You Live And Fern

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You and your group of friends are going into the exceptionally competitive landscape of nature filming and photography. Will you find success on a video platform, educating the masses about nature and wildlife? Will you find love? Balance production of your nature channel with your personal life and make your network a success! This slice-of-life romance interactive novel follows your MC as they work through trying to get your science-based start-up off the ground. This is a largely character driven and focused game. ''In this game you will be able to;'' <ul> <li>Play as male, female or non-binary.</li> <li>Play as straight, gay, bi/pan, asexual and/or aromantic (cis and trans inclusive)</li> <li>Choose your background, including your interests and specialism.</li> <li>Romance one of six ROs, including 1 of which is gender selectable.</li> <li>Work hard to make your channel a success, or don’t work at all.</li> </ul> This game will contain many animals (including insects but no spiders) as well as eventual optional sexual content. <b>Do you want to see more content warnings before you start?</b> [[Yes|warnings]] [[No|storystart]]

<div id="container"> <div id="header"> <span id="header-text" onclick="toggle(this)"></span> <div class="menutoggle"><span id="zero" onclick="toggle(this)"><i class="fa fa-ellipsis-v" aria-hidden="true"></i> </span> <span id="one" style="bottom:-180px;"> <div class="menu-flex"> </div> </span></div> </div> <div id="story"> <div id="passages">  </div> </div> </div>  <script>function toggle() { var x = document.getElementById("one"); if (!x.style.bottom ||x.style.bottom === '-180px') { x.style.bottom = '0px'; } else { x.style.bottom = '-180px'; } } $("#story").click(function() { var x = document.getElementById("one"); if (x.style.bottom == '0px') { x.style.bottom = '-180px'; } }); $("#one").click(function(event) { event.stopPropagation(); }); </script>

<<replace ".menu-flex">><<include "menu-flex">><</replace>> <<replace "#header-text">><<include "header-text">><</replace>>

<script>var myDiv = document.getElementById('passages'); myDiv.scrollTop = 0;</script> <<nobr>> <<if settings.theme == "Light">> <img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/6aa11ced4d4b53525ccde8767aa7a519/453e0e02d7ce16b6-43/s1280x1920/5f6f58a0d602f782c995f855412993665a8089f1.png" class="staticimage"> <<else>> <img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/ddc5572629c9f57d9464cea411aaab25/1a73a89a53d724e1-cb/s500x750/d4a4fde7d0544f8ee080d05c18722936f974a74a.png" class="staticimage"> <</if>> <</nobr>>

<<link '<div class="menu-item"><b>00</b> go back</div>'>><<run Engine.backward()>><</link>> <<link '<div class="menu-item"><b>01</b> settings</div>'>><<script>>UI.settings()<</script>><</link>> <<link '<div class="menu-item"><b>02</b> profile</div>' 'profile'>><</link>> <<link '<div class="menu-item"><b>03</b> saves</div>'>><<script>>UI.saves()<</script>><</link>> <<link '<div class="menu-item"><b>04</b> restart</div>'>><<script>>UI.restart()<</script>><</link>>

@@.pt;you live and fern@@ / $gamechapter

<<nobr>><<set $subs = Math.round($Subscribers)>> $Channel has $subs subscribers!<</nobr>> ''Name:'' $Name $LastName <<nobr>><<if $headscarf is "true" and $hairstyle is "buzzed">> You have $haircolour hair in a buzzcut and which you cover with a headscarf, and your eyes are $eye_colour. Your skin is $skincolour and your most distinctive feature is your $distinctive. <<elseif $headscarf is "true" and $hairtype is "dreadlocks">> You have $hairstyle $haircolour hair which you wear in $hairtype and which you cover with a headscarf, and your eyes are $eye_colour. Your skin is $skincolour and your most distinctive feature is your $distinctive. <<elseif $headscarf is "true">> You have $hairstyle $hairtype $haircolour hair which you cover with a headscarf, and your eyes are $eye_colour. Your skin is $skincolour and your most distinctive feature is your $distinctive. <<elseif $hairstyle is "buzzed">> You have $haircolour hair in a buzzcut and your eyes are $eye_colour. Your skin is $skincolour and your most distinctive feature is your $distinctive. <<elseif $hairtype is "dreadlocks">> You have $hairstyle $haircolour hair which you wear in $hairtype and your eyes are $eye_colour. Your skin is $skincolour and your most distinctive feature is your $distinctive. <<else>> You have $hairstyle $hairtype $haircolour hair and your eyes are $eye_colour. Your skin is $skincolour and your most distinctive feature is your $distinctive. <</if>> /* Specialisms > Camera Work, Script Writing, Presentation, Science Communication, Social Media */ /* Interests > Insects, Mammals, Amphibians, Birds, Ecology, Teaching, Reptiles, Water Life */<</nobr>> ''Height:'' $Height ''Specialism:'' $Specialism ''Interest:'' $Interest <<stat_bar_two $Confident $Shy "Confident" "Shy">> <<stat_bar_two $Traditional $Unconventional "Traditional" "Unconventional">> <<stat_bar_two $Rude $Polite "Rude" "Polite">> <<stat_bar_two $Chill $Stubborn "Chill" "Stubborn">> <<stat_bar_two $Prepared $Unprepared "Prepared" "Unprepared">> ''Skills:'' <<stat_bar $Technology "Technology">> <<stat_bar $Presentation "Presentation">> <<stat_bar $Peopleskills "People Skills">> ''Relationships:'' <<stat_bar $benjamin "Benjamin">> <<stat_bar $matt "Matt">> <<stat_bar $eve "Eve">> <<stat_bar $alex "Alex">> <<stat_bar $jordan "Jordan">> <<nobr>><<if $metchar is "true">> <<stat_bar $charlie "Charlie">><</if>><</nobr>> <<nobr>><<if $metbo is "true">> <<stat_bar $bo "Bo-yeon">><</if>><</nobr>> [[View people menu.|characters]] [[View credits.|credits]] <<link "Return to game." $return>><</link>>

a passage for testing the """$return""" function! it returns you to the last visited passage that isn't tagged with 'noreturn', whereas the general back button in the menu simply navigates through all visited passages. helps you avoid getting stuck in a loop! <<link "return to game" $return>><</link>>

<<set $gamechapter = "start">> <img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/6aa11ced4d4b53525ccde8767aa7a519/453e0e02d7ce16b6-43/s1280x1920/5f6f58a0d602f782c995f855412993665a8089f1.png" class="staticimage"> <<set $Name to "Unknown">> <<set $LastName to "Unknown">> <<set $Height to "Unknown">> <<set $haircolour to "unknown">> <<set $benhair_colour to "unknown">> <<set $hairstyle to "unknown">> <<set $hairtype to "unknown">> <<set $headscarf to "unknown">> <<set $skincolour to "unknown">> <<set $eye_colour to "unknown">> <<set $distinctive to "unknown">> <<set $gender to "unknown">> <<set $MCpronoun1 to "un">> <<set $MCplural to "false">> <<set $MCpronoun2 to "un">> <<set $MCpronoun3 to "un">> <<set $extra to "unknown">> <<set $glasses to "false">> <<set $freckles to "false">> <<set $piercings to "false">> <<set $tattoos to "false">> <<set $Channel to "You Live And Fern">> <<set $Subscribers to 5000>> <<set $subs to 0>> <<set $Confident to 50>> <<set $Traditional to 50>> <<set $Rude to 50>> <<set $Chill to 50>> <<set $Prepared to 50>> <<set $Technology to 0>> <<set $Presentation to 0>> <<set $Peopleskills to 0>> <<set $Specialism to "Unknown">> <<set $Interest to "Unknown">> <<set $favourite to "unknown">> <<set $workethic to 1>> <<set $bsl to 1>> <<set $reaction to 0>> <<set $benjamin to 80>> <<set $matt to 50>> <<set $eve to 50>> <<set $alex to 50>> <<set $jordan to 40>> <<set $charlie to 0>> <<set $bo to 30>> <<run gender.setPronouns("other")>> <<set $jordgender to "non-binary">> <<set $alexhookup to "false">> <<set $alexoldhookup to "false">> <<set $mattcrush to "false">> <<set $mattrel to "false">> <<set $everel to "false">> <<set $evecrush to "false">> <<set $alexrel to "false">> <<set $alexcrush to "false">> <<set $jordrel to "false">> <<set $jordcrush to "false">> <<set $charrel to "false">> <<set $charcrush to "false">> <<set $borel to "false">> <<set $bocrush to "false">> <<set $mattkiss to "false">> <<set $asexual to "false">> <<set $metnicola to "false">> <<set $metchar to "false">> <<set $metbo to "false">> <<set $alexliving to "shared">> <<set $max to 100>> // METERS // <<widget "stat_bar_two">> <<nobr>> <<set $args[1] = 100 - $args[0]>> <div class="BarTwo"><div class="BarTextLeft">$args[2] $args[0]%<div class="BarTextRight">$args[3] $args[1]%</div></div><<= '<div class="percentLeft" style="width:'+$args[0]+'%"> </div>'>><<= '<div class="percentRight" style="width:'+$args[1]+'%"> </div>'>></div><</nobr>><</widget>> <<widget "stat_bar">> <<nobr>> <div class="BarTwo"><div class="BarTextLeft">$args[1] $args[0]%</div><<= '<div class="percentLeft" style="width:'+$args[0]+'%"> </div>'>></div><</nobr>><</widget>>

<img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/6aa11ced4d4b53525ccde8767aa7a519/453e0e02d7ce16b6-43/s1280x1920/5f6f58a0d602f782c995f855412993665a8089f1.png" width="360" height="205"> <span class="fern">[img src="https://64.media.tumblr.com/6aa11ced4d4b53525ccde8767aa7a519/453e0e02d7ce16b6-43/s1280x1920/5f6f58a0d602f782c995f855412993665a8089f1.png"]</span> <a href="https://imgur.com/QxMQ3L8"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QxMQ3L8.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Content warnings are updated for each chapter. This game contains mentions of eviction throughout, some light alcohol consumption, insects (but no spiders!), light gambling and references to smoking. [[Okay, let's go!|storystart]]

<<set $gamechapter = "chapter one">>''Wakey, wakey!'' Your alarm blares and you raise your head from your pillow, narrowing your eyes as you try to grapple for your phone and shut it off. The time reads 7 am, half an hour before your team leader and driver, Matt should be at your house to take you away for the weekend. It's promising to be an exciting weekend of filming nature and getting closer to the great outdoors. At least, that's what Matt has been pitching it as; it's a weekend in a tent that you've got to try and make a record of that other people will actually want to see. Your brother, Benjamin is clattering around the kitchen, making something that you worry might be what he wants you to eat; your brother is a famously bad cook. He's the only person you've ever met who can burn pasta. You… [[Have already been up and awake for hours, running through last minute checks and reading over the script for today.|kitchen][$eve +3, $Prepared +=5, $Presentation +=2]] [[Get up without much of a complaint. You've been looking forward to this all week! It's your opportunity to get some great footage for the channel!|kitchen][$eve +=2,$matt +=2,$Subscribers *= 1.1]] [[Want to have breakfast with Ben before you go away for the whole weekend.|kitchen][$Rude -=3,$benjamin +=2]] [[Want to stay in bed, Matt and your team will wait if you're a little bit late.|kitchen][$Chill -=3,$matt -=2,$alex -=3,$eve -=2,$jordan -=2]] [[Roll over and go back to sleep. Who cares if you're late, you're an important member of the team.|kitchen][$Rude +=5,$Chill -=5, $Confident += 5 ,$matt -= 4 ,$alex -= 5,$eve -= 4,$jordan -= 4]]

When you've finally made it to the kitchen, your worst fears are confirmed. Your brother //has// been cooking! The smell of toast veers a little into burnt and the scrambled eggs he's tried to make have flecks of crispy fragments throughout. Looking at him now, you're reminded that the two of you look pretty similar. That's probably because you both have <<cycle "$skincolour" autoselect>> <<option "fair">> <<option "light">> <<option "light-medium">> <<option "medium">> <<option "medium-deep">> <<option "deep">> <</cycle>> skin and <<cycle "$haircolour" autoselect>> <<option "blond">> <<option "light brown">> <<option "dark brown">> <<option "red">> <<option "black">> <<option "(a little prematurely) grey">> <<option "dyed">> <</cycle>> hair. [[Continue customization|next]]

<<if $haircolour is "dyed">> Enter hair colour in lowercase; <<textbox "$haircolour" "enter">> <</if>> Ben's hair is kept short and yours is <<cycle "$hairstyle" autoselect>> <<option "buzzed">> <<option "short">> <<option "medium-length">> <<option "long">> <<option "very long">> <</cycle>> Although despite that, your hair texture is the same... [[Straight hair.|cc2][$hairtype = "straight"]] [[Wavy hair.|cc2][$hairtype = "wavy"]] [[Curly hair.|cc2][$hairtype = "curly"]] [[Coily hair.|cc2][$hairtype = "coiled"]] [[...but I wear mine in braids.|cc2][$hairtype = "braided"]] [[...but I wear mine in dreadlocks.|cc2][$hairtype = "dreadlocks"]] [[...but I wear mine in twists.|cc2][$hairtype = "twisted"]]

You usually <<cycle "$headscarf" autoselect>> <<option "don't">> <<option "do">> <</cycle>> wear a headscarf. Other than that, you have... <<if $glasses is "false">>[[glasses.|cc2][$glasses = "true"]] <</if>><<if $freckles is "false">> [[freckles.|cc2][$freckles = "true"]] <</if>><<if $piercings is "false">> [[piercings.|cc2][$piercings = "true"]] <</if>><<if $tattoos is "false">> [[visible tattoos.|cc2][$tattoos = "true"]] <</if>> [[nothing else.|cc3]]

<<nobr>><<if $headscarf is "don't">><<set $headscarf = "false">><</if>> <<if $headscarf is "do">><<set $headscarf = "true">><</if>><</nobr>>You and your brother also have matching <<cycle "$eye_colour" autoselect>> <<option "blue">> <<option "green">> <<option "hazel">> <<option "brown">> <<option "dark brown">> <<option "grey">> <</cycle>> eyes, but that's not what really makes you look similar. Between the two of you, you have a similar distinctive feature which is your... [[eyes. They're my best looking feature, and that's the same for my brother.|cc4][$distinctive to "eyes"]] [[cheekbones. They're so sharp they could cut someone.|cc4][$distinctive to "cheekbones"]] [[smiles. We light up a room, apparently.|cc4][$distinctive to "smile"]] [[laughs. I think my laugh is embarrassing, but many disagree.|cc4][$distinctive to "laugh"]]

Overall, people say we look very similar. [[In fact, when we were younger we looked identical. (sets gender to male)|cc35][$gender to "male"]] [[Even though I'm his sister! (sets gender to female)|cc35][$gender to "female"]] [[Which... it's not the worst thing in the world (sets gender to non-binary)|cc35][$gender to "enby"]]

<<nobr>><<if $haircolour is "dyed">> <<set $benhair_colour = "brown">> <<else>> <<set $benhair_colour = $haircolour>> <</if>><</nobr>> ''Name:'' Benjamin $LastName ''Specialism:'' Being a great sibling ''Interest:'' Accounting ''Age:'' 28 ''Height:'' 6’ ''Description:'' You’ve lived with your brother since finishing university. 4 years your senior, he’s already established himself in the world of accounting and seems to have everything on track. He’s good looking, intelligent and works hard but still finds time to have a good relationship and play football with his friends. If he wasn’t such a good person and let you live with him for a very reasonable rent, you’d want to dislike him. The two of you have a strong family resemblance, since you both have naturally $benhair_colour hair, $skincolour skin, $eye_colour eyes and a shared distinctive characteristic of your $distinctive. He has the slender but muscular build of someone who still plays football three times a week.<<if $metnicola is "true">> ''Name:'' Nicola Evans ''Interest:'' Accounting ''Age:'' 27 ''Height:'' 5’ 5” ''Description: ''Nicola is your brother’s girlfriend and that’s pretty much all you have to say on the matter. They’ve been dating for over two years and she seems pleasant enough but she never seems to have much to say to you, but she eats your brother’s cooking, so she must really love him. She's the girl-next-door, an Anne Hathaway look alike who seems to transform by taking off glasses and straightening her hair. She's always impeccably dressed in well-made clothing and heels of various heights. <</if>> ''Name:'' Matt Atkinson ''Specialism:'' Science Communication and Presentation ''Interest:'' Teaching ''Age:'' 24 ''Height:'' 6’ 3” ''Description:'' Matt is your fearless leader. The whole reason you embarked on this project in the first place was his idea. You never would have even thought about making a real go of a communication project if he wasn’t so determined, but the project is his baby. Matt is tall, broad, blue eyes and has short sandy blond hair. He's very classically handsome which usually means that he can hold the attention of a group of teachers pretty well. He's the peak of smart-casual, as his usual combination of a shirt and blue jeans reflects. He also has the tan lines to show what his usual outfit contains. ''Name:'' Eve Keane ''Specialism:'' Script Writer ''Interest:'' Insects esp. moths ''Age:'' 25 ''Height:'' 5’ 3” ''Description:'' Eve is a writer whose talent for communication has made her the perfect scriptwriter for your new programme. You’ve never met anyone else who can script Matt’s easy and enthusiastic patter, but when you tell her she’s doing a great job all she does is blush since she’s not too good at owning up to what she can do well. Eve is possibly the most Irish person you’ve ever met. She has all the hallmarks; pale skin with freckles, green eyes, long red hair and who could forget that adorable Irish lilt? Usually dressed in earthy tones and long skirts, the only reason that you know she isn’t actually from a history book is that she works with you, not to mention the black wire-rimmed glasses always perched on her nose. ''Name:'' Alex Sancho ''Specialism:'' Social Media ''Interest:'' Mammals ''Age: ''24 ''Height:'' 5’ 7” ''Description: ''Alex is the closest thing you have to a best friend from university. You met in the first week and have been inseparable since then, even living and studying together while you were at university. They were brought onto the project because of your insistence that you needed a social media presence, and Matt was happy to hand off the admin to someone who came with your recommendation. With medium-deep skin and fit with pretty dark brown eyes, Alex is someone who is easily attractive. Their dark hair is usually in fashionably messy curls and only occasionally tied back, although never when they’re trying to impress. They’re usually dressed in just a jumper and jeans, but it never looks as sloppy on them as it does on everyone else in your team, but then again, maybe you’re biased... ''Name:'' Jordan Bridgetower ''Specialism: ''Camera Work ''Interest:'' Amphibians ''Age:'' 22 ''Height:'' 5’ 8” ''Description:'' Jordan is your new camera person. Freshly out of university from ?their filming degree, ?they can’t believe ?they <<verb 'has'>> walked into a proper nature photography gig already, even if it is just something part-time for you guys' channel. ?They-re eager to please Matt and get your channel starting with the quality it deserves! Jordan has deep warm-toned skin, hazel eyes and is very slender, despite the fact ?they-re always eating. There’s definitely something to be said for young people’s metabolism, even though there are only two years between you and ?them. ?Their hair changes pretty constantly between wearing it naturally and various types of braids, mostly because ?their sister is a hairdresser and she likes to practise on ?them. ?They usually <<verb 'wears'>> hoodies and loose clothing which are hand-me-downs or vintage, but in exceptional condition.<<if $metchar is "true">> ''Name:'' Charlie Graham ''Specialism:'' Music ''Interest:'' Getting through life ''Age:'' 26 ''Height:'' 5’ 9” ''Description: ''Charlie works at the coffee shop you work at on a more-than-part-time less-than-full-time basis. He’s technically your direct boss but his laid-back attitude coupled with the fact that be doesn’t seem to have a clue what he's doing in the first place makes it tricky to take them seriously. To their credit, they said they’d write the jingle for your show. Before meeting Charlie, you didn’t know that ear piercings and hearing aids could go together, but throw in a punk hairstyle and it seems to work. Charlie is pale, has dyed blue hair that is shaved on the sides and a softer build. His eyeliner seems to get more creative by the day, which is likely why he also seems to look more and more tired. They have multiple piercings and many tattoos which even they’ll say are questionable at best. They’re always dressed in black and grey but their dedication to the punk style is sometimes a little too much when coupled with the apron of your workplace.<</if>><<if $metbo is "true">> ''Name:'' Professor Bo-yeon Park ''Specialism:'' Lecturer ''Interest:'' Ecology ''Age: ''33 ''Height:'' 6’ 1” ''Description:'' A career ecologist you originally interviewed for the channel, Matt is keeping in contact with xir for future research and for interviews. An esteemed academic by nature, xe’s not entirely sure that what you’re doing is for the best, xe’d rather people read all of a paper and do the work to understand it rather than see it ‘dumbed down’ for the layperson like it is on your channel. Usually decked out in tweed and thick glasses, xe is the real picture of an academic, right down to the few strands of grey among xir dark straight hair. Xir grey eyes are usually hidden by a scowl and bushy eyebrows but they are kind of pretty in an intense way. <</if>> [[Go back to profile.|profile]] [[View credits|credits]] <<link "return to game" $return>><</link>>

"Ah, there $MCpronoun1 <<if $MCplural is "true">>are<</if>><<if$MCplural is "false">>is<</if>>!" booms your brother as he sees you enter the kitchen, clearly just having gotten off the phone. Ben is a good person, and considering that he let you move in with him instead of your parents after university, a very good brother. He lets you largely come and go without too many questions and as long as you contribute towards the bills, he doesn't care too much about what else you get up to. Part of that may be that he's busy with his own work… and relationship… and playing Sunday league football, but still. He's a good brother. You're pretty open with him since he's so easy to be around, so there's never been animosity between the two of you. He gives you respect, and as a result you've found that you don't need to hide anything from him. <<if $Chill <50>> An annoyed car horn sounds from outside the front door as you help yourself to breakfast, avoiding Ben's attempt at cooking deftly and with familiar ease. If he's hurt, he doesn't show it. "They've been honking for ten minutes now," he complains from over his plate of incinerated scrambled eggs on toast, "Any longer and the neighbours are going to complain. You should get going." You trudge to the front door, gathering your belongings as you do so before lugging them out to the car, where Matt is waiting impatiently. You wave back to Ben who mirrors your motions with his fork before you close the door behind you, perhaps a little more harshly than is strictly needed, and go out to the car. Matt's car is a beat up blue sedan, which he's had for as long as you've known him, and his arm is dangling out of the window. He doesn't look very impressed at you delaying the journey.<<else>> You perch on the breakfast bar and help yourself to breakfast, avoiding Ben's attempt at cooking deftly and with familiar ease. If he's hurt, he doesn't show it. "How long do you think they'll be?" he asks, and you shrug through a mouthful of breakfast. It's much too early for a proper conversation at this time on a Saturday morning. You were counting on the journey to wake you up. As if on cue, a short horn sounds from outside, and you slip from the stool to your feet. A weekend away feels like exactly what you need, even if it is technically for work. You gather your belongings and go out to the car, where Matt is stretching out his arms and legs as he waits for you, ready for the long journey ahead. "Right, I'm off," you shout back to Ben, who just waves at you through his full mouth of scrambled eggs. You close the door behind you and drag your equipment to Matt's car, a beat up blue sedan which Matt has owned for as long as you've known him. <</if>> [[Next|car]]

<<nobr>><<if $Prepared >50>> It takes a while to pack all of the //very important// equipment you packed into Matt's reasonably sized car, but eventually you get there and manage to close the boot. <<else>> It doesn't take long to shove your bag into the boot of the car and slam it shut.<</if>><</nobr>> As you get into the front of the car, you greet your team who have all already been piled into the car. Your house is the furthest away from Matt's, so you get to be the last to get picked up and by default, the person in the front passenger seat. Matt settles into the front of the car next to you and you give him a quick once over as you greet him. Only Matt would wear a white shirt to a rural camping weekend away, or for a four hour drive up the motorway. If it didn't support his whole 'I'm almost a teacher' kind of vibe you'd almost be offended. Coupled with his sandy blonde hair, blue eyes and handsome smile, you can see why he's the one who's typically in front of the camera. It might not be that the only reason people are drawn to your channel is Matt, but he definitely doesn't hurt your subscriber figures.<<if $eve >50>> Eve kisses her fingertips and press them onto your cheek from where she's settled into the back of the car behind you. She laughs as she does so, high and musical before she slumps back into the seat with a thick cardigan pulled around her shoulders. It's a little early in the morning for her, and you can see dark circles underneath her wire rimmed glasses. Her long red hair falls around her face as she sits back into her seat by the window, green eyes already closed with the intention of sleeping now that you've been greeted.<<else>> Eve lightly slaps your cheek in greeting from where she's settled into the back of the car behind you. She laughs as she does so, high and musical before she slumps back into the seat with a thick cardigan pulled around her shoulders. It's a little early in the morning for her, and you can see dark circles underneath her wire rimmed glasses. Her long red hair falls around her face as she sits back into her seat by the window, green eyes already closed with the intention of sleeping now that you've been effectively, and a little harshly, greeted. You feel more awake already from her light taps to your cheek.<</if>> The scripts have been written well in advance which means this is mostly a weekend off for Eve, and she has the relaxed air to prove it. She might need to tweak things here and there but until you're on site, you'll not know. She can revise everything pretty quickly, so it doesn't really matter if it is a little wrong; Matt's presenting voice seems to come pretty easily to her. Alex is slumped against the window with their phone in front of their face, and you have to flick it out of their hands to get them to greet you. Even though you're best friends, sometimes social media seems to come first to them and today is apparently one of those days. There does come a point when you've lived together that you've seen everything about each other and superficial politeness goes a little out of the window. They go to say your name, which is… [[River|lastname][$Name to "River"]] [[Sam|lastname][$Name to "Sam"]] [[Rory|lastname][$Name to "Rory"]] [[Ali|lastname][$Name to "Ali"]] [[Beck|lastname][$Name to "Beck"]] [[none of these|nameinput]]

Enter name with first letter in upper case; <<textbox "$Name" "enter">> [[Continue|lastname]]

"Hey, $Name," Alex says, a little disgruntled at the way you've flicked their phone from out of their hands. Scowling brown eyes meet yours and you smile as you greet them back, causing their scowl to dissolve into a friendly smile. The complete opposite of Matt in presentation, Alex is wrapped in a comfy knit jumper and denim overalls, looking the part of someone who calls a rural setting home. That's a lie, they were raised with city parks instead of countryside nature reserves, but they're dressed for it all the same. They card a hand through their dark curls and relax back into their seat as you turn your attention to the final member of your team. Finally, Jordan looks up at you with a shy smile. You weren't so sure what to think when Matt introduced this… (This sets Jordan's gender for the story.) [[boy to you.|height][$jordgender to "male"]] [[girl to you.|height][$jordgender to "female"]] [[person to you.|height]]

Enter surname with first letter in upper case; <<textbox "$LastName" "enter">> [[Continue|car2]]

<<nobr>> <<if $jordgender is "male">> <<run gender.setPronouns("male")>><</if>> <<if $jordgender is "female">> <<run gender.setPronouns("female")>><</if>> <</nobr>>You weren't so sure when Matt introduced ?them to the group, since ?they <<verb 'is'>> that much younger than you and <<verb 'looks'>> a little too scrawny to even be able to hold a camera long enough to film, but so far Jordan is doing pretty well at proving ?themself to you. Quick with a camera and very good at getting everything in shot, ?they <<verb 'is'>> a real asset to your team. The fact that ?they <<verb 'works'>> for pretty much just food and transport doesn't hurt too much either, since this is pretty much a fledgling enterprise and you're all skint, to put it lightly. ?They <<verb 'is'>> also desperate for the help on ?their CV and being the lead photographer and videographer for a nature channel, albeit a small one, is definitely that. ?They <<verb 'is'>> also as skint as the rest of you, although much more put together. The credit apparently goes to the fact that ?their sister is a hairdresser which means that ?their hair is much more impeccable than yours ever feels like it is, even after you've all scaled a mountain. It doesn't hurt that ?their sense of style is incredible, even through hand-me-down and vintage clothing. Now you're settled into the car, Matt begins to drive and you relax into your spot in the front seat. You're pretty happy with this situation because… [[You're pretty tall, and you desperately need the legroom. (You're very tall.)|jour][$Height to "Very Tall"]] [[It's just nice to have the right amount of space for once. (You're tall.)|jour][$Height to "Tall"]] [[Legroom is always a bonus. (You're average height.)|jour][$Height to "Average"]] [[His car is pretty spacious. (You're a bit shorter.)|jour][$Height to "Short"]] [[This is ROOMY. In fact, you should probably move the seat forwards some. (You're very short.)|jour][$Height to "Very Short"]]

The template that the UI for You Live And Fern is based on is [[this one|https://ccrberus.itch.io/twine-sugarcube-template]] from [[Cerberus Writes.|https://cerberus-writes.tumblr.com/]] I love how simple it is to use (even for coding incompetents like myself) and how it works on a variety of screens. Thank you Cer! And thank you to Nemo from [[Nemo Writes.|https://nemowrites.tumblr.com/]] who helped me so so much with stat bars and made stat bars that are Beth-proof! As for myself you can find me at [[Beetle Beth Writes.|https://beetlebethwrites.tumblr.com/]] 💛 A big big thank you to my beta readers, who are a lovely group of people I am blessed to have helping me! All the characters are my own and while I am more than happy for people to use them for fan art and fiction, please do not reupload any of my content elsewhere. Thank you! [[Go back to profile.|profile]] [[View people menu.|characters]] <<link "Return to game" $return>><</link>>

After what feels like a while of trudging through pre-school and work traffic, you're onto the motorway and speeding your way to one of the more southern National Parks. The weather for the weekend is supposed to be good, which means it'll be a pleasant weekend of camping with your best friends and messing about in nature. Filming and other stuff will get done too, you suppose, but you're most looking forward to… [[Just spending time with your mates.|jour2][$matt +=3, $eve +=3, $jordan +=5, $alex +=3]] [[Getting some amazing footage.|jour2][$Technology +=3, $Subscribers *=1.1]] [[The social media pictures you're going to be able to upload.|jour2][$Peopleskills +=3, $Technology +=1, $Confident +=3, $Subscribers *=1.1]] [[Getting to relax in the great outdoors.|jour2][$Chill +=4]] [[Telling spooky stories around your inevitable campfire.|jour2][$Traditional +=2]] [[Working my way through the camping food I brought along.|jour2][$Prepared +=3]]

For now, though, you're just trapped in the car on what feels like it'll likely be a very warm day with a driver who can be a tyrant about car safety at the best of times with two of your closest friends having dropped to sleep already. Eve doesn't surprise you since she's never one for getting up early and it's quite likely that she stayed up much too late last night either reading or writing scripts. However, it is more surprising that Alex is asleep against the window, creating small clunks with their head as the car turns or goes over rougher parts of the road. Usually they are the one engulfing caffeine to ensure that they can annoy Matt for the maximum possible amount of time. Are they sick? That would put a damper on your weekend, and you're concerned until Matt interjects to tell you that- "Alex was out last night," Matt grumbles as he caught your eyes migrating to your best friend yet again, "I think they'd only been back in for about three hours when I came to get them at 6. It's not like this wasn't all planned well in advance or anything." And that's the downside to Matt. Working on the channel is his current priority in life, and anything that delays filming opportunities or decreases the chance you'll get subscribers to the channel really stresses him out. Especially on weekends and times that are dedicated to the channel, his levels of stress always shoots up. Normally he's a genial guy who goes out of his way to be helpful, but that firmly goes out of the window when you're working. Admittedly, the whole channel was his idea in the first place, born out of a science communication project you'd been tasked with at university. The four of you (you, Matt, Eve and Alex) had been a dream team at coming up with a channel and producing videos. Between Eve's scriptwriting and Matt's confident and charismatic story telling style (plus your filming and Alex's social media skills) you'd gained one of the highest grades in the cohort and cemented your friendships. It would be easy to say that your friends were the reasons for your success, but you pulled your weight in the project! In fact… [[Your camera work really made it!|jour3][$Technology +=10]] [[You wouldn't have had such good reviews if you weren't so popular!|jour3][$Confident +=3, $Peopleskills +=10, $Subscribers *=2.5]] [[You presented a segment that your lecturers really enjoyed!|jour3][$Presentation +=10]] [[The jokes you and Eve wrote in were flawless!|jour3][$Peopleskills +=7, $eve +=3, $Presentation +=3]] [[When Matt's laptop with the footage broke you luckily had a backup!|jour3][$matt +=2, $Technology +=7, $Prepared +=3]] [[Um... unfortunately it was all just them. You coasted by on this project.|jour3][$matt -=10, $eve -=10, $alex -=10]]

"They just like to go out," you try to placate, instinctively defending your best friend. "And it was Friday night, you know they didn't mean anything by it. They care about the project as much as we all do." Matt nods but his jaw is set in annoyance and you can tell he doesn't fully agree with your conclusion. Your statement was perhaps a little bit of a lie; no one cares about the project as much as Matt. That's the end of that conversation, you suppose. Putting all of this together has been very stressful for him, and you wouldn't have advised Alex to go out drinking but it wasn't like you could stop them either. Matt thinks you have more sway with them than you actually do, you supposed, but now that the two of you aren't living together you can't even attempt to control or keep tabs on their whereabouts.<<if $Technology >= 10>> You plug your phone into Matt's car using a contraption made of various wires that you've cobbled together. Matt's car just really wasn't made to play music from a phone. Phones like yours probably weren't even invented when this car was first made, but despite the small issues like the back windows not opening and occasionally doors getting stuck, or car alarms going off prematurely, it was reliable enough to have gotten you all from A to B many times. As you start the special playlist you've made for your times in the car all together, Matt seems to relax somewhat and starts to hum along. Motorway driving is stressful for him and you know it, but he wouldn't let anyone else even entertain the idea of driving you all. You'll just have to make sure that he has plenty of breaks and that you all manage to stop for something to eat. Low blood sugar just adds grumpiness onto the stress and you really don't need that.<<else>> You try to tune the radio but all that comes out is blaring static. Matt's car just really wasn't made to play music well. Good quality car speakers weren't made when this car was, but despite the small issues like the back windows not opening and occasionally doors getting stuck, or car alarms going off prematurely, it's reliable enough to have gotten you all from A to B many times. After you break through the static and manage to tune the radio finally, Matt seems to relax somewhat and even starts to hum along. Motorway driving is stressful for him and you know it, but he wouldn't let anyone else even entertain the idea of driving you all. You'll just have to make sure that he has plenty of breaks and that you all manage to stop for something to eat. Low blood sugar will just add grumpiness onto the stress and you really don't need that.<</if>><<if $Prepared >50>><<set $matt +2>> Luckily, you've got journey snacks for exactly this occasion. Opening a packet of strawberry laces with a crinkle, you pass him one that you've carefully extracted and he takes it with his free hand before sucking it into his mouth like a noodle, eyes still forward on the road. You hear Jordan laughing at the image of that from ?their space wedged in the back middle seat between Eve and Alex, and it even pulls a small smile from Matt. ?Their laugh is pretty contagious when it wants to be and you forget that ?they <<verb 'has'>>n't spent as much time around Matt as you have. To ?them, Matt is pretty much just a boss. Jordan hasn't seen him out of that environment yet and in a way, hasn't seen the best parts of him. You're hoping it should be a good bonding time all around.<<else>> Unfortunately, that's all going to have to wait for now until Matt calls it a day and gets to a service station he's happy to stop at. That will probably be at least at the midway point. You didn't bring any food along for the journey, and neither did Jordan, who is the only other person awake right now. As if on cue ?their stomach rumbles and you smile. This is going to feel like a long journey if you don't all get to eat at some point soon-ish.<</if>> [[Next|jour4]]

Car journeys on the motorway can be pretty boring, and this one is no exception. You find yourself looking out of the window until the side of the road feels like it's hypnotised you. Even the radio isn't keeping you company any more, the brief excitement of a music quiz having long faded away. You find yourself looking at your team, but the one who draws your attention most is… [[Matt|mattst][$matt +=3]] [[Eve|evest][$eve +=3]] [[Alex|alexst][$alex +=3]] [[Jordan|jordanst][$jordan +=5]]

Matt's your leader for a reason, and his blue eyed focus is directed intently at the motorway. He sees you looking at him from the corner of his eye and smiles. It's a smile that has won many a teacher over and convinced them that they need to buy into his views on education. A smile that is so trustworthy it informs people that only he can truly educate children on nature. It's the smile that leaves people in the comments writing 'Damn, I wish I was the shag he's interested in <3' on your video about coastal birds. <<set $mattst to 0>> "You alright? Not feeling carsick or anything?" he asks and well… //are you alright?// [[I'm more than fine. His attention on just me is pretty much all I've ever wanted.|mattstbr][$mattcrush to "true", $Confident +=3, $matt +=2, $mattst to 1]] [[I blush and quickly look away with a nod. I can't let him know what I'm thinking.|mattstbr][$mattcrush to "true", $Confident -=3, $matt +=2, $mattst to 2]] [[Actually... I am feeling a little motion sick.|mattstbr][$mattst to 3]] [[I'm okay, but he looks really stressed, I hope that he's okay and will enjoy the weekend.|mattstbr][$Rude -=3, $matt +=2, $mattst to 4]] [[He looks really stressed, he better not ruin the weekend.|mattstbr][$Rude +=3, $mattst to 5]]

