments you could pay a handyman to deal with: <<if $RepairsArray[0] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 840>> [[Repaint the diner. 840G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 840 ; $RepairsArray[0] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Repaint the diner. 840G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $RepairsArray[1] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1060>> [[Replace light fixtures. 1060G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1060 ; $RepairsArray[1] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Replace light fixtures. 1060G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $RepairsArray[2] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 2500>> [[Redecorate bathrooms. 2500G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 2500 ; $RepairsArray[2] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Redecorate bathrooms. 2500G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $RepairsArray[3] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1250>> [[Replace broken chairs. 1250G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1250 ; $RepairsArray[3] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Replace broken chairs. 1250G.">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $RepairsArray[4] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1800>> [[Fix tiles in the kitchen. 1800G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1800 ; $RepairsArray[4] to 1 ; $RepairsPending to $RepairsPending - 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Fix tiles in the kitchen. 1800G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <</if>> <<if $UpgradeLevel == 5>> There are no more improvements for you to buy. <<else>> The storefront also has a general furniture and salvage page which offers: <<if $UpgradesArray[0] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 2400>> [[A light up front sign. 2400G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 2400 ; $UpgradesArray[0] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "A light up front sign. 2400G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $UpgradesArray[1] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 2800>> [[Expanded seating options. 2800G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 2800 ; $UpgradesArray[1] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Expanded seating options. 2800G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $UpgradesArray[2] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1400>> [[Self-standing chalkboard. 1400G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1400 ; $UpgradesArray[2] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Self-standing chalkboard. 1400G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <</if>> <<if $UpgradesArray[3] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 1500>> [[Decorative artwork. 1500G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 1500 ; $UpgradesArray[3] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Decorative artwork. 1500G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> <<if $UpgradesArray[4] == 0>> <<if $TotalSpare >= 900>> [[Menu boards. 900G|MariaShop][$TotalSpare to $TotalSpare - 900 ; $UpgradesArray[4] to 1 ; $UpgradeLevel to $UpgradeLevel + 1]] <<else>><<linkreplace "Menu boards. 900G">>You don't have enough money for that.<</linkreplace>><</if>><</if>> [[Log off.|MariaEvening2]]

You clap the lip of the laptop shut and get up from your seat. Slowly, you waddle towards the front room, hands clammy with anticipation. "Hey Maria, I'm- um- I'm all done." You say, fumbling your words a little. She looks up at you, setting down her phone. "Ok." She chuckles. "And what exactly did you have in mind?" "Well I was thinking," You say, stepping closer to her, "you could come upstairs with me." "And?" Maria stood up and walked slowly towards you. "We could continue where we left off at lunch." She reached out her hands and placed them on your doughy stomach, running her fingers tenderly up and down over the fabric of your cruelly strained shirt. [["Sounds good to me."|MariaEvening3]]

<<set $Time to $Time + 1>> Morning came, as it always seems to do, and although you definitely spent much too little of last night asleep, you felt lighter than air. You look around to reorient your thoughts and find Maria sprawled out over your body, snoring like a sawmill. Softly, you nudge her awake and you both sleepily rise from the bed and get ready for work. Maria seemed to take particular delight in watching you struggle with you clothes, only offering to help after watching you wrestle with the stuff for a good few minutes. Fully dressed, you descended the stairs and found something or other to chew on before heading out to work. [[It was nice to have company this time.|startloop]]

The stairs creak and moan under your combined weight as you climb the stairs, one leaden step at a time. Reaching the top of the stairs, you grasp the bedroom door handle and push it open. Maria follows after you, nudging the door closed behind her, shutting with a firm "clunk" and leaving you both in near total darkness, only barely able to make out the very vaguest of outlines in the gloom. An electric shiver ran down your spine as you felt Maria's hand brush yours, her fingers grasping and stroking lazily at your own. Your hand closed around hers, giving her a gentle tug as you begin to lead her across the floor of your room to your long-suffering bed. With how slowly you were moving, it would have made for a long and silent walk, however the crinkling of plastic wrappers underfoot did spoil the mood somewhat. "This place is a mess." Maria chuckles. "I've been busy ok?" You retort, lamely. "You can say that again-" She says as you feel her hands swiftly slip around your waist and grab your sagging belly rolls. You gasp at the sudden cold sensation, but that only seems to spur her on. A devious, husky giggle slipping past her lips. Slowly, she gropes and massages your heaving gut, shaking it, raising it and letting its own heft drive it pounding into the rest of your body. "Having- huff- fun there? Haaaahhh..." You mumble, eeking out frantic words between excited gasps. "Definitely. Now, I'd consider asking you the same," Her voice deepens to a raspy purr as she begins to slowly crawl her hands down the sides of your gut. ", but I think I already know the answer." You felt weaker than ever, slumping forward onto the bed, hands propping you up as your knees quivered, legs jiggling and undulating in anxious anticipation as her hands continued to slip lower, and lower. [[And lower...|MariaEvening4]]

You grasp her hand firmly before it could slip any further, leading her around your side and pressing her onto the creaky mattress. It was as if your hands moved of their own will, tugging at the rugged flannel of Maria's shurt. She loosens the buttons of her shirt for you, since you clearly weren't in the headspace for fine motor control and smiled up at you. Or at least you think so, it was hard to tell in this light. Anyway she guided your hand to her waist and you immediately knew what to do, repaying every cloying squeeze with at least a dozen of your own. What started as gentle caresses became groping, which in turn became lazy, adoring kisses. From that point on, your thoughts only grew more clouded as the potent cocktail of both desire and being desired sent the two of you spiralling into a long night of loud, clumsy passion. [[It was was a miracle the bed was intact by the morning.|MariaEveningFollowup]]

You lumber back through the door again, Donna following closely behind. You lead her around the building, huffing and gurgling as you went, trying your best to keep your thoughts on the task at hand. <<if $RepairsPending == 0>> <<if $UpgradeLevel == 5>> "Well I be damned $PlayerName ," Donna started, "you've really done this place up. Well done, I'm very proud of you." <<else>> "Damn good job $PlayerName ," Donna started, "you cleaned this place up something proper. Good job." <</if>> <<else>> "Not bad $PlayerName ," Donna started, "I'll be honest I didn't exactly hand it over in the best shape, maybe I should've given you some help sorting this place out before passing it over." <</if>> She pauses, lost in thought for a moment. "Oh yes I should- Sorry $PlayerName , you go grab something to eat, I've just got something I need to check on. I'll be right back." [["Oh um, ok."|End-G2]]

But before you could catch up with the woman, she'd already burst through the door and was surveying the place. <<if $NadiaAssign == true>> "Wait $PlayerName is that your aunt?" You hear Nadia splutter. "Uh, yeah, sorry she'd come to check in on us." You say under hushed breath, keeping an eye on Donna at all times as she ran her hands over any surface she could, slapping the occasional piece of furniture as she went. "Yes, she's just as mad as she seems, don't question it, she's lovely really." <</if>> You gesture to the other staff that it's ok, there wasn't any cause for alarm, and they seem to relax a little. <<if $RepairsPending == 0>> <<if $UpgradeLevel == 5>> Donna waddled back over to you and snatched your wrist, pulling you into a ferocious handshake. "I dare say you've done a damn good job here $PlayerName , here I was thinking you youngsters were just a bunch of layabouts." She grins mischievously. "Oh don't look so sour, I'm only making fun." <<else>> Donna sauntered up to you, looking around and nodding. "Good work $PlayerName , you've fixed this place up something proper. I daresay I left this place a bit of a tip, thanks for cleaning up my mess." <</if>> <<else>> Donna wandered about the place and then back to you. "I mean it's still a little worse for wear, but you lot have kept it awfully clean. And that's the important thing. Can't be having dirty counters, at least not until service has started ey?" <</if>> "Now, I know money is an ugly subject, but can I ask how things are going with bookkeeping?" <<if $TotalEarnings >= 50000>> [["Oh, um sure auntie, right this way."|End-02-2]] <<else>> [["Ok sure, follow me."|End-02-1]] <</if>>