<<if $mattst is 1>>It's hard not to like someone who looks like him and has more dedication towards your tiny channel than most people have in their entire lives. He's one of the best people you know, and the real definition of a ride-or-die friend. Him and his car have been there for you through just about everything, and they're not going to stop now.<<elseif $mattst is 2>>It's hard not to like someone who looks like him and has more dedication towards your tiny channel than most people have in their entire lives. He's one of the best people you know, and the real definition of a ride-or-die friend. Him and his car have been there for you through just about everything, and they're not going to stop now. That doesn't mean your thoughts are just that of a friend. "You sure you're okay? You look a little flustered," he comments, voice full of concern, and all you can do is nod. You're not sure that you could tell him that ever since he met you and noted your $distinctive you've had a little bit of a thing for him. Or a //lot// of a thing.<<elseif $mattst is 3>>It's not Matt's fault, his driving is pretty good, it's just that the movement of the car is uneven because it's so old now. He can't stop it lurching forwards and backwards as you speed along. The car is just putting up a fight with the weight of you all and your equipment. You try not to let your stomach churn some more as you think about it breaking down in the middle of nowhere.<<elseif $mattst is 4>>Whether it's because he's driving down the motorway right now or because he's tired and hungry, Matt doesn't look happy. It's probably for the best that you'll have to stop for a break soon before he snaps at people for sleeping in his car while he did all the driving. It's only happened once, now known as 'The Incident' in your group parlance and even Alex won't test their luck on that front now. Jordan should find ?themself lucky that ?they missed that event.<<else>>Matt's eyes are firmly focused back on the road, and that's probably for the best, considering that your face might have devolved into a frown as you think about how stressed he's getting. This is meant to be a nice weekend away with your friends, not a whole ordeal. You don't want a repeat of 'The Incident' when he chewed out Alex for 15 minutes for complaining about a journey they slept through.<</if>> [[Next|jour5]]

Just as you start to think that your butt might be going fully numb from sitting on this seat, the familiar click-click of the indicators start up. Coming back to yourself, you realize that you're finally pulling into the service station, your official mid-way point of the journey. You're not sure it could come soon enough, if you're entirely honest. Being cooped up in a mid-size car with four other people and filming equipment isn't exactly the most comfortable way to travel, but you'll be there before you know it. You hope. Matt's out of the car as soon as the engine is off, stretching out his arms and legs after so long driving. He might be pretty physically fit, but rigidly driving on the motorway is enough to make anyone feel pretty tired pretty quickly. Couple that with the fact that he's been driving around to collect everyone since before 6 am, of course he's entirely knackered. Matt closing the door manages to jolt Alex and Eve awake, who both yawn in turn and then open their own respective car doors (although not without a struggle from Eve) to stumble out into the light. That lets Jordan free, who had been effectively trapped between the two of them for a while now and finally gets the chance to stretch out ?their own arms and legs again. Once you've all piled out, Matt locks the car doors and looks around the desolate car park next to the motorway. It is pretty crap as far as service stations go, but it is also pretty much exactly half way to your destination. <<nobr>><<if $alex > 52>>[[Next|jour6]] <<else>>[[Next|jour7]] <</if>><</nobr>>

A flash of red hair catches your eye as Eve shifts and readjusts herself in her sleep. You try to not watch her too obviously through the wing mirror on your side of the car. With how she's slumped her glasses are slipping down her delicate nose and drawing more attention to the paths of freckles over her cheeks and forehead. <<set $evest to 0>> That's not why you're just looking though, is it? [[No, I find myself looking pretty constantly.|evestbr][$evecrush to "true", $eve +=2, $evest to 1]] [[It's easier to look when I know she won't be looking.|evestbr][$evecrush to "true", $Confident -=3, $eve +=2, $evest to 2]] [[I was thinking about the script.|evestbr][$Prepared +=3, $eve +=1, $evest to 3]] [[She looks so tired, I hope she's been getting enough sleep.|evestbr][$Rude -=3, $eve +=2, $Peopleskills +=3, $evest to 4]] [[She can be a little bit of a bore, without really meaning to and I hope it doesn't put a damper on the weekend.|evestbr][$Rude +=3, $eve -=2, $evest to 5]]

<<if $evest is 1>>Eve is stunning, and even as she's slumped against the car window and tangled in her cardigan that's still the truth. You've had a bit of a thing for her for as long as you've known her, and not just because of her looks. Your fate was more than sealed when you also realised she was insightful, genuine and all around a pretty great person. Who wouldn't like her? <<elseif $evest is 2>>She's gorgeous, even when slumped against a car window with her arms around herself like that. She looks a little cold with just her cardigan pulled around her, and a part of you wishes you could be replacing the cardigan. You'd try really hard to keep her warm, if she let you.<<elseif $evest is 3>>Eve will have it pretty much sorted by now, you're sure. Otherwise she'd be fretting over it and wouldn't be sleeping quite so soundly. Still, it's good to be prepared, especially with Matt's levels of stress predicted to grow exponentially over the weekend.<<elseif $evest is 4>>Eve has been known to throw herself into a project so fully that she forgets how to function otherwise. When Matt's stressing as much as he has been, it's pretty likely she's been stressing too and hasn't been sleeping too well. It's a bit concerning, but she seems to be catching up now, which you're thankful about.<<else>>Eve works hard but also, she has the real capacity to be a pretty dull person when she wants to be. She tends to be buried in a book rather than spend her time outside and you're worried that it'll mean your weekend will be a little bit less fun for having her in it. <</if>> [[Next|jour5]]

Asleep with their phone in hand, Alex almost looks cute, if you didn't know that they could be an absolute terror and has already annoyed Matt this morning. Their long eyelashes are fluttered down onto their cheeks as they nap, and you can't help but think that them being asleep now is going to mean that they're very awake later. Alex can be a little bit like a small child in that a nap is like recharging a battery. Not to mention you're sure that at the next stop they'll add to it with coffee. <<set $alexst to 0>> If they weren't your best friend they'd be annoying, right? So what are you thinking about them? [[Alex is your actual best friend, it's pretty hard not to think about them.|alexbf][$alex +=3]] [[Alex is your best friend, but you can't help notice how attractive they are.|alexbf4][$alexcrush to "true", $alex +=3]] [[It's pretty weird of them to be asleep like this instead of annoying Matt.|alexstbr][$Rude -=2, $alexst to 1]] [[Alex could probably be using this time for something better than sleeping.|alexstbr][$Peopleskills +=1, $Technology +=1, $Prepared +=2, $Subscribers *=1.1, $alexst to 2]] [[Matt said that Alex went out last night, and that was pretty shitty of them.|alexstbr][$Prepared +=2, $alex -=2, $alexst to 3]]

They've been with you through the ups and downs of university, pulled all nighters with you at the library and you've fetched them from unwise drunk hookups more times than you can count. As far as you're concerned, that's more than you can expect from most people. Matt might be the functional ride-or-die friend, but if you commit a murder you know Alex will be right along there with you. Is that all you are to each other though? [[Um... no, we did have that hookup one time.|alexhook][$alexhookup to "true"]] [[Yes, of course. We're best friends.|alexbf2]] [[Yes, but sometimes I wish we had a little bit more.|alexbf2][$alexcrush to "true"]]

Sometimes the best times to be had are between friends, and that was all that happened. It was pretty natural for the two of you and as easy as the rest of your relationship. There has never been any pressure between the two of you, and the way you left it, you could probably hook up again if you wanted to. Who knows you better than your friends, after all? But do you want something more? [[Yes, it was pretty good and I wouldn't mind that again. Maybe something more.|alexhook2][$alexcrush to true]] [[No, what happens between friends stays between friends.|alexhook3][$Chill +=3]]

Sometimes hookups between friends do lead to emotions and that's okay. You're proof of that, right? [[Next|jour5]]

Wisely said, what happened is not a big deal to you. [[Next|jour5]]

<<if $alexcrush is "true">>Nothing has ever happened between the two of you, although you do wish that maybe something could have done. Who better to fall for than someone who already knows more about you than everyone else? <<else>>We're just best friends, who know all of each other's gross habits. No offence to them, but best friends is where they'll be staying for the time being. There is such a thing as knowing way too much about someone.<</if>> [[Next|jour5]]

It's not like it's a secret that they're attractive, most people are pretty aware of the combination of handsome, pretty and cozy that they embody. Not to mention their easy going personality. You might be best friends, but it hasn't eluded you that they're pretty fine to look at. Has anything else ever happened between you? [[...yep, we did hookup one time.|alexbf5][$alexhookup to "true"]] [[No, nothing at all.|alexbf5]]

<<if $alexhookup is "true">>Sometimes the best time to be had is one between friends, and that was all that happened. It's left you with a major crush on them though. Or maybe those feelings were always there… Just something to think about.<<else>>It doesn't stop you really liking them though, and having a major crush on them, despite the fact that they're your best friend. Life is weird that way sometimes, right? Who better to have a crush on than a friend?<</if>> [[Next|jour5]]

<<if $alexst is 1>>You're not concerned for Alex per se, but it is unusual for them to be napping on a journey. Then again, Matt did say that they were out all night last night, so maybe you shouldn't be too worried? Them going out is pretty standard for them, isn't it? As long as they're awake when it counts. We know they're your best friend, but have you done anything else?<<elseif $alexst is 2>>Like your social media presence, right? They're supposed to be on that kind of thing, but their phone is just dangling out of their hand like they couldn't care less. A four hour car journey would have been the perfect time to get some consistent posts sorted for your whole team. We know they're your best friend, but have you done anything else?<<else>>Matt wasn't joking when he said that this had been in the diary forever and a day, yet Alex just conveniently goes out and turns up with a couple of hours sleep on this morning. Thankfully they don't have to be on camera as your social media manager because they're probably going to be worse for wear once they get to where you're going. We know they're your best friend, but have you done anything else?<</if>> [[...yep, we did have that hookup one time.|alexstbr2][$alexhookup to "true"]] [[No, nothing at all.|alexstbr6]]

Sometimes the best time to be had is one between friends, and that was all that happened. It's really not a big deal. [[Next|jour5]]

Sometimes friends are just friends without the benefits. You might have shared a bed but you've never been together as anything more than friends. Maybe part of that is that sometimes they can act really selfishly, like they appear to have done overnight. [[Next|jour5]]

Jordan is the newest member of your team and you're still not entirely sure on where you stand on ?them. That's fair enough, but ?they <<verb 'seems'>> to do good work. Matt seems to be happy with it, at least. ?They-re currently looking down at ?their phone and what you guess would be a game. ?They-re distracted and <<verb 'does'>>n't notice you looking. <<set $jordst to 0>> What do you really think about ?them? [[It's just nice to have someone new to look at and if I'm honest, Jordan's plenty cute.|jordstbr][$jordcrush to "true", $Confident +=3, $jordan +=2, $jordst to 1]] [[Jordan's cute, in a way.|jordstbr][$jordcrush to "true", $Confident -=3, $jordan +=2, $jordst to 2]] [[Jordan is pretty damn capable, which is nice.|jordstbr][$Technology -=2, $jordan +=2, $jordst to 3]] [[Jordan obviously wants Matt's attention.|jordstbr][$Rude +=1, $jordst to 4]] [[I don't know why we need an intern, I'm plenty good at technology for our team.|jordstbr][$jordan -=5, $Technology +=10, $Rude +=5, $matt -=4, $jordst to 5]]

<<if $jordst is 1>>That's fair enough, ?they <<verb 'is'>> pretty cute, in that baby deer kind of way. You work for a nature channel though so it kind of does it for you. You love deer as much as you love any other animal.<<elseif $jordst is 2>>Yep ?they sure <<verb 'is'>>. Not that you'd tell ?them that though, right? ?They-re two years younger than you, and that makes all the difference, right? You're not in high school anymore, sweetheart, it doesn't matter nearly as much as you think.<<elseif $jordst is 3>>It alleviates the worry from you about filming, that's for sure. It means that you can focus on other parts of the project that you actually really care about and don't have to lug the camera around nearly as much as before.<<elseif $jordst is 4>>That might be the case but ?they <<verb 'works'>> pretty hard to get his attention and keep it. That's surely a good quality? Plus, of course ?they <<verb 'wants'>> his recognition, he's the boss and will definitely be writing the reference at the end of this.<<else>>I mean, you didn't have to say it, even if it's true. Jordan can't help that ?they <<verb 'takes'>> your role a little bit. Matt was the one that hired ?them, after all.<</if>> [[Next|jour5]]

Alex sticks their tongue out at you as you start to walk towards the grey service building. They nudge your shoulders with their own as you walk and you shake your head in reply to them. "Don't tell me Mr. Serious got to you too," they grumble, letting their face drop into a mock-pained expression. "Matt's right though, this is an important weekend. What were you doing out last night?" Their face drops a little at the way you chastise them but they soon replace that with their typical smile. "I just wanted to go out, it's really not a big deal $Name." Their tone is forcibly light-hearted but you can tell there's something they're not saying. For as much as the two of you get on, there is one big problem with Alex. No one ever really gets through to them. You might have lived with them for years but big conversations had always been because you started them rather than the other way around, and heels were dragged throughout. "You know you can talk to me, right?" you ask and they just give you a glib smile and a nod in return. Damn, you love them but they're infuriating. You follow them into the dull building and look around for your options. [[Next|carpark]]

You cross the car park to the grey service building, looking at the massively uninspiring building and trying not to feel a little too maudlin just from the appearance alone. You get swept up into the conversation with Alex, Eve and Jordan over what the correct food is for this early in the morning. "All I need is coffee," Alex jokes, their tone almost a song as they try to cut through the argument. "You need to eat something a bit more proper. At least fruit or something," Eve chastises, rolling her eyes as she herds the lot of you into the dull building. Since it's now past 9, the business people have been missed mostly, and it leaves the place looking even more desolate than normal. "I'm going to get doughnuts. Maybe pastries too." Jordan can always pack the food away, and a combination of ?their metabolism and just pure luck means that ?they can handle a big breakfast pretty easily. "I just want to stay awake for the rest of the journey or I think Matt might actually kill me. I think a double espresso is in order," Alex announces, stretching their arms out as they try to stifle another yawn. "You did go out last night, you can't complain if you had a good time," Eve laughs, her long hair shaking as she does so. Your friends disperse out into the service station and you take a look around. [[Next|carpark]]

It's a pretty dull service station with only a few places open among the shuttered empty units. There's the standard small supermarket, coffee shop and roadside bookshop. Where do you want to go? [[Join Eve in the bookshop, where she's browsing bestsellers.|evess][$eve +=3]] [[You spot Alex in the queue for the coffee shop and join them.|alexss][$alex +=3]] <<link "Jordan is loading ?their arms with copious amounts of food. You should probably help." "jordss" >><<set $jordan +=3>><</link>> [[Matt is looking at nature magazines in the bookstore and has an annoyed look on his face. You want to know what's going on.|mattss][$matt +=3]]

Eve has a book in her hands, turning it over and focusing on the blurb for a few seconds before her nose wrinkles and she places it back on the shelf. Even as you walk towards her this pattern repeats itself multiple times. When she sees you from the corner of her eye she smiles but still picks up another book and turns it over in her hands. You see the title is '10 Greatest Mysteries of Our Time.' "You think you're going to solve a mystery?" you ask and she just laughs before shaking her head. "The mystery of why Alex went out last night, maybe?" she muses, before shaking her head and placing the book back onto the shelf. "Look, I know it's their business, but did they have to pick last night? I thought we were going to repeat 'The Incident' when Matt told me." //'The Incident'// is the name given to the one and only occasion you've all seen Matt thoroughly lose his shit, and it was over Alex complaining about a long journey. It's obviously fresh in Eve's mind as she thinks about your journey today. "We should be glad he didn't lose his shit," you decide, and she nods, picking up a novel with a man with a billowing shirt and a busty woman. You'd never really seen Eve read anything simple like this before, usually it's non-fiction or classics. "Trashy romance, really?" you ask and she just rolls her eyes, looking to you with a critical look like she was trying to assess exactly how to explain herself. <<nobr>><<if $evecrush is "true">> [[Next|evessc1]] <<else>> [[Next|evess1]] <</if>><</nobr>>

"I know that I usually read social science stuff or Jane Austen, but there's nothing wrong with something that's easy to read and digest. Plus, who doesn't like a romance from time to time?" You can't help but agree with that, noticing the way her eyes light up when she talks about it. "I think there's something really nice about being able to lose yourself in the idea that love is real and just around the corner." She looks down at the book before reshelving it. "Maybe not in a time-slip regency cosmic horror romance though." "You mean you don't want to slip back through time to find Mr. Darcy and also kill some vampires on the way?" "Darcy is not for me. Way too rude and full of pride. I don't want to try to change people like that," she says with a shake of her head and an affectionate smile which is… wait, is that directed at you? You try not to get flustered and read into her smile too much as she continues, "Besides, Austen was a satirist, so I'm not entirely sure we're supposed to like Mr. Darcy. Unless he's Colin Firth, in which case… acceptable." She smiles and turns her attention back to the bookshelves. [[Next|evess2]]

"I can like romance. I don't have to be some paragon of literary excellence. Reading is a hobby and there's nothing wrong with just reading something because you like it." You hold your hands up at that in front of your chest, as if to say 'yeah actually that's a really fair point' and she seems placated. "That being said," she shelves the book with a decisive movement, "This one sounds like it lacks direction even for a romance novel." As she pushes the book back into place you see the words 'vampire' and 'Jane Austen' on the blurb. In a way, you're pretty glad that she doesn't pick that to read while you're away, since Eve is someone who tends to enthuse and like to talk about the books she's reading. You're not so sure you want to hear the details of that one, unless it's with a heap of sarcasm. "I think I'd kill for a Jon Ronson book I haven't read being here right now though," she grumbles as she looks up and doesn't find whatever she is looking for. "Is there such a thing?" You can empathise with her though, the book selection here is incredibly limited and seems to be just whatever books were leftover from actual bookstores. That's a pretty good metaphor for everything in a service station, if you think about it. [[Next|evess2]]

Eve continues to look through the bookshelves, her brows furrowed as she seems to get more exasperated due to the lack of good books. "It's official, service station bookshops are the worst bookshops," she says, finally leaving her quest and sighing as she cast a last forlorn look towards the bookshelves. "You mean you don't like true crime books which blames the mothers of serial killers for their actions?" you ask, holding up a book about exactly that which had somehow found itself onto the 'must read' table. Maybe because they had so many copies left by everyone else who clearly didn't want to buy this trash. "I will politely miss the sexism for today," she says, shaking her head as she takes the book from you and lightly places it back onto the pile. Even with utter contemptible rubbish, she's so gentle. Perhaps that was due to her care for insects, she can see the parts of the world that everyone else seems to overlook or was disgusted by. Some people would call that optimism, but Eve has always said she always just sees it as a level of realism, that everything is pretty when people look closely. The world doesn't have enough people like her, not really. "Anyway, I bet Matt will want to get on with driving," she says, drifting away from you and leaving you to follow her curtain of red hair back out of the desolate building and to the car where, predictably, Matt is already waiting for you all along with Jordan. The two of you aren't the last to arrive though, so you're not the ones holding the journey up. That dubious honour goes to Alex, who is now speed walking across the car park with a takeaway coffee cup in hand. "Sorry, it took a while." How are you feeling about Eve after your time with her at the service station? [[With her not having a book to read, our script is going to be perfect.|services][$Prepared +=2, $eve +=2]] [[I actually forgot that Eve's really funny.|services][$eve +=2, $Chill +=3]] [[Eve can be really tedious. Her opinions are always too sensitive.|services][$eve -=2, $Rude +=2]] <<nobr>><<if $evecrush is "true">> [[You know, I'm actually not so sure I'm into Eve after all.|services][$evecrush to "false"]] <<elseif $evecrush is "false">> [[Damn, Eve's really cute, I can't believe I didn't see this before.|services][$evecrush to "true", $eve +=2]]<</if>><</nobr>>

Matt accepts their apology and waves them towards the car doors. Now everyone is back at the car, Matt's keen to get going and slips into the driver's seat. Eve is happily settled back into her back seat on the passenger side, and looks happy to stay there for the rest of the journey. You still have another few hours to travel until you're set up for the night. The big question is, where do you want to sit? [[I still want to take the front seat for the rest of the way.|fronts][$matt +=2, $alex -=2, $Rude +=2]] <<link "I offer Jordan the front seat, ?they <<verb 'has'>> been sat in the middle back for ages now." "jfront" >><<set $jordan +=3>> <</link>> [[I offer Alex the front seat, they could probably do with making it up to Matt right now. It's better for them to do that when they're awake.|afront][$alex +=3]]

Alex is waiting in line at the coffee shop with three people in front of them, eyes focused on their phone with a laser focus level of concentration that you're not typically used to seeing with them. They only notice you when you stand next to them and they look up sharply, expecting to see someone standing way too close to them. Their face visibly softens when they see that it's you and not a stranger moving into their space. "Sorry, I'm not with it today," they say, trying to stifle a yawn with the back of their hand. They haven't bothered to lock their phone and you can see that they were just browsing social media on their phone in the queue. That's not normally something which requires such a high level of attention from them, or induces a frown. "It's alright, you were out last night." You shrug as they speak and Alex's face contorts into a look that you can easily decipher as stress on their face. "//Please// not you too, I thought Matt was going to kill me when he saw me this morning in a state." Their eyes are rimmed with dark circles as they finally turn their attention to you and stow their phone in their pocket, sighing as they do so. "I thought Jordan was going to witness 'The Incident 2.0'." //'The Incident'// is the common name of an epic argument in which Matt truly lost his temper at Alex. It's happened once and hasn't happened again since but none of you are stupid enough to poke the bear. "You know I have no problem with you going out, it's just your timing." They nod as if to say that they know and since you're so close, you know you can get away with the critique. However, you also know not to push it, since they've already heard enough from Matt for the day and know what they did. You don't need to hammer it home. <<nobr>><<if $alexcrush is "true">> [[Next|alexssc1]] <<else>> [[Next|alexss1]]<</if>><</nobr>>

You move forward in the line and look around the people in front of you to see what exactly the barista is doing and what's taking so long. As you do, you see Alex looking at you pretty closely, which makes your skin heat up. You chastise yourself for acting like this with your //best friend// and settle back into where you're standing next to them and shrug. "Well, I guess we're in the queue for the time being. They have one person trying to do it all." You don't envy that person at all, you know how stressful working in a customer service environment can be and you'll not make a fuss. As if the barista isn't stressed enough already without you both adding to it. You go to get your card to pay and Alex places their hand on yours gently, reassuringly. "I'll get it, don't worry." You can't help but smile at that, trying not to get too flustered at the way they choose to care for you. That's just Alex; their actions can go between being exceptionally inconsiderate and being thoughtful in less than 24 hours and you can never be sure on what you're going to get next. It won't make up what they did to Matt, but at least they're not sulking or anything of the like. This weekend might be really good yet. [[Next|alexss2]]

You move forward in the line and tilt your head at Alex as if to say 'I've completely had enough of this queue already' and the smile they give you in response tells you that they feel the same. You would never complain, of course, since you work this exact job and know how hard it is to work through customer service while still having one too many jobs to do. In fact, from your angle now you can see that there is only one person working in the entire coffee shop, a position you can't help but wince at. You've been there and done that, and you're not at all envious of the position that they're in. You go to find your card but Alex just shakes their head and holds up their own. "I've got you, don't worry about it," they say, shrugging a little and you smile at them. Alex can be really lovely when they wanted to be but they still surprised you when they did this kind of thing. If their mood is looking up and they're acting like this, maybe the weekend will turn up good in the end. Alex and Matt don't need to be at each other's throats today. [[Next|alexss2]]

Now there's only one person in the line before, and you can tell that Alex is getting stressed that you're still in the queue. You don't tell them that you saw Matt walk past to go back to the car when you haven't even had the chance to order yet. Thankfully the person in front of you only wants a tea so you find yourself at the front of the queue a little more quickly than you would have done otherwise. Alex orders for you both, shocking you with the fact that they had indeed remembered your order from when you've been out before. They can be brash, annoying and generally larger-than-life but your best friend really is considerate when it counts and this only adds to it. Drinks in takeaway cups, you both start to walk back towards the car. Alex gets distracted by a fluffy pink neck pillow for a second before you clear your throat. "Would now be a good time to tell you that I already saw Matt go back to the car while we were in the queue?" They exhale with a swear and start to walk quickly out of the service station door and across the car park. They can power walk pretty quickly when they want to, and you struggle to keep both your drink contained and keep up with the pace. "Sorry, we got held up," they apologise, awkwardly smiling at Matt who is leaning against the car. Eve had already sequestered herself into the back of the car and Jordan is waiting with Matt and chatting enthusiastically with attempted gestures, despite the fact that ?they <<verb 'has'>> arms full of food. The two of you really were the latest. How are you feeling about your time spent with Alex? [[I'm good, Alex having coffee and being awake can only be good for the team balance.|services][$Prepared +2, $alex +=2]] [[I remember why me and Alex are so close.|services][$alex +=2, $Chill +=3]] [[Alex shouldn't have gone out. Buying me coffee or no, they were acting like a dick.|services][$alex -=2, $Rude +=2]] <<nobr>><<if $alexcrush is "true">> [[You know, I'm actually not so sure I'm into Alex after all. They're my best friend, and that's it.|services][$alexcrush to "false"]] <<elseif $alexcrush is "false">> [[Shit, Alex is my friend I can't be developing a crush.|services][$alexcrush to "true", $alex +=2]] <</if>><</nobr>>

Jordan looks like ?they <<verb 'is'>> struggling with that amount of food in ?their arms and you just have to go and help! ?Their slender arms may be able to lift up a filming camera and boom for a considerable amount of time but that doesn't translate to ?their ability to hold twenty packs of various crisps, sweets and lunch snacks. You know that Matt will have already prepared meals for you, but the amount of snacks that ?they <<verb 'is'>> buying will get you all comfortably through the weekend for sure. "You need some help with that?" you ask and after being startled for a second and dropping a pack of sweets, which you pick up, ?they happily pass off a few packets of crisps and a sandwich to you. ?They <<verb 'looks'>> grateful for your help, passing a few more packets to you as ?they <<verb 'shifts'>> the food in ?their arms to free ?their hands so that ?they can find money to pay for the snacks. You follow ?them around the rest of the store, arms laden with food as ?they <<verb 'looks'>> around the shop for more food. "Do you want anything?" ?they <<verb 'asks'>>, meeting your eyes with a friendly smile. <<if $jordcrush is "true">>[[Next|jordssc]]<<else>> "You sure?" you ask, just as aware that ?they <<verb 'is'>> as skint as you and the rest of your team are. ?They <<verb 'nods'>> and smiles at you. You help yourself to a packet of sweets, one of the cheaper things in the store before adding it to the pile in your arms, trying to stop them sliding all over the place or dropping to the floor. It feels a little like herding cats but eventually everything feels like it's balanced and Jordan is off up the aisle again. [[Next|jordss1]]<</if>>

"You know, you've probably picked the worst place to buy all of these supplies," you say, looking at the price tag of a sandwich and knowing you can get the exact same thing, if not better for roughly half the price. Jordan shrugs, looking down at the snacks in ?their arms before moving over to the scanner and starting to scan ?their food. "I know, but we'll eat them all, right? I'm just trying to help all of you guys out more than I do." That's ridiculously sweet of ?them to say and really just sums ?them up pretty well, but it's unnecessary. That being said, ?they-re going to fit in better than most if ?they <<verb 'keeps'>> plying you all with food. People may say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach but that also applies pretty well to groups of people in their mid-twenties who are trying to work on a nature channel. "You do really help us out, you know that right? You don't have to buy food for us to value you." Jordan blushes at that and shakes ?their head. "It's not like that. It's just Matt and you guys took a chance on me and I want to show you that I'm grateful." You frown a little at that and shake your head. "You don't need to do that. You've proved that you can film well already, right?" ?They <<verb 'tries'>> to force a smile at that and ?they <<verb 'nods'>>. You hope that you've both had a real moment here and that ?they <<verb 'has'>> more confidence after this moment. Matt is a great leader, but he's also a real perfectionist and he never would have hired someone who couldn't do better than the four of you could. To hire Jordan, he really must have seen something in ?them. ?They <<verb 'pauses'>> in the act of scanning ?their food and smiles at you, a real genuine beam of a smile that cuts through ?their nervousness. "Thanks $Name. That really does mean a lot, coming from you." With that you take one of the now scanned bags of shopping and hold it. It's pretty full to bursting but you reckon you can make it out to the car without causing an avalanche of food. Jordan follows pretty closely behind you and the two of you walk to the car, where Matt is already leaning. You're not surprised, he's always the most organised of the group and likes to be back before anyone else gets the chance to be. Jordan tucks some of the food into the boot as Matt unlocks it for ?them as you all wait for Alex and Eve to return. Eve drifts to join your group in a cloud of red hair and draped clothing, as she always does and sequesters herself into the car as you all wait for Alex. They come power walking out about 5 minutes after she arrives with a takeaway cup in hand, seeing you all waiting for them. "I'm sorry, it took longer than I thought it would." How are you feeling about your time with Jordan? [[Spending time buying snacks with Jordan was actually really fun, and now we have supplies.|services][$Prepared +=2, $jordan +=2]] <<link "Jordan is really sweet. I'm glad that ?they <<verb 'is'>> a part of the team." "services">><<set $jordan +=2, $Rude -=3>> <</link>> <<link "I'm still not convinced on ?them. ?They-re not needed." "services">><<set $jordan -=2, $Rude +=2>> <</link>> <<if $jordcrush is "true">>[[You know, I'm not actually seeing the appeal anymore.|services][$jordcrush to "false"]]<<elseif $jordcrush is "false">>[[Jordan is really thoughtful. I can feel a crush developing.|services][$jordcrush to "true", $jordan +=2]]<</if>>

You couldn't believe that ?they <<verb 'was'>> asking you if you actually wanted something for ?them to buy. ?They <<verb 'is'>> so thoughtful when ?they <<verb 'acts'>> like this and it doesn't help that feeling fluttering in your stomach. Maybe ?they could be more of something to you if they act like this all of the time. And the fact is that you know ?they <<verb 'does'>> act like this a lot more than anyone you've ever known. Whether it is because ?they <<verb 'is'>> younger than you and trying to prove ?themself or just because that's what ?they <<verb 'does'>>, it still made you a little flustered. "Are you sure?" you ask and ?they <<verb 'nods'>> before smiling. That makes your stomach jump again and you fetch a packet of your favourite sweets, adding it to the pile of food in your arms. [[Next|jordss1]]

<<set $gamechapter = "end">> Thank you for reading You Live And Fern and I hope you've enjoyed it! This is just a demo for now and you can keep up with developments and ask questions on my tumblr at [[Beetle Beth Writes.|https://beetlebethwrites.tumblr.com/]] 💛 Please report any bugs to my tumblr or to beetlebethwriting@gmail.com ''In the next demo (Chapter 5);'' <ul> <li>Go on dates!</li> <li>Find out why your brother has been uncharacteristically absent.</li></ul> //Any and all feedback would be appreciated as this is a WIP!// [[Credits|credits]] <<link "Restart">><<run UI.restart()>><</link>>

As you get closer to him, you see that the magazine in his hands is one about nature photography. That's pretty typical of him, he has an entirely one track mind at the best of times. This weekend is like that as well, except dialled up to 11 and then plugged into another amplifier. The idea that Matt could be thinking about anything that isn't your channel this weekend would be a lie. You try to look over his shoulder and see what exactly has him so engrossed. He jumps and turns to look at you. "Shit, you scared me $Name." <<nobr>><<if $mattcrush is "true">> [[Next|mattssc1]] <<else>> [[Next|mattss1]]<</if>><</nobr>>

You meet his intense blue eyes and your heart feels like it jumps a few beats just from that alone. Matt is usually so focused that it's nice to have his attention on you. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you," you confess, "I just saw you frowning over here and had to know what you were looking at." Over his shoulder you can see various articles about nature photography, including recommendations about cameras and a guide on what best to shoot this time of year. Of course, you already know a lot of this. You'd seen Eve write a few of the scripts about a few of the featured species for this trip. It is good to see that in terms of professional content, you were ahead of the game. Or at least in line with it. You're aware all of a sudden that you're standing very close to him. Close enough to smell him. Matt has a smell which you could only describe as 'rugged', like pine trees and morning air. Whether he chose a cologne that smells like that on purpose, or you just associate those smells with him, you're not quite sure but either way you're not going to complain. You let yourself get lost in his eyes for a moment before you come back to yourself and realise he's talking to you. Wait… what about? It's going to be the magazine, right? [[Next|mattss2]]

You meet his eyes with a smile and look over his shoulder at the magazine. It seems to be a pretty standard nature photography magazine, the kind that you've seen him read a thousand times even though it really does seem to be the case that he hates them. You can imagine 12 year old Matt loving the tips and tricks shown here, especially the guide showing what can be photographed this time of year, but the 24 year old Matt that you know has firmly outgrown it. "I don't think you're the target market any more," you say, pointing at an article that reads 'Top 10 Tips for Filming at Night'. The title alone would never have gotten past Eve with the sloppy capitalisation, but you're all way past lists of tips. You guys know what you're doing. "Maybe not, but some of this is just sloppy." You can see what he means, some of the photos look ever so slightly blurry, like the focus wasn't entirely correct. It's the kind of photo you would have thought was okay before you started working with Matt but now you know wouldn't pass muster. If Alex put that on the social media you'd be flooded with irritated messages in the group chat until it was down or replaced with something more suitable. [[Next|mattss2]]

<<set $Subscribers * 1.1>>"We should be better than this, heck, we already are, but we should be //doing// better than them," Matt insists with a huff, shaking his head as he looks in the magazine, where the photos look a little… amateurish, if you're honest. The footage that you'd shot so far was far higher quality than this, and your equipment wasn't even fancy, just stuff that Matt had found from friends and family who were upgrading themselves. Looking at their work and what we featured here you feel sure that you and your friends should be featured here, not the people who made this. Matt lets the magazine snap shut in the way that only glossy magazines can do, face still set in annoyance as he places it back. He's careful not to bend the magazine despite the fact he obviously feels an unfair level of hatred towards it. Perhaps it's because he is considerate or perhaps it's just out of a sense of fondness for when he was the one who read it, but he's still careful that it doesn't catch and get bent out of shape. "Are you done staring down magazines?" you ask, and he just nods. Thankfully there aren't any other magazines for him to get distracted by and he ushers you out of the book store after checking that you didn't want to look at anything. You think you see Eve looking at the books but you walk with Matt instead back out of the drab building and back to the car. Predictably, no one else is at the car when you get there. Matt was the one who needed to stretch his legs but the rest of your team has been waylaid. You're not surprised though, your fearless leader is always the one who's ready to go and eager to move on when he's done, without quite the same level of thought for the rest of you. You're pretty sure that he wants to get out and get as much footage as he can today once you've arrived. "We work so hard, you know, all of us and I just want us to do well." You can understand what he's saying, but you knew it was never going to be as simple as all of that. When you'd gone into this you'd never thought you'd be overtaken by people who had sponsorships for brands that were for single use plastic coffee pods, or disposable razors. It didn't feel very fair when the lot of you worked so hard, but that was how it is sometimes. "We'll get there one day. We will," you assure him, and he smiles at you as he unlocks the car. At that moment you see Eve and Jordan walking across the car park, carrying bulging bags from the supermarket. You're surprised to see that Eve doesn't have a new book purchase, but you're not completely flabbergasted; she always criticies book stores at service stations for being not great. She helps Jordan unpack the shopping before getting into the car with a smile at you all. 5 minutes after the two of them arrive, and a total of 10 after you got back to the car, Alex rushes back with a takeaway cup in hand. They look awkward and offer Matt an apologetic smile. "I promise I got held up getting coffee." How are you feeling about Matt right now? [[Matt is always so driven, it makes me want to be more like him.|services][$Prepared +=2, $matt +=2]] [[He is such a good friend, I really want to help him make this a success.|services][$matt +=2, $Rude -=3]] [[Matt just really needs to chill. It's a video channel, not a thesis.|services][$matt -=2, $Rude +=2]] <<nobr>><<if $mattcrush is "true">> [[Matt is too intense, I don't think I could want a relationship with him.|services][$mattcrush to "false"]] <<elseif $mattcrush is "false">> [[He's just really cute, his determination only makes me like him more.|services][$mattcrush to "true", $matt +=2]] <</if>><</nobr>>

You settle into the front of the car next to Matt as Alex and Jordan pile back into the car. Predictably, Jordan still ends up in the middle of the back seat and you feel a little sorry for ?them. Matt waits for you all to get settled and strapped in before starting up the car and getting you back onto the motorway, his eyes focused forwards. Alex and Jordan are chatting in the back as Alex works their way down their coffee and gets progressively more awake. They still look pretty tired, their tan skin even darker around their eyes, but at least they seem to be in a better mood for having some caffeine. "Two hours left right? We should play i-Spy," Jordan says, ?their eyes lighting up. Alex doesn't look nearly as enthusiastic about the suggestion and shakes their head, letting their head hit against the window with a dramatic flourish. "Matt, I'm going to need you to drive faster so I don't have to play i-Spy with the child," they drawl, and Matt shakes his head with a grunt that sounds like 'speed limit'. <<nobr>><<if $mattcrush is "true">>He looks really cute with his blue eyes so intensely focused forward, and it would be really nice if he could shift that attention onto you, just a little bit. His dedication and focus is definitely something that you find desirable and want to know something more about. Would his focus be the same in a relationship? Maybe not the subject to broach while you're on the motorway and the car is desperately trying to cling to the speed of 70 mph, right? <<else>>You do worry about Matt when his focus is so forwards like this. Maybe the rest of you should be a little bit quieter to help him drive more easily, but the ruckus from the back can't really be helping. <</if>><</nobr>> "I'm not a child," Jordan insists, although the whine in ?their voice kind of implies otherwise. It's times like this that you remember ?they-re a little bit younger than you, fresh out of university instead of being jaded like the rest of you after years of working hard towards a goal that doesn't seem to be getting any closer. The combination of that and working in a cafe for a few years without much in the way of direction will do that for you, but Jordan hasn't reached that point yet. ?They <<verb 'is'>> still full of hope and ambition, it wouldn't be fair for you all to ruin it for ?them. It feels like everyone else who went to university with you are doing well, going on to PhDs, teaching positions and even medical school for a few of them. Then there's the four of you, who are desperately trying to claw at some level of sustainable income through one of the hardest channels you possibly could have chosen - social media and science education. [[Next|car3]]

The final junction approaches more quickly than you'd thought that it was going to when Matt said you were at the halfway point. Jordan's purchased snacks and the light chatter makes the second half of the trip go much quicker and you're grateful that ?they thought about it while you were at the station. It really makes the journey more enjoyable, and everyone is in a better mood for stable blood sugar. Apart from Eve, you suppose, who is still sound asleep against the window. She looks peaceful, even though the rest of you are chatting and laughing. Some people can sleep through anything and Eve is one of those for sure. Wrapped in her thick cardigan, there's nothing that could wake her up from her place of comfort. The roads get smaller and smaller as you start to wind through the national park in an attempt to find your camp site for the weekend. The hedges seem to be getting more unkempt as you wind through them and you are definitely rural now, the consistent roads of the motorway long forgotten. You pull up to a location that is pretty much just a field in the middle of nowhere, with a small toilet block across the field. The weather is good but it is the time of year where most people are too busy for weekends away. As a result, there's only one other tent on the camp site and you've got one whole end of the camp site to yourselves. Matt seems pretty happy about that when he gets out of the car. You reach over to gently shake Eve awake and she comes around, blearry eyed but happy to see that you're in nature and have finally stopped travelling. It's only midday and you have plenty of time to unpack and get around to filming for the day. You go to the back of the car and see where your bag is. The items in your bag are mostly… (''this decides your specialism'') [[filming equipment for my camera work.|specam][$Technology +=20, $Specialism to "Camera Work"]] [[books about the wildlife you're most likely to see. I might need them to edit the script.|spewrit][$Prepared +=10, $Presentation +=5, $Peopleskills +=5, $Specialism to "Script Writing"]] [[copies of Eve's script for my segment. I can't wait to present it!|spepres][$Presentation +=20, $Specialism to "Presentation"]] [[questions and answers for an FAQ we're going to film. I love being able to distil information to other people.|spescicomm][$Peopleskills +=20, $Specialism to "Science Communication"]] [[props for social media posts. We can't get popular without a good social media presence!|spesocm][$Peopleskills +=10, $Presentation +=10, $Specialism to "Social Media"]]

Jordan looks really grateful that you've thought of ?them but that means you're in the back. Where are you going to sit? [[I take the middle.|jfrontmcmid][$alex +=2, $Rude -=5]] [[I tell Alex to shift up so they're in the middle.|jcfrontalmid][$alex -=2]]

You pile into the car before Alex joins you and closes the door after you both. With the centre console your legs were pushed apart and you are pretty uncomfortable. By nature, you don't get a headrest when you're in this seat and you are already regretting your choice of seat. Damn it, why did you have to choose now to be a nice person? <<nobr>><<if $alexhookup is "true" and $alexcrush is "true">> [[Next|jfmcmid1][$jfmcmid to 1]] <<elseif $alexhookup is "true">> [[Next|jfmcmid1][$jfmcmid to 2]] <<else>> [[Next|jfmcmid1][$jfmcmid to 3]] <</if>><</nobr>>

Jordan is chatting enthusiastically to Matt in the front as he drives, contributing only nods and small interjections of agreement. "I've got the custom presets for editing sorted, so that we can keep our really distinctive look. Obviously I don't want you to look weird on the video, but people seem to really like how vibrant the colour looks with the new camera," ?they <<verb 'enthuses'>>, pausing to look at the numbers on your latest video and scroll through the comments. "And people are saying that they like how professional everything looks." "We //are// professionals," Matt replies, eyes focused forwards on the car. Jordan might be new to the project, but the rest of you have been working on this for the last three years. Admittedly only part time, but you are //technically// professionals and in theory you could get something resembling an income from it. You're registered as a company and everything. [[Next|car3]]

Alex shuffles into the middle seat with a grumble and you slide in behind Matt's seat, shutting the door after you and containing you both firmly in the car. You don't have too much space wedged in here and as soon as you're all buckled in, Matt starts to drive again. Because of the centre console, their legs are spread with one towards you and the other towards Eve. <<if $alexhookup is "true" and $alexcrush is "true">>"You don't mind me sitting like this, right?" Alex teases, shifting themselves ever so slightly, and you feel flustered at their attention on you. You lightly push them on the shoulder and they lightly brush against Eve as they let their body go through the movement. She opens an eye to look at you both for a second before rolling over to face away from you all instead. "Can you children stop? You're distracting me from driving," Matt barks and Alex straightens their face in mock seriousness. Since they're sat in the middle, there's no way that Matt hasn't seen that look. You bite your lip to suppress a laugh as well as hoping the pain would dissipate the heat that's threatening to bloom on your cheeks as Alex looks at you like that. Even through the tiredness on their face they have a look on their face like they want to eat you… and you're not sure you'd complain about that.<<elseif $alexhookup is "true">>"You don't mind me sitting like this, right?" Alex teases, and you roll your eyes at them. You elbow them in the side and they hit you back in the way that siblings fight. You give them a shove and they end up pushed into Eve as they let their body go through the movement. She opens a single green eye at the commotion, frowning at the two of you. "Guys, please," she grumbles before she tiredly resettles herself, cardigan pulled tightly around her. "Can you children stop now? You're distracting me from driving," Matt barks and Alex straightens their face in mock seriousness. Since they're sat in the middle, there's no way that Matt hasn't seen that look. You bite your lip to suppress a laugh and pointedly look away from them before you both get into trouble. Even through the tiredness on their face they have a look on their face like they could eat you and that's familiar, but also you're on a field trip with your team mates. Now is not the time and place.<<else>>"Cheers," Alex drawls, folding their arms across their chest as they huff dramatically. You get it though, you didn't want to be sat in the middle either. You'd much rather have the legroom behind Matt's chair. They do look much more awake for working their way through the takeaway coffee, which is probably a good thing. As soon as you're on site they're going to be expected to be awake and take some good photos for stories to try and tease people over what is coming in the future of your channel. Behind the scenes content of all of you, especially Matt, does really well even when it's just filmed on a phone. <</if>> [[Next|jcfront2]]

<<if $jfmcmid is 1>>"You don't mind sitting like that, right?" Alex teases, and you feel flustered at their attention on you. You lightly push them on the shoulder and their head hits the window gently as they let their body go through the movement. "Can you children stop? You're distracting me from driving," Matt barks and Alex straightens their face in mock seriousness. You bite your lip to suppress a laugh as well as hoping the pain dissipates the heat that's threatening to bloom on your cheeks as Alex looks at you like that. Even through the tiredness they have a look on their face like they want to eat you… and you're not sure you'd complain about that.<<elseif $jfmcmid is 2>>"You don't mind sitting like that, right?" Alex teases, and you roll your eyes at them. You elbow them in the side and they hit you back in the way that siblings fight. You give them a shove and their head hits the window gently as they let their body go through the movement. Even Eve opens a green eye at the commotion before she resettles herself, cardigan pulled tightly around her. "Can you children stop now? You're distracting me from driving," Matt barks and Alex straightens their face in mock seriousness. You bite your lip to suppress a laugh and pointedly look away from them before you both get into trouble. Even through the tiredness on their face they have a look like they could eat you and that's familiar, but also you're on a field trip with your teammates. Now is not the time and place.<<else>>"Cheers," Alex says, wriggling their eyebrows at you as they use their own legroom to stretch out. You're a bit envious since you gave up your legroom by choice but Alex looks pretty happy with the way that they can stretch out behind Matt. They do look much more awake for working their way through their takeaway coffee, which is probably a good thing. As soon as you're on site they're going to be expected to be awake and take some good photos for stories to try and tease people over what is coming in the future of your channel. Behind the scenes content of all of you, especially Matt, does really well even when it's just filmed on a phone.<</if>> [[Next|jcfront2]]

Alex looks pretty happy that you've offered them the front seat, but now you're forced into the back. Where are you going to sit now? [[I take the middle.|afrmcmid][$jordan +=2, $Rude -=5]] <<link "I tell Jordan to shift up so ?they-re in the middle." "afrjmid">><<set $jordan -=2>> <</link>>

Jordan looks ecstatic that you've offered ?them the window seat instead of the middle. You're the senior member and ?they'd likely let you take the window if you wanted to. ?They <<verb 'looks'>> out of the window as you buckle up and pull onto the motorway. Admittedly, it's not much of a view but it's a definite upgrade from being in the middle back, the definitive worst seat in the car. It's only fair that you let ?them sit with a little more legroom when you got to spend half of the journey in the front. <<nobr>><<if $jordcrush is "true">> [[Next|afrmcmid2]] <<else>> [[Next|afrmcmid3]] <</if>><</nobr>>

Being sat so close to Jordan is really nice and you're very aware that the two of you are indeed //very// close to each other, your shoulders pushed together. You don't know if you're imagining it, but you feel yourself leaning more towards ?them than Eve. In your head you reason that you're giving Eve some extra space to sleep and don't want to disturb her, however it gives you the space to be close enough to Jordan to smell ?them. ?They-re so close that you can smell ?them, a spicy, homely scent which fills you up with warmth. ?They <<verb 'offers'>> you a sweet from one of the packets ?they'd bought earlier and you smile, pulling yourself one free. The sweetness explodes over your tongue as you keep your eyes on ?them and feel yourself get a little flustered. The taste of the snack feels like it parallels the feelings that are blooming from you towards Jordan. You wonder if that's on purpose from ?their part, but quickly push the idea down. You're here for business this weekend. [[Next|afront2]]

Being in the back with Jordan gives you a different perspective. You try to stay balanced in between ?them and Eve, not really wanting to touch either of them or end up in anyone's lap. You worry that ?they-re a little bit scared of you, keeping you out of ?their way, but you push it down. ?They <<verb 'looks'>> to Eve, finding her asleep against the window before back to you in the middle, holding a crumpled pack of sweets out to you. You take one, chewing it with a smile of gratefulness to ?them. Whether it's in thanks for you taking the middle seat or just because ?they-re trying to be nice, you can't really be sure. Either way, it's thoughtful and ?they <<verb 'passes'>> the packet off to the front to offer them to Matt and Alex, who take them gratefully and pass them between them before passing it back again. The more you were seeing of Jordan, the more you think that you could really like ?them. [[Next|afront2]]

Matt and Alex are sat in the front of the car trying to work through whatever tension they had from the morning and Alex going out last night. It's a little awkward to watch, but they seem to be doing pretty well at breaking through the awkwardness by talking about the only thing Matt knows how to talk about on weekends away - work. "What are the comments like?" he asks, casting a glance to Alex, who is scrolling through the comments on a social media post. "Thirst comments, as per usual. StaceyB95 says, and I quote //'I don't know who's cuter, Matt or that little shrew'//." They look positively gleeful as they read that out and Matt looks a little awkward, his eyes focused forwards and purposefully not looking at Alex's smug face. Uneasy is the head that wears the crown of a small scale nature show. "Anything actually about the video though?" "AnnaAtkinson says //'The colours look so great, team! That new camera is doing you well.'// Wait… isn't that your mum?" Matt blushes at that and shrugs, his eyes still focused intently forwards. "She was our first subscriber, what can I say?" "Our number 1 fan is your mum, what does //that// say about us?" Alex dissolves into cackled laughter as Matt blushes even more, his eyes still purposely focused forwards through his embarrassment. Thankfully, it seems like they've made up and Alex's night out is forgotten, at least for now. They do actually get along and are friends, despite the fact that Alex makes some pretty poor decisions from time to time. [[Next|car3]]

Jordan looks a little irritated at being asked to shift into the middle but ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't complain about it. You're a senior member of the team, after all. It's a spoken rule that you get the window seat behind Matt, giving yourself the space rather than giving it to Jordan. Perks of experience, after all. <<nobr>><<if $jordcrush is "true">> [[Next|afrjmid1]] <<else>> [[Next|afrjmid2]]<</if>><</nobr>>

Being sat so close to Jordan is really nice and you're very aware that the two of you are very close to each other, your shoulders pushed together. You don't know if you're imagining it, but it feels like ?they-re closer to you than ?they are to Eve. ?They-re so close that you can smell ?them, a spicy scent which fills you up with warmth. ?They <<verb 'offers'>> you a sweet from one of the packets ?they'd bought earlier and you smile, pulling yourself one free. The sweetness explodes over your tongue as you keep your eyes on ?them and feel yourself get a little flustered. The taste of the snack feels like it parallels the feelings that are blooming from you towards Jordan. You wonder if that's on purpose from ?their part, but quickly push the idea down. You're here for business this weekend. [[Next|afront2]]

Being in the back with Jordan gives you a different perspective. ?They <<verb 'tries'>> to stay balanced in between you and Eve, not really wanting to touch either of you. You worry that ?they-re a little bit scared of you, but push it down. It could just be that ?they-re trying to be respectful of you. ?They <<verb 'looks'>> to Eve, finding her asleep against the window before back to you, holding a crumpled pack of sweets out to you. You take one, chewing it with a smile of gratefulness to ?them. It's probably just that ?they-re trying to be nice, but it is a sweet gesture still, if you'll pardon the pun. Either way, it's thoughtful and ?they <<verb 'passes'>> the packet off to the front to offer them to Matt and Alex, who take them gratefully and pass them between them before passing it back again, circulating them around the car. The more you were seeing of Jordan, the more you think that you could really like ?them. [[Next|afront2]]

Camera work comes pretty naturally to you, and you're looking forward to getting the best shots possible. The equipment is pretty delicate though, even though it's mostly second hand, and it's stowed away in equipment bags inside of your other bags. If your telescopic lens cracks you don't know what you'd do for filming. You're hoping to get some good footage of owls, since they always seem to go down well. Something about their faces gets good comments, and good comments means more engagement, which means more followers, which means more comments etc etc etc. Social media is more Alex's thing than yours, but you've heard enough about it to know you need to keep your engagement up. [[Next|interest]]

You pull your bag out and set it aside so that you can get the tents out from where they'd been folded up at the bottom of the pile. The five of you will be staying in two tents after you discovered your five man tent had been eaten by moths, which Eve had felt very conflicted about. On one hand, she was clearly annoyed, but it was against her nature to get angry at animals just being animals. For this trip you are stuck in a two man and three man tent. Of course, most of the day is going to be taken up with filming and presenting and probably refilming some things too. You're most excited to be able to film… (//choose your interest//) [[Insects! They're not the most appreciated, but I love them!|intins][$Interest to "Insects"]] [[Something cuddly and furry! Mammals are my favourite.|intmam][$Interest to "Mammals"]] [[Amphibians! Maybe not the cutest, but I love them!|intamp][$Interest to "Amphibians"]] [[Birds! I just love those beaky critters!|intbir][$Interest to "Birds"]] [[Everything! I'm in it for the overall ecological benefit we can gain by making people care about the animals.|inteco][$Interest to "Ecology"]] [[Honestly, I'll film anything if it lets me teach people about biology.|intteach][$Interest to "Teaching"]] [[Reptiles! I'm looking forward to finding some of them!|intrep][$Interest to "Reptiles"]] [[Fish! Well... anything that lives in the water, really.|intfish][$Interest to "Water Life"]]

Eve is exceptional at writing the scripts, but what would a nature documentary be without you all making sure that your facts were all correct? Matt is pretty insistent about it, but you can see why; it would be pretty awful to gain a reputation for not being factually accurate before you've even really got off the ground. If you're working to educate people, you better make sure you're correct. Your bag is pretty heavy with the books you've brought along, but you decided you definitely needed a combination of field guides, along with some reference books just in case you see something you're not expecting to. If you manage to get footage of something rare it would be a shame to not be able to show it just because you didn't have the information at hand to adjust the script. [[Next|interest]]

You'd read it a few times before you left, but it was quite easy to remember since Eve is a pretty incredible writer. She manages to script things which sound like they're off the cuff but are completely factually accurate and flow nicely, cutting out any awkward pauses or 'umm…'s and 'err…'s. She'd got the system down pat and you're pretty confident that because of her your segment will be flawless. The script is just an extra set of papers, sealed together with bright green treasury tags but you've kept it pristine in your document folder. Matt might be the main draw to the channel, but you don't do too badly yourself. Keep it up and you'll hopefully get to present more and more as Matt loosens the reins. [[Next|interest]]

Your favourite thing in the world is being able to make science interactive and you went through the comments and direct messages on your social media to gather up the questions people seem to really want to know. You avoided the many asking if Matt is single, but compiled some good ones about how you got into filming, what your favourite animals are and how you all met. Your notes aren't the neatest, scribbled in a notebook that's been stuffed down the side of your clothing bag but you are prepared! You have some key points noted down so that you don't forget any of the most important information for your FAQ video but you also want to keep a more authentic feeling to it. It would let people see more of the natural interactions between you all, and that would go down well. [[Next|interest]]

You've saved some memes for you to stage, got some funny hats for you all to pose in and have your phone notes absolutely full of ideas for what you can do for your 'behind the scenes' videos. You've even asked Matt if you could lean into the thirst posting to gain more subscribers, but he shot that idea down pretty promptly saying that you need people who are actually interested in science and that he wants to be able to pitch your company to teachers across the board pretty soon. Your props are a little bulky and take up a little more space in the car boot than is strictly necessary, but since you managed to pack them in there you'd decided they'd be good. If nothing else, you'll all have a laugh and someone will probably get some good candid pictures here and there. [[Next|interest]]

Insects are massively under appreciated as far as you're concerned. Sure, they might not be glamorous, but they keep the ecosystem going and are incredible pollinators. Without them, fruit goes out the window and you can love them for that. It's probably because of this that camping is pretty fun for you. You're not freaked out by insects so if they're in your tent you don't really care. Eve feels the same way and the two of you have spent a considerable amount of time enthusing about moths and their varieties, which are way more colourful and beautiful than people give them credit for. You're hoping that you'll get to see some good ones while you're sitting out later with your lanterns. For now, it's set up time. [[Next|chaponeend]]

Now you're sorted and all of the equipment is out of the car, it's time to set up your camp. Your two tents will be facing each other and make a triangle with the car so you can use it if you need electricity and also can see it. You don't need a repeat of the time someone broke into Matt's car when you were away. Admittedly, nothing was taken but that's probably also the reason the passenger door gets stuck now. Matt grabs the tent bags and sets them a fair distance apart with enough space for the five of you to sit in the middle comfortably. Setting up camp always feels like the most tedious part of camping. It feels like you can take a tent down in a quarter of the time that it takes to put it up. Matt gets to unfolding the canvas with Jordan trying ?their best to help in any way that ?they can. Admittedly, ?they-re probably more in the way than helping, since Matt is more than proficient at putting up tents by himself, but he's allowing the help and has a smile on his face as he explains your set-up to Jordan. Matt also looks grateful for the help when you go over to assist in putting the poles for the tents together, handing them to him when the canvas is unfolded fully, Jordan getting the other end of the poles as you feed them through. Alex is dragging their feet over helping you all put the tents up and even though Eve looks not entirely awake just yet, she is helping hammer in the pegs. The clanging sound of the mallet against the pegs feels weirdly comforting, a sound that's synonymous with the time away. Alex does at least help as they wander back and forth from the car to hand Eve the extra pegs she needs. Together, you can all work effectively as a team. Soon enough, your tents are both put up. Alex and Eve have unpacked your camp chairs and table, setting them up in a circle in the gap created by your tents and the car. You've got time for lunch before you start filming, which is very needed after travelling all morning. <<nobr>><<if $Prepared > 50>> Luckily, you got a good spread yesterday so that you didn't have to worry about it once you were here. You set the food you'd got onto the table and take a seat, letting everyone help in unpacking it. In combination with the food Jordan bought at the service station, you've got an incredible amount of food and you're guaranteed to be filled up for filming.<<else>> You've each brought your own lunches, although you know you'll end up sharing for no other reason than because Jordan procured a decent amount of food from the service station which ?they <<verb 'is'>> happily sharing around.<</if>><</nobr>> It feels like finally you're over the stress of the journey and even Matt has started to relax, looking pretty content with a bottle of iced tea and a sandwich in his hand. Eve and Alex have gone straight for the sweets, sharing a cake between them so that they have room for more. Jordan looks a little overwhelmed by the choice because this food, coupled with the food ?their sister had made for ?them all looks and smells amazing. The chatter between you all settles into a comfortable rhythm interspersed with bouts of laughter. You're just grateful to be with your friends. Moments like this remind you exactly what you love about them all and why you go through what feels like a ridiculous amount of work for the reward you get. It's because being with these people feels like coming home. [[Chapter Two]]

Who doesn't love the cutest, cuddliest variety of creatures? Sure, they're not going to be domesticated when you're out here like they are back home, but your love for cats and dogs has transferred out into the natural world and now includes hares and elephant shrews. In fact, that was how you'd bonded with Alex initially, seeing that their laptop screen was a picture of an otter and unable to enthuse that you absolutely adored them too. It was from there that you struck up a fast an easy friendship which developed largely through sending funny photos of animals with the simple tag of 'this is you'. You're hoping if you're quiet enough you'll get to see rabbits through the camp site, especially since there aren't too many other people around to disturb them. You can't afford night vision but you do have an infrared camera so it might also be a really good chance to get some footage too. All in the name of showing everyone mammals. [[Next|chaponeend]]

Frogs are having a real boom in popularity right now, but you've always loved an amphibian. There's just something really lovely about being able to go between land and water that's something you're a bit… envious of? You don't know what that says about you but you know you're not the only person who feels that way. Jordan also loves amphibians and was excited about the idea you might get to do some kind of survey on the local ponds so you can get some footage of newts and the life cycle of frogs too, if your timing is as good as you think it is. Matt has his license for surveying reptiles, //because of course he does//, and that opens up what you can do on the channel since he's allowed to handle the animals for recording and photography reasons. That being said, last time you went on a trip like this you found a toad in your tent after leaving a mug of water out overnight by accident. You guessed it liked the small gap and you felt like you had to escort it back to a water source so that you could be confident it was okay. [[Next|chaponeend]]

They're great to film though, so really who can blame you? Footage of birds of prey swooping about is popular whether it's in video form or it's pictures on your social media and you can understand why. Birds are relics from the past, they're living fossils and they're cool as hell. Admittedly, it doesn't always sound interesting when you're telling people that you had to look through owl pellets to try and analyse what they're eating, but hey, every job has a downside sooner or later, right? And actually, you really care about the birds, so it isn't a downside if you can help people make decisions about wildlife. You don't want to see plastic in owl pellets again if possible. Needless to say, you're really excited for tonight when you think you could get some good footage of birds of prey. Tomorrow you intend to leave some seed or meal worms out to get some good close-up pictures so Alex can caption them with the famous bird twitter posts. [[Next|chaponeend]]

Anything that's increasing people's interest in the local area and the animals that live there is only good news for you and your friends. Sure, ecology as a concept isn't as easy a sell as 'look at this owl, ain't it cute' but where would the owls even get to be if there wasn't someone concerned about the conservation effort? It might not be the most glamorous thing to be really passionate about but it is a real concern. You need to get your voice out there and your channel is the perfect way to do that! As always, you'll watch everyone to make sure nothing is left behind, even accidentally, and your impact on the area you're working in is completely minimal. Your team are all pretty good about it since they went through most of the same lectures that you did, but you've still got to follow the countryside code and leave no trace of you being there. Your camp is as sustainable as you can make it, hence you end up camping instead of doing anything more comfortable like staying in a hotel. Also since there's five of you, camping is way more cost effective. [[Next|chaponeend]]

Your favourite thing to find are reptiles, without a doubt. And who wouldn't be interested in them? It's basically just a love of dinosaurs that's grown up and merged with present day nature. You're hoping you can really tap into the love of dinosaurs that kids (and many adults) have, which means that you'll be able to draw in some good numbers of views. This afternoon, you'll be putting down some sheets of corrugated metal for the reptiles to bask in and shelter under. Hopefully, this will result in some really cool footage and you're hoping that you'll be able to see some common lizards and a slow worm or two - a legless lizard is a very cool thing to be able to talk about! Your priority for the weekend is to avoid grass snakes like the plague; they make a horrible scent to get rid of predators and considering you have limited shower facilities for the weekend and you'll be trapped in the car home, it's not a scent you want clinging to your skin. Or your clothes for that matter. Last time it happened, Ben had you strip in the hallway so he could put your clothes straight into his washing machine. [[Next|chaponeend]]

Your real interest is in teaching, but you haven't really decided if you want to convert your degree into a teaching one and teach high school pupils about biology just yet. That might just destroy the enthusiasm you have left for it. As a result, you and Matt have been working together to create a syllabus you can give to teachers who want to improve their own knowledge of the importance of biology, as well as running an after school club for kids who want to know more. So far, it's been a real hit and Matt has proven as popular with teachers as he is with the people in the comment section of your videos. Your priority for this weekend is to make sure that you get some content which will be entry level that you can use as a part of your pitch to schools and teachers that don't have the same background as you and your friends. Having a successful programme under your belt will help you no matter what you want to do, whether that's in the channel or if you do decide to actually become a teacher. [[Next|chaponeend]]

Admittedly, you're not going to be finding dolphins off the coast today, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing for you to be interested in. There's lot that lives in the water that gets pretty overlooked in terms of being popular, and you're prepared to try and change that fact! You'd scouted out that there's a pond nearby and you've brought a net and an old clear food container with you so that you can go pond dipping and put everything that you find into the water for controlled filming. It would be really great if you could do underwater filming, but your equipment budget hasn't increased yet and no one has been able to find suitable equipment second hand or for rent. Hopefully you'll get some good footage and find some cool creatures without ending up thigh deep in a pond again. You're prepared though, Matt's father has some waders from his family fishing as a child which he'd managed to dig out so that you and Jordan wouldn't have to stand in water up to your knees and be uncomfortable for the rest of the day just to get the right shot. [[Next|chaponeend]]

<<set $gamechapter = "chapter two">> First things first though, who are you going to be staying with? The tents you've brought along are a three person and a two person, and you've been lucky enough to place dibs on the two person tent. You want to take your clothing and food out of the car to stow them away before you start the fiming, just in case, so it needs to be moved into the now built tent of your choice. <<set $tentshare to "Unknown">><<set $matttent to 0>><<set $jordtent to 0>><<set $evetent to 0>> <<set $alextent to 0>> Who are you going to share with? [[Alex|alextbr][$tentshare to "alex", $alex +=5]] [[Eve|evetbr][$tentshare to "eve", $eve +=5]] [[Jordan|jordtbr][$tentshare to "jordan", $jordan +=5]] [[Matt|matttbr][$tentshare to "matt", $matt +=5]]

Of course, who else would you be sharing with, right? They're your best friend and you already know that you can share your space with them pretty comfortably, since you lived together through university. That's why you chose to share with them, right? [[Yes, Alex is my best friend!|alextbr1][$alex +=2, $alextent to 1]] <<nobr>><<if $alexcrush is "false">> [[Well, I've had a bit of a thing for Alex for a while and I'd like to spend more time with them.|alextbr1][$alexcrush is "true", $alex +=2, $alextent to 2]] <<elseif $alexcrush is "true">> [[Well, yes ...and also my crush. Can't forget that.|alextbr1][$alex +=2, $alextent to 2]]<</if>><</nobr>> [[It's always a good time to share with Alex!|alextbr1][$Chill +=5, $alextent to 3]]<<if $alexhookup is "false">> [[Well... who knows what we'll get up to this time. We've had... 'fun' before. Hookups, you know.|alextbr1][$alex +=2, $alexhookup to "true"]]<</if>>

<<if $alextent is 1>>It brings back the memories of the 'good old days' between the two of you, right? You lived with them by choice for two years for a reason, and that's because you get along so well it's always guaranteed to be a good time. Especially just for one night, you can guarantee that you're not going to get into a fight about them leaving their clothes everywhere.<<elseif $alextent is 2>>It's a good way to get even closer, to share a tent with someone, right? Maybe Alex will see you looking attractive in your sleep and fall in love with you, seeing that love was right in front of them all along, right? It's an ambitious plan, but small steps, right?<<else>>Alex is just so easy to get along with that you can't imagine picking someone else to share with. It'll be a really chill time and it'll hopefully bring back some really good memories between the two of you from your time at uni. You're looking forward to it being great.<</if>> [[Next|filming]]

<<nobr>>You ditch your clothing and other personal belongings in your tent alongside <<if $tentshare is "alex">>Alex's pile of belongings <<elseif $tentshare is "eve">> Eve's bags and pile of notepads <<elseif $tentshare is "jordan">> Jordan's few belongings <<elseif $tentshare is "matt">> Matt's neatly packed bags<</if>> and zip it up after you. Obviously, everything that you've got which is expensive or otherwise valuable you're keeping on your person, but at least you don't have to lug around your clothes and your gas stove while your concentration should be on filming.<</nobr>> When everyone is moved into their home for the night, you meet back up outside with all of your equipment. Eve is clutching the scripts and Alex is helping Jordan with ?their camera equipment as they spin around taking a short video of where you're camping. You know that the video they're recording will appear on social media as soon as you have a decent signal with the intent of building up a level of anticipation around your new content while Jordan is editing the footage into a video for the channel. It's a well worked out system at this point, with Alex keeping it just erratic enough that they don't catch the same people every time they post, but regular enough you don't mess up the algorithm. That's what they say it's for anyway. Matt rushes around to make sure he has everything you need, which of course you all do. You're not complete amateurs and you know what you're doing with regards to your personal responsibilities, but you know he only means well. [[Next|filming2]]

Eve is probably the best person to share with for a quiet night. She's a heavy sleeper for starters, and also can be pretty quiet at the best of times. You'll definitely get a good night sleep if you're sharing with Eve. That's why you chose to share with her, right? [[Yep, she's the best person to share with!|evetbr1][$eve +=2, $evetent to 1]] [[I think she's really cute so it'll be really good to share with her!|evetbr1][$evecrush to "true", $eve +=2, $evetent to 2]] [[She's the best person to share with in terms of being prepared for filming.|evetbr1][$Prepared +=5, $evetent to 3]]

<<if $evetent is 1>>Very practically minded, that's for sure. Out of everyone you'll probably get the best nights sleep because sharing with Eve seems to be a really good option. She sleeps so soundly that you won't be disturbed by stray feet.<<elseif $evetent is 2>>Sharing with someone is a pretty good way to get close to them, especially when you're in a tent and you'll have to move close to stay warm, right? It's basically a romance novel set-up. You know she'd appreciate that.<<else>>Very well said. Eve will undoubtedly be checking the scripts, although hopefully not too late in the night. With her muttering the words aloud as she reads, you'll probably pick up the whole thing entirely subconsciously.<</if>> [[Next|filming]]

Jordan is the newest member of your team, so you're not really sure what ?they will be like to share with but so far, ?they-re a great person to be around. ?Their work ethic is incredible and you know you appreciate that about ?them. That's why you're sharing with ?them, right? [[Yes! I want to get to know all the members of my team better!|jordtbr1][$jordan +2, $Rude -= 5, $jordtent to 1]] <<link "I would really like to get closer to ?them because I think ?they-re really cute." "jordtbr1" >><<set $jordan +=2, $jordcrush to "true", $jordtent to 2>> <</link>> <<link "?Their preparedness and attitude is great, it'll definitely wear off on me!" "jordtbr1" >><<set $Prepared +=5, $jordtent to 3>> <</link>>

<<if $jordtent is 1>>That's fair enough, there's no way that you'd be a good team if you weren't so close, and that goes for Jordan as well. The closer you are to ?them, the better your overall result will be. It's obvious when people behind and in front of the camera aren't entirely getting on.<<elseif $jordtent is 2>>Sharing a tent is cute and romantic, right? Being forced to be really close to ?them and take in all of the details of ?them would be really adorable. Maybe a cold tent isn't the best place to try and be romantic, but spending time together will be great no matter what.<<else>>Jordan is more prepared for everything than the rest of you seem to be and you're hoping that ?their preparedness will be good for you. You'll definitely not be getting a lie in if you're sharing with ?them, since ?they'll be up and about early.<</if>> [[Next|filming]]

Matt is your leader, so you know that sharing with him will be pretty practical for you. You won't have to worry about being awake at the right time or being prepared for the day because Matt will more than do it all for you. That's why you chose to share with him, right? [[Yeah, of course, but also he's a good friend.|matttbr1][$Chill +=5, $matt +=2, $matttent to 1]] [[I'd really like to get closer to Matt. Seeing him in his element is kind of... cute?|matttbr1][$mattcrush to "true", $matt +=2, $matttent to 2]] [[Yes, that's all it is. I want to be prepared.|matttbr1][$Prepared +=5, $matttent to 3]]

<<if $matttent is 1>>Matt is leader on the project for a reason and sharing with him will be beneficial in more ways than just improving the friendship between the two of you. Mostly though, you do just want to spend some time with him. You don't get to outside of a work context anymore, which… you guess this still actually is.<<elseif $matttent is 2>>Sharing a tent with a guy who you're close with //and// understands the practicality and merit of being near to each other to share heat? That sounds pretty good to you and it'll be warm and kind of nice, right? You definitely think so, hence the apt decision to share with him again.<<else>>With Matt, you really can't be waking up late or find yourself unprepared. Before you sleep he'll have run through the entire list of everything you need and will have made sure that you can put your hand straight onto everything you need. Plus, you know he'll have more than enough blankets to keep you warm overnight.<</if>> [[Next|filming]]

It's a short trek into the quiet forest to get where you want to film for today, setting up in a decent sized clearing which provides enough light while still providing a good picture of the woodlands for the background of your shot. It's so peaceful around that the only ambient sounds are the sounds of nature and the wind through the trees. It probably won't get picked up on the microphones and it'll surely get edited out overall, but it adds to the experience of your filming immeasurably and definitely contributes to the aesthetic of the video. <<set $prefilm to 0>> It's a good place, right? [[It's so beautiful, you're feeling more relaxed for even being here.|prefilm1][$Chill += 5, $prefilm to 1]] [[I'm looking forward to filming here! We're going to nail it!|prefilm1][$Confident += 5, $prefilm to 2]] [[Now we're here... it feels like the pressure is really ramped up.|prefilm1][$Confident -= 5, $prefilm to 3]] [[Yeah, it's fine, but being out here with your friends is the real highlight.|prefilm1][$Rude -= 5, $prefilm to 4]] [[I mean... it's outside? Not always a fan.|prefilm1][$Prepared -= 5, $prefilm to 5]]

<<if $prefilm is 1>>It is gorgeous out here. Where else would you want to spend a weekend? With the wind gently moving through the leaves and the sun warming your clothes, where else would you rather be?<<elseif $prefilm is 2>>You're pumped up and ready to go now you're here. You're going to make the best series ever and all become rich and famous. The nature filming world will bow to you.<<elseif $prefilm is 3>>Your stomach twists a little uncomfortably as you finally set some of the equipment down. This is where you're going to be filming today and now the nerves are hitting you.<<elseif $prefilm is 4>>It's not often you get to get together for so long, it's much more usual to have a few hours all together in an evening before you all have to disperse to sleep before shifts. You don't get to spend three days straight together in yours and Alex's apartment with too much alcohol around any more. This is as close to those old memories that you're going to get.<<else>>You're working on a nature channel, sure, but does that mean you want to be outside all weekend? Maybe not. It would be nicer if you could be inside or only coming out into the clearing to film before ducking away to watch shitty weekend evening TV in hotel sheets that are definitely gross if you think about it too much. That's what you want.<</if>> <<nobr>><<if $Specialism is "Camera Work">> You and Jordan set up the cameras, with you behind the stationary one, adjusting it ever so slightly so Matt is in frame perfectly, with the woodland around him creating a gorgeous and ever so slightly moving back drop for his introduction. Jordan has hoisted the mobile camera onto ?their shoulder and you watch ?them move around to find a couple of spots where ?they can stand to get different shots and parts of Matt in view. You've seen ?their filming, and you more than trust ?their judgement, especially since your show has just been getting better and better since ?they joined the team. You still miss being the one who gets to use the mobile camera though. <<else>> Jordan sets up the stationary camera in the perfect position to frame Matt alongside the wildlife, altering it a few times so that it is perfect even though you can't really see the difference. The mobile camera is held to the side in ?their hand before ?they <<verb 'hoists'>> it onto ?their shoulder for a steadier view. You don't really know how ?they <<verb 'decides'>> where to place ?themself in comparison to the camera but it works well and your footage seems to be getting better by the week with ?their involvement.<</if>><</nobr>> Matt is confident enough with the process that he can sort out his own microphone now, turning it on and adjusting it carefully under Jordan's careful observation until they're both satisfied. Alex and Eve are out of the shot on purpose, although Eve has her script open to the relevant pages and Alex again has their phone raised, shooting some more behind the scenes footage for your social media. You can imagine the picture of the idyllic forest scene with 'filming day' transposed onto the top of it as you look at them. <<set $filming to 0>> "Okay guys, ready to start?" Matt looks between each of you as you confirm with a nod at his cue. [[And you mean it. You're so ready.|filmstart][$Prepared += 5, $Confident += 3, $filming to 1]] [[But really you feel indifferent.|filmstart][$Rude += 1, $filming to 2]] [[But you don't feel ready at all. You'll just do what you can.|filmstart][$Confident -= 3, $Prepared -= 4, $filming to 3]] [[Although you're just doing that to appease Matt. You don't want to start an argument.|filmstart][$Rude -= 4, $filming to 4]]

<<if $filming is 1>>You feel like a nodding dog with how much you're nodding towards Matt. You are ready though, and the adrenaline is only feeding back to hype you up more. Once again, you are ''so'' ready.<<elseif $filming is 2>>What happens will happen, right? Whether you're prepared or not will show up on film.<<elseif $filming is 3>>You've got a good team, and they should absorb any of your shortcomings, of which you worry there will be thousands.<<else>>You feel yourself nodding without really listening to whatever he's whittering on about, but at least you're avoiding an argument, as long as he doesn't ask you to come up with a response.<</if>> "Marker," he says clearly before clapping, something that would perhaps be better with a clapper board like in a movie, but you've done alright with the more makeshift version for now. It'll line up well enough under Jordan's careful editing, although you don't envy ?their task of having to watch through the whole afternoon's filming. You tend to try and do it all in one or two takes so there's not too much editing to be done either way. Jordan certainly seems to be competent at editing your content and your video quality has gone up dramatically since ?they started working on your project, but it doesn't mean you want to take over the editing. As Matt prepares himself and his voice for what could be hours of perfectly enunciated speech, you can practically see the logo of your show popping up as he squares up and looks at your camera directly. His blue eyes are clear and piercing against the contrast of the leafy background with the bright afternoon sunlight. What are the words you can see on the logo? What's your channel name? [[You Live And Fern|intro][$Channel to "You Live And Fern"]] [[Terrain Of Thought|intro][$Channel to "Terrain Of Thought"]] [[Wood You Believe It?|intro][$Channel to "Wood You Believe It?"]] [[Real Fun-gis|intro][$Channel to "Real Fun-gis"]] [[something else|channelinput]]