She burst through the door and started surveying the building with a business-like frown on her face. Running her hands over countertops, knocking on cabinets, rattling tables, even sitting on the booth tables. But before you could catch up with the woman, she'd already burst through the door and was surveying the place. <<if $RepairsPending == 0>> <<if $UpgradeLevel == 5>> After looking sufficiently pleased, Donna waddled back over to you and snatched your wrist, pulling you into a ferocious handshake. "I dare say you've done a damn good job here $PlayerName , here I was thinking you youngsters were just a bunch of layabouts." She grins mischievously. "Don't look so dour, I'm only making fun. You've done an excellent job." <<else>> Donna sauntered up to you, looking around and nodding. "Good work $PlayerName , you've fixed this place up something proper. I daresay I left this place a bit of a tip, thanks for cleaning up my mess." <</if>> <<else>> Donna wandered about the place and then back to you. "I mean, it's still a little worse for wear, but you lot have kept it awfully clean. And that's the important thing. Can't be having dirty counters, at least not until service has started ey?" She laughs, giving you a playful slap on the back. <</if>> "Now, I know money is an ugly subject, but can I ask how things are going with bookkeeping?" <<if $TotalIncome >= 68000>> [["Oh um sure, yeah follow me."|End-12-2]] <<else>> [["Oh yeah, sure. Follow me."|End-12-1]] <</if>>

<<if $PlayerWeight <= 20>> You saunter off to the kitchen, grab yourself a heaving plate of leftover spaghetti and lug it over to one of the booths. <<else>> You waddle off to the kitchen, grab yourself a heaving plate of leftover spaghetti and lumber back over to a table to set it down on. <</if>> Off in the distance you heard the door to the storage room click open, but that was hardly important to you right now. You dig in, delicately at first, making sure to twirl your fork in the pasta to make it easy to fit in your mouth, but after a few mouthfuls you could tell your hunger was still outpacing you. Carefully loaded forkfuls were quickly replaced, electing to use the fork more like a shovel than anything, slurping and sucking on loose strands of saucy pasta, smattering your face with specks of red. The storage room door clicked open again, followed by a heavy sigh, but again you paid it no mind, nothing was going to distract you from the task at hand. Your stomach was growing more impatient still, you could feel yourself hunching forward towards the plate, minimising the distance for your fork to travel, smooshing you monstrous gut into the table. Eventually you hit a point where you decided that the fork was nothing but glorified middle management, and instead chose to eat straight from the plate, dignity be damned. <<if $FreeLunch == true>> The front door swung open and the rest of the staff came lumbering in, wheezing and belching with every step, eyes dulled by hunger. At this point they only showed up to work because they knew it came with exorbitant amounts of free food. <</if>> Then, you suddenly became aware of a large shadow towering over you. You look up to see your aunt Donna. She's holding a slip of paper in one hand with the Unesca logo on it, and an expression somewhere between fear and pity on her face. "Oh dear oh dear, I'm sorry $PlayerName I really should've warned you." She sighs, stroking your head. "I'll sort this mess out, don't you worry." You couldn't really make sense of what she was on about, not that you were really trying that much, your focus was mainly on merging your face into the mound of pasta infront of you. [[You weren't good for much else at this point anyway.|End-G3]]

Over the next week, Auntie Donna took it upon herself to take on managment of the diner. <<if $FreeLunch == true>> She contacted some of her old staff and roped them in to help keep the place running while she looked for fresh hires, making sure that no Unesca products ever crossed you or your coworker's lips ever again. Of course, with the impact they already had on your metabolism, keeping you all fed was a full-time job. An expensive one too, so Donna still made use of it to keep customers coming. Not as liberally as you were using it though, just enough to keep money flowing. <<else>> She quickly rallied your staff around her, saying that you'd right royally screwed up and that she was going to be taking over for the forseeable future. <<if $MariaAssign == true>> When it came to mentioning the role of making sure you were fed, Donna was concerned she'd have to find someone else to do the task. But, at the mere mention of hand feeding, Maria immediately elected herself for the role. Donna was a little baffled by her eagerness, but if it saved her the trouble then who was she to complain? There was nothing you had to do except allow yourself to be fed, Maria's tender hands rubbing your bloated cheeks while you grunted and belched. <<else>> Since nobody was particularly forthcoming about wanting to keep you fed, Donna decided to call in for extra help. You, of course, had no idea about any of this. All you knew was that you were sat on the floor of the storage room, fat sprawling across the floor all around you, as you were kept full and happy like a prize, hand-reared pig. A pair of nameless hands made sure you were never left wanting, feeding you around the clock. Or, on the vanishingly rare occasion that you weren't gripped with desperate hunger, squeezing and kneading your swelling mountain of a gut, massaging the tension until a rattling belch surfaced and your usual ravenous appetite returned. <</if>><</if>><<if $FreeLunch == true>> It was hard to say you hadn't left an impact during your stay as a manager. Over the course of just over half a year, you'd reduced yourself, your staff and the local public to nothing but wobbling, useless gluttons. The town kept functioning, but only barely, developing an infamy in the surrounding counties for bloated waistlines, and a near constant obsession with stuffing their greasy faces. <<else>> It was hard to say you hadn't left an impact during your stay as a manager. Over the course of just over half a year, you'd reduced both yourself and the local public to nothing but wobbling, useless gluttons. The town kept functioning, but only barely, developing an infamy in the surrounding counties for bloated waistlines, and a near constant obsession with stuffing their greasy faces. <</if>> [[Hey I said it was an impact, I say it was a good one.|End-G4]]

Ending G: Don't get high off your own [S]upply. Thank you for playing my game! Would you like to try again? [[Restart|Initialise]]

"Well I-" Donna stammers, closing the book caerfully. "I don't know what to say $PlayerName , I'm dumbfounded. You've made my old diner look like a damn lemonade stand." She turns to you and gives you a powerful but almost reverent handshake. "You young ones never fail to amaze me. It took me years to even approach that kind of income stability, in fact it only really got that good after I..." Her words trail off as a look of suspicion crosses her face. She gestures for you to stay put and Strides off towards the storeroom, and for a few minutes you're left in an awkward silence. This was a side to Auntie Donna you've never seen before. Her bravado and bluster had shed, revealing a sharp and serious side to her that, up until now, you had no idea even existed. Then, the storeroom door swung open, Auntie Donna stood in the frame. "I mean, that explains some of it at least. $PlayerName you sly dog! I had you pegged as quite a schemer in your youth but this? This is borderline cutthroat!" She walks over to you and places her hand on your shoulder. You weren't quite sure what she was on about, but it seemed to have her more than a little shaken. "I'd only left that damn barrel in there because I couldn't find a place to dump it, I didn't expect you to actually use that stuff." She was talking about the Unesca additive wasn't she. "Hey listen auntie, I didn't think it'd do that at first, honest!" "But you kept going once you figured it out, didn't you?" "I- I uh..." You stumble over your words, a cold sweat beading on your forehead. "Well it was.. I?" "Listen $PlayerName , you don't have to explain anything. That thing wouldn't have been left there if it wasn't for me." It was then that your coworkers showed up. <<if $FreeLunch == true>> They heaved and lumbered through the doorframe in single file. There was already a risk that any one of them would wedge themselves on the frame, two or more would be a guaranteed human traffic jam. Donna looked on, eyes wide with a stunned expression. "Oh good lord you gave it to your staff as well." "Um, yeah, kinda?" You stammer. [["It was an accident. ...at first."|End-13-2]] <<else>> Auntie Donna immediately sprung to life, dropping all current thoughts to greet the fresh faces. [[You looked on in awe as she returned to her regular charismatic self after such a serious exchange.|End-13-1]] <</if>>

"Well well well." Donna says, closing the book. "I didn't have you pegged as an accountant but this book keeping is mighty fine. You even paid your taxes for heaven's sake! For legal reasons I do have to say that was a joke." She slips you a near imperceptible wink and laughs heartily, slapping her thigh at her own joke. "I must admit I'm impressed $PlayerName , your cashflow is really quite healthy. It took me a long while to get that kind of income stability, in fact it only really got that good after I..." Her words trail off as a look of reminiscence crosses her face. She gestures for you to stay put and walks off towards the storeroom, and for a few minutes you're left in an awkward silence. Then, the storeroom door flung open, Auntie Donna stood in the frame, bellowing with laughter even more than she did at the notion of tax fraud. " $PlayerName you sly dog, you! I had no idea you were so unscrupulous!" She lumbers over to you and slaps you heartily on the back. "I'd only left that damn barrel in there because I couldn't find a place to dump it, I didn't expect you to actually use that stuff!" She was talking about the Unesca additive wasn't she. "Hey listen auntie, I didn't think it'd be that extreme of an effect, I just thought it'd be like aspartame or something, honest!" "And what about when you noticed the effects kicking in? How come you didn't stop then?" "I- I uh..." You stumble over your words, a cold sweat beading on your forehead. "Well it was.. I?" But try as you might, you just couldn't come up with a reason that sounded legitimate. "Hey hey hey $PlayerName slow down. You don't have to explain yourself to me." Donna says, placing a firm hand on your shoulder. "How do you think that stuff got there in the first place after all?" Huh. You'd never even stopped to consider that. "I know what that stuff can do for your bottom line. If you know what I mean eh?" Again, she erputed into another bout of laughter. She was doing that a lot lately. It was then that the rest of your coworkers showed up. <<if $FreeLunch == true>> They heaved and lumbered through the doorframe in single file. There was already a risk that any one of them would wedge themselves on the frame, two or more would be a guaranteed human traffic jam. Donna looked on, eyes wide with a stunned expression. "Oh good lord you gave it to your staff as well." "Um, yeah, kinda?" You stammer. [["It started as an accident."|End-13-2]] <<else>> Auntie Donna immediately sprung to life, dropping all current thoughts to greet the fresh faces. [[Sometimes she really did make you wonder how she kept a business running for several decades.|End-13-1]] <</if>>