"Welcome back to $Channel! I'm Matt and we're here today on location for some really exciting wildlife! Now, I know we've covered a lot of wildlife that can be seen in your gardens or in cities, but today we're here in the great outdoors to talk about the benefits of being out here as a human as well as talk about what kinds of animals live out here!" His voice is enthusiastic as always, and you can see why people comment so frequently about him being charismatic on your channel. There's something about Matt's personality and speech pattern which translates exceptionally well to camera. <<nobr>><<if $mattcrush is "true">>You love seeing Matt in his element, presenting effortlessly to the camera as he enthuses about nature. It's one of the things you adore about him, and you feel like his eyes meet yours through the camera. You feel your heart beat a little faster, but you know it's just him being a great presenter and capturing your audience even through the screen. He doesn't mean to make your stomach jump when it feels like he can see into your soul. <<else>>You realise exactly why people leave the comments about Matt that they do when you see him like this. His enthusiasm and dedication is infectious and you can practically feel your subscribers going up as you watch him throw his arms up as if to say 'isn't this just the best place ever?' His easy manner translates so well and he looks so comfortable in nature that you can't help but to see how others would be more interested in nature from his enthusiasm alone. If you weren't already invested, you'd be hooked.<</if>><</nobr>> "We're here in this exceptional example of an English deciduous forest to display some of the incredible creatures which are out and about at this time of year and show you exactly what makes them special. Summer is a great time for a lot of wildlife and we hope that you'll be able to take part and see some of this yourself! As always, let us know what you've spotted by tagging us on our official '$Channel' social media!" Matt then launches into information about a host of animals. You aren't entirely sure what you're going to get good footage of yet, but you've hedged your bets and have written pieces on the most common animals in the woodland here. None of them are particularly long, but they'll be great when chopped down and coupled with the other footage you've found. If worst comes to worst, these snippets can be interspersed with some stock footage and go as 'shorts' onto other social media. <<nobr>> <<if $Specialism is "Camera Work">> [[Next|camwork]] <<elseif $Specialism is "Script Writing">> [[Next|script]] <<elseif $Specialism is "Social Media">> [[Next|socmed]] <<elseif $Specialism is "Science Communication">> [[Next|scicomm]] <<elseif $Specialism is "Presentation">> [[Next|presen]] <</if>><</nobr>>

Enter channel name; <<textbox "$Channel" "enter">> [[Continue|intro]]

You keep your eyes on your stationary camera as Matt talks. You see Jordan dancing around him to get the perfect shot from different angles like a considerably less annoying version of an insect, catching the way the trees move behind him as the sun causes pretty dappled shadows through the edge of the clearing. Jordan knows where your frame is set and moves just out of frame confidently as ?they <<verb 'dances'>> around to different angles. It's clear that ?they <<verb 'has'>> a vision of how ?they <<verb 'is'>> going to edit the scene together already. You see Matt's manner change to something more excited through the camera as he points to something in the tree, and you slide your camera around to where he's pointing to a brown bird which is hopping up the bark of the tree. Both you and Jordan instantly switch your cameras in the direction he's pointing at with his guidance, hoping that both of you will be able to focus onto it. You don't try to avoid filming each other for the moment, as this has taken priority. [[You can't actually find the bird, because it's camouflaged. You're not made of eyes.|camwork1][$Confident -= 1]] [[You've got it in your sights!|camwork2][$Confident += 1]] [[You've got the bird in your frame and are moving to film it before... oh now you're on the ground.|camwork3][$Prepared -= 2]]

You cast a look over Jordan's shoulder to ?their camera because you can't see the bloody thing. Brown bird on a brown background, what are you meant to do? It takes a few attempts even looking at where the other camera is pointed before you set it up and you… think you've got it? There's movement there at least. You zoom in and… yep, there's a bird there. You've done it. Hopefully both of you will have some usable footage after this. Maybe yours less so than ?theirs but still. Usable footage good, right? He lets the two of you film your new feathered friend for a few moments, getting the images of the brown and white bird as it jumps up the tree trunk before you swing your camera back to Matt, setting the camera steady with the frame as it was before, flashing him a thumbs up as his cue to speak. He resets his smile and directs himself to look at the stationary camera after a final glance at the tree creeper and where Jordan is still filming it. [[Next|camera]]

"This is a tree creeper, which gets its name because of the characteristic way it jumps up the tree instead of flying or walking. You'll probably struggle to spot them because they camouflage so well into the bark of the tree. It might be that you even have them in your garden if you have a decently sized tree, but you probably won't be able to see them in the summer unless you're very lucky, like we have been today." As you look over your shoulder, you see Eve flicking through the script to the page where she's written the script, nodding as she sees that Matt has been sticking to her script even though the section he needs to refer to has changed. He's got it down pat and you know that's because Eve can change her writing style to closely match how each of you talk, providing impeccable scripts. You can see Alex again filming Jordan move around as ?they <<verb 'films'>>, and you imagine the caption being something cheesy and basic like '#locationlife'. Alex might be the best on social media but their captions leave a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, last time Eve wrote one the character limit was hit before you were even a third through her diatribe. Matt continues to talk even through the movement behind the camera, ever the beacon of professionalism, "Tree creepers are very territorial animals, meaning that you're unlikely to see more than one or two in an area. Once they've decided where they want to live, they don't go out of their boundary. It's been found that they don't go more than 500 meters from their home." After that, filming continues much in the same vein, with much less excitement than seeing a new creature. Jordan moves a few times to film close ups of plants. Occasionally you swing around as well to capture the movement of a bird but there's nothing else for you to do apart from keep filming. [[Next|dayend]]

The case should be that one of you gets good footage of the bird if not both of you. In that case, Jordan can pick between the two images and cut it together if that's what ?they <<verb 'wants'>>, maybe even cutting between the two for different angles. Matt switches from where he's been talking about wood sorrel onto another section of the script effortlessly, not minding that the first part of the recording doesn't have him being filmed. The excitement in his voice really adds something, and if Jordan chooses to use this version of his speech for the commentary, you know it'll be a hit. He lets the two of you film your new feathered friend for a few moments, getting the images of the brown and white bird as it jumps up the tree trunk before you swing your camera back to Matt, setting the camera steady with the frame as it was before, flashing him a thumbs up as his cue to speak. He resets his smile and directs himself to look at the stationary camera after a final glance at the tree creeper and where Jordan is still filming it. [[Next|camera]]

You're not entirely sure what you've tripped over, but you know you're on the ground. At least you had the wherewithal to let go of the camera before you hit the ground and didn't pull the most expensive piece of equipment you had with you. You'd be working a lot of extra shifts to get that sorted out. Alex is the one to rush over to help you up, as Jordan and Matt just gives you a shout. "Is the equipment alright?" he barks, dropping his filming facade. [["Of course the equipment is alright, I'm not an idiot."|camwork4]] [["I'm fine, thank you." Your voice is curt. Of course he cares more about the equipment than you.|camwork5][$Rude += 1, $matt -= 2]] [["I'm okay," you shout, leaning onto Alex as you get back to your feet.|camwork6]]

Matt just nods at you, and Alex rolls their eyes as they make sure you're steady on your feet for now. "Next time take the camera with you and watch him explode. Please." [[Next|camera]]

Alex grins at you and dusts you off, although thankfully the floor isn't muddy. You must have gone over a tree root. "I care about you, don't worry," they chuckle, dusting off your side as they guide you back to your feet.<<nobr>><<if $alexcrush is "true">> You try not to think about their casual touch to your hip before they step back with a cheeky grin.<</if>> <<if $mattcrush is "true">> You're a little hurt that Matt didn't seem to care more, but you should have expected it. You know what he's like when he's working.<</if>><</nobr>> [[Next|camera]]

Alex gives you a thumbs up when you're firmly established onto your feet and you dust yourself down. You must have tripped over a tree root, but you're fine now. You can handle this kind of embarrassment when you're around your friends, especially since Jordan doesn't seem to have noticed. Or maybe ?they <<verb 'has'>> but know that Alex is with you and you're not hurt. ?Their eyes are focused onto the bird in front of ?them. [[Next|camera]]

It's taken a while but you're finally done with filming for the day, the sun setting over the clearing you've set up on and casting beautiful shadows through the leaves. You feel pretty confident about the content you've got so far, enough for a few good 'main' videos and also some fun behind the scenes and extra content. Considering that you've only been working for the afternoon, that's not bad at all and it bodes well for your second day of filming tomorrow. Even Matt seems happy to call it a day and you make your way back to camp without a fuss. Alex works quickly to put up all of the camp chairs when you get back, making a circle around the fire pit you've borrowed from the camp site to cook for the evening and your table. You sit yourself down between Eve and Alex, held comfortably by the soft fabric of the fold out chairs. Cooking and eating is a simple affair, as it often is when camping, simple barbecued food wrapped in bread which is cooked by Matt and Jordan and subsidised by ?their left over purchased food. Still, it feels nice and cosy to be eating with your friends as the sun sets over all of you. Alex snaps a couple of photos of all of you lit by the flattering warm golden light and a few more of the sunset itself over your camp. The silhouette of your tents with the sun in the background will be a gorgeous picture, you're sure. It's a little chilly now the sun has gone in and you nip into your tent to get a sweater and by the time you've exited, you notice that all of your team has gone to their own projects, splitting up into sitting by themselves. You'll probably have time to see two of them before you have to sleep, since it's already getting pretty late. <<nobr>><<set $count to 1>> <<set $alextruth to "false">> <<set $evevisit to "false">> <<set $alexvisit to "false">> <<set $mattvisit to "false">> <<set $jordvisit to "false">> <<set $alexreact to "null">><</nobr>> [[Next|camp]]

As Jordan dances around with the camera, you take charge and keep an eye on the stationary camera for a while, making sure that Matt stays in the shot. It's expertly set up by Jordan, and it's incredibly steady. Eve has the script open and has her fingers moving over the words as Matt talks, nodding along as he speaks. The recording goes as well as you can expect, although it's a little dull in that it leaves very little for you and Eve to do while Matt speaks so easily on-script. If he at least forgot a few lines then you would have a job.<<if $Chill > 50>> At least you get some time with your weekend off to actually relax.<</if>> Something catches Matt's eye, as you see through the screen. You follow his gaze to see a red deer, a species you weren't expecting to see during the day in the forest within eye shot of all of you. Jordan also spins around on ?their heel to catch footage of the deer as Matt points, letting his presentation fall by the wayside to aid in the effort of filming. Alex pockets their phone and goes to the stationary camera, shifting it around to put the deer in shot. You're almost stunned by your luck and forget to do anything before you hear a bark of your name from behind you. "Help me write something, quick," Eve hisses, and you rush to her side, opening your reference books. You've glad they've come in handy. She's already starting to scribble down notes about the appearance of the deer as you flick through your field guide to make some notes to translate into a script for Matt. [[You find what you need quickly.|script1][$Prepared += 3]] [[These aren't labelled very well, it takes a moment for you to find what you need.|script2][$Prepared -= 2]] [[You can't find what you need at all. You guess you're leaving it up to Eve.|script3][$Prepared -= 5, $eve -= 2]] <<if $evecrush is "true">>[[You try to write, but find yourself distracted by Eve. Oops.|script4][$eve += 1]]<</if>> 3

You flick through the pages of your book quickly, finding information on the deer alongside your post-it note annotations. Maybe it was a long shot to be ready for if you saw a deer in daylight, but your longshot is paying off right now. You write down some key facts before passing them off to her and writing a few sentences of your own. Eve checks them with a nod before copying them down, although you note a few subtle changes as she does so. She passes it off to you and you walk quickly and quietly to Matt before retreating behind the camera again. You see that Alex is filming the camera screen from their phone, no doubt getting some good footage for the lot of you to use as a teaser; seeing a red deer this close is a little nerve-wracking but is a great treat and will go down well on the channel. The tall animal looks aware of you, but considering that you're being quiet and aren't too close, it doesn't seem to be too scared. [[Next|scriptend]]

Matt reads the script Eve finalised before shoving it into his pocket and getting Alex's attention, pulling the camera back to him before his face breaks back into his typical presentation one. "We've been exceptionally lucky here, to get great footage of a red deer in the daylight without spooking her. It looks like she's in calf, and she could be ready to give birth any day now. Deer are pregnant for around eight months and give birth to a single calf, quite similar to humans in that way. She's likely part of a group of mothers and perhaps other calves, so we've got to be very careful not to spook her since we don't want to risk her getting hurt. Most of the time, we'd just expect to see evidence that the deer have been here, such as finding their footprints or scat." With that, the hind bounds away and Jordan swings ?their camera back to Matt as well with a grin that says just how enthused ?they <<verb 'is'>> to see an animal like this and get good footage. "And she's gone. I think you can all agree that she was gorgeous, a really special thing for us to be able to film for all of you," he concludes. Filming seems a little bit lacklustre after that, with Matt running through the other scenes in his typical well-practiced method. It feels a bit less exciting when he's talking about wood sorrel and ramsons in comparison to the red deer hind, but you get through it all. Jordan only occasionally has to move the camera to catch the movement of a bird but it's clear that the magical shot of the day has already been filmed. [[Next|dayend]]

You have to go to the glossary to find the page that you need, and then you have to flick back. You overshoot it before you find the page. At that point, you're pretty sure that Eve is already mostly done with her half of the notes and you scribble down a few key facts. It would have been way easier if you've have thought to make condensed notes for this, but you're just not that kind of person. Maybe you should try to be but that sounds like work. You write down some key facts before passing them off to her and writing a few sentences of your own. Eve checks them with a nod before copying them down, although you note a few subtle changes as she does so. She passes it off to you and you walk quickly and quietly to Matt before retreating behind the camera again. You see that Alex is filming the camera screen from their phone, no doubt getting some good footage for the lot of you to use as a teaser; seeing a red deer this close is a little nerve-wracking but is a great treat and will go down well on the channel. The tall animal looks aware of you, but considering that you're being quiet and aren't too close, it doesn't seem to be too scared. [[Next|scriptend]]

You flick through the reference books you've brought but none of them feel that helpful. Maybe you should have thought about what you were bringing a little more carefully. Eve is scribbling furiously on her own notepad and you think she's probably got it covered. <<if $Rude < 50>>You do feel bad that you couldn't help though. What are you supposed to do if you can't help her? <</if>> [[Next|scriptend]]

It's not your fault she's cute, and the way she frowns ever so slightly as she writes down a sentence before neatly crossing out a few words. <<if $Confident < 50>>You just feel glad that her attention is turned to her script because if she caught you staring you might just self-combust. You're supposed to be working, after all.<</if>> "$Name?" she says, and you snap your attention back to her properly, "Notes?" You shake your head awkwardly and she just sighs, albeit affectionately, before flicking through her own reference book and scribbling some more down. [[Next|scriptend]]

Getting through the pages of scenes about animals is pretty dull when you've got nothing much to add as Matt talks through the script. You watch the stationary camera for a while as Jordan moves about getting different angles of Matt and of the forest. The most exciting thing that happens is when you see a tree creeper and get to move the camera to film that for a moment before recentering it onto Matt. While Matt and Jordan are filming, you film a couple of snippets for behind the scenes content. You know Alex will be doing the same, but between the two of you you'll have some good promising content for the social media rather than the channel. That's the type of thing that gets people interested, and any channel of engagement is a good thing for you all. When it comes about time to break, you watch Jordan stop the stationary camera and look up at Matt, who is taking a long glug from his water bottle to keep his voice sounding even through the long hours of filming. <<set $socmed to 0>> "Okay, I have an idea for some extra content. I was thinking a newlywed game style thing with the four of you." Alex is instantly nodding and although Eve looks hesitant, as she always does at the prospect of being on camera, Jordan and Matt already look like they're willing to go through with it. "You know, it won't take long to film and I think it'll go down well." Alex nods sagely, their curls bobbing with the movement. [[You see the hesistation on Eve's face and now you're thinking this was a bad idea.|socmednext][$Confident -= 2, $socmed to 1]] [[Alex is going along with it, you know this is going to be great.|socmednext][$Confident += 3, $alex += 2, $socmed to 2]] [[Well, you've made the decision now. You're sticking with your preparation.|socmednext][$Prepared += 3, $Chill -= 2, $socmed to 3]] [[Wait, maybe you should rethink this. Your questions are not as deep as they could be.|socmednext][$Prepared -= 2, $Confident -= 3, $socmed to 4]]

<<if $socmed is 1>>Are you pressuring your friend into something that she really doesn't want to do? Your confidence is a little knocked by the look on her face, even as Alex retrieves whiteboards from the bag of equipment and distributes them between you all with a camera-ready smile.<<elseif $socmed is 2>>Alex looks confident in your idea, and that only spurs you on. Your best friend is that for a reason, you know they'd tell you if your idea was shit. At least, you're pretty sure they would. "It'll go down well for sure. People love this kind of thing," they assure, patting you on the shoulder. "Great, get the whiteboards please," you ask and they nod, finding them and the appropriate pens quickly. Jordan turns ?their attention to setting the stationary camera up again, turning it so that you're all in focus in your relaxed group. The thought is a stroke of genius and it'll give the whole video a way more relaxed overall air.<<elseif $socmed is 3>>You stubbornly look between your friends and you're convinced this is a good idea. If people want to see more content about you all as a group, you're going to let them. "It'll go down well for sure. People love this kind of thing," Alex assures, patting you on the shoulder. "Great, get the whiteboards please," you ask and they nod, finding them and the appropriate pens quickly. Jordan turns ?their attention to setting the stationary camera up again, turning it so that you're all in focus in your relaxed group. The thought is a stroke of genius and it'll give the whole video a way more relaxed overall air.<<else>>You're suddenly overcome with the thought that maybe you've made a bad decision for your channel. Maybe people don't want to know the small things about all of you, they want to know the deep ones. Well, those plus if Matt is single? Wait, should you have included something about that? You're distracted enough that you hardly notice Alex distributing whiteboards between your friends, looking ready to try and beat the game.<</if>> "Okay, I'll ask questions," you say, as Alex distributes the whiteboards between the rest of your team. Jordan clicks the camera on to film you all before ?they <<verb 'rushes'>> back to the group of you, where you've all organised yourselves into a horseshoe shape facing the camera. "We'll start with some fun ones. Who is most likely to sleepwalk?" You wait for a few seconds as everyone writes before giving them a count down. Matt and Alex both turn around a board saying 'Eve', Eve turns around a board saying 'Jordan' and Jordan turns around the board with ?their own name. Eve laughs and puts her hand out for Jordan to give a high five. "I sleep way too heavily to sleepwalk," she comments, a smile tugging at her lips even through her nerves. Alex rolls their eyes before nodding with a grunt that sounds a little like 'yeah, fair'. You know they want to 'win' the game and they're not going to like this. "Okay, most likely to fall out of a tree," you say, checking your list of questions on your phone. Your team goes to write instantly. Everyone turns the board around to reveal Matt's name, including himself. "Also most likely to let go of a tree with both of his hands," Alex chides. "Once," he clarifies, although he can't stop his own face from breaking into a smile at that. [[Next|socmednext1]]

"Next," you announce, "Most likely to make puns." You note that Alex and Matt start to write quickly, both turning the board around to reveal they've chosen themselves. That makes Alex burst into laughter, shaking their head vigorously as they look at Matt. "Not a chance," Matt says, folding his arms. "I can't //be-leaf// you think that you're better at puns than me," Alex counters. "I'm //shore// that I am." "I'm at a //moss// for words that you think that." "For what it's //earth//, I work with kids. I'm basically made for dad jokes." "To //beach// their own, but I think I'm better than you." They could go on like this forever, you need to put a stop to it. [[You make a pun to shut them both up.|socmed5][$Chill += 2]] [[You talk over them to shut them both up.|socmed6][$Confident += 2]] [[You declare a winner.|socmed7][$alex += 2]]

"Let's //leaf// it at that," you say, not drawing attention to the fact that both Eve and Jordan have named Alex as being the best at puns silently. You stand up to stop the recording on the camera, Jordan joining you once ?they <<verb 'has'>> collected up the whiteboards, putting them out of the shot again. "Let's get back to it then," Matt says, walking back into the clearing where he was before for the recording. [[Next|dayend]]

"Okay, that's enough," you say, voice loud over their squabble in the otherwise silence of the clearing. You choose not to draw attention to the fact that both Eve and Jordan have named Alex as being the best at puns. You stand up to stop the recording on the camera, Jordan joining you once ?they <<verb 'has'>> collected up the whiteboards, putting them out of the shot again. "Let's get back to it then," Matt says, walking back into the clearing where he was before for the recording. [[Next|dayend]]

"Well, Eve and Jordan agree that Alex is the best, so looks like you're out of luck, Matt," you say, shutting it down once and for all. They both look sheepish as you conclude the segment, avoiding Matt's eyes as you tidy up. You stand up to stop the recording on the camera, Jordan joining you once ?they <<verb 'has'>> collected up the whiteboards, putting them out of the shot again. "Let's get back to it then," Matt says, walking back into the clearing where he was before for the recording. [[Next|dayend]]

Getting through the pages of scenes about animals is pretty dull when you've got nothing much to do on it. You watch the stationary camera for a while as Jordan moves about getting different angles of Matt and of the forest. The most exciting thing that happens is when you see a tree creeper and get to move the camera to film that for a moment before recentering it onto Matt. Once those are done, you get your notebook out and stretch up to standing from where you and Alex had been sat on the floor watching most of the filming take place. Jordan carefully recaps the hand held camera before setting it down with the gentleness of someone laying their baby down to sleep. "Right, FAQ time?" Matt asks, and you nod, walking in front of the camera and pulling Alex with you as you go. They are putting up a fight just to be complicated and you know that if anyone is //actually// shy about being on camera it's Eve and not them. Jordan also looks nervous at the prospect, trying to straighten ?their otherwise immaculate clothes as ?they <<verb 'watches'>> the rest of you move into the shot, gesturing at Eve to move inwards ever so slightly as she tries to dissolve into the forest at the edge. Jordan starts the camera filming before moving in front ?themself, aware that you wanted everyone on camera. Once you're all there, Matt speaks. "So we have a bonus treat for you today, while we're all here and together to film. There have been a lot of questions asked in our comments and we thought we could answer a few of them for you today. Over to $Name since $MCpronoun1 <<if $MCplural is "true">>have<</if>><<if$MCplural is "false">>has<</if>> collated some questions for us." It's easy to talk on camera when you don't even have anyone behind it; it's just like a conversation with your friends instead of presenting a real segment. "So, first off, a lot of people were wondering how we all met," you start, going for the simplest of the questions. Matt takes it without a second thought, speaking confidently. "Me, $Name, Eve and Alex met at university when we were doing a science teaching project which became $Channel. Jordan came along afterwards when I put an advert out for a camera operator." Jordan smiles charmingly, although slightly awkwardly, at the camera and nods along with the statement adding, "I need some experience before I go onto a masters course and this channel seemed perfect for that." Matt almost beams at that endorsement, and you see Jordan becoming a little flustered as how pleased he looks. Alex confidently distracts from that scene with a look towards you. "Well, me and $Name already knew each other since we lived together at that point."<<nobr>><<if $alexhookup is "true">>Alex gives you a covert wriggle of their eyebrows, which you pointedly ignore in favour of looking back down to your notes. You'll do everything to can to get that cut out, it's no one else's business. <<else>>They grin at you and you can't help but smile back, although you note that their smile is slightly more hollow than you expect from them. "And honestly, who wouldn't want to live with me?"<</if>><</nobr>> <<set $scicomm to 0>> Do you miss living with Alex? [[Well, living with my brother is way more stable overall. At least for now.|scicomm5][$benjamin += 4, $scicomm to 1]] [[I don't miss cleaning up after them.|scicomm5][$Chill -= 3, $scicomm to 2]] [[I do, we had a good time.|scicomm5][$Chill += 3, $scicomm to 3]] [[I do, I miss living with friends. It feels like a step back to be back with my brother.|scicomm5][$benjamin -= 2, $scicomm to 4]]

<<nobr>><<if $scicomm is 1>>You know Alex's lifestyle isn't the most stable, which is the complete opposite to Benjamin's. Your brother is a good beacon of stability in your life, especially because everything feels like it's going tits up after university. <<elseif $scicomm is 2>>Alex has never been the most perfect of housemates, despite the fact that they're very fun to live with. <<if $alexhookup is "true">> Plus any other… benefits that may have come from living with them.<</if>> <<elseif $scicomm is 3>>It probably wasn't the most perfect and you thought Ben was going to faint when he saw the state you were living in but it was a very fun time. <<if $alexhookup is "true">> Plus… living with Alex had a few extra benefits you weren't complaining about at all.<</if>> <<else>>It feels like you're living back with your parents again. Ben means so well, but he can be over-protective and an absolute worry wart when it comes to you. You understand why a bit, you're his younger sibling but you're also an adult who can definitely take care of yourself.<</if>><</nobr>> Anyway, you can't keep reminiscing all day about this. "Next question, how did we all get into filming? I guess we've answered why we're here but Jordan, how did you get into it?" The attention turns to Jordan easily for this question, since ?they <<verb 'is'>> your official camera person. "Well," ?they <<verb 'starts'>>, ?their voice coming out rapidly with nerves, "Biology and photography were my favourite subjects at A-Level and a lot of my work for photography was based around animals even then. My degree is in biology, but my love of filmmaking never went away. It's something I've always done, even when the technology I had wasn't great or the most expensive. My mum bought me a camera when I was young for a birthday and it was my favourite piece of equipment ever, even though by todays standards it wasn't great…" ?they <<verb 'trails'>> off, worried that ?they-re rambling even though both you and Matt are smiling encouragingly. "So would you say that the best way to get into this field is by being hands on?" Alex asks, and Jordan looks shocked for a moment at who is asking ?them the question before nodding. "Definitely, and take the opportunities you can. I wasn't going to apply for working on '$Channel' but then I did, and it's been great." You all smile at that question, sharing a moment to enjoy that you're all enjoying each others company. It continues on like this with simple questions before you reach the last one on your list. "Finally, and I think most importantly, what's everyone's favourite animals?" Alex chuckles at that and you turn to Eve first, who has been unsurprisingly quiet since she's on camera. You intend to work down the line. "My favourite is the elephant hawkmoth," she says, serene smile plastered over their face. "I think because of the colours." She nods and passes the question on to Alex. "Easy, elephant shrew," they announce, nodding confidently before turning to you. "Mine?" Input your favourite animal in the singular e.g. giraffe, elephant, frog <<textbox "$favourite" "enter">> [[Next|scicomm6]]

"Mine is the $favourite." You turn to Matt, who smiles. "I like grass snakes," he says, turning the attention to Jordan. "Last but not least," you prompt. "I like axolotls," ?they <<verb 'says'>> with a smile before casting it back to you. It's a simple end to your video, but you know it'll go down a storm. Simple things like this always cause interactivity with a diverse audience. Everyone has a favourite animal. "That's all we have for now. Let us know if you've liked this, and we might get to make another one." Matt nods along with you before jumping into his usual end of video spiel, waving as he says goodbye, which you all join in on before Jordan runs off to end the recording. "I just hope the sound is good enough," ?they <<verb 'worries'>>, "Because that was really fun." "It'll go over well too, I think," Alex adds, "It's a shame we didn't ask if Matt was single though. That's how you really up engagement." They grin at Matt who gives them a glare in return, his pleasant presenting smile having been firmly dropped... [[Next|dayend]]

Matt works his way through the paragraphs on the most common animals while Jordan dances around him, getting different shots from as many angles as ?they can. ?They obviously <<verb 'has'>> a vision for the episode right now, one that you're not able to see. As the two of them work through the filming, Alex keeps an eye on the stationary camera and you sit reading through your script in preparation for your segment. You think that you've got it since you've read it enough times and you turn your eyes up to see Eve smiling at you. <<set $present to 0>> "Do you need a hand in remembering it?" [[No, I'm confident I'll get it right.|presen1][$Confident += 3, $present to 1]] [[No, I've read it enough that even though I'm not super confident about it, I'm prepared.|presen1][$Prepared += 3, $present to 2]] [[Yes. I'm confident but I probably should have read it a few more times.|presen1][$Prepared -= 3, $present to 3]] [[Yes, I'm terrified.|presen1][$Confident -= 3, $present to 4]]

<<if $present is 1>>"I'm alright thanks," you say and she nods. You're quite sure that she expected as much, but she'd never go without offering to help you.<<elseif $present is 2>>"I've got it. I've read your script a million times," you clarify, and that causes Eve's eyes to light up. <<if $evecrush is "true">>You're glad that you said that just to see her happiness alone. You'd give anything to see her eyes sparkle like that again.<</if>><<elseif $present is 3>>"Maybe… run through it again?" you say and Eve nods kindly. "I'll test you," she says, taking your script from you and watching you closely as you try to recall it from the top of your head. You manage to get through it, with only a few slips. Each time you mess up, Eve gently corrects you, her soft voice meaning that you never feel stupid for needed the help. She's reassuring. Eventually you get to the end and she smiles affectionately.<<else>>"Maybe just… go through it another time?" you ask and Eve smiles, taking the script from you. As you start to speak, Eve just nods along. Even though you feel shaky, she doesn't need to correct you at all. She passes the paper back to you with a kind smile.<</if>> "I'm sure you've got it, but if you need a prompt you know where I am." She smiles kindly at you and pats you on your shoulder as you turn your eyes back to the paper to get in some last minute revision for your segment. You hear a commotion and see Alex and Jordan moving the camera to catch a glimpse of a treecreeper which you watch for a second before you focus on the work you're doing. You'll get through it. Presentation is one of your skills and you're confident that you can get through the segment well. Matt finally finishes his segments before going to a segue, turning his attention fully to the stationary camera. "And now to $Name, who is going to talk about some things that you can do to help animals in your local area." He smiles before Jordan nods and pauses the camera. You stand up and walk over to the spot where Matt was stood, standing right in the divot he's created in the grass, leaving your script on the ground next to Eve. You take a deep breath before turning your attention up to the camera, waiting until Alex and Jordan both give you a thumbs up to say that you're ready to go. [[Next|presen5]]

"Thanks Matt," you start, smiling contentedly at the camera, "There is a lot that you can do for animals in your local area, even if you don't have a big garden or a lot of outdoor space. A bird bath or giving birds food is a simple place to start. Putting an old dish or bowl full of water out can help birds cool down and wash, and you don't have to go and buy things to make a difference." You pause for a second and when you glance over to Eve you notice that she's mimicking eating. You didn't need the prompt, but you're happy that she's trying to help you. You know she doesn't do that for Matt, but it's good to have the back up, especially when you know it's just someone trying to be helpful. "Bird food does require some purchasing, and you should be careful to place it out of reach of rats but it's always welcomed. This time of year birds will be feeding their chicks, but in winter it also helps because food can be scarce." The rest of your segment continues in the same vein, with you confidently giving advice about what everyone can do to help nature, including the most free thing that people in cities can do - picking up litter. You smile as you go through your closing words before passing back to Matt. That way, it doesn't matter where Jordan edits your segment into the overall video structure or even if it's a separate video, because ?they'll have all of the footage there for options. ?They <<verb 'gives'>> you a quick thumbs up before ?they <<verb 'shuts'>> down the camera. [[Next|dayend]]

Where are you heading off to? <<if $count < 3 and $evevisit is "false">> [[You go and join Eve where she's... actually what is she doing?|eevening][$count +=1, $eve +=4, $evevisit to "true"]]<</if>><<if $count < 3 and $alexvisit is "false">> [[Alex is sat by themself, eyes cast off to the side as they watch the other people on the campsite mess around.|aevening][$count += 1, $alex += 4, $alexvisit to "true"]]<</if>><<if $count < 3 and $jordvisit is "false">> [[You see Jordan trying and struggling to carry what washing up you have towards the camp site facilities.|jevening][$count += 1, $jordan += 4, $jordvisit to "true"]] <</if>><<if $count < 3 and $mattvisit is "false">> [[Matt is sat by the fire pit and it looks really cosy, so you go to join him.|matteven][$count += 1, $matt += 4, $mattvisit to "true"]] <</if>> [[I'm quite tired, actually. I'm heading to bed.|sleep]]

Eve appears to be draping a white sheet between your two tents, and you can't help but go up to her and see what she's doing, since it looks thoroughly absurd. She seems to be struggling to peg the ends of the white sheet up considering it's slightly above her head. A torch is held between her teeth but it doesn't seem to be helping, just causing more issues as it reflects into her glasses, leaving Eve looking quite frustrated as she works. <<if $Rude > 50>>You continue to watch Eve struggle, walking slowly until you see that she’s finally got both ends of the sheet pinned up. It's only at that point that you move towards her and look at what she's doing with a raised eyebrow. She turns around and grins at you, taking the torch from between her teeth finally and clicking it off.<<elseif $Height is "Short" or $Height is "Very Short">>You move over to try and help Eve but you find that you're too short to actually be helpful since you're both too short to be able to confidently reach to the top of the tent. "I'll hold the torch," you say, and she plucks it from between her teeth, handing it off to you without a word as she stretches up to the top of the tent, perched on her tiptoes. You shine it towards the top of the tent, where the light makes it easier for her to tie the corner of the sheet to one of the tent poles before she takes a step back so she's not at risk of falling into the tent. "You can turn it off now," she directs and you click the torch off, handing it back to her. She stows it in a pocket of her dress.<<else>>You move over to Eve and take the corner of the sheet into your hands, tying it to the top of the tent. Since you're taller than her, it goes a lot better when you do it than when she was trying to and you don't have to be stood on the tent canvas to do it. Plus, now her hands are free she can shine the torch that was clamped between her teeth onto where your hands are working, making the job easier all around. "Is that good enough?" you ask, taking a step back from where you'd been working. She just nods, beaming up at you as she looks at the sheet you've draped between the tents.<</if>> "It's a moth trap," she announces, stepping back to observe her handiwork for a second before setting up a lantern at the bottom of the sheet on the ground, lighting up the white sheet brightly. It's a beacon among the otherwise poorly lit camp site; the other light sources paling in comparison and it takes you a moment to be able to look at it directly in the darkness. <<nobr>><<if $Interest is "Insects">> [[Next|eeveningins]] <<else>> [[Next|eeveningnoins]]<</if>><</nobr>>

Now she's said what it is, you're not surprised at all and you're mostly just ashamed that you didn't realise before. One, because you should have known a little better and two, because it's exactly the behaviour you expect from Eve when she's out in the countryside. She's bad enough for doing this kind of thing even in suburbia - you all spent a memorable evening in a park trying to set up a moth trap before you got kicked out of the park for loitering by a warden who couldn't understand what three early 20-somethings were doing in the middle of the night with a sheet in a park. You take a few steps away from the sheet, not wanting it to be too disturbed as you wait. Hopefully it will attract some moths to your camp site sooner rather than later, as a chill is setting in for the night and soon it won't be so comfortable. [[It is bloody cold though.|eeins1][$Prepared -= 5]] [[Who cares about moths though? There are better insects in the day.|eeins2][$eve -= 2]] [[I'm excited, but waiting in the cold isn't looking like a fun time.|eeins3]]

You aren't entirely sure what exactly she's doing with the sheets, but the phrase 'moth trap' is pretty self-explanatory. Now she's said something about it, you have heard her speak about it before; she's said that you should go and set one up in the park to try and get some good footage. You're not sure that you've got a night camera good enough for that to be a viable option for you all, but pissing about in a park at night with your friends and a sheet sounds like a pretty good time. Under her gentle guidance, you take a few steps away from the sheet to leave space so that any moths won't be disturbed by the two of you being too close. Hopefully, you'll get some moths landing on the sheet like she's intending for them to be. [[It is bloody cold.|eenoins1][$Prepared -= 5]] [[Who cares about moths though? There are better animals in the day.|eenoins2][$eve -= 2]] [[I'm excited, but waiting in the cold isn't looking like a fun time.|eenoins3]]

You're starting to wish you'd brought a thicker jacket along, maybe some gloves and a scarf? "How long do you think we'll have to wait?" you ask, and she shrugs a little. "Until they're here, I guess." You get the distinct feeling that she could wait all night if it meant she saw a moth or two she likes. You're not entirely sure you disagree, since you like an insect too. Thankfully, after not too long you see a dark flutter against the sheet and the two of you take a tentative step forwards. The moth that has settled onto the sheet is a grey moth with rugged, unevenly edged wings has landed. It doesn't seem bothered at all by the two of you moving to inspect it. "Poplar Hawk-Moth, right?" you say, voice questioning although you're pretty sure of your judgement. Eve nods with a friendly smile, leaning in close to inspect the ragged edges of the moth. She moves her finger close to it to reveal red-brown patches underneath its wings at the disturbance, and she looks pretty pleased as it doesn't fly away. Eve really is one with the insects. [[Next|eevening2]]

Harsh, but Eve looks happy. Isn't that worth it? "How long do you think we'll have to wait?" you ask, and she shrugs a little. "Until they're here, I guess." You get the distinct feeling that she could wait all night if it meant she saw a moth or two she likes. You're not entirely sure you disagree, since you like an insect too. Thankfully, after not too long you see a dark flutter against the sheet and the two of you take a tentative step forwards. The moth that has settled onto the sheet is a grey moth with rugged, unevenly edged wings has landed. It doesn't seem bothered at all by the two of you moving to inspect it. "Poplar Hawk-Moth, right?" you say, voice questioning although you're pretty sure of your judgement. Eve nods with a friendly smile, leaning in close to inspect the ragged edges of the moth. She moves her finger close to it to reveal red-brown patches underneath its wings at the disturbance, and she looks pretty pleased as it doesn't fly away. Eve really is one with the insects. [[Next|eevening2]]