"Oh hello there!" Donna cried out to them. They, in turn, all looked to you with a combined expression of bafflement and fear. <<if $NadiaAssign == true>> "Um $PlayerName is- is that your-?" You hear Nadia splutter. "Uh, yeah, sorry she came over to check in on us." You say under hushed breath, "Yes, she's just as mad as she seems, just give her time to get to know you, she's lovely really." "Oh uh ok." Nadia said, clearly still a little apprehensive after all the insane stories you'd told her. <</if>> "It's so lovely to see all you young things working so hard. Thank you for taking such good care of this place, I can tell it's in good hands." She slowly made her way through everyone, learning their names and sharing stories about this that and the other. <<if $MariaAssign == true>> Maria looked at her in awe at Donna's sheer presence - both physical and personality-wise - until the titanic woman decided to pull Maria into one of her famous hugs, crushing her face into her chest and leaning back till her feet left the floor. Eventually she released her, sending poor Maria stumbling backwards, gasping for air and face flushed red. <</if>> Donna decided to stay the whole day, even offering to help during the very busiest hours. Her and your coworkers got on like a house on fire, cracking jokes back and forth for the length of the full service. Until the day finally came to a close. <<if $TotalEarnings >= 68000>> "Good lord I forgot how exhausting this line of work could be..." Donna sighed. "I need to get going soon but before I go..." She slips you a small, unlabelled, black book. "If things are going the way I think they are, you'll probably make better use of this book than me." She shoots you a wink before giving you one last back-breaker hug and striding off down the pavement. What a bizarre woman. You watch her saunter off into the night before looking down at the book she'd placed in your hands. Feeling a little curious, you open it. It's full of numbers. Some named, some not, but you could tell by the delicate handwriting that they were all very important. [[Things were about to get interesting...|End-F4]] <<else>> "Oh me oh my $PlayerName , what a day. It was lovely to catch up, but I'm exhausted. I think I'll be heading home now, but before I go..." She hands you a slip of paper. It has a number written on it in very tidy handwriting. "You'll probably want to give that number a ring before that barrel runs empty, if you catch my drift." You nod silently and slip it in your back pocket. "I would wish you luck..." [["... but something tells me you don't need it."|End-E4]] <</if>>

"Wait, at first?" Donna blurted out. "You mean-?" You nod sheepishly. "They still manage to get their work done." You add. "It's just a matter of keeping them happy." "Well, I'm a little shocked at you to say the least. I'd wager this violates a whole laundry list of safety and labour regulations." She says, turning to you shaking her head pensively. "But knowing some of the things that happened under this roof, I'm in no place to judge you. How about you introduce me anyway?" You do your best to get your coworkers to greet Auntie Donna, but they quite frankly weren't in the headspace for it. <<if $MariaAssign == true>> Except for Maria that was. Despite everything, she remained totally unchanged. "Hello Maria. I'm sure $PlayerName has mentioned me before, I'm Donna. I used to run this place." Donna said awkwardly, trying to ignore the elephant-sized issue in the room. "Hey." "I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how come you're not like..." She gestures cautiously to the wheezing mountains of fat behind her. "Well, the rest I suppose." "Oh, I uh, I bring my own lunch. Once you spend so long working around certain types of food you get a little bit sick of the sight of them, you know?" Donna chuckles and nods along. "Ah yes, I remember the feeling. I worked in a pizzeria for a year before starting this place up, and after that I simply couldn't touch the stuff." She paused for effect. "Still sold it though. Apparently it was pretty good too." Maria giggled, prompting Donna to continue to continue to regale her with stories for a while. <</if>> Eventually, the first shift of the day began, and as if a switch flipped in their brains, everyone else heaved themselves to their feet and set themselves up at their respective stations. You and Auntie Donna both sat back and watched service proceed like clockwork. Very heavy, clumsy clockwork, but if work was getting done, you weren't one to complain. Lunch came around and again Donna watched in silent awe as your coworkers inhaled a near comical amount of food before tugging themselves back upright to finish the evening shift. Finally, the day ended and they all made their way home through the way they came, again in single file. You start tidying up in preparation for closing, Donna lending a helping hand where she could and pretty soon you were ready to call an end to the day. <<if $TotalEarnings >= 68000>> "Good lord I don't even know what to say after that." Donna sighed. "I need to get going soon but before I go..." She slips you a small, unlabelled, black book. "If things are going the way I think they are, you'll probably make mcuh better use of this book than me." She shoots you a wink before giving you one last back-breaker hug and striding off down the pavement. What a bizarre woman. You watch her saunter off into the night before looking down at the book she'd placed in your hands. Feeling a little curious, you open it. It's full of numbers. Some named, some not, but you could tell by the delicate handwriting that they were all very important. [[Things were about to get interesting...|End-F4]] <<else>> "My word $PlayerName , what a day. It was lovely to catch up. I definitely feel like I've uh... learned a few things about you, shall we say? But after all that I'm exhausted. I think I'll be heading home now, but before I go..." She hands you a slip of paper. It has a number written on it in very tidy handwriting. "You'll probably want to give that number a ring before that barrel runs empty, if you catch my drift." You nod silently and slip it in your back pocket. "I would wish you luck..." [["... but something tells me you don't need it."|End-E4]] <</if>>

She was right, your aunt. Of all the things in the world, the least you needed in those coming months was luck. The money flowed like water, and soon your little diner became the main supplier of foodstuffs to the local working population. Eventually all other vendors shut up shop and moved out to more competitive areas, only accelerating the process. Thankfully you had more than enough money on hand to expand the building to accommodate. Nothing dramatic, just a couple of extensions, widened doors, a few more staff. Oh, and reinforced furniture. That was probably the biggest investment. From then on, life was easy. You had every working adult in a five-mile literally eating out of the palm of your hand. All you had to do these days was check the books, make the occasional phone call, and watch your hard work pay off. [[Safe to say you were pretty damn pleased with how things turned out.|End-E5]]

That little book contained more than you could have ever imagined. It had emails for suppliers, phone numbers for compromised politicians, contacts for companies that weren't even officially registered. All immensely sketchy, but also undeniably effective. The next year went by in a flash. First you opened a second branch, then came a third, pretty soon you had a diner for every named town in the county. Dealings with Unesca became a formality. Bribes became a regular occurence for any suspect inspectors or journalists that came sniffing about. It was never enough to buy their total silence, but by the time they'd burned through wad of cash you gave them, you'd already dug your greasy tendrils into the local community so deeply that not even the strongest exposé of the century could depose you. As influence grew outwards, so too did your consumers. You could tell which towns had a local Donna's just by walking down the street. Everywhere you looked, the people around you were growing. And growing, and growing. Wider, flabbier, the widest variety of shapes, but all of them large. After you'd set up a shop nearby, they'd be unrecognisable in a matter of weeks. Grunting, jiggling, wheezing pigs, the lot of them, all their money flowing into your bulging purse. You wanted for nothing, and business was so easy it almost felt like cheating. But you'd gotten a taste for growth. Well, that part was obvious, half your day was spent watching fatties waddle about. That wasn't quite the full story though, you liked the sensation of growing influence, the feeling of power it gave you. And soon, with a little bit of luck, you'd ne ready for the next stage of your plans. [[You'd be going international.|End-F5]]

Ending E - Local Influence Thanks for playing my gam[E]! Would you like to try again? [[Restart|Initialise]]

Ending F - Expansionist Philosophy Thanks for playing! Would you like to [T]ry for a different ending? [[Restart|Initialise]]

"Well well well." Donna says, closing the book. "I didn't have you pegged as an accountant but this book keeping is mighty fine." Silently, Donna leafed through the pages, nodding to herself and muttering things silently to herself. Then, as she reached the final page, she delicately shut the cover and turned to you with a bright look in her eyes. "I must admit I'm impressed $PlayerName , your cashflow is really quite healthy. It took me a long while to get that kind of income stability. You might just be a natural." She pauses for a moment as a thought crosses her mind. "Hold on, just let me check something. Don't worry it'll only take a moment." She gestures for you to stay put and walks off towards the storeroom, and for a few minutes you're left in an awkward silence. Then just as you were considering going after her, the door to the storeroom swung open. "Ignore me, I was mistaken." She says, pulling the door shut behind her. "But while it's fresh on my mind, you may want to burn that barrel before any health inspectors come sniffing. Trust me on that one." The awkward atmosphere was then cut by the sound of your coworkers arriving. <<if $FreeLunch == true>> They all greeted you with a smile, waddling through the door in single file because, by now that was the only way they were fitting. "Well well well $PlayerName what have we here?" Donna says, smiling heartily. "You didn't tell me your staff were so..." She struggles with her words for a few seconds, trying to find the best one for the moment. "...so adorable! Oh you're so precious, the lot of you!"<<else>> They all greeted you with a smile, and quickly got ready for work at their stations. "Oh $PlayerName you simply must introduce me." Donna exclaimed, clapping her hands with excitement. "I had no idea you'd hired such cute little things to work for you."<</if>> <<if $PlayerWeight >= 4>> [[And just like that she waddled over and started introducing herself.|End-D3]]<<else>> Not wanting to disappoint, you lead Donna after you to greet everyone. [["Sorry to interrupt everyone, if it's ok with you, there's someone who I'd like you to meet."|End-C3]]<</if>>

Donna leafs silently through your documents, nodding at times, shaking her head at others. "Well, I suppose it could be worse..." She mumbles under her breath. "You're doing your best $PlayerName , and everyone's wages are doing just fine, that's the important part. But my word I didn't realise you were cutting your own pay to finance some of this stuff, are you sure you're doing ok?" "Uh yeah, I think so." You say. "I'm happy with things as-is, I don't really worry about money as long as I can afford my bills." "That's awfully noble of you $PlayerName , but I'm worried you aren't cut out for this line of work." She says, placing her hand on your shoulder. "I'd hate to think I've saddled you with a proverbial white elephant here." She had a point. You weren't quite in the mood to make any final decisions, but it certainly gave you food for thought. It was then that your coworkers arrived. <<if $FreeLunch == true>> They all greeted you with a smile, waddling through the door in single file because, by now that was the only way they were fitting. "Well well well $PlayerName what have we here?" Donna says, smiling heartily. "You didn't tell me your staff were so..." She struggles with her words for a few seconds, trying to find the best one for the moment. "...so adorable! Oh you're so precious, the lot of you!" [[And just like that she waddled over and started introducing herself.|End-B3]] <<else>> They all greeted you with a smile, and quickly got ready for work at their stations. "Oh $PlayerName you simply must introduce me." Donna exclaimed, clapping her hands with excitement. "I had no idea you'd hired such cute little things to work for you." Not wanting to disappoint, you lead Donna after you to greet everyone. [["Sorry to interrupt everyone, if it's ok with you, there's someone who I'd like you to meet..."|End-A3]] <</if>>

"Hello you lovely lot!" Donna exclaimed. "I don't know if $PlayerName has warned you about me already, but I'm Donna." Everyone looked at her with an expression of baffled fear. "You know, that Donna?" She said, pointing to the massive logo painted on the nearby wall. "I ran this place before you lot were even born." <<if $NadiaAssign == true>> "Oh wait yeah hi!" Nadia exclaimed. "Sorry, I'm not really awake yet. $PlayerName 's been telling me all about you." Donna's face lit up upon hearing those words. "Good things I hope?" She laughed. <<else>> A look of recognition crossed their faces. Donna smiled, clearly happy to have at least some form of legacy. Soon, they all got chatting about this, that or the other, just icebreaking really. <</if>> "Ah, you lot are so sweet. Mind telling me your names? Something tells me I might have to come back here every now and then," She chuckled, "and it'd be perishingly rude to not get to know you all properly." <<if $KatieAssign == true>>After exchanging names. Donna took one long hard look at Katie and smiled. "You remind me of a friend of mine. She's a professional weight lifter, real beefcake of a woman. Are you much of an athlete Katie?" "Oh uh, well I used to run a lot, but um..." Katie figets and tugs at her shirt. "Not so much nowadays." "There's no shame in that my dear. I'm sure you can already tell, but I gave up on exercise long ago." She laughed, slapping her belly. "Can't stand the stuff. I always felt utterly miserable afterwards, so I never bothered keeping it up for that long. Better to enjoy yourself I say." Katie smiles at her words, relieved to be around someone on her own wavelength.<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == true>>Donna turned to Max, brow furrowed. "Tell me dear, you're not one of those punks I've been hearing about are you?" She said, gesturing to Max's provocatively goth attire. Max sputtered and quivered, lost for words at Donna's sudden shift in tone. Honestly, so were you. She basically never frowned unless she was under immense pressure. "It- it's just my wife is a huge fan of the stuff." Donna continued, "and I could never make head nor tail of it myself. You couldn't explain it in terms this old bat can understand could you?" Max's face instantly lit up. "You're asking me for advice?" She said, barely containing her enthusiasm, bouncing up and down, sending her tightly bound thighs in to excited bouts of shaking and rolling. Donna's frown melted away, instantly replaced by one of her famous smiles. "Yes my dear Max that would be most helpful." She said, "If it's not too much trouble of course." The two of them exchange words for quite a while, making notes, checking phones, exchanging numbers and such until they seemed to hit upon an agreement whereupon they exchanged an echoing high-five.<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == true>>"So you've heard a few things about me eh?" Donna says as she approaches Nadia. "Um yeah." Nadia replies. "$PlayerName told me about some of your trips abroad." "Well," Donna says, "I'm sure you've found the photographs I left about. There's quite a story behind to each of them." "Actually, there is one I wanted to ask you about..." Nadia says, a little hesitant. "Fire away my dear." "So, um, what happened with the cheerleading team?" Instantly a look of recognition crossed Donna's face. "Ah, yes. Them. Well, after so many news items, I started getting quite friendly with them. We were all about twenty something at the time - I dropped out to start up the business, and they stayed on for higher education - so it was really quite easy to get along and after so many press events we really started to hit it off. Before long they graduated and were looking for their first proper job and I was their first port of call." Donna pauses for a moment, trying to formulate the sentence in her head. "Then, shall we say, we all got a little too comfortable around each other? Word got out long ago about my proclivities for... certain types of women. We were all very friendly with eachother so mix that all together during a particularly warm summer and it all escalated from there." Lost in thought for a moment, Donna's gaze wandered off to one side before she shook herself back to reality. "Well, um, I hope that answered your question Nadia. I'll be honest I wasn't expecting to go down memory lane today." Nadia looked back with a dumbfounded expression and nodded silently. <</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == true>>Then, she turned her gaze toward Maya. "Now, I do hope I'm not being to forward here dear," Donna says. "But I have to say I do love a woman in uniform." Flattered, Maya blushes and lets out a nervous giggle. "Honestly I'd wear one myself if I had the chance." Donna continued, eyeing up Maya's rather large proportions "I really hope this doesn't come off as rude, but I didn't know you could get suits made at that size. You couldn't point me in the right direction could you?" "Oh no not at all." Maya said, still a little rosy around the cheeks. "I can get you a number to call if you'd like. They're not incredibly cheap mind you." "Don't worry about that dear, I think I'll survive." Maya exchanges the details with Donna, all the while Donna making remarks and compliments about material choice, fit, hems, words you didn't even know how to say. The whole while, the poor girl was redder than a stop sign, grinning like an idiot at the constant positive affirmation. She'd definitely taken a shine to your aunt, and vice versa.<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == true>>Last was Maria, who was looking up at Dona with admiration and awe. "Hello dear, and what might your name be?" Donna says, sidling up to her. "I- it's Maria ma'am." "Please, just call me Donna, there's no need to be so formal." "Oh um, sorry Donna, I'm just a little nervous, you know?" Maria says, fidgeting with her hands. "Nervous?" Donna exclaimed, "What's there to be nervous about dear?" Maria continues to fumble her words so Donna decides that the best course of action was to clasp her in one of her back-breaking hugs. You could hear Maria's muffled screams as she weas crushed into Donna's ample bosom, but they seemed to fall on deaf ears. Eventually Donna decided to release her captive, sending her stumbling backwards, face flushed red and gasping for air. "That help at all dear?" Donna laughed, "I do find a good hard squeeze makes for the best of introductions." "Huh yeah," Maria wheezed, "That's one way of putting it."<</if>> "Well $PlayerName , now that introductions are out of the way, I think it's best we talk through a couple of things, hm?" Yes, you thought, perhaps it was. Donna takes you aside and sits down in one of the booths by the front window. Her face is serious, but not stern. It wasn't exactly clear how this was going to play out. "Now, I know I said things weren't exactly going well for you here." She starts. "And in terms of finances I still stand by that." "Oh, I see..." You respond, but before you could continue Donna brushes you off and continues talking. "But... I think it's pretty clear you're all really happy here." She says, smiling ear to ear. "I mean look, you wouldn't see a sight like that in a sub-par diner." She gestures behind her to your coworkers. "I'm not sure I follow..." "I'm saying if you were really all that bad, your staff wouldn't be so huge. Clearly you're doing something right if even your own staff have plumped up like christmas turkeys." She had a point. Maybe it was just a matter of getting a better grasp of finances. The merchandise was good enough to hold its own, so really it must only be held back by some messy managerial choices. <<if $PlayerWeight >= 5>> You knew first hand how tempting your products could be.<</if>> "I'll give you a hand with a few things just in the short term, but in all honesty..." "[["I think you'll do just fine by yourself."|End-B4]]"