"How long do you think we'll have to wait?" you ask, and she shrugs a little. "Until they're here, I guess." You get the distinct feeling that she could wait all night if it meant she saw a moth or two she likes. You're not entirely sure you disagree, since you like an insect too. Thankfully, after not too long you see a dark flutter against the sheet and the two of you take a tentative step forwards. The moth that has settled onto the sheet is a grey moth with rugged, unevenly edged wings has landed. It doesn't seem bothered at all by the two of you moving to inspect it. "Poplar Hawk-Moth, right?" you say, voice questioning although you're pretty sure of your judgement. Eve nods with a friendly smile, leaning in close to inspect the ragged edges of the moth. She moves her finger close to it to reveal red-brown patches underneath its wings at the disturbance, and she looks pretty pleased as it doesn't fly away. Eve really is one with the insects. [[Next|eevening2]]

You're starting to wish you'd brought a thicker jacket along, maybe some gloves and a scarf too? "Do you think we'll have to wait long?" you ask, and she shrugs a little in response. "I think not too long. There's got to be moths around here." You know Eve and although they're not your interest, you get the impression that she could wait all night if it meant she saw moths that she wanted to. You know her attitude to book releases and you think this is probably the same. It doesn't take long thankfully, just a few minutes before you see a dark shape fluttering against the sheet. What you see is a rugged, undefined shape of two wings. The moth itself is a purplish-grey with a fluffy body. You have no idea what it is, but thankfully Eve volunteers that knowledge from her wealth of insect information. "That's a Poplar Hawk-Moth," she says, smiling as she bends closer to inspect the animal, "And if we do this…" She leans in to place her finger carefully near the moth, causing it to flutter its wings up to reveal red-brown patches underneath. [[Next|eevening2]]

Harsh, but Eve looks happy. Isn't that worth it? "Do you think we'll have to wait long?" you ask, and she shrugs a little in response. "I think not too long. There's got to be moths around here." You know Eve and although they're not your interest, you get the impression that she could wait all night if it meant she saw moths that she wanted to. You know her attitude to book releases and you think this is probably the same. It doesn't take long thankfully, just a few minutes before you see a dark shape fluttering against the sheet. What you see is a rugged, undefined shape of two wings. The moth itself is a purplish-grey with a fluffy body. You have no idea what it is, but thankfully Eve volunteers that knowledge from her wealth of insect information. "That's a Poplar Hawk-Moth," she says, smiling as she bends closer to inspect the animal, "And if we do this…" She leans in to place her finger carefully near the moth, causing it to flutter its wings up to reveal red-brown patches underneath. [[Next|eevening2]]

"Do you think we'll have to wait long?" you ask, and she shrugs a little in response. "I think not too long. There's got to be moths around here." You know Eve and although they're not your interest, you get the impression that she could wait all night if it meant she saw moths that she wanted to. You know her attitude to book releases and you think this is probably the same. It doesn't take long thankfully, just a few minutes before you see a dark shape fluttering against the sheet. What you see is a rugged, undefined shape of two wings. The moth itself is a purplish-grey with a fluffy body. You have no idea what it is, but thankfully Eve volunteers that knowledge from her wealth of insect information. "That's a Poplar Hawk-Moth," she says, smiling as she bends closer to inspect the animal, "And if we do this…" She leans in to place her finger carefully near the moth, causing it to flutter its wings up to reveal red-brown patches underneath. [[Next|eevening2]]

<<nobr>>"It's pretty relaxed, doesn't seem bothered to see us at all, though. <<if $Chill < 50>> It's the opposite of you," she teases, eyes fixed on you for a second with a teasing smile before she turns her attention back to the insect on the sheet. <</if>> <<if $Chill < 50 and $evecrush is "true">> She doesn't tease you often and you find yourself wishing that she would. The amount of attention placed onto you makes your heart skip a beat. <<else>>" Her eyes don't leave the sheet and the moth sitting there for a second. "It's just so cute."<</if>><</nobr>> The two of you continue in that vein, inspecting moths when they land on the sheet before sitting back and waiting for something new. You're starting to get tired, your eyes burning a little from looking at the brightly lit white sheet for so long. You're about to leave her to it when she lets out an excited squeak and tries to point not too enthusiastically at the sheet, where a light green and pink moth has fluttered down. She can't help herself from going closer, inspecting the fluffy body and wings of the insect. Moths are gorgeous and the colours they're displaying, especially this one is beyond impressive. It's a shame that you don't get to see them like that much since they tend to come out in the night, but maybe that's part of what makes them special. Eve is practically beaming at the appearance of the creature, trying to get as close as she can without disturbing it. "They're my absolute favourite," she enthuses, gesturing with one hand for you to come closer as well, looking over the insect. <<set $eevening to 1>> "The caterpillars look like elephant trunks, that's where their name comes from." [[Eve looks so happy! It's so sweet and nice to see her be enthusiastic.|eevening3][$eevening to 5]] [[I'm just so cold here.|eevening3][$eevening to 6]] [[Okay, that's a cute fact. I'm going to remember that.|eevening3][$eve += 2, $eevening to 7]] <<nobr>><<if $evecrush is "true" and $Interest isnot "Insects">> [[You aren't a moth fan but you like to see Eve so happy.|eevening3][ $eevening to 3]] <<elseif $evecrush is "true" and $Interest is "Insects">> [[You love insects too, and it's nice to see Eve so happy.|eevening3][ $eevening to 4]]<</if>><</nobr>>

<<if $eevening is 3>>It's in this moment you can see why you like Eve, her eyes glinting behind her glasses even through the way they're reflecting the light. You're glad for the darkness, because if she turned her attention towards you right now she would almost definitely notice that you looked a little flustered, even with the only light being from the sheet. As the two of you lean together, you can feel the way that her hair brushes against your cheek, the heat from her own face close to yours.<<elseif $eevening is 4>>You turn your attention away from the moth trap for a moment and towards Eve. It's in this moment you remember why you like her, her eyes glinting behind her glasses even through the way they're reflecting the light. You're glad for the darkness, because if she turned her attention towards you right now she would almost definitely notice that you looked a little flustered, even with the only light being from the sheet. As the two of you lean together, you can feel the way that her hair brushes against your cheek, the heat from her own face close to yours.<<elseif $eevening is 5>>You can really feel the exuberance that's coming from Eve at the moment. She's been working hard writing your scripts, but you're never sure why she's involved with the channel since she hates being filmed for anything more than a snippet of behind the scenes content, and isn't that fussed about social media. In this moment you're reminded of her enthusiasm for her favourite subject and you understand why she does this, what she really gets out of it further than just your friendship.<<elseif $eevening is 6>>You try to focus onto the moths some more, but now that the sun has gone in, you're really bloody cold. It's hard to focus when you're desperately trying to suppress a shiver or not think about how your feet are going numb, even though you're standing up. You're not sure how much longer you can be out here without someone finding you frozen in an ice block. "It's cold," you hiss, and Eve looks up briefly from the moths but doesn't comment. You suppose she can't feel cold right now since she's enjoying herself so much.<<else>>"I like that," you say, and Eve just smiles back. "It's a fun fact, right?" she says, chuckling as she bends closer to inspect the moth. Eve doesn't spend a lot of time doing education in the same way that Matt does, but you're getting a hint of the side of her that can write scripts that keep even the youngest of children entertained. It's like getting to know her all over again. <</if>> [[Next|eevening8]]

Eve glances at her watch before sighing and bending down to turn the lantern off, plunging you into darkness. It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the sudden return to the night, and you lose track of your friend until she pulls the small torch from her pocket and bathes you in light again. "I should probably call it a night," she says, stifling a yawn behind her hand. She goes and gently pats down the sheet, careful not to let any moths on it stay there when she wants to pack it away. You take the other end of the sheet when she manages to untie the corners from the tent. You fold it up quickly, bringing your hands together to fold it effectively before she tucks it underneath her arm and picks up her lantern. She smiles at you and even in the low light you can see that she looks tired, her eyes marked by dark circles. It's not unusual, but in the darkness she certainly doesn't look //less// ghostly. <<if $tentshare is "eve">>"I'll see you in a bit," she says, waving at you half-heartedly with the hand she has gripped around the lantern handle. She's shivering a little, and you think it was probably a good choice for her to go to bed. "In a bit, you smile," watching as she leaves to go to your tent, ducking inside to disappear out of your view.<<else>>"Goodnight," she says with a smile before she moves to her own tent and disappears from your view, "I'll see you tomorrow." You bid her an equal goodnight with a smile, feeling happier for sharing some quality time with her.<</if>> The night has properly settled in now and a quietness has settled over the camp site even though you can see that the only other occupants are still awake. There's a stillness in the countryside that you can't get anywhere else, most of the space filled by the noise of birds and rustle of wind through the trees. [[Next|camp]]

You walk over to Alex, careful not to disturb them as you shift a chair close to them and sit down. After what feels like ages of them not responding to your presence you reach over and tap them on the arm gently. They turn to you and force a smile which you can see through instantly. It might be late, but it has to be way darker than this to pull the wool over your eyes, especially when it comes to your best friend. "Are you okay?" you ask, voice low as you sit down next to them. They just nod, pushing a hand through their dark curls before they look around at the other members of your team. "I'm fine." You're thoroughly unconvinced by that, but choose to say nothing for a moment as you watch them closely and the way their eyes dart everywhere ''but'' you. That's unendingly strange for someone who you know can consistently hold the most intense eye contact with a bartender you've ever seen. "You know you can tell me stuff, right?" you ask, wary about how to approach this. You know what Alex is like, if you say the wrong thing you could end up with them completely shutting down. <<nobr>><<if $alex >65>> [[Next|aeveningmore]] <<else>> [[Next|aeveningless]] <</if>><</nobr>>

"I know," they say, voice uncharacteristically meek as they purposefully look anywhere other than directly at you. You keep your own gaze focused on them, judging their minuscule awkward actions closely. Alex smooths their thumb over their palm and takes a deep breath. "Don't tell anyone though. I don't want to ruin the weekend and Matt's stressed enough as is." You spare a glance towards the blonde man, who doesn't look stressed right now, but you know it's bubbling just under the surface all of the time with him when it comes to weekends away filming. "I won't, you can tell me," you assure and for the first time since you've sat with them Alex meets your eyes. "You can't freak out. It's not a big deal," they promise, but you reserve any judgement on whether or not you get to freak out until you know exactly what they're going to say to you. "So on Friday, me and my housemates got a letter saying that we're being evicted," they say, finally letting all of their act drop and baring the whole situation to you. "Apparently the landlord has sold the house and the new owners don't want tenants, they want to live there." <<set $alextruth to "true">> "Can they do that?" you ask, frowning at Alex who just nods. <<set $ae to 0>> "Yeah apparently so, it's the end of the contract and they gave us the amount of notice they need. I checked." You trust that to be the truth, Alex wouldn't have jumped to this conclusion without having checked it all out. [[You're hurt. Why didn't they tell you?|aemore1][$alex -= 3,$ae to 1]] [[You're angry. Why didn't they say anything?|aemore1][$Chill -= 3, $alexreact to "rude", $ae to 2]] [[You're speechless. They're your friend. You thought they could tell you anything.|aemore1][$ae to 3]] [[You just... You don't know how to feel. You thought you were best friends.|aemore1][$alex -= 3, $ae to 4]] [[You can understand why they didn't tell you and you don't blame them.|aemore1][$ae to 5]]

"I know I can," they say, leaning their head onto their hand and turning their attention towards you in an almost comically dramatically way. They're still messing about though, so their evasive smile is still plastered over their face. You sigh, knowing that you're going to get little from them. "You really can. //Anything//," you stress, and they nod, but you know better than to push Alex over things that they really don't want to talk about. You are trying not to get annoyed at them, knowing that they just find it hard to open up to people, even people they know as well as someone that they lived with for two years and openly call their best friend. <<set $ae to 0>> "You don't need to worry about me," they say, turning their attention back to you and gazing very intently at you as they talk. You try to nod, but you know the movement comes out jerkily. It's not like you can help the fact that you worry about them, what else are you supposed to feel when they're like this? You're unsatisfied with their reaction but they're done with that subject for the night. [[They need to promise they're okay to you. Then you'll drop it.|aeless1][$ae to 1]] [[You just drop it, as annoyed as you are.|aeless1][$Chill -= 2, $ae to 2]] [[You're not letting them get away with this. You're angry at them.|aeless1][$alexreact to "rude", $Rude += 3, $alex -= 2, $ae to 3]] [[You trust Alex, and if they say to drop it. You drop it.|aeless1][$alex += 3, $ae to 4]]

<<if $ae is 1>>"Why didn't you call me to let me know?" "I didn't want to ruin the weekend," they confess, head dropping down as their voice finally cracks into something like a sob. "Oh, Al," you sigh, leaning forward in your chair to pull them into a hug, "You could have told me anyway."<<elseif $ae is 2>>"You should have let me know," you chastise, trying not to be angry with them even though you feel your jaw tightening. "I didn't want to start something. You know what Matt is like." You sigh, but you do get it. Matt would be apoplectic if he heard about Alex hiding this from them. "You still could have let me know. We're best friends." They look sheepish but nod still.<<elseif $ae is 3>>"I -" Nothing comes out since you really don't know what to say. You take a breath and try to put your thoughts together, but you have nothing to say. If Alex didn't tell you this, what else haven't they told you? It's important.<<elseif $ae is 4>>"But… we're friends, Al," you say, trying to fight a frown. "I know but I didn't want to ruin your weekend." You can't do anything other than sigh at that. How are you meant to talk against that, if that's the truth? "You should have told me anyway." "I didn't want to make you mad," they confess, looking for all purposes like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.<<else>>It can't be an easy thing for anyone to talk about, and you know what Alex is like, they never like asking for help from anyone. Even you. "You could have told me though." You wouldn't have let it ruin the weekend or anything you're concerned about. "I know, I know, but I didn't want to ruin //your// weekend too." You reach a hand out to them and pat them on the arm gently, in what you hope is a friendly and reassuring manner. "I understand," you promise, and they force a weak smile out to you, so that you know your words have been processed and absorbed.<</if>> Finally you can connect the pieces, and shake your head. You finally get why they went out last night, so that they didn't have to think about the inevitability of having to find a new place to live or look at the reality of being homeless. "I just don't want to have to move back in with my parents," they breathe. It's very purposeful, like they're hanging on by a thread. You get it, you've heard a lot about Alex's parents during the time living with them, the way that they always had to tread the line between working hard to please their parents and not having to sound desperate for their approval. University was an escape for them, you knew that. "You won't have to," you assure, although you're not in a place to really assure that. <<nobr>><<if $Rude >50 >> [[Next|aemorerude][$alexreact to "rude"]] <<else>> [[Next|aemorenot]] <</if>><</nobr>>

You let silence sit between the two of you for a few seconds before you decide that Alex has had enough time to mope, looking out into the camp site for long enough. "You know, it still wasn't cool for you to go out. You didn't think about anyone but yourself," you admonish, and Alex looks taken aback. You're not normally so harsh with them, but they could have been sensible and come to you but instead they decided not to and to go and get pissed instead. As their supposed best friend, you're pretty mad about it. "Next time, tell me or I won't be able stick up for you against Matt if you do something stupid." You watch them droop ever so slightly in their seat as they nod. "And then I can help you. I'll help you find somewhere." Even as much as they deserved the telling off, you won't leave your closest friend without somewhere to live. You're angry, not a complete arsehole. Alex turns back to you and forces themself through a deep breath, running a hand through their hair before leaning back into their chair. "Thanks," they mumble and you nod, smiling softly at them. [[Next|aevening1]]

"You know I'll help you find somewhere to live, right?" you assure, reaching out to them and taking their hand to get them to look at you. "What about a deposit? I don't have a month's rent just to pay." You sigh; that's definitely a problem and you wish you could help. "Your grandparents?" "I don't want to have to move far away. I'd have to get a new job as well if I lived with them," they argue and you squeeze their hand gently to say that you do understand, you're just trying to help. "We'll get it sorted. If you need to you can live with me. Ben wouldn't say that you can't." It probably wasn't fair to volunteer that opinion on Ben's behalf but he can never say no to you, or turn down people in need. Alex has stayed with you in the past and he was entirely fine with it. Alex turns back to you and forces themself through a deep breath, running a hand through their hair before leaning back into their chair. "Thanks," they mumble and you nod, smiling softly at them. [[Next|aevening1]]

<<if $ae is 1>>"You //promise// it's nothing I should worry about," you ask, watching for any slight movements in their face to say otherwise. "God, yes, I promise," they stress, voice coming out like you're the parent of a reluctant teenage child rather than a close friend. "As long as you're sure." They let out an exhale that is nearly frustrated, and even in the light of the fire you can see their jaw tightening. It's a sign you're pushing too far, and you're forced to drop it for now.<<elseif $ae is 2>>Alex is being too evasive, even for them and you know it's important for them to put up this much of a fight. "It's nothing," they say, trying to shy away from your intense gaze at them. You narrow your eyes a little, looking at them closely, hoping that your scrutinising gaze will force the truth out of them. Maybe you'll choose now to manifest your telepathy and you'll undercover the mystery. Unfortunately not. They resist your mind-reading skills so you're forced to avoid the subject for now.<<elseif $ae is 3>>"You can't just say that when you're clearly not okay," you say, your voice pitching slightly louder. Alex looks shocked at you actually telling them off, and you continue. "You need to get over yourself sometimes. Some of us are trying to help you," you say, folding your arms over your chest. It feels good to be able to get this off your chest, even though you're sure it's going to make Alex shut down. They're awful when it comes to confrontation. "I…" Alex's voice catches in their throat. "Seriously, just drop it. Please." Their voice is small and now you've got it out of your system you feel yourself exhale, the tension finally leaving you. "For now," you say, and you mean it. You intend to chase this back up after the weekend.<<else>>If they say they're fine than they're fine, right? Friends tell the truth. "Alright," you say, taking a deep breath and looking at them closely. You have to give them the room to tell you and you know that. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, after all. Although you're not sure that Alex comes out entirely favourably from that analogy. <</if>> [[Next|aevening1]]

You sit next to Alex, letting your head drop back heavily to look at the sky. You can see so many stars in comparison to time spent in the city and they glitter like they know you're thinking about them. You know rationally it's just the way your eyes are adjusting to the lights as you look, but that's considerably less poetic. "It's nice to be out here," you say with a deep sigh, turning your attention to Alex, who nods, tucking their feet up underneath themselves in the camping chair. They look precarious in the way that they're balanced but comfortable all the same. They join you in look up at the sky and you see them relax a little from the corner of your eye, the tension slowly ebbing away from their shoulders. "It's good to be away from everything. I know we're still filming and hopefully we're going to get some payment for it but… you know. It's still nice," they shrug and you nod. You get it; this doesn't always feel like work since you're doing things you enjoy with your friends. It's not like your job in the week, which is a lot of working with customers. You'd never thought that having to queue for a coffee for a few minutes would ruin someone's day, but now you know otherwise. Matt might be stressed over this sometimes, but he's pretty much the only one who ever is, at least at the moment. And even he seems to be relaxing this weekend for once. You meet Alex's eyes and… <<if $alexcrush is "true">>[[they meet yours back.|aevening6][$alex += 2, $ae to 1]] <</if>>[[you awkwardly smile to them.|aevening6][$alex += 2, $ae to 2]] [[you don't give them anything.|aevening6][$ae to 3]] [[you scowl at them.|aevening6][$alex -= 3, $alexreact to "rude", $ae to 4]]

<<nobr>><<if $ae is 1>>You look over to Alex and meet their dark eyes with an awkward smile. Despite the fact that they still have a slight air of sadness, or at least not quite happiness, you can't help but blush at the way their eyes fall over you. The fact that they do at least smile back is enough to make you feel a little flustered, and you can't help but think that your presence at least helped them a little bit. You should be used to it, that's your best friend, but you're really not.<<elseif $ae is 2>>Your eyes drift over to Alex and meet their eyes with a soft smile, which they return, although you can tell that it's still a little empty compared to their normal ones. Still, they look pretty content for being out here in the countryside. The stresses of the city and mundanity just can't reach you out here. <<if $alextruth is "true">>Well… mostly.<</if>> <<elseif $ae is 3>>You have nothing to give them at the moment, since it feels like the emotions you're feeling are just stacking up to make you feel a total of nothing. It's sad, but you need to think about everything before you know how you feel. Thankfully, the peace of the countryside is pretty conducive to doing just that.<<else>>Alex flicks their eyes away from you as soon as they see that you're scowling back at them, looking back up to the sky and purposefully avoiding meeting your gaze. You think that you see them look at you from their peripheral vision and open their mouth to say something, but then they just don't.<</if>><</nobr>> You see Alex stretch their arms out and release their feet from being trapped underneath themself in a quick move. They stretch out before shivering and standing up, wincing at getting to their feet after being sat for so long, but they don't lurk for any longer than they have to. You're a little hurt that they want to be out of your company so quickly but you try to bite your tongue about it. <<if $Rude > 55 and $alextruth is "false">><<set $alexreact to "rude">>You fail. "Don't run away any quicker, people might think you're hiding something," you mumble, loud enough that you're not sure they didn't hear it. Either way, they don't look back. <<elseif $tentshare is "alex">>"I'll see you in a bit," they say, tapping your shoulder lightly as they walk past. "In a bit," you reply, looking around the rest of the cold field from your camping chair.<<else>>"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow," they say, dragging their hand across your shoulders as they walk past with a typical friendly smile. "Night," you return as they walk across the field and duck into their tent, disappearing from view.<</if>> <<if $alextruth is "false">>You're still a bit concerned for Alex, even though they do seem a little better than before. You know they're not always the most responsible but they're not usually so overtly irresponsible either, but if they're not ready to talk about it then that's their own thing. You can't force the truth from anyone.<<else>>You're concerned for Alex, even now that you know exactly what's made them act like this. It's not like they're often the most open person all of the time, but they could have told you this, even if they hadn't wanted to open it up to everyone just yet.<</if>> The night has settled in, and you're very aware of how cold it is as soon as you move away from the fire and its comforting crackle. It's funny how quickly it gets cold in the countryside like this, and you are tempted to move back towards the warm light of the fire to feel your cheeks get that almost burnt but warmed feeling again. But the fire is dying down and you shouldn't stoke it this late in the night. [[Next|camp]]

<<set $matttent to 1>><<set $jordtent to 0>><<set $evetent to 0>>It's time to sleep, and you //need// to sleep, otherwise you'll be struggling to get up and be productive throughout your second day of filming tomorrow. There's no point poking ''//the Matt//'' when it comes to that. Plus, it's getting colder by the minute and you know you've got a sleeping bag and blanket waiting for you in your tent. <<if $count < 3>>You enter your tent to find that you're the only one there, which is pretty alright for you. It gives you a lot of time to settle into your sleeping bag and get comfortable and warm before you're inevitably disturbed by someone invading your space. Although, to be fair, it is only a two man tent so by the time you've got your bags and equipment safely in here with you, it doesn't leave a lot of room to stretch out or not be in each other's personal space while you're asleep. It's a good job you're all friends. You get into your pyjamas and sleeping bag and are trying to throw your blanket over your feet without losing too much warmth when <</if>><<if $count < 3 and $tentshare is "alex">> Alex enters, another jumper layered on top of their overalls and the one they were already wearing. They look so tired, rubbing at their eyes with their fingers as they change quickly out of their complicated layers and into their pyjamas, putting their contacts into the case as quickly as they can. They tie their curls back out of their face before they dive into their sleeping bag as quickly as they can, zipping it far up so all you can really see of them is their dark hair poking out the top.<<elseif $count < 3 and $tentshare is "eve">>Eve enters, cardigan pulled tightly around her as she tries to change without actually having to strip and lose warmth. She throws her glasses for you to catch before she wriggles into her sleeping bag and you pass them back, where she puts them into their case next to her.<<elseif $count < 3 and $tentshare is "jordan">>Jordan stumbles in, ?their fleece zipped up as far as it could be. Even through that, you could tell that ?they <<verb 'is'>> shivering, only changing from ?their jeans into different trousers before wriggling into the sleeping bag next to you.<<elseif $count < 3 and $tentshare is "matt">>Matt enters, carefully zipping the tent up behind him with a level of concentration that lets you know he's drank his way through a few cans of beer. He strips and redresses efficiently before putting his hiking fleece back on over the top of his sleepwear, which consists of an old t-shirt and joggers, and getting into his sleeping bag. He lays pretty still pretty quickly, his own blanket pulled up over him.<</if>><<if $count gte 3>>When you enter your tent you see that your companion has already arrived. You zip up the tent behind you and move into the space, very aware that most of it is now taken up with your tent-mate and all of your bags and equipment the two of you have. It's always an ordeal to get changed and settled when you're in a two-person tent, and this is no exception. You get into your pyjamas and sleeping bag carefully, very aware of your tent-mate who is looking up at you from their sleeping bag. <</if>><<if $count gte 3 and $tentshare is "alex" and $alexreact is "rude">> Alex looks up at you from their place in the sleeping bag, but shows no sign that they've seen you otherwise. They mostly look like a mop of dark curls, but you see their eyes as well. Their gaze is empty, but you try to ignore that for now as you engineer wriggling into your sleeping bag and getting warm.<<elseif $count gte 3 and $tentshare is "alex">>Alex grins toothily at you from their place wrapped in their sleeping bag. They mostly look like a mop of dark curls, but you see their smile as well. It's a little empty, as far as grins go, but you try to ignore that for now as you engineer wriggling into your sleeping bag and getting warm.<<elseif $count gte 3 and $tentshare is "eve">>Eve is already curled up in her sleeping bag, and you think for a moment that she looks like a caterpillar, and she would enjoy that analogy, but you push that aside in favour of concentrating on not stepping on top of her glasses and crushing them. Eventually you get settled next to her with a slightly awkward smile, which she doesn't return since she can't really see that level of definition in your face. You should probably remember that by now.<<elseif $count gte 3 and $tentshare is "jordan">>Jordan is wrapped up tightly in ?their sleeping bag and you can see that ?they <<verb 'is'>> still wearing ?their shearling fleece inside. That's probably a good choice, especially since ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't seem to have a blanket as well as that. You wriggle down into the space next to ?them, which is quite spacious. You reason that ?they must be giving you as much space as ?they can.<<elseif $count gte 3 and $tentshare is "matt">>Matt is wrapped up tightly inside his sleeping bag and blanket, eyes lightly closed as you wriggle down into the gap next to him. He's pretty broad and you're forced into a gap that you have a feeling you wouldn't be with someone else, but you did choose to share with him after all. At least the closeness means that you won't be short of body heat.<</if>> Now you're laid in your tent, you're glad for your blankets and sleeping bag. You forget how cold it gets without walls around you and even though it was comfortably warm earlier, the temperature dropped as soon as the sun went in. Now all you have is the layers you brought along to keep you warm. You really can't wait until your body heat has warmed up the space. "I'm freezing," you mumble, pulling the blanket around yourself even tighter. <<if $tentshare is "alex">>[[Next|alextent]]<</if>><<if $tentshare is "eve">>[[Next|evetent]]<</if>><<if $tentshare is "matt">>[[Next|matttent]]<</if>><<if $tentshare is "jordan">>[[Next|jordtent]]<</if>>

"You alright there?" you ask, walking over to ?them and taking a few of the plates from the top of ?their pile and loading them into your own arms. Now that you have the plates in your arms, you can actually see ?their eyes. There's going to be no plate-related incidents on your watch. "You don't need to $Name," ?they <<verb 'say'>> and you shake your head, taking some cutlery from ?their hand before it drops to the ground. There's no way that ?they could pick it up with the stacks in ?their arms without dropping something else. <<nobr>><<if $Rude > 50>> [[Next|jerud]] <<else>> [[Next|jenot]] <</if>><</nobr>>

"I'm just helping you, is that going to be a problem?" you ask, raising an eyebrow at Jordan and knowing that ?they can't turn you down without looking like a bit of a dick. "No, just, I can do it myself," ?they <<verb 'says'>> and you shake your head, taking a cup from where it's hooked onto one of ?their fingers. "You don't have to do it all yourself," you say, voice curt as you take one final part of the stack of crockery and walk with them across the field. "I know, but I've got to prove myself," ?they <<verb 'says'>> and you give them what you hope is a withering look in reply. This is the one problem with Jordan, if you can call it that. ?They-re so desperate to prove ?themself that ?they ends up doing all of the legwork that no one else wants to do. Of course no one will volunteer to do the dishes, but it doesn't mean that ?they should be the one to pick up after you all. <<set $jeve to 0>> <<link "This is getting old really quick. ?They-re here to do camera work." "jeve1" >><<set $Chill -= 2, $jordan += 2, $jeve to 1>><</link>> <<link "?They-re not here to do dishes, give them here." "jeve1" >><<set $jordan += 4, $jeve to 2>><</link>> <<link "?They <<verb 'has'>> already proved ?themself, now it's time to relax." "jeve1" >><<set $Rude -= 4, $jeve to 3>><</link>> [[You say nothing apart from a small encouragement.|jeve1][$Rude -= 1, $jeve to 4]]

"You look like you needed some help, that's all," you placate, taking one more piece of the crockery from the stack and adding it to your arms. "Thanks, but I could have done it all myself," ?they <<verb 'says'>> and you nod, knowing that ?they could have done, it's not impossible, but it didn't mean that ?they <<verb 'has'>> to. "You don't have to," you counter, shrugging a little. "I know, but I've got to prove myself," ?they <<verb 'says'>> and you give them what you hope is a withering look in reply. This is the one problem with Jordan, if you can call it that. ?They-re so desperate to prove ?themself that ?they ends up doing all of the legwork that no one else wants to do. Of course no one will volunteer to do the dishes, but it doesn't mean that ?they should be the one to pick up after you all. <<set $jeve to 0>> <<link "This is getting old really quick. ?They-re here to do camera work." "jeve1" >><<set $Chill -= 2, $jordan += 2, $jeve to 1>><</link>> <<link "?They-re not here to do dishes, give them here." "jeve1" >><<set $jordan += 4, $jeve to 2>><</link>> <<link "?They <<verb 'has'>> already proved ?themself, now it's time to relax." "jeve1" >><<set $Rude -= 4, $jeve to 3>><</link>> [[You say nothing apart from a small encouragement.|jeve1][$Rude -= 1, $jeve to 4]]

<<if $jeve is 1>>"And you're here to do camera work," you clarify, to which ?they just <<verb 'nods'>> guiltily, like you're making way too much sense and ?they hadn't wanted to face up to the truth before now. The truth is that ?they-re spending so much time worrying about what Matt thinks that ?they-re not enjoying ?themself as much as ?they could. You're here to put a stop to that.<<elseif $jeve is 2>>"You're not here to do everyone's dishes." Jordan looks at you as the two of you trudge across the field and you add another dish to your arms from ?theirs. You can feel ?their attention on you as you speak. ?They <<verb 'looks'>> like ?they<<verb "'s" "'ve">> been chastised, and it leaves you feeling a little bit like you're a teacher rather than a friend.<<elseif $jeve is 3>>"You've already proved yourself though, now's the time to have fun." You know you won't be doing it when you all have to return to your jobs on Monday. There's nothing fun about the work week. You've got to utilise the commodity of a weekend of and ?they should too.<<else>>"You're already doing that," you encourage, but Jordan doesn't look convinced by your simple answer.<</if>> <<nobr>><<if $Chill >= 50>> [[Next|jevechill]] <<else>> [[Next|jeveelse]] <</if>><</nobr>>

You enter the ramshackle appliance shed and set down all of the dishes into the sink as Jordan starts the hot water running over the crockery and frying pan you'd used. "I know, but I want to get a good reference, and I need to work hard for that," ?they <<verb 'argues'>>, and you get it but Jordan has also been picking up the slack on what was otherwise meant to be an enjoyable weekend.<<if $Chill > 50>> The rest of you have just been chilling but Jordan has been running around following Matt like a lost puppy. Doesn't seem fair is all you're thinking.<</if>> <<if $jordan > 50>> "He isn't unfair, you know. Stress-filled, often argumentative, maybe even downright mean occasionally, but not unfair," you say, dropping your dishes into the sink along with some washing up liquid, <</if>>"Matt'd give you a reference based on your work no matter what." Jordan looks surprised at the revelation and looks down at the warm water and the layer of bubbles on the surface, trying not to give away that ?they <<verb 'looks'>> flustered by your words. You guess that no one has really said that to ?them before given the way ?they-re now looking at you. "Washing or drying?" you ask and Jordan picks up the sponge, settling in front of the sink and starting to wash the plates and you take the tea towel and take the plate from ?them to dry it. ?They <<verb "do" "does">>n't say anything about you offering, although you can tell that ?they-re grateful for giving ?them the choice. The two of you wash up in silence, stacking the clean and dry plates up on the counter next to the sink. Jordan seems pretty grateful for the help, although ?they didn't ask for it. Your hands are a bit cold from doing the drying, with the damp tea towel clinging to your fingers, but you're an adult, you can cope <<if $Rude < 50>>without getting too ''annoyed'' about it.<</if>> [[Next|jeve5]]

Between the two of you, you've stacked the plates into two neat and even piles of plates and cutlery, ready for the two of you to carry them across the field again to your tent. Typically, you'd go the whole weekend without washing your crockery, just taking them home and washing them with the aid of the dishwasher instead. Jordan is better organised than the rest of you in regards to this, evidently. "Honestly, we'd just leave this usually and take home the dirty dishes," you confess. "I'd never be allowed. My sister would have my head," ?they <<verb 'says'>>, shaking ?their head at you before smiling. It's a shy smile, like ?they-re not sure that ?they-re allowed to tease you all for your perceived laziness just yet, but your reaction seems to reassure ?them. You turn around to see a dispensing machine for coffee and tea. It's clean and looks like it's kept stocked even though the price on the buttons are unreasonably cheap, having not been updated for years by the look of it, and you're happy at the idea of a hot drink to warm up your hands. "You want a drink?" you ask, and you hear Jordan rustling around in ?their pockets for change. <<set $drink to "1">> <<nobr>> <<if $Rude <= 50>> <<link "You pay for ?them" "jeve6nru" >><</link>> <<elseif $Rude > 50>> <<link "You let ?them get the change and pay for ?themself (and you if there's money left.)" "jeve6nru" >><<set $drink to "2">><</link>> <</if>><</nobr>> [[You pay for your own drinks, that's always the way.|jeve6][$drink to "3"]]

"I'll do the washing," you say, taking the sponge from amongst the pile of crockery before dipping it into the warm water. It's getting pretty cold now the sun has set and the warmth is welcomed. You pass the dishes to Jordan's tea towel clad hands so that ?they can dry them, setting them aside carefully. It's quiet but it doesn't take long for the two of you to get through the pile and you use the corner of the tea towel to try and dry your hands before you decide that it's not really going to work. You dry your hands on your jacket and look back to Jordan, who is just finishing up the drying. [[Next|jeve5]]

"I'll dry," you say, picking up the tea towel from underneath the stack of crockery, ready to go. It's getting pretty cold now the sun has dipped before the horizon and as you start to dry up the dishes Jordan is passing to you, you feel the tea towel getting increasingly damp. Unfortunately, that also means that your hands are quickly losing all of their heat, no matter how quickly the two of you are working. You work in silence, both just wanting to be done with it now you're here, and as you dry the final dish you think it's probably not doing much good, your tea towel absolutely drenched. So much so that as you finish it you resort to wiping your hands on your jacket instead. [[Next|jeve5]]

You put your hand up to stop ?them with a shake of your head, looking at the machine. "You prefer tea, right?" and ?they <<verb 'nods'>>, looking thoroughly flattered that you've remembered ?their preference as you put in a few coins and press the button to fill up the paper cup. It's not a big deal to you, it's just a simple thing you tend to pick up from people after working in a coffee shop for so long, especially as your boss insists it tells you a lot about people, but ?they <<verb 'looks'>> delighted. [[Next|jeveend]]

You let Jordan pass you a few coins to put into the machine as ?they <<verb 'leans'>> over and press the button for tea, letting the cup fill up. You replace ?their cup with one of your own in silence. [[Next|jeveend]]

Jordan leans over you and puts coins into the machine before pressing a button and moving back out of your way, cautiously not leaning over you as ?they <<verb 'does'>>. The cup fills slowly with tea, trickling from the old machine into the paper cup. It's seen better days for sure, but also it still looks clean. It's exactly what you need now your hands are cold. [[Next|jeveend]]

You pass the cup back to Jordan, who wraps ?their fingers around the cup to try and get some warmth back into ?their hands after you've done the washing up. You press the button for your own drink of choice. <<nobr>><<if $drink is "1">> "I can pay you back," ?they <<verb 'insists'>> and you shake your head.<</if>> <<if $Rude lte 50 and $drink is "1">> "Don't worry about it," you dismiss, "You bought us food, it's good." Jordan still looks unsure, but you see ?them smile slightly as ?they <<verb "sips" "sip">> the tea, looking content with your declaration. It's what you'd do for any of your friends and that's what ?they-re fast becoming.<</if>> <<if $drink is "2">>You think that ?they-re probably okay with you using the last of ?their change for your own drink, and don't make any mention. After all, ?they paid for food for you all from the service station. ?They-re obviously happy to pay for a hot drink as well.<</if>><</nobr>><<if $jordcrush is "true">> It feels nice to be so close to ?them, and ?their soft smile makes you feel a little bit heated in itself, but you dismiss that as the warmth from the cup flowing into your fingers. ?They <<verb 'looks'>> adorable swaddled in an old colourful fleece that looks ever so slightly too big for ?them, and you focus on your hot drink so that you don't get too distracted by ?them looking as cute and awkward as ?they often <<verb 'does'>>. <<else>>You've never really realised how sweet Jordan is before. You supposed that you've never really spent as much time with ?them as you have this weekend but you feel like you've gained something through getting to know ?them a bit better. Usually you only see each other in a work capacity and that's the limit of it, with ?them saying yes to everything Matt suggests<<if $jordcrush is "false" and $Rude > 50>>and you and Alex taking the piss<</if>>. Even though ?they-re younger than you and fresh out of ?their degree, you can see a friendship forming.<</if>> <<if $Rude <= 50>>"Besides, I'm pretty sure you're working for us for a total of no money. I know it'll get you experience or whatever," you wave vaguely, "But you're also as skint as the rest of us." All of you are struggling to make ends meet, you know that, and that was why nearly all of you live with your families.<<elseif $Rude > 50>>"We're all skint," you grumble and you see ?them nod along with you. ?They-re working on your internship for free though, you're pretty sure. You know Matt doesn't have the money to pay any one, unless he got a grant he didn't tell you about.<</if>> "It is good experience," ?they <<verb 'says'>> quietly, and you nod. You get it, you do, but being burnt out before you even get a job or where you want to be was not the way to get there. <<nobr>>"<<if $Chill > 50>>Just… <</if>>Think about it. I know Matt only cares about the quality of your work. <<if $Chill > 50>>You should give yourself some time to relax too.<</if>> " You say that with a shrug, finishing your drink and dropping the paper cup into the bin. Jordan copies you before picking up one of the stacks of crockery, holding it steadily against ?their chest. You get the other pile and make your way back across the field, dropping the stacks carefully onto the ground back near the gas stove.<</nobr>> Jordan looks like ?they-re going to say something to you about the situation before turning away to look up at the moon. "It's really pretty out here. I've never been able to get out into the countryside much," ?they <<verb 'says'>> before pulling ?their fleece around ?themself tightly and sighing. ?They <<verb 'looks'>> wistful as ?they <<verb 'gazes'>> into the sky, a serene smile plastered onto ?their face until ?they <<verb 'drops'>> ?their chin to look back at you. <<if $tentshare is "jordan">>"I'm tired," Jordan says, before yawning to emphasise ?their point, looking cold as ?they <<verb 'looks'>> back to your tent. You smile at ?them and wrap your own jacket around yourself sympathetically, following ?their eyes. "See you in a bit," you say, waving at ?them as ?they <<verb 'heads'>> off to your tent, disappearing underneath the canvas and out of view. <<else>>"Thanks for your help," Jordan says, smiling at you as ?they <<verb 'gestures'>> towards the stack of clean plates. "But I'm exhausted. I'll see you tomorrow." You smile at Jordan and wave ?them off as you see ?them disappear into the tent and out of your view.<</if>> The temperature is dropping quickly and you can already feel that the dew has started to build up as you walk across the grass, leaving your shoes slightly damp as you walked across the field. It'll be gorgeous in the morning when the sun hits, considering that you can already see the way that it shines in the moonlight. [[Next|camp]]

Matt looks up and smiles at you as you sit down next to him in one of the camp chairs, pulling your jacket around you as you do. It is warmer in the glow of the fire, but it's still not warm enough now that the sun has gone in. You forget how much warmer the city stays when it gets dark versus the countryside until you're out in it. Even Matt has pulled on a hiking fleece over his shirt, although he's stuck with his jeans and trainers. He looks pretty cosy against the fire, his already tanned face lit in the orange light as he sits in his camp chair with a tin of beer in his hand. For the first time all day, he looks completely relaxed but that might be the alcohol loosening him up as much as anything else. [[You settle down into the chair and get comfortable fast.|matteve1][$Chill += 5]] [[It's so difficult to settle into camp chairs.|matteve2][$Chill -= 3]] [[You're just happy to be by the camp fire. Not quite ready for singing Kumbaya but it feels like home.|matteve3][$Traditional += 3]] [[It's just nice for Matt to be quiet.|matteve4][$Rude += 1, $matt -= 2]]

You settle down quickly into the chair next to him, basking like a lizard in the heat of the camp fire. Matt glances over to you and chuckles at how quickly you've settled into the space in front of the fire pit. Normally camp sites aren't too happy to loan them out to groups of young adults, considering they get used by people who don't have a clue on how to use them properly, but you seem to be the exception here. "Comfortable?" he asks, and you nod, feeling cradled by the fabric of the chair as you relax entirely into it. Sitting out here like this is one of the best things about camping, and you relish in the peace of the rustling leaves and crackle of the fire. Matt slurping from his beer draws your attention and you look over to him as he keeps staring towards the fire. It's good for him to be so quiet and look so relaxed. Maybe he's finally accepted that you're all pretty good at your jobs, or maybe he's just happy with the day of filming that you've had. <<nobr>><<if $Confident >50>> [[Next|mecon]] <<else>> [[Next|meelse]]<</if>><</nobr>>

You try to settle comfortably into the chair but who designed these things? The chairs are flimsy, with only fabric to support you and you shift a few times before you finally settle into a position where you feel like the chair is actually supporting you. "Alright there?" he asks, and you nod, finally settled now. You gaze into the fire, surprised that you've been able to get a fire pit considering there are five of you in your twenties, but Matt always did have a way of assuring managers of camp sites that he knew exactly what he was doing. Which he does, to be fair to him. Matt slurping from his beer draws your attention and you look over to him as he keeps staring towards the fire. It's good for him to be so quiet and look so relaxed. Maybe he's finally accepted that you're all pretty good at your jobs, or maybe he's just happy with the day of filming that you've had. <<nobr>><<if $Confident >50>> [[Next|mecon]] <<else>> [[Next|meelse]]<</if>><</nobr>>

You settle into your seat by the camp fire easily. Coming back and being next to the flames like this really does make you think of simpler times, when you weren't even aware of anything crap that could happen. If you could go back to that you probably would. For now, as you're sat in the warm glow of the fire, letting yourself soak in the heat and bask in the thought that you're about as far away from the real world as you can be considering you got here in the car. Matt slurping from his beer draws your attention and you look over to him as he keeps staring towards the fire. It's good for him to be so quiet and look so relaxed. Maybe he's finally accepted that you're all pretty good at your jobs, or maybe he's just happy with the day of filming that you've had. <<nobr>><<if $Confident >50>> [[Next|mecon]] <<else>> [[Next|meelse]]<</if>><</nobr>>

As you sit down, you let yourself be cradled by the chair and just listen. The wind brushes through the trees creating a whisper of a sound you can only just hear over the crackling of the wood in your own fire. The laughter of the other campers on site is a background you didn't know you needed, but now you realise that the landscape would feel too cold without it. Matt slurping from his beer draws your attention and you look over to him as he keeps staring towards the fire. It's good for him to be so quiet and look so relaxed. Maybe he's finally accepted that you're all pretty good at your jobs, or maybe he's just happy with the day of filming that you've had. <<nobr>><<if $Confident >50>> [[Next|mecon]] <<else>> [[Next|meelse]]<</if>><</nobr>>

The silence between the two of you builds for a moment, the crackling of the fire seemingly getting louder and filling your ears before Matt finally breaks the silence. "We did get a decent amount done today," he concedes, and you can feel yourself almost sigh with relief. He'd seemed pretty happy after filming but you know Matt and you know that his satisfaction of a job well done can wear off pretty quickly when he remembers something that he wanted to get done and hasn't achieved. "We did. It's been a long day though," you say, stifling a yawn behind your hand. "I thought we weren't going to get nearly as much as we did done. You know with Alex like they were this morning." <<nobr>><<if $alextruth is "true" and $Rude > 50>>You choose to ignore the dig at Alex for now, which is more than Matt deserves, but he's on thin fucking ice. <<elseif $alextruth is "true" and $Rude <= 50>>You ignore the dig at Alex and choose not to say anything, not that you necessarily would right now with Matt seemingly satisfied with your work.<<elseif $alextruth is "true">>Alex hadn't wanted the truth about their impending eviction to ruin the weekend and you aren't going to let the cat out of the bag. Letting Jordan or Eve know wouldn't have been a drama, but with Matt it's different. You don't want to spark something with him when it's already so late.<</if>><<if $alextruth is "false" and $Rude > 50>>You choose to ignore the dig at Alex for now, which is more than Matt deserves, but he's on thin fucking ice.<<elseif $alextruth is "true" and $Rude <= 50>> You ignore the dig at Alex in favour of keeping silent, but it's a fair point.<</if>><<if $alextruth is "false">>Alex //had// gone out last night but despite the fact that they were exhausted this morning they've got on with it today with minimal complaining. Out here, you're pretty sure that they haven't been able to update the social media because the signal isn't stable, but they've still been filming a decent amount of behind the scenes content from what you can tell. The criticism doesn't feel wholly fair, if you're honest.<</if>><</nobr>> "The important thing is that we did get it done though," you venture, treading carefully around Matt's temper and when he nods you relax ever so slightly. You never know what he's going to feel about your workload and trying to convince him one way or the other is all but impossible. "We're lucky, tomorrow we should be able to travel back in the daylight. That feels like a novelty." You nod, turning your attention back to the fire and away from Matt for now. You've got through the worst of it. [[Next|matteve5]]

"We did really well today," you say, watching as he nods a little, eyes still focused on the fire. You've no idea what the response you're going to get is going to be. Sometimes you feel like you work hard and it's not good enough for him; sometimes you think something could go better and he's happy. "I think we did anyway," you shrug, leaving the slightly awkward silence hang between the two of you for a second before Matt nods. "Yeah, we did alright. We got more done than I thought we were going to, especially with Alex like they were this morning." <<if $Rude > 50>> Well, that was mostly non-committal with a dash of patronising. Love that for him.<</if>> <<if $alextruth is "true" and $Rude > 50>>You choose to ignore the dig at Alex for now, which is more than Matt deserves, but he's on thin fucking ice.<<elseif $alextruth is "true" and $Rude <= 50>>You ignore the dig at Alex and choose not to say anything.<</if>><<if $alextruth is "true">>Alex doesn't want the truth about their impending eviction to ruin the weekend and you weren't going to let the cat out of the bag. Letting anyone else know wouldn't cause a drama, but with Matt it was different. You don't want to spark something with him tonight.<<elseif $alextruth is "false" and $Rude > 50>>You choose to ignore the dig at Alex for now, which is more than Matt deserves, but he's on thin fucking ice.<<else>>You ignore the dig at Alex, but it's a fair point.<</if>><<if $alextruth is "false">>Alex //did// go out last night but despite the fact that they were exhausted this morning, they've got on with it today without a single complain. Whether that is because they were hungover or because they weren't and didn't want to start something, it doesn't matter. Out here, you're pretty sure that they haven't been able to update the social media because the signal isn't stable, but they've still been filming a decent amount of behind the scenes content. <</if>>"We got it done though. Got all the usual segment stuff done." Eve was probably largely to be thanked for that; her scripts are both easy to remember and done with plenty of time to spare so you're never waiting around for the next one. You can't believe you're the one justifying it to Matt though, he should know how much you all do. "I suppose. Tomorrow should be an easy one," he agrees, "And driving back in the daylight would be pretty nice." You feel a bit like you've finally broken through to Matt with that, and turn your attention back to the gently crackling fire. [[Next|matteve5]]

Matt's right though, and you're glad for the fact you should be done early tomorrow. Work is an impending reality and for some reason you agreed to working an opening shift on Monday. Probably because it's one of the shifts that promises the best payment as it's often a long one, but you're still regretting the decision you made right this second. You're going to be exhausted. Matt leans over the arm of his chair to reach for another can of beer, opening it before taking a sip. He looks at you before raising an eyebrow. "Do you want one?" <<set $beer to "false">> [["Sure, I'll have one."|matteve6][$beer to "true"]] [["No thanks, I'm alright."|matteve6][$beer to "false"]]

<<nobr>><<if $beer is "true">> You take the can from Matt, finding it lukewarm now it's been sat on the grass for a while and you slowly crack it open, slurping from the top as you do so. The hoppy taste fills your mouth and with the surrounding it feels pretty appropriate. <<else>>Matt doesn't blink an eye as you turn down his offer, just shrugging and drinking from his own can as the two of you get thoroughly warmed from the fire. It's more for him, you suppose.<</if>><</nobr>> <<if $Prepared > 50 or $Traditional > 50>> [[I've just remembered, I have marshmallows!|matteve7]]<</if>> [[Matt does look happier here, at least. With everything that's going on, that's probably good for him.|matteve8]]<<if $alextruth is "true">> [[Matt might be content, but you're shaken up over everything with Alex.|matteve9][$alex += 2]]<</if>> [[You can't think of anything, you're just cold.|matteve10][$Prepared -= 2]]

Looking into the fire now you remember that you have something for exactly this moment - marshmallows. You move to rifle through the pile of food, coming back with marshmallows and some skewers before passing some of them to Matt. You skewer them and lower them into the fire, watching as they crisp up and get gooey. Matt does the same, although his gets slightly too burnt. "I prefer them this way," he says with a shrug, stuffing the marshmallow into his mouth. Whether that's the truth or whether he's saving face you're not entirely sure, but you're not going to criticise him on that. There's better things to do. You work through the whole bag of marshmallows pretty quickly, until the two of you feel sick and sit back into your chairs. [[Next|matteveend]]

<<nobr>><<if $beer is "true">> You drink down your beer while you both sit in silence, looking into the fire as it crackles and pops. <<else>> You watch as Matt drinks his beer down and takes a deep breath of the fresh country air. Well, semi-fresh country air, given your fire.<</if>><</nobr>> He does look happier in the country rather than the city, even ignoring the fact that he was stressed when you were on the way here. Still, you got here without an //'Incident 2.0'// so you aren't doing too badly, despite the close call. And you'd got through a whole day of getting footage without any arguments or even with a real hitch. It's as good as you can really expect with him. [[Next|matteveend]]

You're determinedly looking into the fire, trying to focus your eyes onto the flame rather than on your thoughts. You don't want to think about the issues that your closest friend is having right now, but it really is difficult to think about anything else when someone you care about is struggling. What are you meant to do? How are you meant to sit looking at the fire with Matt and pretend that everything is okay when your best friend's life seems like it's crumbling around them? You force your attention onto him instead, telling yourself that you need to think about something other than Alex's current situation. [[Next|matteveend]]

Maybe you didn't bring the most effective clothing for staying outside all evening as now you're here, you can feel the cold wind cutting through your jacket and cooling your skin. Even the fire doesn't seem to be cutting all of the cold air from getting close to you and you shift closer to the fire in hope that it'll warm you so thoroughly. No matter what, when you move out of the way of the fire you're going to be plunged back into the cold air again. You're not looking forward to it and you hunker down in your seat even more in an attempt to keep some of your warmth.<<if $beer is "true">>Maybe a little bit more alcohol can warm you up.<</if>> [[Next|matteveend]]

<<nobr>><<if $mattcrush is "true">>Looking at Matt, the warm light is really very flattering over his features. It softens his jaw line and his slightly beat up nose, and you can't help but feel a little bit hot under the collar. That being said, you know it isn't just the fire. In this soft light, even Matt's kind of dorky hiking fleece looks a little bit less so. He finishes his beer and crunches the can underneath his shoe before leaning back into his chair.<<else>>You look at Matt and note how relaxed he looks as he finishes his beer. Underneath the warm light he doesn't look tired or stressed like you're used to him being and he looks content. That's not an emotion you get to see on him too often. He leans forward and crunches his final beer can underneath his foot.<</if>><</nobr>><<if $beer is "true">> You copy his movement and crush the can underneath your foot before adding it to the pile of cans next to Matt.<</if>> You sit in the silence for a while, before the fire starts to extinguish itself and you feel the cold wind start to blow in. Having worked his way through the cans,<<if $beer is "true">> and drunk a lot more than you,<</if>> Matt doesn't look too cold, but you know it won't be long until he feels the chill too. As you predict, after a while he starts to shift, getting to his feet with only a slight sway. He didn't drink that much, but you know it'll make a difference since he's worked his way through <<if $beer is "true">>five cans out of<</if>> a six pack. As he starts to walk around the fire, you can tell he's making deliberate steps, trying not to look too drunk as he tidies up around the fire pit. You stand up, smiling at Matt as he stretches and moves your chairs away from the fire, just in case. It's pretty contained and starting to burn down now, so when he leaves it in favour of gathering up the cans to add to your pile of rubbish, you're not too surprised. <<if $tentshare is "matt">>"I'll see you soon," he says, barely stifling his own yawn and you smile at him, giving him a little wave as he moves the cans into the bin bag before tying them securely closed. "In a bit," you reply, watching him stumble towards your tent before you turn back to the fire and look around. It's dying down but is still pretty far from being gone entirely. Thankfully, the fire pit confidently contains it.<<else>>"Goodnight," he says, barely stifling a yawn and you smile at him, giving him a little wave as he moves the cans into the bin bag before tying them securely closed. "Night," you reply, watching him disappear into the tent, but not until he struggles to unzip it once. Maybe he is a little more drunk than you thought he would be. You turn back to the fire and look around. It's dying down but is still pretty far from being gone entirely. Thankfully, the fire pit confidently contains it.<</if>> The night is quite cold now, and even though the moonlight is illuminating your tents and the field you're in, it's still much darker than at home and you bask in being able to see the stars and the moon so clearly. The fact it's a clear night is a lot of why it is so cold, but the view is worth it. You never get a view like this in the city and you think you can even see the Milky Way from here. [[Next|camp]]

"It's cold, what else do you expect? Camping is always cold," Alex complains, wrinkling their nose up. You see them shift in their sleeping bag ever so slightly, rolling over to face you with the crinkle of polyester fabrics rubbing together. With their curls tied out of their face, you can see their dark eyes directed onto you. By choice, Alex would only go to hot places and stay inside when the temperature drops during the night. Unfortunately, that isn't an option for this kind of trip, something that they've often complained about, saying that they'd share a bed with everyone if it meant you got to stay inside. Matt hadn't let anything sink in from that argument, justifying the decision to stay in tents as being ready to film nature at the drop of a hat if you were needed. Considering you'd spent the evening relaxing for the most part, you have to say that you could have stayed in a hotel and it wouldn't have made a difference. <<if $alexreact is "rude" and $alextruth is "false">>You take a deep breath, trying to think about what to say to your friend. You think they might be doing the same, as when you go to say something you both make a noise before falling into silence. "You go first," they mumble, retreating further into your sleeping bag. [[You're sorry that you reacted so badly to them, and you need to let them know that.|alforgive][$alexreact to "forgive"]] [[You're sorry that you upset them, but you're still a bit mad.|alforgive2][$alexreact to "forgive"]] [[I'm too stubborn to apologise, so I won't.|alnoforgive][$alex -= 5, $Chill -= 5]] [[I'm still mad at them, actually.|alnoforgive2][$Rude += 5, $alex -= 5]] <<elseif $alextruth is "true">> [[Next|altenttruth]] <<else>> [[Next|altentfalsenorude]] <</if>>

"Me too," Eve mumbles, her own quilt pulled around her as tightly as she can. You can see from your own sleeping bag that she's shivering a little, perhaps because she was stood around all evening instead of sitting in front of the fire or consuming hot drinks like the rest of you. The silence settles between the two of you as you can just hear Eve's shaky breaths in the silence. "Do you want to share blankets?" you ask and she nods, instantly shifting closer to you with the offer. A freckled hand emerges from her own sleeping bag, offering the other side of her quilt to wrap around you. You throw your blanket over the two of you, doubling the layers over the two of you. "Thanks," she mumbles, and you smile at her. She shifts closer to you and moves her pillow, which is made up of books with a pillow thrown on top of it before her arm retreats into to the warmth of the sleeping bag again. [["Are you sleeping on your hard work?"|evetent2][$evetent to 1]] [["Uncomfortable?"|evetent2][$evetent to 2]] [[It's none of my business.|evetent2][$evetent to 3]]

"Do you want to share my blanket? We can layer them both up" Matt suggests, even though you're pretty sure he's warm enough since he tends to run pretty warm and his blanket and sleeping bag is the best quality from all of you. As usual, he won't let one of you go cold. You're already pressed against him since he's pretty broad like most rugby players are, even if he doesn't play any more. You take the edge of his blanket happily and pull it over yourself, tucking it in underneath you as he takes the corner of yours back. It's definitely more over you than it is over him, but as you rightly suspected, he's pretty warm and you can feel the heat radiating off him. You're pretty sure right now that you picked the right person to share with, since he seems to be never cold. "Better?" he asks, and you nod even though you haven't really had chance for the heat to get into you and your bones properly yet. You know that you're going to be warmer soon enough, since the heat from Matt is making itself known even through his sleeping bag. "Yep, much better. You're like a space heater," you joke and he gives you a winning smile in return. There's not much that Matt likes more than feeling like he's being helpful, even when that's just by existing. You can't help but think about how relaxed he seems to be now compared to when you were driving down here. The difference is like night and day and he's much more like the Matt that you initially made friends with than Matt when he's trying to fulfil what he thinks a leader looks like. The silence means you can ask Matt something instead. [["Does driving up here stress you out?"|matttent1]] [["Do you feel better now we've got some filming done?"|matttent1][$matttent to 2]] [["Are you tired?"|matttent1][$matttent to 3]]

"Me too," Jordan mumbles, ?their lack of a blanket very obvious now. ?Their sleeping bag is one that you recognise as one that Matt has leant ?them for the weekend. It's good quality, but now that the temperature has dropped, the lack of an extra layer seems to be really getting to ?them even though you can still see ?their jacket underneath the sleeping bag. It's times like this that you remember ?they <<verb 'is'>> not as used to going out and camping as the rest of you are. Trips like these have been fairly regular occurrences since Matt started the channel, usually one long trip or two weekends a year, so you've accumulated some of the gear you need. Luckily Matt's family already had a lot of it. You wordlessly throw the edge of your blanket over Jordan and ?they wordlessly <<verb 'moves'>> closer to you in an attempt to have the blanket cover the two of you thoroughly. "I didn't realise it gets so cold out here overnight," ?they <<verb "confesses" "confess">>, tucking ?their edge of the blanket underneath ?them so that the two of you are wrapped tightly in your blanket like a burrito. "It doesn't in cities. Not in the summer anyway." ?they <<verb 'makes'>> a noise of understanding at that, like ?they had never really thought about it before. "I've never been out of the city before," ?they <<verb 'says'>>, and from the corner of your eye you can see that ?they <<verb 'is'>> wrinkling ?their nose at that level of honesty towards you. Jordan has taken to working in your team like a duck to water and you feel like you're seeing some of ?their insecurities first hand. "My mum doesn't drive and we always just go to the park on hot days if she was off so I'd never been away camping before. Not like this." You're not surprised by this revelation, mostly just because ?they <<verb 'is'>>n't prepared for being away camping like the rest of you are. You realised that Jordan was borrowing a lot of ?their equipment from Matt and that a lot of ?their clothing was the same as ?they would wear normally, rather than being picked out specifically for camping in the countryside where it got a little colder. People who camped out a lot tended to have some specialist equipment, even if it wasn't their normal style. You use the opportunity to find out something about them. [["How are you liking it out here?"|jordtent1][$jordtent to 1]] [["How are you finding working for us?"|jordtent1][$jordtent to 2]] [["I hope we didn't scare you off. Being stuck in a car with us is... a lot, I know."|jordtent1][$Chill += 3, $jordtent to 3]]

"I'm sorry for what I said to you," you say, taking a deep breath. "I shouldn't have got mad at you. It wasn't fair." Alex turns their gaze to you and you can see that the rims of their eyes are rubbed raw. You don't know whether that's from crying or trying not to. "I was going to say that I shouldn't have held it from you," they mumble. You expect something more, like what they're actually upset about, but nothing more comes, "It's just too hard for me to talk about." You can understand where they're coming from, but it doesn't mean that you don't want the truth from them still. Considering that you've just apologised to each other though, it's probably not the best idea to bring that up now. Maybe after the weekend will be better timing. A still awkward, but considerably less awkward than before silence settles over the two of you, and all you can hear is the steady breaths of the two of you. Alex's still sounds a little shaky, and you hear them swallow, trying to put off whatever they're going to say. "I forgive you if you forgive me," they offer, and you nod. "Agreed," you say, feeling a little lighter for the agreement, although your stomach still turns in worry. You really do hope that they're okay. [[Next|alnotruthend]]

"I'm sorry that I upset you with what I said," you say, choosing your words exceptionally carefully. You're not sorry that you're angry, not at all, but you shouldn't take it out on them like that. In future, you'll try not to. "I was going to say that I shouldn't have held it from you," they mumble. You expect something more, like what they're actually upset about, but nothing more comes, "It's just too hard for me to talk about." You can understand where they're coming from, but it doesn't mean that you don't want the truth from them still. Considering that you've just apologised to each other though, it's probably not the best idea to bring that up now. Maybe after the weekend will be better timing. A still awkward, but considerably less awkward than before silence settles over the two of you, and all you can hear is the steady breaths of the two of you. Alex's still sounds a little shaky, and you hear them swallow, trying to put off whatever they're going to say. "I forgive you if you forgive me," they offer, and you nod. "Agreed," you say, feeling a little lighter for the agreement, although your stomach still turns in worry. You really do hope that they're okay. [[Next|alnotruthend]]

You set your jaw and take a deep breath, resolute in your sulk. You're not going to apologise to them tonight, if at all. You don't apologise to people lightly and you're not entirely sure that they deserve it yet. "I was going to ask for forgiveness, but you're not talking to me, huh?" Alex breaks the silence with a weak interjection. You glance over to them and see them looking at the top of the tent, pointedly not looking at you. "Yup," you say, trying your hardest not to look at them. If you see them being sad your resolve might weaken and you might give in. You're not going to do that. It's awkward to be sharing a tent with someone you're resolutely mad at, but for now that's how it's going to be, you suppose. It wasn't the situation you were thinking you'd find yourself in when you chose to share a tent with Alex, but then again, you didn't think you'd have an argument. Through years of living together you're not sure you've had an argument that riled you up so much before. But then, it never felt like Alex was keeping something important from you before. [[Next|alnotruthend]]

You set your jaw and take a deep breath, resolute in your anger. You're not going to apologise to them tonight, not while you're still mad at them. If you feel better in the morning they might get one, but only if they're lucky. "I was going to ask for forgiveness, but you're not talking to me, huh?" Alex breaks the silence with a weak interjection. You glance over to them and see them looking at the top of the tent, pointedly not looking at you. "Yup," you say, trying your hardest not to look at them. If you see them being sad your resolve might weaken and you might give in. You're not going to do that. It's awkward to be sharing a tent with someone you're resolutely mad at, but for now that's how it's going to be, you suppose. It wasn't the situation you were thinking you'd find yourself in when you chose to share a tent with Alex, but then again, you didn't think you'd have an argument. Through years of living together you're not sure you've had an argument that riled you up so much before. But then, it never felt like Alex was keeping something important from you before. [[Next|alnotruthend]]

"I'm just… I'm tired, alright. Can we go to sleep?" You nod, shifting in your sleeping bag to try and get comfortable, but the tension between the two of you still feels thick. If you weren't so exhausted from the early morning you'd have probably stayed awake all night, but you find yourself lulled to sleep by the quiet sounds of the countryside night. [[Good morning!|tentmorn]]

Breakfast passes you all by in a sleepy blur as you all desperately try to wake yourselves up with hot drinks. The one definite downside of camping is that no one sleeps as well as they would do in a bed and that leaves you all a little blearry and worse for wear. You're filming a segment about your personal interest and, if you do say so yourself, your expert subject. How are you feeling about it? [[I'm feeling really confident! It'll be great and I'm going to smash it.|tentmorn1][$Confident += 15]] [[I've worked hard to revise it, so I'm looking forward to showing what I've done.|tentmorn1][$Confident += 7, $Prepared += 3]] [[I feel neither good nor bad about it. I have the support of my team so I'll get through!|tentmorn1][$matt += 3, $eve += 3, $alex += 3, $jordan += 5]] [[I've tried to learn my lines but I'm not feeling too confident.|tentmorn1][$Confident -= 7, $Prepared += 3]] [[I'm bricking it. I'm terrified and I don't like being scripted on camera like this.|tentmorn1][$Confident -= 15]]

"You alright?" you ask, casting your own eyes over Alex. They nod, hair bobbing as they do so before they take a deep breath and a sigh which is slightly longer to really be considered okay. It's strange to see them in a sleeping bag without them doing something pretty ridiculous, whether that's wriggling over you until you tell them to stop or declaring that you have to fight them without using any of your limbs. Now you know why they're morose, none of this feels normal. "I'll be fine," they mumble, wriggling down into their sleeping bag even more, to a point where you didn't think it was possible, and you can only just see their eyes peering at you.<<if $alexreact is "Rude">> You're starting to feel like a real prick for being so angry at them. They look so dejected.<</if>> "I'll help you any way I can." You see them nod at your promise and sigh again before sitting up slowly to look at you. "I will be okay. Just… in a bit." They drop off at the end and you want to give them a moment in silence, but they force a grin. Even though you can see through it, you know the moment has passed. [[Next|alextent2]]

"You alright?" you ask, looking over to Alex who is being uncharacteristically quiet considering that they're in a sleeping bag. It's strange to see them in a sleeping bag without them doing something pretty ridiculous, whether that's wriggling over you until you tell them to stop or declaring that you have to fight them without using any of your limbs. "Why wouldn't I be fine?" they ask, and you have to just shrug at that, despite the fact that the gesture is rendered pretty ineffective by the fact you're covered in a thick sleeping bag as well as a blanket. "I'm just asking, Al," you say and they sit up slowly to look at you, careful not to let their arms out of the sleeping bag as they do so, the smooth fabric not quite staying balanced on their jumper. [[Next|alextent2]]

"Should we have a race across the camp site in our sleeping bags?" they ask and you have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes at the way they change the subject to something ridiculous, not that you're surprised. You're almost tempted to take them up on the offer but you're tired and you don't fancy your feet getting drenched from trying to hop across the dewy grass. Or sleeping with a damp sleeping bag, that's not fun. <<set $race to 0>> [[No, that's a stupid idea.|alextent3][$Rude += 5, $race to 1]] [[That sounds like a great idea, but I'm really tired.|alextent3][$Chill += 5]] [[That sounds amazing.|alextent3][$alex += 3, $race to 2]]

<<if $race is 1>>But you shouldn't be that direct with someone who you know has sharp elbows. Instead, you're going to go for excuses. <<elseif $race is 2>> You go to get up and wriggle onto your elbows before you slump back dramatically. You hadn't realised that you felt as tired as you do, your muscles complaining as you try to get back up now you're settled. <</if>>"Too tired," you mumble and Alex laughs as you. "Surely I should be the tired one. I've only had about 5 hours sleep since yesterday." You groan and wrap your arms around Alex as best you can to pull them down to sleep again. They can't be that sold on the idea of a sack race considering that they go down with your motion and don't put up any kind of fight, hitting the back of their head to their makeshift pillow as you do so. "I'm still cold," they grumble as they wriggle close to you. You know exactly what they're angling at, since you know they won't have brought their own blanket and the one you've brought along is big enough for the two of you to share if you get close enough. It would be really mean to turn them down<<if $Rude > 55>>, but you're seriously considering it<</if>>. "Fine," you say, throwing the side of your blanket over Alex, watching as they tuck it into their side. The two of you are firmly tucked against each other and wrapped tightly in the blanket now. Your heads are close enough that you can see every single one of their dark eyelashes as they flutter over their cheeks. <<nobr>><<if $alexhookup is "true">> [[Next|altenthu]] <<else>> [[Next|altentnohu]]<</if>><</nobr>>

"You don't mind being this close to me though, do you?" they breathe, putting on a deliberately dramatic sultry voice, "Under blankets together… so close we can barely get away from each other… Sharing each others body heat. We could just kiss…" "Shut it," you grumble, trying to knee them in the side as best you can in the confines of your sleeping bag. Your vigour is dramatically lessened by the fact there's two layers of sleeping bag between you and you can't move too much without untucking the blanket around you. [[No one has ever wanted to hook-up in a tent. You included.|altenthu2]] [[No, you don't want to hook-up with Alex again. It's not on the cards for the two of you any more. But it doesn't mean you don't still have that past.|altenthu3][$alexoldhookup to "true"]] [[You would... but you're in a tent.|altenthu4]] [[You're actually tempted.|altenthu5]]

"You sure we're okay this close?" they ask, raising an eyebrow at you and wriggling around to show you how much of a nightmare they're going to be with the two of you this close together. "I will take my blanket back and let you be cold," you insist, tugging on the side of it and scooching away in a show of exactly the amount of power you have over them. "You wouldn't, you love me." "Try me," you threaten, moving to try and stick an elbow into their side. You're hampered by the confines of your sleeping bag in terms of the effectivity of your attack but the vigour is still there. [[Next|altent4]]

"No one has ever enjoyed a hook-up in a tent," you grumble, "It's way too cold." "People definitely have. You remember when we went on that field trip and Matt and Eve-" You shush them determinedly, shaking your head in warning. "You're going to get us into trouble," you hiss. "You love it," they say, a shit-eating grin covering their face as they tease you. "No, I don't. I can't stand you," you gripe, still trying to stick an elbow or a knee or something into their side. [[Next|altent4]]

<<nobr>><<if $Confident < 45>> "I don't think we should…" You avoid looking at Alex as you speak. <<elseif $Confident > 55>> "I don't want to hook up with you anymore," you say, both shocked and not at all shocked when Alex just shrugs and nods. You worried that they might take it as an affront, but then you remind yourself you shouldn't be surprised about it. Alex is cool about this kind of thing. <<else>> "I'm not sure we should do that anymore," you say and Alex meets your eyes briefly before nodding.<</if>><</nobr>> "Sure, we don't have to do anything. Never have," they say, before grabbing the blanket and pulling it away from you. "I still would like to make a formal request for equal territory of your blanket," they announce, and you try to grapple your own blanket back from them. "That's mine, let go you little sneak." "A sneak? I thought you loved me," Alex coos, narrowly avoiding getting an elbow to their side as you try and pull it back. It is your blanket after all. You were sharing out of the goodness of your heart. "No, I don't. I can't stand you," you gripe, still trying to stick an elbow or a knee or something into their side. [[Next|altent4]]

"Everyone would hear," you tell them and Alex shrugs. "You make pretty noises, they'd only get jealous." They shift slightly closer to you, so close that their lips nearly brush yours. You see their dark gaze cast down onto your lips for a few seconds and you think that they might kiss you but… "Yeah, you're probably right, everyone would hear," they say, grinning at you as they roll back onto their back and away from you. Well, as far as they can while keeping the blanket still tucked around them. "You're such a tease, I don't like you." You try to kick them as best you can through the sleeping bag. "Wrong, you love me," they tease, voice singsong as they do. "No, I don't. I can't stand you," you gripe, still trying to stick an elbow or a knee or something into their side. [[Next|altent4]]

"Yeah, go on then," you say, and Alex's eyes light up as they shuffle closer to you, resting against you the best they can considering that you're both in sleeping bags. They lean in to join your lips, their arm rooting out from inside their sleeping bag to move to your side which causes the blanket to shift. They hiss angrily and retreat their arm. "You alright?" you ask, raising an eyebrow. "Too fucking cold. Sorry $Name. The weather says no hookups," they say, elbowing you in the side as they wriggle back into the sleeping back. "You cock block me and then you //elbow// me," you tease, jabbing them with your own elbow. "It's too bad that you love me, eh?" "No, I don't. I can't stand you," you gripe, still trying to stick an elbow or a knee or something into their side. [[Next|altent4]]

Alex rolls over and onto you, trapping you underneath them effectively. Your attack is completely hampered by them bearing their weight down onto your limbs and holding you down. Alex might not be the tallest but they're pretty fit and their muscles are working to their advantage as they cover your body with their own. "Attack of the sleeping bag worm," they shout, and you try to wriggle away as well as you can do but you're trapped. You've descended into laughter, because as much as you're trying not to laugh and make a serious attempt at throwing them off, it is pretty funny and you're only human. Alex presses more of their weight down onto you and with their leverage you know that you're trapped. On the bright side, you're much warmer for the scuffle. <<if $alexcrush is "true">>Alex's face is close to yours, your noses almost touched together as they pin you down as well as they can without exposing their limbs to the cold air. You try not to blush, very aware of how close the two of you are to each other and not wanting them to be able to feel the warmth from your cheeks. You've been this close before of course; living together is the probably the most intimate thing that you can really do with someone you're not in a relationship with. However, you're now so close you can share breath and you can feel the warmth of Alex's laughter puffing against your cheek. You can feel that you're flustered and you thank the thick sleeping bag for the fact that it means your friend can't feel the heat of your body through your clothes. You try not to let it show on your face, turning your eyes to the side ever so slightly. Alex doesn't seem to have noticed and is still laughing away as they roll away from you.<<else>>Alex's face is close to yours, your noses almost touched together as they pin you down as well as they can without exposing their limbs to the cold air. You've been this close to each other before, including one notable occasion where you had to help Alex up the stairs after a particularly dreadful night out at a very cheap club. There wasn't any concern over where you put hands that night, and Alex seems to have internalised that logic until now. They apply their weight onto your chest, pinning you down as you try to roll them from their position perched on top of you. They laugh and continue to bear down, their position precarious because of the limited space to move their legs in the sleeping bag and the slippery fabric they're made from, but their good sense of balance keeps them perched on top of you for now.<</if>> You give Alex a sharp elbow to the side and they try to combat it with an arm across your chest, holding you down before you manage to throw them off with your knees, rolling them away from you and out from underneath the blanket you were sharing. You tumble apart, still laughing when you hear a shout from the other tent. [[Next|altent5]]