"Hello you lovely lot!" Donna exclaimed. "I don't know if $PlayerName has warned you about me already, but I'm Donna." Everyone looked at her with an expression of baffled fear. "You know, that Donna?" She said, pointing to the massive logo painted on the nearby wall. "I ran this place before you lot were even born." <<if $NadiaAssign == true>> "Oh wait yeah hi!" Nadia exclaimed. "Sorry, I'm not really awake yet. $PlayerName 's been telling me all about you." Donna's face lit up upon hearing those words. "Good things I hope?" She laughed. <<else>> A look of recognition crossed their faces. Donna smiled, clearly happy to have at least some form of legacy. Soon, they all got chatting about this, that or the other, just icebreaking really. <</if>> "Ah, you lot are so sweet. Mind telling me your names? Something tells me I might have to come back here every now and then," She chuckled, "and it'd be perishingly rude to not get to know you all properly." <<if $KatieAssign == true>>After exchanging names. Donna took one long hard look at Katie and smiled. "Oh Katie you remind me of someone I knew back when I was but your age." She says, whistfully. "She looked just like you, Julie was her name. She used to run for the county, a real athlete if there ever was one. It was a real shame, she ended up twisting her ankle before a major competition and her greaseball of a coach blamed her. Dropped her on the spot." Katie whimpered a little at the news, clearly a little distraught at the news. "Oh but it wasn't all bad though. She ended up working here for a spell while she hunted for a new coach. Ended up packing on a few pouds, probably my fault actually... But anyway now she's an international powerlifter."<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == true>>Donna turned to Max, brow furrowed. "Tell me dear, you're not into those rock musics are you?" Max sputtered and quivered, lost for words at Donna's sudden shift in tone. Honestly, so were you. She basically never frowed unless she was under immense pressure. "It- it's just my wife is a huge fan of the stuff." Donna continued, "and I can never work out which albums to buy for her. You couldn't point me in the right direction could you?" Max's face instantly lit up. "You'd like music recommendations?" She said, barely containing her enthusiasm. Donna's frown also melted away, instantly replaced by one of her famous smiles. "Yes my dear Max that would be most helpful." She said, "If it's not too much trouble of course." The two of them exchange words for quite a few minutes, making notes, checking phones and such until they seemed to hit upon an agreement and they exchanged an echoing high-five.<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == true>>"So you've heard a few things about me eh?" Donna says as she approaches Nadia. "Um yeah." Nadia replies. "$PlayerName told me about some of your trips abroad." "Well," Donna says, "I've got a few new ones to share if you're listening." Nadia nods enthusiastically and Donna immediately launches into describing her latest escapades. Camel racing, black market poker games, fencing matches with a Russian oligarch, the list went on and on, eventually ending by showing off the half-ton necklace she'd wedged into her cleavage.<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == true>>Then, she turned her gaze toward Maya. "I do hope I'm not being to forward here dear," Donna says. "But I do love a woman in uniform." Flattered, Maya blushes and lets out a nervous giggle. "Honestly I'd wear one if I had the chance." Donna continued "But I'd probably have to find a custom tailor at my size, and I wouldn't even know where to start when comes to picking out the materals. I could probably make it work if I had the time, but until then I'll have to make do with cuties like you." Donna gave Maya a playful pat on the shoulder, before turning to check her bag. The poor girl was redder than a stop sign, and grinning like an idiot. She'd definitely taken a shine to your aunt, and vice versa.<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == true>>Last was Maria, who was looking up at Dona with admiration and awe. "Hello dear, and what might your name be?" Donna says, sidling up to her. "I- it's Maria ma'am." "Please, just call me Donna, there's no need to be so formal." "Oh um, sorry, I'm just a little nervous, you know?" Maria says, fidgeting with her hands. "Nervous?" Donna exclaimed, "What's there to be nervous about dear?" Maria continues to fumble her words so Donna decides that the best course of action was to clasp her in one of her back-breaking hugs. You could hear Maria's muffled screams as she weas crushed into Donna's ample bosom, but they seemed to fall on deaf ears. Eventually Donna decided to release her captive, sending Maria stumbling backwards, face flushed red and gasping for air. "That help at all dear?" Donna laughed, "I do find a good hard squeeze makes for the best of introductions." "Huh? Oh, yeah." Maria wheezed, "That's one way of putting it."<</if>> "Well $PlayerName , now that introductions are out of the way, I think it's best we talk through a couple of things, hm?" Yes, you thought, perhaps it was. Donna takes you aside and sits down in one of the booths by the front window. Her face is serious, but not stern. It wasn't exactly clear how this was going to play out. "Now, I know I said things weren't exactly going well for you here." She starts. "And in terms of finances I still stand by that." "Oh, I see..." You respond, but before you could continue Donna brushes you off and continues talking. "But... I think it's pretty clear you've got a very nice little unit going on here." She says, smiling. "And the last thing I want to do is come in here and split that up." She scratches her head for a second, muttering some back-of-the-napkin calculations under breath before turning back to you with a devious grin on her face. "[[I think I can make this work.|End-A4]]"