"Will you two shut it before we get kicked out of the camp site?" comes the sharp, loud instruction from Matt and you both have to force yourself to be serious, not looking at each other in case you burst into laughter again. You both sit in silence for a few moments, waiting until the chance of you bursting back out in to laughter is slim before you turn your attention to Alex. Their shoulders are still shaking as they try not to snicker, and eye contact from you causes them to snort into the thick coverage of their sleeping bag in an attempt to stifle their laughter. You force yourself to lie back down comfortably, pointedly not making eye contact with Alex as you throw your blanket back over yourself. Predictably, it doesn't take long for Alex to sidle into you with a forced innocent look on their face. "Can I come back under the blanket?" they ask, doing their best puppy dog eyes at you. <<set $altent to 1>> [[You're not sure they'll behave themselves if they do. But you share anyway|altent6]] [[Yeah, you'll definitely share.|altent6][$altent to 2]] [[You're going to put up a fight but you'll share.|altent6][$altent to 3]] [[Not a chance, they don't deserve it.|altent7]]

<<if $altent is 1>>"Will you behave?" you ask, withholding the blanket for now as they do their best to look innocent. "Probably not."<<elseif $altent is 2>>"Are you going to not wriggle?" you ask, looking at their forced sad face with what you hope is a look of authoritative sternness. "I will try my best," they reply, voice full of solemnity and eyes full of manipulation. Either way, you give in.<<elseif $altent is 3>>"I don't think you deserve it," you say simply, making as if you're just tucking the blanket over yourself and not them. They whine in response and dial up the puppy dog eyes. "I will behave forever from now on." That's not bloody likely from your reckoning, but they continue, "I'll do your packing, anything." You narrow your eyes for a few seconds as if in thought, your eyes mimicking scrutiny as you look Alex up and down. "You promise to behave?" you ask, and they nod, reaching for the blanket already, shuffling as close as they can to conserve body heat between the two of you.<</if>> "Fair enough," you say, throwing the side of the blanket over them. They might be a nightmare and the chance of them behaving still feels slim but their body heat is welcomed as you lean against them. The tiredness hits you again and you let your eyes drift closed, half leaning against Alex and sharing their make shift pillow as you do. "Night $Name," they say, voice full of affection, and you mumble something that could be viewed as a response as you drift off, wrapped in your blanket and the comfort of your closest friend. [[Good morning!|tentmorn]]

"After what you just pulled, you're lucky to be even close to me," you say, wrapping the blanket around yourself. In response, Alex just tried to shift closer to you, whining a little. "I might freeze." "Actions have consequences," you say, not looking at them to force yourself to be immune to their puppy dog eyes, instead turning your back to them. "Night Alex," you say and they just grumble in response. You can hear them shifting down in their sleeping bag again, making low unhappy noises as they do. [[Good morning!|tentmorn]]

<<if $evetent is 1>>Eve rolls her eyes at your response, the double meaning not lost on her. "Maybe, just a little. Most of it is the scripts from today though so they don't matter too much. I always forget that camping is way too flat for me to sleep on." You think that's pretty unlikely to be true, knowing that Eve can sleep just about anywhere if she wants to, but considering that she's cold and did sleep for the entire car journey, she probably is struggling to get comfortable enough to sleep. <<elseif $evetent is 2>>"I always think camping is uncomfy," she says, sighing and shifting again, then having to adjust the quilt underneath her. You're not sure that she can be that uncomfortable, considering that she was asleep in Matt's tin can of a car, but maybe that's part of it. She fell asleep in the car so quickly and for so long that you're sure she isn't going to be able to get comfortable. Her sleep schedule is so strange that you're not surprised she can't drift off on demand now.<<elseif $evetent is 3>>You stay quiet, watching her shift her pillow and quilt as she tried to get comfortable and warm.<</if>> Silence falls between the two of you again as you try to get warm, your breath being the only noise between the two of you as you lay next to each other in silence. On the bright side, Eve's breath is getting less shaky by the second as she stops shivering and warms up properly. <<if $evecrush is "true">>You turn your attention to her and try not to look too obviously over at Eve, her long red hair spread out over her makeshift pillow as she shifts underneath the blankets. Without her glasses, her olive green eyes sparkle. She does look a little tired, as she often does, but without the magnification of her glasses, the dark circles underneath her eyes don't look so obvious. You're so close that you can see every single one of the freckles scattered over her cheeks and forehead, and if you wanted to you could trace them all. She's so pretty that you feel yourself get a little flustered at being so close to her, but at least on the bright side you can't feel so cold if you're feeling so warm next to her. <<else>> You turn your attention to Eve, where her long red hair is spread out over her makeshift pillow, long enough to spread out and fall onto the floor of your tent. You note that without her glasses her eyes look so much sharper, and thankfully the dark circles underneath her eyes look less than they did under the magnification. Her fair face is covered in freckles and you could count every single one of them for being so close to her, even though the amount of light in the tent is less than ideal for really looking at anything.<</if>> [[Next|evetent3]]

"Is there something on my face?" she asks. You guess that you were a little obviously turned towards her, although her lack of glasses means that she can't really see anything past the fact that you're looking in her direction. Eve is horrendously short-sighted and can only see anything if it's in front of her nose. Once, you saw her reading on her phone without her glasses and it was practically pressed into her nose so that she could actually see it. "No, you're good," you say, shifting slightly to move even closer. You want to keep the blankets wrapped around the two of you tightly so that none of the cold outside air can get in to you. "Even my nose is cold," she says, trying to duck her head down into her sleeping bag to keep her face warm as well as she can. She uses the fact that she's short to move further down into the sleeping bag, until you can see only her green eyes peeping over the top. You think of something to say to her. <<set $evetent to 0>> [["Do you think that Matt will be more relaxed tomorrow?"|evetent4][$evetent to 1]] [["Are you sorted for tomorrow?"|evetent4][$evetent to 2]] [[You keep silent.|evetent4][$evetent to 3]]

<<if $evetent is 1>>After the silence, Eve has closed her eyes but you can tell that she's still awake since she seems to be blinking still. If she was asleep she wouldn't be doing that, and with how deep a sleeper she is you definitely wouldn't be getting a reply. "Well, we've been through most of Matt's scripts. Unless we have an absolute disaster we should be good to go and get home with time to spare." You nod, satisfied with that option since you have work on Monday, or maybe even tomorrow depending what time it is. You can't be bothered to check.<<elseif $evetent is 2>>After the silence, Eve has closed her eyes but you can tell that she's still awake since she seems to be blinking still. If she was asleep she wouldn't be doing that, and with how deep a sleeper she is you definitely wouldn't be getting a reply. "We've worked through a lot of the scripts already. Unless something gets messed up I'm ready to go." She pauses for a few moments before looking to you. Well, as well as she can do without her glasses. "Truthfully, I don't think I was needed here. There's been nothing you couldn't have done without me. But I'm glad for the weekend away. It's been a while since we were all together." "If only we didn't have to travel so far to get here and back. We could come here every weekend." That's impossible, of course, between jobs and other stuff, but it's a nice idea and she hums at the idea. <<elseif $evetent is 3>>You don't really have anything to say to Eve, and the fact that you're getting tired isn't helping your brain tick over either.<</if>> <<if $evetent neq 3>>"Hopefully we miss the worst of the traffic," she muses, although she often sleeps through the journey, so that usually hardly affects her. Still, the sentiment was one you could agree with. Usually by the end of the weekend you wanted to get home no matter how good it had been. <</if>> Getting home to your bed and having indoor facilities was always something you were glad to have back, even if you were only away for the weekend. Plus, not spending any of the weekend with your brother was quite unusual for you. Ben is often fairly busy but he always makes time for you and not seeing him at all was unusual; that scenario was left for times when one or both of you were away. Knowing that you were safe with your friends meant he hadn't been in touch with you, in the same way he wouldn't usually message you during your work day. Although, you also don't have any signal to send anything unless you're in an emergency. You have a feeling that when you duck back into signal your phone will light up with messages from Ben, checking that you're okay and to see how you were getting on. You hear Eve yawn from next to you and you can't help but to copy, the yawn being pulled out of you through the power of suggestion. "I'm falling asleep, sorry," she mumbles and you chuckle at the thought she feels a need to apologise. To you, of all people. "No worries. Good night." "Night." With that, it doesn't take long for Eve's breathing to even out as she drifts off. The idea that she was uncomfortable because the ground was too flat seems miles away now. Her even steady breathing only adds to the white noise of the countryside, and you close your eyes. You let yourself drift off, curled up against one of your closest friends, now warm underneath the layers of blankets piled on top of the two of you. [[Good morning!|tentmorn]]

<<if $jordtent is 1>> Jordan laughs, like ?they hadn't actually thought about it before. "Well, I'm not sure about sleeping on the ground like this. I think a hotel would be nicer." You can't help but chuckle at that. A hotel would be nicer, if it wasn't too expensive for you to really consider it for a weekend away. "You and Alex could stage a coup on that platform. They'd be up for it." Jordan can't help but laugh at that suggestion, shaking ?their head. "I think if we overthrew Matt I wouldn't be getting a good reference to put on my CV," ?they <<verb 'says'>>. You shrug at that, turning your head onto the side to look at Jordan. You realise now that you're really close to ?them, but what do you expect from the fact that the two of you are wriggled together underneath one blanket? <<elseif $jordtent is 2>>Jordan pauses as if ?they <<verb 'is'>> assessing you to see if there's a right answer. You can tell that ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't want to give you something that's perceived as 'wrong' but you know there's something bubbling just under there. You want to know what the opinion is. "It's fun. Getting to work with good equipment is… a learning curve, but I'm getting there." ?They-re more than just 'getting there' but you know whatever ?they <<verb 'has'>> in ?their head is even more grand and high quality than their work is now. There's no doubt that Matt picked a grafter as your intern this year. "Maybe you could just stay. Knock Matt off his podium and take the channel as your own." "I don't think that's my job." "You're not getting paid, is anything really your job?" you ask, narrowing your eyes slightly. You're waiting in anticipation for an answer, but it soon becomes clear that it's not going to come. Jordan won't betray Matt and say that ?they would like to overthrow him. It would be fun though. Like a coup.<<elseif $jordtent is 3>>"You know I have two sisters, right?" Jordan asks, narrowing ?their eyes, "Nothing that you lot can do is worse than travelling with both my sisters and my grandparents on a train while my mum tries to wrangle us all." Okay, that image is pretty cute and you feel reassured that ?they probably can put up with you all, despite the fact you're nightmares. "We're not family though, you don't have to put up with us." And coming into something when everyone else already knows each other is tricky at the best of times, and the four of you are closer than most. Still, Jordan is holding ?their own well so far, even if you do only have ?them with you for the summer. "I don't dislike it. More friends have never been a bad thing in my house." "Can we have our team meetings in your house then? I hate when Matt's mum looks at us like we're dirtying the place up." "If I become leader I will let everyone in my house," ?they <<verb 'says'>> and you laugh. That's pretty sweet and you do get the impression that Jordan really would do the utmost for your team if ?they had the means. "I'll vote for you for leader. I'm pretty sure Alex would too, if only to piss off Matt." ?They <<verb 'shakes'>> ?their head, braids swaying a little as ?they <<verb 'does'>>. A slightly uncomfortable silence falls between you, maybe you shouldn't be teasing ?them about Matt, since he was the one who gave ?them the internship rather than yourself.<</if>> <<if $jordcrush is "true">>You notice now that you're close to Jordan that in the soft night light ?they <<verb 'looks'>> really pretty and annoyingly immaculate. Sure ?their clothes aren't perfect for the situation you're in right now, but ?they <<verb 'does'>> look attractive with ?their perfect braids and long dark eyelashes. You can't really see ?their eyes clearly in the darkness, but you can see them standing out and watching you back as they're lighter than ?their skin. You try not to look too obviously, feeling yourself getting flustered from staring. But hey, at least you'll be warm this way.<<else>>You note that now you're so close to Jordan all you can really see is how you ?they <<verb 'looks'>>. Maybe it's the soft light or the fact that ?their skin looks pretty flawless under most lights, but the lack of concern over ?their face is unusual and makes ?them look considerably younger than before. You're just glad to see ?them actually relaxed when so much of ?their time working is spent worrying about what Matt thinks and desperately trying to please him. It's nice to see ?them in a different light where ?they can joke about overthrowing him as leader.<</if>> [[Next|jordtent2]]

"How about… if you do overthrow Matt, I'm pretty sure me or Alex would give you a glowing reference so you don't need to worry about that." ?They <<verb 'seems'>> placated by that promise and you look up onto the canvas of the tent, looking at how it's lightly illuminated under the moonlight. "That sounds like a lot of work for an internship though," ?they <<verb 'complains'>> and ?them going along with your joke pulls a small laugh out of you. "Agreed, that would be a lot of work." You don't say that you think Jordan is probably doing enough work already without the internship, since you know that ?they also <<verb 'works'>> retail and helps at ?their sister's hairdressers, doing your editing in what little time ?they have around that. Considering it's ?their summer between a graduation and (hopefully) a masters degree, it sounds like a lot. Sure, you do this as well as work in a coffee shop but you're not studying and if you're lucky, hopefully very soon you won't be doing all of this for free. [[Next|jordtent3]]

You do understand ?their desperate need to get ahead though. As far away as your own university days feel now, and as much as Matt definitely hired the best person for the internship with //'$Channel'//, you're also very aware that Jordan works three times as hard to get level pegging with other people than Matt has ever had to. You never went to do a masters but you know that they're competitive and there are people who can afford to go on grand filming trips just to amass a portfolio, something Jordan could never have done ?themself. Meanwhile Matt was encouraged to do a graduate degree multiple times over because of your work on the channel. It doesn't seem very fair, is all, considering they have the same amount of skill and passion Having a summer with an intern to do most of your leg work and messing about with your friends making videos feels a world away from ?their reality and ?their desperation to remain in academia. At least ?they'll have a good reference and (semi-)professional credit from Matt and your team. Silence falls between the two of you as you think on your own situation. Did you really think when you picked up your degree that three years after graduation you'd still be working with Charlie and living with your brother? Probably not, if you'd asked the past version of you about it. [[Next|jordtent4]]

"Hey $Name," Jordan says, and you turn your head from looking up at the canvas towards ?them, "I think I'm going to go to sleep now if that's alright." You have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes, forgetting that Jordan really does see the rest of you as somehow above ?them in ranking, like ?they <<verb 'has'>> to ask you if ?they can sleep. "Night," you reply, closing your own eyes and desperately trying not to think about your own constantly impending future. Of course, the more you try not to do that the worse it gets, unable to distract yourself. You don't know when Jordan's breath lulls into the constant rhythm of sleep, or when you join them there, the two of you leaning against each other as you sleep, but you drift off eventually, now thoroughly warmed from being so close to each other and sharing body heat. [[Good morning!|tentmorn]]

<<if $matttent is 1>>Your voice is low and quiet as you look to him. You don't miss the way that he almost frowns at that before his face returns to neutrality. "A little," he confesses and you nod, like you didn't really know already. "Plus the stuff with Alex got under my skin. I thought they were going to be a nightmare today." "But they weren't," you reason, coming to your friends defence without even a second thought. "They weren't." At least he can concede that much.<<elseif $matttent is 2>>Matt's eyes meet yours and he frowns so briefly you almost miss it before he nods. "It always feels better once we've actually started it. And we're over halfway through." He does have a look of relief on his face which you don't often see. "Plus Alex wasn't a pain like I thought they might be." You're glad right now that you did get a decent amount of filming down, because if it had gone badly, it would definitely be seen to be Alex's fault. You're glad that it's not. <<elseif $matttent is 3>>"I'm knackered," Matt replies, badly stifling a yawn behind his hand, which pulls one from you as well. "I started driving at 6 this morning, I've been awake for 18 hours. I'll be out like a light before you know it. Thankfully there's be no late night partying tonight." You try to ignore the not so subtle dig at your best friend, turning your attention to Matt properly instead.<</if>> <<if $alextruth is "true">>You feel bad not saying the truth to Matt, considering that Alex told you exactly why they did what they did, even knowing that it would annoy the rest of your team and maybe even start an argument depending on how stressed he already was. However, it isn't your place to tell Matt what's going on and you know Alex has their reasons for not wanting to say anything, even if you don't personally agree with them. You have no doubt that Alex will confess eventually, but that's likely to be at a point where it can't ruin the weekend and cause an //Incident// any more. Likely once all your filming is done, you realise.<<else>>You're glad that Matt can at least concede that point, since you can't say anything about what is wrong with Alex and you're forced to just defend them anyway against his accusation. You can't defend what they did though, it was pretty shitty of them to tread the fine line of not being sober when you're supposed to be working. Still, you know that Alex doesn't actually want to sabotage your project, and there must be something more there than just wanting to go party. You just have to wait for them to tell you.<</if>> [[Next|matttent2]]

"Your segment, maybe rehash a few of the recorded scenes from yesterday if we see some of the relevant wild life, get some behind-the-scenes stuff on the main camera, get some good shots of the forest that we can throw in if we need to and we're good to go." You hear his hand move as he mentally ticks off things from his to-do list for the channel. That doesn't actually sound like too much, but after a less than ideal night's sleep, it could take a while to get through. "Hopefully we won't be back too late tomorrow." "You're working Monday, right?" It's typical that Matt knows your schedule. It seems to be the case for all of you; he knows when you're working elsewhere so he can pin you down to work on the channel and you can't say you're too busy to without a good excuse. "Sadly on an opening shift," you sigh and Matt laughs a laugh of sympathy over your impeding early morning. "I think we all are. It's the price we pay for booking a weekend off, I suppose." In terms of time, Matt does put the most work into your channel but it's still not found a way to pay you all back yet, so you do have to work elsewhere still. While you work in a coffee shop with the best boss you can ever hope to have, Matt has found himself in a call centre, a job which he famously only tolerates because no one cares if he's checking the statistics for your channel or sending emails in work time as long as he picks up within three rings. [[Next|matttent3]]

<<if $mattcrush is "true">>You turn your head to face Matt, even though you're close enough to be shoulder to shoulder to him. His blue eyes seem to reflect the moonlight through the canvas brightly, something you're a little mesmerised at. From your conversation, a smile plays at his lips and you have to disguise the fact your breath speeds up ever so slightly at that reality. His sandy blonde hair is mussed from being in the sleeping bag and you feel a little flustered at staring at him. The dim light softens his square features and broad asymmetrical bridge of his nose and you bury yourself further under the blankets and into your sleeping bag just in case he catches you staring.<<else>>You turn your head to face Matt, even though you're close enough to be shoulder to shoulder to him and you can feel the heat emanating from him through the blankets. From your conversation, a smile is still playing at his lips and you note how much more relaxed he looks here than when he picked you up this morning. If you didn't know better, you'd think that angry Matt has been replaced with his genial easygoing twin who also sustained the same nose injuries to give him that characteristic look. You wriggle deeper into your sleeping bag to take full advantage of the shared heat.<</if>> "We'll get the filming done as quickly as we can," he assures, taking your look to him as a sceptical one rather than just a look. You nod, knowing he wouldn't lie to you over filming. This project is his baby and every decision he makes about it is deadly serious, even when you're talking about it before you sleep. You can't stop yourself from yawning with the warmth underneath the two blankets you're sharing, and you let your eyes drift closed. Matt is still awake, no doubt thinking about the channel or running his lines in his head as he lays next to you. He's so close that you can feel when he takes a breath and the gentle movement is rocking you quickly towards sleep. "Goodnight $Name," he mumbles, and you hum an affirmative reply, but before you know it you're asleep, half leaning against one of your closest friends and letting his steady breathing lull you to a mostly comfortable sleep. [[Good morning!|tentmorn]]

There's not much in the way of conversation as the lot of you tidy up your breakfast dishes and leave them near the car, ready to be piled into the car for later. None of you want to clean them up right now and so they get left in a haphazard pile as you gather your equipment and traipse back towards the forest. Thankfully you don't have to go all the way back to the clearing today if you don't need to, as you intend to be a little more fluid with your filming. Because of that you have a little less equipment - Jordan only has the one camera plus a tripod to allow for easy set up. It might not enable you to get the multiple points of view you like in your best quality footage, but it definitely increases the variety of locations. And not just because you're presenting instead of Matt. <<nobr>><<if $Interest is "Insects">> [[Next|insectfilm]] <<elseif $Interest is "Mammals">> [[Next|mammalfilm]] <<elseif $Interest is "Amphibians">> [[Next|amphibfilm]] <<elseif $Interest is "Reptiles">> [[Next|reptilefilm]] <<elseif $Interest is "Birds">> [[Next|birdfilm]] <<elseif $Interest is "Ecology">> [[Next|ecofilm]] <<elseif $Interest is "Teaching">> [[Next|teachfilm]] <<else>> [[Next|waterfilm]] <</if>><</nobr>>

For your segment, you're walking through the forest, turning over occasional logs and looking on the ground, carefully sticking to your path. From the even footsteps behind you, you can tell Jordan is filming with the camera hitched onto ?their shoulder, keeping you carefully in shot and hoping for a candid discovery. Unfortunately, Eve gets there first and you hear her shout your name. "I've got one. Female," she says to you, and you carefully tread over to where she's shifted a log, her gloved hands cupping a stag beetle carefully. The small mandibles of the large beetle mark her as female, and you shift her into your own protected hands before Jordan rushes up, as quickly as ?they can considering the camera ?they-re holding and its value to your team and the channel as a whole. "You ready?" ?they <<verb 'asks'>> and <<if $Confident > 65>>you nod, ready to beam at the camera in jubilation of finding the beetle you have done.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>you pause for a second before nodding shakily back. Jordan smiles back at you in a reassuring way, trying to diffuse some of the tension. You feel hot under the collar at the pressure and take a deep breath before you speak, desperately trying to recall all of your lines.<<else>>you nod, although you're not entirely confident just yet. You know you'll be fine when you start speaking and you hit your flow with the script.<</if>><<if $Confident > 65>> “Today I’m here to introduce you to the stag beetle, a beetle you might not really expect to be seeing here. They look exotic and they’re really cool.”<</if>> “The one that we’ve got here is a female, which you can tell because of the size of the ‘horns’ or 'antlers'. These are actually mandibles, which just grow bigger in stag beetles. Hers are small and because of it, they look similar to the lesser stag beetle. However, we know that she’s a stag beetle because she’s more round than the lesser stag beetle and her wing cases are shiny and more brown than black.” You gesture to the wing cases of the beetle with your gloved finger, careful to not but pressure on the back of the beetle and disgruntle her. <<if $Confident > 65>>You're confident in the way that you cradle her, keeping her safe and making sure that you aren't going to let her fall to the ground.<<elseif $Confident <35>>You only partially manage this, and your shaking hands cause the beetle to move up your glove to get away from your finger. Thankfully, you gently redirect her again.<<else>>You do brush her slightly by accident, but she doesn't seem too annoyed, still staying stationary on your gloves.<</if>> “Eve found her under a rotting log so we can show her to you guys, and we’ll be careful to put her back there because she is probably living under there so that she can look for somewhere to lay her eggs. That’s because the larvae will feed on the rotting wood and make a cocoon in the soil before they hatch.” “The male stag beetles have much bigger mandibles; they’re probably what you think of when you think of a stag beetle, and they use those to both attract mates as well as to fight other male stag beetles. We’ve found a female today and that’s because the males are usually seen flying about in the evening, ready to try and find a mate.” [[Next|insectfilm2]]

“Unfortunately, they’re really struggling here at the moment. They’re losing a lot of the habitat they’d usually have and that’s because people are reducing the amount of open woodland. Luckily, if you’re in the South, there’s something really easy that you can do to help - just don’t tidy up.” <<if $Confident > 65>>You confidently pause for laughter after the delivery of your line, and on cue Matt laughs from where he is watching you through the camera next to Jordan.<<elseif $Confident <35 >>You pause for laughter but you know your delivery of the 'joke' was awkward and Matt meets your eyes with a slightly apologetic look as you talk again, the pause for laughter having become an awkward silence. <<else>>Your delivery isn't really confident but you still see Jordan smile behind the camera as you speak, trying not to laugh as ?they <<verb 'films'>>.<</if>> “These beetles need the rotting plant matter for their larvae, so you can help them by leaving trees and wood in your gardens and parks as a habitat for them. <<if $Confident >35 >>If you want to be really helpful, you could write your local council and tell them about what they can do. More people know about the need to conserve their habitats than before, but it’s always worth reminding them that cleaning up all of a dead tree isn’t always the most helpful thing that they can do for your local wildlife.<</if>>” <<if $Confident > 65>> "As always, we'll have details of how you can do this underneath our video. I know they're not the most glamorous of animals but insects are very important in the ecosystem and I hope you understand that as well as you can. This is $Name from $Channel, and with this little lady I'm signing off." You cast a final, confident smile to the camera as you tilt your hands ever so slightly to display the beetle and you in the same shot. "And we're done," Matt says as Jordan switches the camera off and lets it drop. You pass the stag beetle gently back to Eve so that she can put her back exactly where she found her before you take off your gloves, tucking them under your arm and turn to your friends. "That was good," your leader encourages, and you grin back at him. Matt finds it so easy to be on camera that you know he doesn't always understand it when other people don't do as well, but there's no concern about the footage in his eyes right now. You know you've done a good job and your leader looks proud of you, even as he moves back off through the forest to film the next thing. <<elseif $Confident < 35>> You know there's something else you need to add to that, but you can't recall it right now, so you go straight to the sign off for your segment. "This is $Name from $Channel, and with this little lady I'm signing off." You awkwardly smile at the camera and Matt mimics tilting your hands down to show off your palms. You jerkily do that before he gives you a thumbs up and a forced smile. "And we're done," he says after Jordan turns the camera off, "I bet you're glad about that." You try to give him a smile but you're lambasted by Eve who confidently takes the beetle out of your unsteady hands before returning her to where she was found. "That was horrid," you grumble and Matt pats your shoulder reassuringly as you shed yourself of your gloves. "You'll do better next time," he says, and Jordan nods along, smiling. "You only forgot a little bit and none of it was the information. Besides, on screen you can't tell that you're as nervous." ?Their words are meant to be reassuring but they're doing little for you at the moment. "Can we just forget about it and move on?" you ask, and Matt nods, like that's exactly what he wanted you to say right now, tramping off again through the forest with Jordan in tow. <<else>> "Um…" you pause, wracking your brain for what you need to say for a moment. It comes back to you quickly. "We have links underneath the video on how you can do that. They might not be cuddly, but they're really important. This has been $Name from $Channel, and with this little lady I'm signing off." You cast a final pleasant smile to the camera as you gingerly tilt your hands to display the beetle and you in the same shot. "And we're done," Matt announces after Jordan shuts off the camera, giving you a smile. "You did well. Stuck to script, didn't get bitten by an insect et cetera." You smile as Eve moves over to you, taking the insect from your hands and releasing her back to where she'd been found. You take off your gloves and finally feel like you can just relax. "Onto the next one, eh?" your leader smiles and you nod before he tramps away through the forest, eager to shoot the next segment.<</if>> [[Next|filmfinish]]

With the adrenaline of getting through your own segment, the rest of your filming day passes quickly and in a bit of a blur. It's enjoyable, since Matt has finally relaxed with all of the filming saved and under your belt. [[Let's go home!|journeyhome]]

For your segment, you're walking through the forest, eyes focused in to the canopy and watching for movement as you carefully sticking to your path. From the even footsteps behind you, you can tell Jordan is filming with the camera hitched onto ?their shoulder, keeping you carefully in shot and hoping for a candid discovery. Unfortunately Alex spots what you're looking for before you do, getting your attention as well as Jordan’s as best they can without being too much of a disturbance. Their face lights up with happiness as Jordan moves to film the red squirrels in the canopy. As much as you wanted your segment to be on them, you were very aware that the chance of seeing them was slim and it could have extended out your day considerably. Thankfully, luck is on your side and once the filming is at least partially done, the attention of the camera turns to you. Jordan gives you a thumbs up and you start speaking <<if $Confident > 65>> confidently, your voice clear as you work through your script <<elseif $Confident < 35>>nervously, your voice a little rushed even as you go through the script. You just want it to be over.<<else>>shakily at first, although you know the script and you know you'll get into your stride.<</if>> “Today we’ve been lucky enough to see red squirrels. They’re much smaller than the grey squirrel but feed on a similar diet of nuts, seeds and berries which in autumn they’ll collect and store for over the winter.” “At the moment, the squirrels are in mating season, which means that there’s a chance the animals we’re seeing today will be pregnant females. Red squirrels are pregnant for just over 5 weeks and give birth to ‘kittens’ in up to three litters a year.” “Red squirrels are a native animal to the UK and they’ve been around for 10,000 years. Unfortunately, the squirrels that we usually see in towns - the greys - are not a native species and were introduced in the 1800s. They can’t live together and grey squirrels being introduced to the area ends up with red squirrels being chased out of the area they’re living in.” <<if $Confident >65>> You're doing well with this and you know you are; you're confident in front of the camera and you know you've got your script down perfectly. Filming like this is easy for you and you'll flaunt the skills you have.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>You can tell that you're still rushing, but a glance to Jordan and Matt sees them both just focused on the filming. They don't give any indication on how it's going.<<else>>You're pretty sure by now that you know the script and you're in the swing of it. You can do this, even if it's not your favourite thing.<</if>> [[Next|mammalfilm2]]

“This is because grey squirrels are bigger and can out-compete their red counterparts, meaning that they manage to get food and places to live more successfully. They can also digest food such as acorns more easily, which means that the red squirrels are pushed out. This puts the reds into habitats they’re less adapted for, which means that they can’t breed so easily. Habitats are also being destroyed which means that they’re pushed out even more. It makes it a tricky time for red squirrels.” “As a result, there are efforts to create places where grey squirrels aren’t present, so the red squirrels can stay there. It’s been found that without putting any measures in place, red squirrels would become extinct or live in small pockets which would be too small a population to breed effectively.<<if $Confident > 35>> There are people working hard to reduce the chance of that, but it’s a tricky task and we’re trying to find the best way to do that.”<<else>>" You're sure that you've forgotten something now, and you rush towards signing off because that's the next part of the script you can remember.<</if>> <<if $Confident > 65>>"The best way to do that is to either donate money to charities focused on red squirrels, or volunteer your time to them if you can. Links will be below the video as always for more information on red squirrels overall as well as what you can do to help them. This has been $Name with $Channel, signing off from location." You give a final smile at the camera as Jordan ends the recording with a thumbs up at you to let you know it's over. "And done," ?they <<verb 'says'>>, stretching out ?their supporting arm from under the camera, before replacing it and turning to Matt. "That was good," Matt encourages, and you grin back at him. Matt finds it so easy to be on camera that you know he doesn't always understand it when other people don't do as well, but there's no concern about the footage in his eyes right now. You know you've done a good job and your leader looks proud of you, even as he moves back off through the forest to film the next thing.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>"This has been $Name with $Channel, signing off from location." You give a final awkward smile at the camera as Jordan ends the recording with a thumbs up at you to let you know it's over. "And done," ?they <<verb 'says'>>, stretching out ?their arm, before turning back to you. You feel yourself relax knowing that the camera isn't on you, but you still don't enjoy what you've done. "That was horrible," you commiserate. Matt winces a little before he talks and you don't need to be friends with him to know what he's thinking. "It was… shaky," he agrees before forcing a smile, "But you'll get there next time. Now you know it's not too bad." You're not sure about 'too bad' but Matt seems pretty confident. "Anyway, onto the next thing?" he offers, and you're grateful for that. You know that he doesn't want to dwell on what was less than a success and with your nod he moves off into the forest, Jordan trailing after him with a soft smile in your direction.<<else>>"The best way to do that is to either donate money to charities focused on red squirrels, or volunteer your time to them if you can. Links will be below the video as always. This has been $Name with $Channel, signing off from location." You give a final smile, which you hope is sufficiently cheery, at the camera as Jordan ends the recording with a thumbs up at you to let you know it's over. "And done," ?they <<verb 'says'>>, stretching out ?their arm, before turning back to you. "That was good," Matt comments, patting you on the shoulder as you feel that you can finally take a deep breath, just happy the filming is over for now. "Onto the next one," he says with a smile and you nod, trailing after him as he moves off back into the forest, ready to find the next thing.<</if>> [[Next|filmfinish]]

You're stood up to mid calf in a pond for your segment, thankfully wearing a pair of rubber boots which Matt has leant to you. Jordan is stood opposite you in a matching khaki pair, which clashes pretty terribly with ?their otherwise colourful, and very much not khaki, outfit. Jordan has settled ?themself onto the most stable place ?they could find, the camera perched onto ?their shoulder as the rest of your team watches from the shore. You take a deep breath as Jordan readies the camera and after their cue you start talking; the rest of your team watches from the shore. You take a deep breath as Jordan readies the camera and after their cue you start talking<<if $Confident > 65>> confidently.<<elseif $Confident <35>> shakily. You're worried about slipping in the pond and making a complete fool of yourself, which makes it hard to concentrate on speaking your lines well. When they do come out, they sound rushed even in your head.<<else>> confidently enough, although you know you'll get better when you get properly into it.<</if>> “Today I’m knee-deep in a pond to talk about newts, in particular the most common species of newt you’ll find in the UK; the smooth newt. We’re catching them at the end of their time in the pond since you’re more likely to find them in woodlands or forests instead after they’ve bred.” You’d fished around to catch one before you started filming and now they’re sitting in a tray of water to the side ready to be picked up and showed to the camera carefully.<<if $Confident > 65>> It’s a little tricky to maintain your balance in the slippery mud of the pond while you bend over to pick up the tray with the smooth newt inside, looking pretty relaxed as it sits on the bottom of the tray filled with pond water. With how confident you are, you keep your footing.<<elseif $Confident <35>>It’s very tricky to maintain your balance in the slippery mud of the pond while you bend over to pick up the tray with the smooth newt inside, looking pretty relaxed as it sits on the bottom of the tray filled with pond water. You have fears that you're going to slip, end up covered in mud and sit on your new newt friend as you try to balance the tray so the camera can also see inside.<<else>>It’s a little tricky to maintain your balance in the slippery mud of the pond while you bend over to pick up the tray with the smooth newt inside, looking pretty relaxed as it sits on the bottom of the tray filled with pond water.<</if>> “Unlike frogs and toads, they lay their eggs individually and tuck them in with pondweed, wrapping each egg up carefully rather than laying the eggs in clumps like frogs. The tadpoles of newts look like small versions of the adults, except they have frilly gills that the adults lack.” “Thankfully smooth newts are widespread and not in imminent danger, as there are plenty of ponds like this one for them to live in. However, they are protected by the law and selling them is illegal, so I’ll be sure to place the one we’ve found carefully back into the pond and make sure they get away safely. <<if $Confident >35>>We wouldn’t want any harm to come to them.<</if>>” [[Next|amphibfilm2]]

“They hibernate outside of the pond, burying themselves in amongst tree roots or walls with suitable gaps. Throughout all of their time, they eat mostly insects, whether that’s caterpillars and slugs on land or the various types of insect that live in the water.” <<if $Confident <35>> You're through the bulk of it now, but you still feel like you're rushing through and you may have forgotten bits and pieces. Still, your nervous pace doesn't slow down.<<else>>You're confident you've hit all of the talking points you should have, but you don't risk a glance to the rest of the team on the bank, knowing that it would look a little bit unprofessional and Jordan would likely have to trim it out of the footage if you did.<</if>> <<if $Confident > 65>>“As always, more detailed information on newts can be found below this video. From here in the pond, I’ve been $Name with $Channel . I hope you all have a great day.” Jordan gives you a thumbs up as you finish and you grin back. "And done," Matt says, giving you both a thumbs up as he holds his hand out for Jordan to pass him the camera. Alex holds their hand out for Jordan to take, pulling ?them up out of the pond and up the bank, not giving room for ?them to slip backwards. Once ?they-re on the bank, they hold a hand out to you and pull you back onto dry land. "That was a good one," your leader enthuses, a confident smile over his face as he talks to you. You get the distinct impression that it's all coming together in Matt's head now. "Onto the next one though, right?" he asks, and you nod along, watching as he's already halfway back across the field from the pond, the camera still in his grip.<<elseif $Confident < 35>> “As always, more information on newts can be found below. I’ve been $Name with $Channel .” Jordan gives you a thumbs up as you finish and you smile awkwardly back. "And done," Matt says, giving you both a thumbs up as he holds his hand out for Jordan to pass him the camera. Alex holds their hand out for Jordan to take, pulling ?them up out of the pond and up the bank, not giving room for ?them to slip backwards. Once ?they-re on the bank, they hold a hand out to you and pull you back onto dry land. You're not very steady but you make it up the bank with their more solidly footed help. "That was a disaster," you grumble, and Alex squeezes your hand reassuringly. "It wasn't that bad," they assure, but you avoid Matt's eye anyway for a few seconds. When you dare to look, he meets your eye and smiles awkwardly but at least he's not putting it down. "Onwards and upwards," he concludes and you nod as he tramps off across the field, leaving the rest of you to follow after him.<<else>>“As always, more information on newts can be found below this video. From here in the pond, I’ve been $Name with $Channel . See you next time!” Jordan gives you a thumbs up as you finish and you smile back to ?them. "And done," Matt says, giving you both a thumbs up as he holds his hand out for Jordan to pass him the camera. Alex holds their hand out for Jordan to take, pulling ?them up out of the pond and up the bank, not giving room for ?them to slip backwards. Once ?they-re on the bank, they hold a hand out to you and pull you back onto dry land. "That was good, you hit your stride in the middle," Matt says with a smile and a clap to your shoulder. He looks pretty pleased with your performance, even though you're pretty sure he could have done better if he was doing the segment. "To the next thing?" he offers, and you nod. Before you know it he's halfway across the field with the camera in hand and you're all trailing after him.<</if>> [[Next|filmfinish]]