"Hello you lovely lot!" Donna exclaimed. "I don't know if $PlayerName has warned you about me already, but I'm Donna." Everyone looked at her with an expression of baffled fear. "You know, that Donna?" She said, pointing to the massive logo painted on the nearby wall. "I ran this place before you lot were even born." <<if $NadiaAssign == true>> "Oh wait yeah hi!" Nadia exclaimed. "Sorry, I'm not really awake yet. $PlayerName 's been telling me all about you." Donna's face lit up upon hearing those words. "Good things I hope?" She laughed. <<else>> A look of recognition crossed their faces. Donna smiled, clearly happy to have at least some form of legacy. Soon, they all got chatting about this, that or the other, just icebreaking really. <</if>> "Oh, you lot are so sweet. Mind telling me your names? Something tells me I might have to come back here every now and then," She chuckled, "and it'd be perishingly rude to not get to know you all properly." <<if $KatieAssign == true>>After exchanging names. Donna took one long hard look at Katie and smiled. "You remind me of a friend of mine, she's a professional weight lifter, a real beefcake of a woman. Are you much of an athlete Katie?" "Oh uh, well I used to run a lot, but um..." Katie says figetting and tugging at her shirt. "Not so much nowadays." "There's no shame in that my dear. I'm sure you can already tell, but I gave up on exercise long ago." She laughed, slapping her belly. "Can't stand the stuff, I always felt utterly miserable afterwards, so I never bothered keeping it up for that long. Better to enjoy yourself I say." Katie smiles at her words, relieved to be around someone on her own wavelength.<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == true>>Donna turned to Max, brow furrowed. "Tell me dear, you're not one of those punks I've been hearing about are you?" She said, gesturing to Max's provocatively goth attire. Max sputtered and quivered, lost for words at Donna's sudden shift in tone. Honestly, so were you. She basically never frowned unless she was under immense pressure. "It- it's just my wife is a huge fan of the stuff." Donna continued, "and I could never make head nor tail of it myself. You couldn't explain it in terms this old bat can understand could you?" Max's face instantly lit up. "You're asking me for advice?" She said, barely containing her enthusiasm, bouncing up and down, sending her tightly bound thighs in to excited bouts of shaking and rolling. Donna's frown melted away, instantly replaced by one of her famous smiles. "Yes my dear Max that would be most helpful." She said, "If it's not too much trouble of course." The two of them exchange words for quite a while, making notes, checking phones, exchanging numbers and such until they seemed to hit upon an agreement whereupon they exchanged an echoing high-five.<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == true>>"So you've heard a few things about me eh?" Donna says as she approaches Nadia. "Um yeah." Nadia replies. "$PlayerName told me about some of your trips abroad." "Well," Donna says, "I'm sure you've found the photographs I left about. There's quite a story behind to each of them." "Actually, there is one I wanted to ask you about..." Nadia says, a little hesitant. "Fire away my dear." "So, um, what happened with the cheerleading team?" Instantly a look of recognition crossed Donna's face. "Ah, yes. Them. Well, after so many news items, I started getting quite friendly with them. We were all about twenty something at the time - I dropped out to start up the business, and they stayed on for higher education - so it was really quite easy to get along and after so many press events we really started to hit it off. Before long they graduated and were looking for their first proper job and I was their first port of call." Donna pauses for a moment, trying to formulate the sentence in her head. "Then, shall we say, we all got a little too comfortable around each other? Word got out long ago about my proclivities for... certain types of women. We were all very friendly with eachother so mix that all together during a particularly warm summer and it all escalated from there." Lost in thought for a moment, Donna's gaze wandered off to one side before she shook herself back to reality. "Well um, I hope that answered your question Nadia. I'll be honest I wasn't expecting to go down memory lane today." Nadia looked back with a dumbfounded expression and nodded silently. <</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == true>>Then, she turned her gaze toward Maya. "Now, I do hope I'm not being to forward here dear," Donna says. "But I have to say I do love a woman in uniform." Flattered, Maya blushes and lets out a nervous giggle. "Honestly I'd wear one myself if I had the chance." Donna continued, eyeing up Maya's rather large proportions "I really hope this doesn't come off as rude, but I didn't think you could get suits in... our sizes. You couldn't point me in the right direction could you?" "Oh no not at all." Maya said, still a little rosy around the cheeks. "I can get you a number to call if you'd like. They're not incredibly cheap mind you." "Don't worry about that dear, I'll survive." Maya exchanges the details with Donna, all the while Donna making remarks and compliments about material choice, fit, hems, words you didn't even know how to say. The whole while, the poor girl was redder than a stop sign, grinning like an idiot at the constant positive affirmation. She'd definitely taken a shine to your aunt, and vice versa.<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == true>>Last was Maria, who was looking up at Dona with admiration and awe. "Hello dear, and what might your name be?" Donna says, sidling up to her. "I- it's Maria ma'am." "Please, just call me Donna, there's no need to be so formal." "Oh um, sorry Donna, I'm just a little nervous, you know?" Maria says, fidgeting with her hands. "Nervous?" Donna exclaimed, "What's there to be nervous about dear?" Maria continues to fumble her words so Donna decides that the best course of action was to clasp her in one of her back-breaking hugs. You could hear Maria's muffled screams as she weas crushed into Donna's ample bosom, but they seemed to fall on deaf ears. Eventually Donna decided to release her captive, sending her stumbling backwards, face flushed red and gasping for air. "That help at all dear?" Donna laughed, "I do find a good hard squeeze makes for the best of introductions." "Huh yeah," Maria wheezed, "That's one way of putting it."<</if>> "Well $PlayerName , that was swell, but I think I need one last quick chat before service, if that's ok with you." "Oh, um sure." You stammer. Donna takes you aside and sits down in one of the booths by the front window. She's grinning ear to ear. "I think it's safe to say things are going quite well here, aren't they $PlayerName ?" "Yeah I suppose they are." You say, cautiously optimism starting to develop into a warm glow inside you. "I'm really starting to feel at home here auntie." "Hah that's awfully good to hear." She laughed, "But you didn't really need to tell me. I can already tell you've been enjoying yourself." "Huh?" <<if $PlayerWeight == 6>> "My dear, it's only been half a year and you're almost as big as me."<<else>> "My dear, when I left for Morocco I could pick you up with one hand."<</if>> "Well you know what they say." You respond. "Hm?" [["Never trust a skinny chef."|End-D4]]

"Hello you lovely lot!" Donna exclaimed. "I don't know if $PlayerName has warned you about me already, but I'm Donna." Everyone looked at her with an expression of baffled fear. "You know, that Donna?" She said, pointing to the massive logo painted on the nearby wall. "I ran this place before you lot were even born." <<if $NadiaAssign == true>> "Oh wait yeah hi!" Nadia exclaimed. "Sorry, I'm not really awake yet. $PlayerName 's been telling me all about you." Donna's face lit up upon hearing those words. "Good things I hope?" She laughed. <<else>> A look of recognition crossed their faces. Donna smiled, clearly happy to have at least some form of legacy. Soon, they all got chatting about this, that or the other, just icebreaking really. <</if>> "Ah, you lot are so sweet. Mind telling me your names? Something tells me I might have to come back to see you all again," She chuckled, "and it'd be perishingly rude to not get to know you all properly." <<if $KatieAssign == true>>After exchanging names. Donna took one long hard look at Katie and smiled. "Oh Katie you remind me of someone I knew back when I was but your age." She says, whistfully. "She looked just like you, Julie was her name. She used to run for the county, a real athlete if there ever was one. It was a real shame, she ended up twisting her ankle before a major competition and her greaseball of a coach blamed her. Dropped her on the spot." Katie whimpered a little, clearly a little distraught at the story. "Oh but it wasn't all bad though." Dona reassured her, "She ended up working here for a spell while she hunted for a new coach. Ended up packing on a few pounds, probably my fault actually... But anyway now she's an international powerlifter." A little intrigued, Katie nodded and pulled out her phone to search up the name.<</if>> <<if $MaxAssign == true>>Donna turned to Max, brow furrowed. "Tell me dear, you're not into those rock musics are you?" Max sputtered and quivered, lost for words at Donna's sudden shift in tone. Honestly, so were you. She basically never frowed unless she was under immense pressure. "It- it's just my wife is a huge fan of the stuff." Donna continued, "and I can never work out which albums to buy for her. You couldn't point me in the right direction could you?" Max's face instantly lit up. "You'd like music recommendations?" She said, barely containing her enthusiasm. Donna's frown also melted away, instantly replaced by one of her famous smiles. "Yes my dear Max that would be most helpful." She said, "If it's not too much trouble of course." The two of them exchange words for quite a few minutes, making notes, checking phones and such until they seemed to hit upon an agreement and they exchanged an echoing high-five.<</if>> <<if $NadiaAssign == true>>"So you've heard a few things about me eh?" Donna says as she approaches Nadia. "Um yeah." Nadia replies. "$PlayerName told me about some of your trips abroad." "Well," Donna says, "I've got a few new ones to share if you're listening." Nadia nods enthusiastically and Donna immediately launches into describing her latest escapades. Camel racing, black market poker games, fencing matches with a Russian oligarch, the list went on and on, eventually ending by showing off the half-ton necklace she'd wedged into her cleavage.<</if>> <<if $MayaAssign == true>>Then, she turned her gaze toward Maya. "I do hope I'm not being to forward here dear," Donna says. "But I do love a woman in uniform." Flattered, Maya blushes and lets out a nervous giggle. "Honestly I'd wear one if I had the chance." Donna continued "But I'd probably have to find a custom tailor at my size, and I wouldn't even know where to start when comes to picking out the materals. I could probably make it work if I had the time, but until then I'll have to make do with cuties like you." Donna gave Maya a playful pat on the shoulder, before turning to check her bag. The poor girl was redder than a stop sign, and grinning like an idiot. She'd definitely taken a shine to your aunt, and vice versa.<</if>> <<if $MariaAssign == true>>Last was Maria, who was looking up at Dona with admiration and awe. "Hello dear, and what might your name be?" Donna says, sidling up to her. "I- it's Maria ma'am." "Please, just call me Donna, there's no need to be so formal." "Oh um, sorry Donna, I'm just a little nervous, you know?" Maria says, fidgeting with her hands. "Nervous?" Donna exclaimed, "What's there to be nervous about dear?" Maria continues to fumble her words so Donna decides that the best course of action was to clasp her in one of her back-breaking hugs. You could hear Maria's muffled screams as she weas crushed into Donna's ample bosom, but they seemed to fall on deaf ears. Eventually Donna decided to release her captive, sending her stumbling backwards, face flushed red and gasping for air. "That help at all dear?" Donna laughed, "I do find a good hard squeeze makes for the best of introductions." "Huh yeah," Maria wheezed, "That's one way of putting it."<</if>> "Well $PlayerName , that was swell, but I think I need one last quick chat before service, if that's ok with you." "Oh, um sure." You stammer. Donna takes you aside and sits down in one of the booths by the front window. Her face is serious, but not stern. It wasn't exactly clear how this was going to play out. "Now, I think it's pretty clear you're doing a very solid job here $PlayerName , but there's one thing that irks me." She says, leaning forwards. "How on earth are you so damn thin?" "I'm sorry wh-"? "How can you stand around here all day, surrounded by the best food for miles and not have it leave a dent on your figure?" Donna stood up, clasping her belly with both hands to illustrate her point. "Everyone knowns any proprietor worth their salt should struggle to fit through their doorframes. Ever heard the phrase 'Don't trust a skinny cook'?" Donna continued for a good few minutes, ranting about whatever came to mind to nobody in particular until she eventually cooled down. "Sorry $PlayerName , that was very uncouth of me. Still, my question stands. How come you haven't ballooned like I did?" Quietly you reach into your work bag, rummaging around in it for a while before producing a small plastic box. You place the box on the table and release the clasps on either side, Donna watching your movements with eager fascination. You open the lid slowly, eking every moment for as much dramatic tension as you could muster until finally you revealed the secrets within. It was a sandwich, brown bread, plain ham filling, wrapped in a layer of plastic wrap. "I pack my own lunch." You say, plainly. Fully aware at the moronic spectacle you'd just performed. Slowly, Donna turned her head up from the table and locked eyes with you. "[["You sly bastard."|End-C4]]"

Over the coming months, Donna took increasingly granular control over the diner's operations. Under normal circumstances you'd feel a bit undermined, but with the direction the finances were going, you decided that it was probably for the best. You weren't exactly doing nothing to contribute though, you helped out wherever you could. Fixing chairs, inventory checks, filing paperwork and the like. Sure you were a glorified busybody, but it was something at least. Donna, however, was in her element. It was almost as if she'd never left the trade. Her showmanship and bravado made quite the name for herself in her younger days, and word of her return drew newspapers flocking to the front of house. The diner was successful again, it wasn't your success exactly, but you could swallow your pride if it meant you and your coworkers could keep gainful employment. [[It wasn't so bad really.|End-A5]]

Ending A: Return of the Queen Thank[S] for playing! Would you like to try again? [[Restart|Initialise]]

Say what you like about Donna, but she was nothing if not a woman of her word. Over the next few months she took on a role somewhat like a tutor, watching over your shoulder during shifts and talking you through the day afterwards. It was a little weird having someone constantly observing you at first, but it wasn't long before you started seeing results. Nothing particularly impressive, but it made operation just that little bit smoother. You weren't going to be breaking any records, but that was ok. You had a stable job, you worked around friends all day. And also you got to gawk at said friend's generous proportions all day. That was definitely a perk of the job. [[Arguably the best bit.|End-B5]]

Ending B - Small in Scale, Big in Heart. Hope you [E]njoyed the game! Would you like to try again? [[Restart|Initialise]]

Over the coming months life only seemed to get better. You were happy, your staff were happy, customers kept coming and the cash kept flowing. Not to mention Donna. She'd never been prouder of you, seeing you take this new chapter in your stride. She still took umbrage that you were only a size medium at most, but that was more of a petty in-joke these days. You never suspected that management was something you were any good at, but after a few pointers from Donna, you were flying. Of course you also took your aunt's advice and you incinerated that Unesca Co. barrel first chance you got. You never fully understood why she was so insistent that you disposed of the stuff but it was clearly something increadbily strange. It was a nuissance to ignite, but once it got going the flames were quite ferocious. The blaze was a light shade of indigo, the smoke was a troubling purple colour and it reeked of synthetic orange flavouring, but thankfully you did it far away enough from civilisation that nobody saw. With that dark spectre gone, there was nothing left between you and nothing but a bright future. It was nice really. A very unexpected surprise, you admit. [[But incredibly welcome one.|End-C5]]

Ending C - [C]omfortable Living Thanks for playing! Would you like to try again? [[Restart|Initialise]]

Going forward you only seemed to go from strength to strength. The diner became a cornerstone of the community, with you as the figurehead. <<if $FreeLunch == true>> Along with the exceptional service, both you and your staff's became a major talking point in the area, almost a point of fascination. Word spread fast and pretty soon people were going out of their way to visit the town just to see if the rumours were true. They were. As your success began to strain your purse strings, so too did your waistbands. Honestly you wouldn't have it any other way. The place was doing better than it ever had, keeping you all fat and happy. <<else>> Along with the exceptional service, your immense figure became a major talking point in the area, almost a point of fascination. Word spread fast and pretty soon people were going out of their way to visit town just to see if the rumours were true. They were. As your success began to strain your purse strings, so too did your waistband. Honestly you wouldn't have it any other way. The place was doing better than it ever had, keeping you fat and happy. <</if>> You'd tasted success. [[And it tasted sweet.|End-D5]]

Ending D - Large and in Charge Thanks fo[R] playing! Would you like to try again? [[Restart|Initialise]]

The day started off very smoothly, all things considered. Customers were few and far between, what with it being a newly reopened diner slightly out of the way of the town centre, but it was enough to feel like a good test of your staff's skills. Things started picking up a little around midday, which was quite exciting, but then things started easing off as people returned to work from their lunch break. [[Not bad for your first shift.|LunchTimeStart]]

It was just a regular day from then on. Take the customer's orders, serve them, take their money and wave goodbye. Repeat for the next customer until lunch was over. [[It was a simple system really.|LunchTimeStart]]

Eagerly you sit on the sidelines and try and discern whether this additive worked as advertised. It didn't seem to be doing much, though you suppose it might take a while to take effect. A little disappointed, you depart from the counter and head off to deal with some paperwork. Then, as you turned to leave, you happened to glance at the till. There were a remarkable number of receipts behind the counter. [[Maybe it was working after all?|LunchTimeStart]]

The day began properly not soon after and you watched the diner go about its normal function. But try as you might you couldn't shake a nagging thought from your mind. "Why the hell was that thing there in the first place?" Eventually you managed to push it to the back of your head and deal with the matters at hand and pretty soon you'd made it through the first shift of the day. [[What a strange day.|LunchTimeStart]]

<<set $Time to 5>> <<set $PlayerWeight to 5>> [[Home]]

Welcome to the secret room, what can I do for you? [[Gallery|SecretGallery]] [[Leave|StartScreen]]

<img src="Images/logo7.png" width="auto" height="300"/> Welcome to Donna's Diner, a twine project by QuietWill. [[Start|Initialise]] [[Content]]

This game contains the following: Primary content: Weight gain Stuffing Mild burps General fat-ness Money management Optional content: Player character gains Slob Intimacy Financial success [[Back|StartScreen]]

You're in the secret gallery. Where now? [[Developer comments|SecretDevComments]] [[Characters|SecretGalleryCharacter]] [[Logo sketches|SecretGalleryLogo]] [[Back|secretroom]]

First attempts at designing a logo went... poorly. <img src="Images/LogoSk1.png" width="auto" height="300"/> It was too square, blocky, and just generally awful-looking. After a little experimenting, I came up with this. <img src="Images/LogoSk2.png" width="auto" height="300"/> Even though the game wasn't set in America, the "American Style" diner is something people could easily identify and I think fit the general mood of the game. I can't speak for actual diners in America, but ones that emulate that aesthetic all have one thing in common. Cheap, greasy comfort food. I still wasn't quite happy with it, and did a little more research. Eventually I ran across a few that looked like the stereoptypical Route 66 sign, and the first thing I thought was "Yeah I could make that look like a fat woman.". So I did. Rough version: <img src="Images/LogoSk3.png" width="auto" height="300"/> Tidied up: <img src="Images/LogoSk3.png" width="auto" height="300"/> Penultimate version: <img src="Images/LogoX.png" width="auto" height="300"/> The final version: <img src="Images/logo7.png" width="auto" height="300"/> [[Back|SecretGallery]]

<img src="Images/Katie1.png" width="auto" height="500"/> Katie was one of the first two characters I came up with. I'm a sucker for fit-to-fat transformations, so it was only natural I made one myself. In a previous version of the project, she was called Natalie. Don't know why it changed, can't think why I didn't keep the name to be honest. Anyway, in that version, the larger she became, the less energetic her personality got. Interactions got shorter and her mood just got glummer each weight level she progressed. I'll be frank, it was kinda depressing. I still kept that "ruined athlete" dynamic for the additive route, but during normal, un-slob-y events I wanted her to keep that sense of liveliness and joi-de-vivre about her. I wasn't sure how to make it work at first, but eventually I decided to make her transform from a peppy exercise nut to a jolly, carefree hedonist. <img src="Images/Katie-1.png" width="auto" height="500"/> Though it was fun to strain that optimism a little bit every now and then. <img src="Images/Katie-2.png" width="auto" height="500"/> Writing Katie during the additive route was very easy. It was a by-the-book gaining arc. Just erode her previously disciiplined self and bring her down to a state of blind, sluggish gluttony. [[Back|SecretGalleryCharacter]]

<img src="Images/Max1.png" width="auto" height="500"/> Listen, I think goths are cool and hot ok? The air of slightly hostility and not-giving-a-fuck only makes it feel all the better when you finally crack the surface and find the person behind it. Unless that person is a dickhead. I was listening to a lot of music when I started writing Max's passages, so I figured why not take what that and incorporate that into the character? That became the basis for Max being a secret music dork, the shared taste between the player character and her acting as the entryway to the relationship. The songs mentioned in the passages are all either based on or literally just the names of songs I was listening to at the time, Apple Shampoo being a stand-in name for the artist Nelward, who wrote a song with that title. In the non-gaining route she became a band member mostly as a way to distinguish the three "versions", choosing to create her own music out of her love for it. I know that non-fat character arcs aren't exactly the point of a weight gain fetish project, but I felt like doing it all the same. Regular gains Max ended up becoming more about the aesthetics of goths, the cool fashion styles as well as the generally provocative energy to it made for a fun foundation. As Max got bigger, her self confidence followed, extending to more extreme fashion in the final passage as well as a generally flirty behaviour around the player character. A big inspiration for this version of Max was Dusk Nobody's Eva. <img src="Images/Max-2.png" width="auto" height="500"/> Slob Max, however, was largely inspired by Nihijack's Carol. By the point that you find the Unesca barrel, you've already started to see the warmer side of Max, so I wanted the slob route to act as an inversion of the arc in the other routes, having her close off from you again, too absorbed by her desire to eat to bother giving you the time of day. [[Back|SecretGalleryCharacter]]

<img src="Images/Nadia1.png" width="auto" height="500"/> Nadia was always meant to be the hot best friend type. The kind where you can't ever really tell quite if the flirting is a joke or not. I made her tall because it made for a unique relationship with her gains. When there's so much of you, weight becomes noticeable much more slowly because there's more body for it to disperse across. Once it's started however, it would become more obvious than with smaller characters because her body was already so imposingly sized. Nadia was kind of an adaptation of the character Michaela from an earlier prototype. She's less of a straightforward foodie than her original version, but the carefree attitude made its way across largely unscathed. She's not really impacted by her gains, sort of in a similar fashion to Katie, but with more of an emphasis on enjoying the growth than being unaffected by it. <img src="Images/Nadia-1.png" width="auto" height="500"/> Because her normal route has her act as a pillar for the player at points, I wanted her slob route to have that strong selfless resolve cave in to her selfish desires. She still tried to behave like her normal self in the rare, brief moments of lucidity, but they'd only really act as glimpses of her old self to contrast the scene before you. Contrasting mental states is a fun one when it comes to this mindless flavour of gluttony, so I packed it all into one character as a kind of watered down Jekyll and Hyde dynamic. [[Back|SecretGalleryCharacter]]

<img src="Images/Maya1.png" width="auto" height="500"/> I named Maya after a 3D modelling software I was using for University at the time. I think my process was a little bit more muddled for this character. I wanted to make a rich, standoffish type of girl, kinda like something MidniteMorty would make, but I also didn't want to make her unpleasant to be around. So, I tried to make her more out of touch than directly hostile. The theme for her ended up becoming "learning to enjoy yourself", both in herself and her peculiar father, who I sort of based off of Arthur Birling from the stage play An Inspector Calls. The slob route acted as an extreme extension of that idea this time, rather than a subversion of it, because the basic premise already leant itself well to the overarching image of unrestrained gluttony. <img src="Images/Maya-2.png" width="auto" height="500"/> I think I could've done a better job, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The wealthy, snappily dressed daddy's girl gradually filling up her expensive suit and eventually becoming a bloated, tracksuit wearing waster was really quite gratifying in my opinion, and allowed me to keep that brattish core to the character, if only in one route. [[Back|SecretGalleryCharacter]]

<img src="Images/Maria1.png" width="auto" height="500"/> Oh Maria, where do I even start? With the beginning I guess? Originally, the cast ended at 4. However, as it stood, they only really had interactions with the player character. I wanted to change that. I knew it'd be a bit of a nightmare to implement, but I wanted a character that was purely based around interactions with the rest of the cast. Originally, she was an already pretty round nerd-type, kinda like a short, obese, female otacon. It was a nice idea but I wasn't entirely sold on it so I went back to the drawing board and came around to the idea of a farm girl. The strong, somewhat weathered style would make for a potent contrast as the other staff members got particularly soft. It would require some serious restructuring to allow Maria to change the arc of every character, so I compartmentalised her direct engagements to extra passages in the slob route. Her other routes were simply limited to her fawning over the others, talking in secret with the player character. It was a little lazy, I know, but if I hadn't, this damm project wouldn't get finished at all. I, however, started getting a little jealous. Weird, I know, but when you've spent hours writing about other characters getting love and attention from eachother, and you've got a direct audience surrogate character..? All I'm saying is, it was the perfect situation to include some POV content. And I'll be honest, I'm really quite happy with how it turned out. It's hard to give the player too much of a preexisting personality, because that risks hampering player, but blank slates are just as, if not more of a bad solution. [[Back|SecretGalleryCharacter]]

Amongst all the reminiscing, you caught sight of an order that had yet to be dealt with. It was still warm thankfully, so there was still a chance to get it to where it needed to be. The receipt had "booth 8" written on it in scratchy handwriting. [[So that's where you took it.|event5-4]]

Looking around you, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The sky looked plain, the weather average, the interior of your diner the same as it'd ever been. It wasn't doing you any good getting caught up on this, so you find something to do to keep yourself busy. [[Maybe you'd think a little clearer after lunch.|LunchTimeStart]]

Welcome. This place is a collection of thoughts, opinions and other stuff I felt was worth including as a sort of commentary. [[Mechanics|SecretDevMech]] [[Writing|SecretDevWrite]] [[Fetish content|SecretDevFet]] [[Back|SecretGallery]]

Mechanically, I took a lot of design cues from projects like Lipomancer and Modern Gains. I really liked the structure of a regular routine and retracing familiar scenarios at different weight levels. I'm showing my games academia hand a little here, but I'm a sucker for moments when mechanics are used to enhance a story, rather than just acting as the rules of a game. A gluttony stat, for example. Players could be free to choose whether or not to engage in an obvious eating scenario, but having the ability to choose be dependent on how high gluttony is at that moment always gets a kick out of me. Gradual willpower erosion/loss in autonomy in these kinds of game instantly make them way more popular with me. The money system, I will admit, is a little vestigial. It's not super integral to the core gameplay, but I didn't really want to make it obstructive to the experience. I'd rather make something where it's easier to view everything than make it obstructively difficult. Especially with a game all about characters and writing. [[Back|SecretDevComments]]

For someone who'd only ever written essays previously, I'll be honest when I say I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to finish the project. I never went into it with a clear objective in mind. I just typed ideas I thought were gratifying and built a narrative around it that justified those events. At least, that's how the prototypes worked. As I wrote more stuff, I started developing an idea of a structure in my head. It took a couple of months of aimless prodding before I reached this stage, and even then I was still building the project as I went in places. Keeping language varied was a massive challenge. There's only so many times I can say "plush hips" and while I didn't quite reach the point of thesaurus replacement, I did find myself having to resort to more abstract langauge at times. That was pretty fun though, having the vocabulary shift over time from "squishy" to "pendulous" and then evoking geographic language for the very largest sizes made for a pretty interesting technique. At least to me it did, I can't speak for anyone else. Scene variations were a bastard to handle. It may sound easy. "Just add a couple of variants to the scene" sounds quite simple actually, but in practice it quickly became apparent that the devil was in the details. Even when I'd got my head around the technical aspect, the sheer level of moving parts to keep in my head when writing some passages was the source of many a headache. [[Back|SecretDevComments]]

Ah, the fun part. The whole reason this thing happened in the first place. I'm a sucker for fat women, who'dve guessed? But more specifically, I always enjoyed stories, art, etc. where the characters' mental attitudes either shifted in response to, or at least complemented the gains going on. This could've taken the form of a denial-acceptance arc, small and meek to large and in charge, or if I was feeling particularly devious that day, toying with willpower and self control. You might be wondering why the staff are all female, but the player character never has a specified gender, even though there's a considerable amount of content focussed around them gaining. The simple answer is that I did it to be inclusive. Originally the PC was a woman too, but after a bit of thinking I came to the decision that I didn't want to exclude anyone who didn't feel comfortable inhabiting an explicitly female body. The complicated answer is that, on top of the previous reason, I hadn't been entirely upfront with myself about certain preferences. Some games, such as Modern Gains, had your viewpoint filtered through a female character, and I'd always gotten enjoyment from a 3rd person perspective. The character I was controlling was never directly "me", I was just in charge of what happened. But, after writing from such an explicitly first-person perspective, I realised that there was a great deal of enjoyment in actually inhabiting that character and engaging with those ideas with fewer layers of removal. [[Back|SecretDevComments]]

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