Your segment is taking place amongst the grass, where you laid some corrugated metal earlier in some places you suspected snakes would be happy to go to. Matt had managed to catch an adder for you, displaying how useful some of his more… choice courses are and you'd got some great footage of it up close before you filmed it slithering away from you all. Now you're here and you're ready to film, stood with grass up to your knees as Jordan angles the camera to try and get both the grass and all of you in it. ?They <<verb 'gives'>> you a cue to go and you start to speak. When you start to speak your voice comes out <<if $Confident > 65>>confidently.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>nervously. You know as soon as you speak that you sound like you're rushing the script, and stumbling a little. Reading a script and being on camera is just not good for everyone, and you're one of those people.<<else>>pretty normally, which is good for being in front of a camera. Sometimes being filmed can rattle even the best of you.<</if>> “I’m here out in the grassland today to talk about our only venomous snake, the adder. They’re really interesting and despite being venomous they haven’t killed anyone since 1975. Their bite can be very painful but to most people it’ll just be that - painful. As a result, you don’t need to worry about adders if you see them; they’re much more scared of you than you are of them.” “We placed down panels of metal to tempt the adders to bask underneath them, which replicates warm rocks. Because adders are cold-blooded <<if $Confident > 35>>or ‘ectothermic’ <</if>>like other snakes, they enjoy the warmth and their muscles move more easily once they are warmed up. It means that they’re fast when they’ve been basking and the one that we managed to find was tricky to catch. We filmed it quickly to try and cause minimal discomfort to it and it’s been released back to the wild as you’ll see.”<<if $Confident >65>> You can practically see the script where Eve's instructions say 'cut to adder footage' since you're so confident over what to say next.<</if>> “Adders are really interesting because instead of laying their eggs like other snakes and reptiles, they incubate them inside their bodies, which means a female will look like she’s ‘giving birth’ to live young adders. Since they can have up to twenty at a time, that’s a lot of baby snakes.” [[Next|reptilefilm2]]

“They are found all over the country and can be found even up into the Arctic Circle. However, you’re quite unlikely to see one because like most snakes and other reptiles, they’re pretty shy. When they see a human, we’re so much bigger than them and they’ll go for cover instead of being in the way of us. They don’t want to risk being harmed by someone so much bigger than them.” “They mostly bite if they’re scared, usually because they’re picked up or stepped on.<<if $Confident > 35>> Because of that, we would advise you to observe adders from a distance.<</if>> The only reason we could film one so closely is that Matt is licensed to do surveys and handle them. They are protected and as with all wildlife, you should leave them alone.” <<if $Confident > 65>>"I've been $Name with $Channel, out here with the adders on location. Thank you for watching." Jordan counts you out and you grin, feeling high on the adrenaline of being on camera. It went pretty well and you're very sure of that. "That was really good," Matt congratulates you and you smile back, glad that you've had your feeling of how it went confirmed. You knew you were hitting all of the points you were meant to be, but it didn't hurt to have someone else telling you that you did well. "Ready to move on?" your leader asks and you smile at him before giving him a nod. He returns your proud smile and walks off across the field to find the next thing to film.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>You're pretty sure you've missed some points out of your speech, but with the fact that you want to just be done, you can't find it within you to be concerned with that right now. "I've been $Name with $Channel, out here on location." When it's apparent that you're done speaking, after an awkward pause, Jordan counts you out and you smile weakly at them, relieved that it's over. "That was horrible," you sigh, trying not to beat yourself up about it. You meet Matt's eyes and deeply exhale as he smiles weakly at you. "It's okay," Matt assures you and he pats your shoulder. It's a little awkward but he's not going to add anything to make you feel worse, you know that. You're sure that Matt could have done it better but you did well and you feel glad that you've presented your own segment. "Ready to move on?" your leader asks and you nod quickly at him. He gives you a smile and walks off across the field to find the next thing to film.<<else>>"I've been $Name with $Channel, out here with the adders on location. Thanks for watching." Jordan counts you out and you smile, relieved that it's over but pretty positive over what you've done. "That was pretty good. You happy?" Matt asks you and you smile back with a nod, glad that you've had your feeling of how it went confirmed. You're sure that Matt could have done it better but you did well and you feel glad that you've presented your own segment. "Ready to move on?" your leader asks and you smile at him before giving him a nod. He gives you a smile and walks off across the field to find the next thing to film.<</if>> [[Next|filmfinish]]

You're stood in the forest for your segment, having placed bird seed down in piles to encourage birds in before the camera. They're happy to go in front of where Jordan has placed the camera and as long as you all don't get too close to them, they're pretty confident to approach the camera. You even manage to catch two of the blue tits fighting over the food you've placed down. Eventually, Jordan is happy to say that you've got enough footage for ?them to cut down and stands you next to where you'd placed the seed. Some of the birds which are more confident are still happy to dip in and out of the shot as Jordan sets up the camera. ?They <<verb 'counts'>> you in and you start talking<<if $Confident > 65>> confidently. You're sure that you can get through this and stick to the script. <<elseif $Confident < 35>> tentatively. You think you know the script but the birds out of the corner of your eye are proving to be a distraction already. You hope you won't lose your place. <<else>>. You're quite confident with the script and if worst comes to worst, you can pretend that you're just watching the birds for a moment.<</if>> “So we’re here today filming birds which you’ll probably know and recognise from your own gardens and local parks. They’re still very interesting birds and there’s a lot to be said about them, especially at this time of year.” “Before they even start to breed, male blue tits establish a territory. This is often the same as ones they’ve established in past years and when nest boxes are close together, only one of them is likely to get used because of the territories.” <<if $Confident > 65>>You're confident by now that you're in with the flow of it and you've got the words down. As you speak you give the camera a confident smile, gesturing at the birds near you as you speak.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>You're pretty sure by now that you're in with the flow of it that you're sticking to the script, although you still feel shaky.<<else>>You're pretty sure by now that you're in with the flow of it and you've got the words down. You keep your eyes fixed on the camera as you work through the script.<</if>> “Female blue tits use moss and dead leaves to make a nest and then downy feathers to line them. They have a clutch of up to 12 eggs once a year and feed their chicks using green caterpillars which are abundant at the time of their hatching.” [[Next|birdfilm2]]

“Some of the birds that we've filmed have been fighting a little, and this is because of the food we’ve placed down. We suspect we’re on the edge of a territory, hence other blue tits are braving venturing into another space to get some food. We haven’t put down too much seed, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” “We’ve also seen them chase off birds that you’d think are bigger than them, so we have a feeling that the nest may be near here. They don’t want to risk their chicks getting harmed and they can be quite vicious as they dive-bomb other birds to scare them. They might be small but if they flew at you it would be quite scary.” “We’ve also seen some birds that look quite downy, which means they’re quite young. We’ll be careful not to disturb them any more than this, although blue tits are quite friendly and confident<<if $Confident > 65>>, not something that’s easily scared or disturbed.” You give a bird displaying the characteristics you've just mentioned a gesture, which Jordan follows with the camera.<<else>>."<</if>> <<if $Confident > 65>>"For more information on what types of food and nest boxes you can use for blue tits and to help other birds in your local area, check below the video. I’ve been $Name with $Channel, thank you for watching! Have a great day!” You give a final, confident smile at the camera and a bird flies down next to you as Jordan counts you out. “And we’re done,” Jordan says, ?their voice pretty happy with the footage you’ve got. "That felt good," you enthuse and you see both Jordan and Matt nodding, returning your smile. “That //was// good,” Matt agrees. That's pretty high praise coming from him and you're glad for the confirmation that you're doing as well as you thought you were. "Ready to move on then?" he asks and you nod, Jordan already taking the camera and the tripod down. You watch as Matt walks off through the forest to go to your next filming location.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>“For more information on what types of food and nest boxes you can use for blue tits and to help other birds in your local area, check below the video. I’ve been $Name with $Channel!” You give an awkward smile at the camera and a bird flies down as Jordan counts you out after a pause. You're pretty sure that you forgot something, but as soon as the camera is off you feel lighter. “And we’re done,” Jordan says, smiling at you awkwardly. "I didn't enjoy that," you mumble, taking a deep breath and shedding yourself of your nerves. "“That was okay,” Matt placates. You entirely disagree, but he's thankfully not chewing you out over what you've done. You're doing that enough for yourself already. "Shall we move on?" he offers and you nod with a thankful smile, Jordan already taking the camera and the tripod down. You watch as Matt walks off through the forest to go to your next filming location.<<else>>“For more information on what types of food and nest boxes you can use for blue tits and to help other birds in your local area, check below the video. I’ve been $Name with $Channel, thank you for watching!” You give a smile at the camera and a bird flies down as Jordan counts down. “And we’re done,” Jordan says, ?their voice pretty happy with the footage you’ve got. “That was good,” Matt agrees. You have a feeling that he could have done better if he wanted to, but that was just how it was sometimes. Your leader does a lot of the presenting for a reason, and he’s really good at it. "Ready to move on then?" he asks and you nod, Jordan already taking the camera and the tripod down. You watch as Matt walks off through the forest to go to your next filming location.<</if>> [[Next|filmfinish]]

You're stood back in the clearing from yesterday near the tree line with the camera focused onto you. You're framed by the trees and the flowers on the ground, and Jordan is moving the camera ever so slightly to get the best framing. Eventually ?they-re happy and give you a cue. ?They <<verb 'counts'>> you in and you start speaking<<if $Confident > 65 >> confidently. You know your script inside out.<<elseif $Confident < 35>> shakily. Now the camera is on you you can feel yourself clamming up.<<else>>. It might take a moment but you've revised the script and you're sure that you know it.<</if>> “I’m back in the forest today to talk to you about a very real danger to ecosystems worldwide; humans. Ecosystems are the name we give to a community of organisms and the environment they interact with. There are many ecosystems that include humans and humans are a part of it, but there are also many ecosystems that do better when people aren’t involved. Large ecosystems are important for supporting many animals including humans. A good example of this would be the Amazon rainforest, which produces about 16% of the oxygen that’s produced on land.” <<if $Confident > 65 >>You're definitely on script and you're hitting the beats. You don't even need to look at Matt to know that he's happy with how you're going. You're nailing it!<<elseif $Confident < 35>>You think you've got it now? Your voice is still a little shaky as you speak but the points are coming back to you through the nervousness.<<else>>You're definitely on script now, you're sure. You hit your stride a little more easily, confident on where you're going now you're there.<</if>> “Destroying ecosystems in turn reduces biodiversity, which means the number of plants, animals and other organisms living in an area. This is an issue because it means that often an ecosystem is less likely to be able to restabilise after an interruption, whether that’s by humans or natural causes.” “Biodiversity is often destroyed by people due to two main methods; destruction of habitats directly or the reduction of individual species through exploitation, pollution or other alien species being introduced. The fact is that often one species, or one type of animal or plant, is hit by decline especially. This can, in turn, cause a domino effect and affect the numbers of other organisms.” [[Next|ecofilm2]]

“Especially over here, a big issue is nitrogen emissions and their effects on certain habitats such as heathlands and sand dunes. Nitrogen is released as emissions from cars and other transport, farming and other industry. These dissolve into the water system, which means that it gets evaporated and falls in rain.” “When this rain falls onto nitrogen-sensitive habitats, it can cause issues in habitats which prefer low nitrogen soils. As a result, low nitrogen plants are in decline. That includes <<if $Confident < 35>> a third<<else>> 37%<</if>> of our flowering plants in the UK.” <<if $Confident < 35>>You definitely forgot the real number there, but you think that you got the point through anyway. However, the momentary distraction has lost you. You risk a glance towards Matt, who isn't giving anything away. “Um… you<<else>>“You<</if>> can help by reducing your emissions, such as by taking public transport instead of your car. However, most emissions come from big companies rather than individuals, so the best way to tackle that is by writing to your local politicians and telling them what they should be concerned about.” <<if $Confident > 65>> “We’ll have links on how to do that below. Thank you for listening today and I hope you subscribe so we can see you again! From location it’s been $Name with $Channel.” You give a final radiant smile and Jordan counts you out before ?they <<verb 'gives'>> you a thumbs up. “That was really good,” ?they <<verb 'says'>>, smiling at you. Matt, from where he has been lurking watching you through the camera nods, grin still on his face. “It was,” he agrees. You've impressed him, which really does mean you've nailed it. He's rarely so impressed with presenting, even from himself. You bathe in the glory of your success for a few seconds, feeling the sun on your cheeks as you think about exactly how well you've done here. Maybe you're coming for his job. “Are we ready?” he asks and you nod. With your blessing, he’s already off towards the way that you came, ready to go to the next filming location, leaving you all to trail behind.<<elseif $Confident <35>>“We’ll have links on how to do that below. From location it’s been $Name with $Channel.” You give a final shaky smile and Jordan counts you out before ?they <<verb 'gives'>> you a nod. “That was crap,” you sigh, letting your head drop a little. Jordan gives you a sad smile and shakes ?their head at you. Matt, from where he has been lurking watching you through the camera, doesn't give anything away. “It wasn't as bad as you're thinking,” he assures, although you're not sold. You know that Matt could have done a lot better, but he’s the main presenter for a reason. You all stand in silence for a few moments, listening as the wind softly rustles through the leaves, allowing the tension to dissipate before you notice Matt is getting ready to go. “Are we ready?” he asks and you nod, thankful for the escape. With your blessing, he’s already off towards the way that you came, ready to go to the next filming location, leaving you all to trail behind.<<else>>“We’ll have links on how to do that below. Thank you for listening today! From location it’s been $Name with $Channel.” You give a final smile and Jordan counts you out before ?they <<verb 'gives'>> you a thumbs up. “That was a good one,” ?they <<verb 'says'>>, smiling at you. Matt, from where he has been lurking watching you through the camera nods. “It was,” he agrees. You know that Matt probably could have done a bit better, but he’s your main presenter for a reason. You all stand in silence for a few moments, listening as the wind softly rustles through the leaves before you notice Matt is getting ready to go. “Are we ready?” he asks and you nod. With your blessing, he’s already off towards the way that you came, ready to go to the next filming location, leaving you all to trail behind.<</if>> [[Next|filmfinish]]

You're stood back in the clearing from yesterday near the tree line with the camera focused onto you. You're framed by the trees and the flowers on the ground, and Jordan is moving the camera ever so slightly to get the best framing, getting both the ground and the tree canopy in the shot. Eventually ?they-re happy and give you a cue. ?They <<verb 'counts'>> you in and you start speaking<<if $Confident > 65>> confidently. You know this script inside out, in fact you could probably say it in your sleep!<<elseif $Confident < 35>> but it comes out shakily. You think you know the script but now you know the camera is rolling, you're not so sure.<<else>>. You know the script but until you start it you're not sure if you'll get it all right.<</if>> “Today I’m going to go back to basics and talk to you all about ecosystems. In the UK, traditionally most of our ecosystems are woodland ones, so it feels fitting to talk about it all here rather than back in the city.” “An ecosystem is the word we use to describe the animals and plants that live and interact together in an area. This can be altered by a number of conditions that aren’t living, such as the availability of water, the weather and climate in an area and the nutrients available in the soil.” <<if $Confident > 65>>You’re sure that you’re blasting through the script now, but you don’t risk looking at Matt or Jordan from where they are behind the camera, just in case.<<elseif $Confident < 35>> You think sure that you’re on script although you're really not sure, but you don’t risk looking at Matt or Jordan from where they are behind the camera, just in case.<<else>>You’re pretty sure that you’re on script by now, but you don’t risk looking at Matt or Jordan from where they are behind the camera, just in case.<</if>> “If something changes in an ecosystem, such as water becoming less available, then that will affect the ability of plants to grow. In turn, plants growing less will mean that it’s more difficult for animals to stay alive. If the change in weather is particularly drastic, this could cause the ecosystem to collapse. Humans can also cause collapses in ecosystems with actions such as overfishing, or overfarming<<if $Confident > 35>>, which depletes the amount of nutrients in the soil<</if>>.” “Naturally, as people have moved from working largely in rural areas to industrial ones, the makeup of the traditional ecosystems has changed to include the ecosystems created within cities. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as ecosystems can and do change naturally but we have to be careful to limit the impact that cities have on wildlife to make sure that it isn’t overly destructive or has an impact on native wildlife.” [[Next|teachfilm2]]

“Even within the category of woodland ecosystems, there are multiple types of them. We have ancient woodlands, broadleaf woodlands and coniferous woodlands within the UK, just to name a few. Each one of these ecosystems will be different from the other, just due to factors like soil content and temperature meaning that different plants and animals will inhabit those areas more or less easily.” <<if $Confident > 65>>“If you want information on how you can reduce your impact on the ecosystem, as well as how you can help your local woodlands, check the links below. From $Name from $Channel, thank you for watching!” You give a final confident smile and watch as Jordan counts you out before you take a deep breath, which you feel like you can do now you’re no longer on camera. “That was really good,” Matt says, nodding at you and you smile back. You nailed that so thoroughly that you're not even sure he could do better, but you’re not going to turn down the compliment when it comes from him. You just smile back at him. “Are you ready to move on?” he asks and you have to nod, since you know he wants to move on. There’s no point standing around the forest with nothing to be doing, and you know Matt feels that way also. He’s already off across the clearing back the way you came as soon as you gave him the go-ahead, leaving the rest of you to trail after him.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>“From $Name from $Channel, thank you for watching!” You give a final weak smile, sure that you've missed something out now and watch as Jordan counts you out before you take a deep breath, which you feel like you can do now you’re no longer on the camera. “That was awful,” you grumble, and you note that both of them don't quite meet your eyes. You know he could do better than you but you appreciate that no one is saying that just yet. “Are you ready to move on?” he asks and you have to nod. There’s no point standing around the forest with nothing to be doing, and you know Matt feels that way also. He’s already off across the clearing back the way you came as soon as you gave him the go-ahead, leaving the rest of you to trail after him.<<else>>“If you want information on how you can reduce your impact on the ecosystem, as well as how you can help your local woodlands, check the links below. From $Name from $Channel, thank you for watching!” You give a final smile and watch as Jordan counts you out before you take a deep breath, which you feel like you can do now you’re no longer on the camera. “That was good,” Matt says, nodding at you and you smile back. You’re pretty sure he could do better if he wanted to, but you’re not going to turn down the compliment when it comes from him. You just smile back and exhale. “Are you ready to move on?” he asks and you have to nod. There’s no point standing around the forest with nothing to be doing, and you know Matt feels that way also. He’s already off across the clearing back the way you came as soon as you gave him the go-ahead, leaving the rest of you to trail after him.<</if>> [[Next|filmfinish]]

You're stood up to mid calf in a pond for your segment, thankfully wearing a pair of rubber boots which Matt has leant to you. Jordan is stood opposite you in a matching khaki pair, which clashes pretty terribly with ?their otherwise colourful, and very much not khaki, outfit. Jordan has settled ?themself onto the most stable place ?they could find, the camera perched onto ?their shoulder as the rest of your team watches from the shore. You take a deep breath as Jordan readies the camera and after their cue you start talking<<if $Confident > 65>> confidently. This is your passion and you know the script inside out. Even if you didn't, you're pretty sure you'd be able to improvise it.<<elseif $Confident < 35>> uncertainly. It feels like all of your lines have washed away as you got into the pond.<<else>>. You're a little nervous, but that's just being on camera. You'll be alright when you get into it.<</if>> “I’m stood in the water today to talk about an animal that doesn’t typically get associated with the water; dragonflies. You’re right in thinking that dragonflies themselves don’t live in the water, but their larvae do, and spend a considerable amount of time doing so. This is because dragonflies spend most of their life not as winged insects, but as underwater larvae.” You <<if $Confident < 35>>slowly<</if>> raise a plastic tub that you gathered earlier to show what you mean<<if $Confident <35>> and since you're shaking the water spills a little onto your hand<</if>>. Jordan had already done a good job of filming the nymphs you’d managed to find up close already and you’re just holding them up for the camera to illustrate your point now. <<if $Confident > 65>>Thankfully you're secure in your footing, otherwise holding the tub could be disastrous.<</if>> “Dragonflies live as nymphs for between 2 months and 5 years depending on the species, although usually around 1 or 2 years. During this time, they eat and moult. Unlike butterflies, they don’t form a cocoon, instead, coming out of the water to learn to breathe air before they finally moult, pulling the adult dragonfly from their old skin, called a cast.” It’s the wrong time of year to find casts, but you’re happy with the creatures you have to show. <<if $Confident > 65>>By this point, you know you’re getting through the script and you’re breezing through it at that.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>By this point, you're pretty sure you're on script. If only you felt so steady on the slippery mud of the pond, you wouldn't feel like you have to look at your feet every few seconds.<<else>>By this point, you know you’re on script and you’re breezing through it.<</if>> [[Next|waterfilm2]]

“Unfortunately, dragonflies are like many other animals and they are threatened by human involvement. Climate change and the leaching of nutrients in the water system from farming affects the waterways, which in turn affects the life cycle of the dragonflies.” <<if $Confident > 65 >>“If you want to help the dragonflies, there’ll be links below. I’ve been $Name from $Channel, standing in a pond on location. Thank you for watching!” You give a final dazzling smile at the camera before you’re counted out. "And done," Matt says, giving you both a thumbs up as he holds his hand out for Jordan to pass him the camera. Alex holds their hand out for Jordan to take, pulling ?them up out of the pond and up the bank, not giving room for ?them to slip backwards. Once ?they-re on the bank, they hold a hand out to you and pull you back onto dry land. "That was great, you'll be after my job next," Matt says with a smile and a clap to your shoulder. He looks pretty pleased with your performance, and since he doesn't even seem to think he could do better, that's pretty great. "To the next thing?" he offers, and you nod. Before you know it he's halfway across the field with the camera in hand and you're all trailing after him.<<elseif $Confident < 35>>“If you want to help the dragonflies, there’ll be links below. I’m $Name from $Channel. Thank you for watching!” You give an awkward smile at the camera before you’re counted out. "And done," Matt says, giving you a thumbs up as he holds his hand out for Jordan to pass him the camera. Alex holds their hand out for Jordan to take, pulling ?them up out of the pond and up the bank, not giving room for ?them to slip backwards. Once ?they-re on the bank, they hold a hand out to you and pull you back onto dry land. "That was alright," Matt says with a smile and a clap to your shoulder. He looks pretty pleased with your performance, but you suspect it might be a bit of an act. You were shaky through a lot of it, but you got through it and that was the point, right? "To the next thing?" he offers, and you nod. Before you know it he's halfway across the field with the camera in hand and you're all trailing after him.<<else>>“If you want to help the dragonflies, there’ll be links below. I’ve been $Name from $Channel, standing in a pond. Thank you for watching!” You give a final smile at the camera before you’re counted out. "And done," Matt says, giving you both a thumbs up as he holds his hand out for Jordan to pass him the camera. Alex holds their hand out for Jordan to take, pulling ?them up out of the pond and up the bank, not giving room for ?them to slip backwards. Once ?they-re on the bank, they hold a hand out to you and pull you back onto dry land. "That was good, you hit your stride in the middle," Matt says with a smile and a clap to your shoulder. He looks pretty pleased with your performance, even though you're pretty sure he could have done better if he was doing the segment. "To the next thing?" he offers, and you nod. Before you know it he's halfway across the field with the camera in hand and you're all trailing after him.<</if>> [[Next|filmfinish]]

You pack everything into the car much less neatly than on your way here, your bags all packed a little haphazardly with the exception of the tents, which Matt had insisted on you unpacking and repacking a few times until they were packed properly to his standards. Your equipment and bags were definitely much neater on the way here, but everything got into the car and the door got closed, so who are you to complain? As long as you're still safe, why does it matter? Once again, there is one highly important question. Where are you sitting for this leg of the journey? [[I'm sitting up front!|homefront][$Confident += 2]] <<nobr>><<if $Chill > 50>> [[In the back with Eve and Alex|eabackchill]] <<else>> [[In the back with Eve and Alex|eabackelse]]<</if>><</nobr>> [[In the back with Alex and Jordan|ajback]] [[In the back with Jordan and Eve|jeback]]

<<set $music to 0>>You pull open the passenger side door and climb in to the front, leaving the rest of your team to squabble over who ends up in the middle of the back. Predictably, it's Jordan who ends up in the middle although ?they <<verb 'puts'>> up a better fight than you expected for ?them. Seeing you all in a different light has made ?them see you differently too, and you can't help but think that's probably for the better. Maybe from now on ?they'll be a little less tentative around you all and really open up now that ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't view you all as only ?their bosses but actually as a part of your friend group. You turn in your seat in time to see Jordan elbowing Alex as they get into the car next to ?them. Alex struggles to not grin at that, but you know they're impressed that Jordan is showing a little bit of a different side to ?them. Matt waits until everyone is settled and you can see that he is tapping his fingers on the steering wheel a little impatiently, but he doesn't tell them to settle down. You know he's more relaxed from this alone, since on the way down that would have resulted in you all being called children before you felt like you had to be quiet for the rest of the journey lest you face his wrath. Still, you can see he's a bit impatient to get going; you know he wants to be back before it gets too late but you finished with good time. It'll probably be dark by the time you get back, but it won't be past midnight this time. Eventually Jordan and Alex settle down into the back, de-escalating their squabbling enough that Matt feels happy to drive and keep you all safe at the same time. You're out of the countryside and back onto the grey desolate motorway a little too quickly for comfort, but you are on the way home. Everyone in the car has fallen quiet so Matt clicks the radio on and it starts blaring static. He gestures for you to sort it out so you choose… [[Whatever the radio settles onto next|homefront2][$music to 1]] [[The rock station|homefront2][$music to 2]] [[A local station|homefront2][$music to 3]] [[The latest hits|homefront2][$music to 4]] [[Golden Oldies|homefront2][$music to 5]] [[Classical music|homefront2][$music to 6]]

<<if $music is 1>>You hit the dial and it tunes to the next channel, which is halfway through //Don't Stop Believing//. You see Eve perk up out of the corner of your eye as the music spreads through the car. The song is a classic, after all, no one is going to speak against it. Before you know it, you're all singing along to the song, even Jordan who looks thrilled to be included in group bonding once again.<<elseif $music is 2>>You tune the radio, stopping when the heavy guitar of Biffy Clyro fills the car. Matt is nodding along although his concentration is mostly forwards and you hear Alex groan from the back of the car. You resist the urge to turn it all the way up, mostly because you're in Matt's car and his attention is focused onto driving on the motorway; you don't want to distract him. The temptation is there though; you and Alex never meet eye to eye on music taste and honestly, that's their loss.<<elseif $music is 3>>You stop when you hear the end of //Eye of the Tiger// but you're quickly deflated when it rolls into adverts and jingles for the area radio. You shouldn't be surprised but a local station typically promises a good mix of music so you know it'll be able to spark something in every one. Alex's eyes are filled with hope when it comes to songs they'll enjoy but you see them sigh when it comes to the adverts. You know how this all works and stations like these replay the same few adverts all the time. You'll be able to recite the jingles by the end of your journey but it's also probably the safest option to get music that'll please everyone.<<elseif $music is 4>>The vocals of Ed Sheeran fill the car and Matt starts tapping the wheel again, but this time you know it's to the beat. Alex looks a little horrified and Jordan doesn't look too pleased either. "Eve, come //on//, you can't be enjoying this," Alex complains but she just shakes her head. "Ginger solidarity," she replies simply, leaning her head against the window. In the wing mirror you can see that her lips are moving with the song; she clearly knows all of the words.<<elseif $music is 5>>As the warbling tones of Kate Bush fill the car you see Eve straighten up in the seat. Jordan seems happy with the choice, but you're pretty sure that you see Alex roll their eyes. You know they like more popular cheesy songs though, so you conclude this is mostly just because of Kate Bush and not because of the general concept of older music.<<elseif $music is 6>>The screech of violins fills the car; the warm orchestral sound being dampened drastically by the lacklustre sound of the car speakers. You're forced to turn it down a little so that it doesn't screech but you can see that everyone in the car is surprisingly okay with it. If anything, Jordan looks the least fussed, but you know well by now that ?they won't say anything to you about it.<</if>> Whether the music is appreciated or not, it fills up the quiet in the car. Admittedly, you're all pretty tired because no one has ever had a good night's sleep in a tent so maybe that's where the lack of enthusiasm has come from. You all just want to return home and sleep in an actual bed instead, much more comfortable than being on the ground, even when sharing with someone else. <<if $mattcrush is "true">>Matt is looking intensely forward and you try not to look too obviously at him, but you're failing. Besides, it's fine to look at someone you're in a car with like that, right? He has a slight frown on his face as he stares forward from concentration, but his tanned hand is still tapping along with the music. You have to turn away before you think too much about his broad fingers and calloused fingertips and how they'd feel resting on your thigh, or shoulder or just… anywhere that isn't the steering wheel. You can feel yourself getting hot under the collar and you have to force yourself to look at the dull lines on the side of the motorway instead.<</if>> As you stare out of the window, the side of the road feels like it's hypnotising you and making you tired. You aren't entirely sure, but you may have drifted off a little. You're not sure that you've heard the start of the song that's on right now, and your head feels like it's been resting against the window. You sit back up slowly, and Matt gives you a knowing smile. It's bad etiquette to fall asleep in the front on the car but a glance over your shoulder shows that Eve is asleep and even Alex's eyes are closed. Jordan is awake, awkwardly lodged in the middle of the two of them and you give ?them and apologetic look which ?they <<verb 'returns'>> with a soft smile which says ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't really mind. That puts you at ease, at least a little. "Wake them up," Matt orders to Jordan, who instantly tries to wake both Eve and Alex up as requested of ?them. Eve opens a sleepy green eye before shifting herself to sit up without comment. Alex tried to bat ?their hand away but shifts to look at you all from their position in the back of the car nonetheless. You're all awake-ish and Alex has a look on their face which says 'this better be good if I'm being woken up'. [[Next|servback]]

"I'm about ready to stop for food," Matt announces and you realise in amongst your daydreaming (and actual dreaming) that you have been travelling for a few hours. <<set $services to 0>> "Are you guys ready for the next services?" he asks. [[Your stomach is already in agreement. "Yes I'm ready to stop."|servback2][$services to 1]] [["I could do with a walk."|servback2][$services to 2]] [[I'm fine, so I keep quiet.|servback2][$services to 3]] [[I'm not hungry, but I'm also not driving.|servback2][$services to 4]]

You slide into the car after Alex, and you note that you've been automatically relegated to the middle seat, but you're not too fussed about that. You're between your friends and Eve's knees are neatly tucked away so that you can have a little more legroom despite the fact that the console is kind of in the way. You sit with one leg on either side, since that's the most sensible way to sit. Your knee bumps Alex's and they smile at you. You're about to apologise before you realise that your friend did that on purpose, sticking their tongue out at you. You're happy to see that the cloud of sadness has evaporated a little bit, although you know them well enough to know it'll be bubbling away somewhere underneath there. You're not going to ask anything from them now, though, you wouldn't be thanked for dragging up their bad mood in front of everyone. <<if $alexhookup is "true">>Alex bumps their knee against your own again, and you turn to them. "Hey $Name," they say, and you roll your head around to face them. "What?" "We have to stop meeting like this," they say, gesturing to where your legs are parted around the console. "I'm going to be your murderer," you drawl and they grin back, dark curls bouncing in front of their eyes as they shift in the seat to kick at your ankle gently. "Can you two not?" Eve grumbles, pushing at your shoulder to beg you to stop. You think you hear her mumble something like 'we already know you've banged' which you pretend that you didn't hear. You have a feeling Alex also heard that, which meant Matt did too, although he's giving nothing away, his eyes focused forwards and only occasionally looking towards Jordan who is still talking to him a little obliviously.<<elseif $alexcrush is "true">>You try to ignore the way that Alex's knee is bumping against yours. You know it's purposeful by now, and is meant to be entirely friendly but you can't help but feel a little awkward. It's a pretty typical action for them and you know they're just being them, but it doesn't mean that your stomach doesn't flip when they brush against you so casually. As you try to shift and get yourself away from it, your knee only presses against theirs for longer, which has the opposite effect. You try to tell your brain to calm down; Alex is your friend, nothing more and you have to tell your brain to calm the heck down, you aren't going there right now. As you settle, you pointedly turn your attention away from Alex. You see Eve looking at you closely but you turn away the notion that she could know what you were thinking. She's just looking at you, right?<<else>>You nudge their knee right back, which starts a small war between the two of you, with you nudging each other's knees. It's unfair for them to be attacking you considering you're the one in the middle of the car and you kick their ankle with moderate force to highlight that point. "Okay, okay, you win," they grumble and you sit back, satisfied. Eve looks pretty annoyed at the two of you but glad that you're done with it, her fine eyebrows furrowed at the two of you. "You done?" she asks and you nod, sitting in your middle seat a little more comfortably. Alex is now also shifted up a little to give you some more legroom. It's very well appreciated.<</if>> You look into the front of the car, where Jordan is sat and happily chatting to Matt. This time, though, it's not just about work and you're please to see that ?they-re looking considerably more confident in talking to Matt. Maybe part of that is also because Matt looks happier and more relaxed himself, but Jordan has definitely seen the good side of him now. <<set $mjchat to 0>> "What do you think they're talking about?" Alex mumbles, leaning over to you and keeping their voice low. [["Definitely just work."|eabackchill2][$mjchat to 1]] [["Probably Jordan telling Matt how to dress better."|eabackchill2][$mjchat to 2,$Rude += 2]] [[You use your well-honed Matt impression, his West Country accent perfected to say, "We need to check the exposure on the footage and optimise social media."|eabackchill2][$alex +=4, $mjchat to 3]] [[You're nearly asleep from the lull of the car so you look up at them with a "huh?"|eabackchill2][$mjchat to 4]]

"I'll take the middle," Eve says, and you're not going to fight her for it; everyone knows that the middle back is the worst seat in a car. Alex keeps their knees out of her way as she climbs in before you, careful not to jolt her or get too in her way. You slide in after her and close the door behind you. With the three of you in the back of the car, there's limited space. <<if $Height is "Very Tall" or $Height is "Tall">>You're used to it though, with your legs cramped up like this. Very few cars have enough room for your legs even in the front, but being in the back is your own special kind of hell. You don't have much leg room and Eve looks pretty aware of that, keeping her knee as out of the way of your own as possible.<</if>> You're very aware that your knees are pressed against Eve's and you try to tuck them towards the door but it's a bit of a tricky one. Matt's car isn't very big and you can't really move into any other spaces.<<if $evecrush is "true">> You're close enough to Eve that you get a waft of her perfume, a light vanilla and lavender scent which clings to her even though you've been asleep in a field rather than at home. You shift in your seat and meet Eve's eyes a little awkwardly, trying not to look flustered when your eyes cross paths either each other, her green meeting your own $eye_colour ones. You try to look elsewhere but you know that will look peculiar itself, since you're in the corner and you have to look somewhere and at someone. You settle for turning your attention to past her, looking at Alex.<</if>> Matt starts to drive once you're all firmly buckled in, directing you back to the motorway quickly. It feels like you're leaving the countryside a lot more quickly than you got into it in the first place, and the lush green hedgerows are quickly replaced by the monochrome of the motorway. It already feels like you're being herded back to your day to day life and you try not to think about that too much. You're still away from home for now. Jordan is chatting away in the front of the car as the rest of you stare out of the window. Matt's eyes are forward but he is giving ?them occasional smiles and noises of agreement. As you turn your eyes to the side, you catch Alex's eyes and they give you a small typical smile which you return.<<if $alexcrush is "true">> You ignore the way that your heartbeat feels like it speeds up a little as they smile. It's typical, and you should be over it now since they're your best friend, but without fail they get you to feel like this when they smile. It's such an open smile and you feel like you can see their soul when they do. Despite the fact they've been not feeling great all weekend, they still seem to hold a real (or at least realistic) smile for you. It's reassuring, somehow.<</if>> "I'm tired," Eve mumbles, and you roll your eyes. Alex chuckles and rolls their own right back to you. "It's not my fault," she tries to defend herself, "It's my second bad night's sleep and no one has ever slept well in a tent." That's a fair call, since you know that you personally didn't sleep as well as you would have done at home. "You're always tired," Alex mumbles and she shakes her head defiantly, before her point is instantly undercut by the fact that she's yawning, trying to hide before her hand. Alex shakes their head and juts their chin up slightly as if to say that their point has been made. <<set $mjchat to 0>> "You guys alright back there?" Matt asks, his piercing eyes meeting yours through the mirror as he glances up from the road to look at you in the mirror. [["We're delights," you tell him.|eabackelse2][$mjchat to 1]] [["Never better," you tell him, although you're uncomfortable.|eabackelse2][$mjchat to 2]] [[You start to reply before you're overcome with the need to yawn.|eabackelse2][$mjchat to 3]] [[You don't reply. Alex takes it instead.|eabackelse2][$mjchat to 4]]

<<if $mjchat is 1>>Alex rolls their eyes but nods, "Typical. They could do with a good day off." You can't disagree but you know that Matt won't have a day off until he's got all the editing, social media and other stuff planned again. "They'll get one eventually." Matt does have a one track mind though, and Jordan sees eager to impress, so you're not entirely sure that they will have a day off soon. They'll have to go to work tomorrow, at least. Is that a break? You'd argue against it.<<elseif $mjchat is 2>>"Ouch," they say, hissing through their teeth. "It's not Matt's fault that he dresses like young farmer of the year." You can't help but to laugh at that, because his outdoorsy look coupled with his pervasive West Country lilt, he does have all the hallmarks of a farmer. You know he knows though, since he practically leans into it with the farmer's tan and his often rogue-ish grin. You're not surprised that it goes down so well.<<if $mattcrush is "true">>And you're not immune to it.<</if>> <<elseif $mjchat is 3>>Alex tries to suppress a grin at your impression, but fails miserably. "I've decided that Eve needs to rewrite the whole last part of the script, and it should have been done 10 minutes ago," they reply, their own approximation of Matt's accent not being nearly as accurate as your own. "Alex you need to have two months of social media content on the calendar." "Too close to home," they chuckle, dropping the accent and hiding their face. <<else>>Alex shakes their head, rolling their eyes at you as they give you a gentle push to the shoulder. In your nearly asleep state, you have to fight against just going with it. "Never mind," they mumble, looking a little deflated that their want to take the piss out of Matt has fallen so flat. You blink at them before nodding tiredly, barely suppressing a yawn behind your hand. <</if>><<if $evecrush is "true">> You look over to Eve, who is awake, but only just so. She has a light flush on her cheeks, likely from the way she's warm underneath the blanket she's got wrapped around her shoulders. Her glasses are perched on the end of her nose and she pushed them back up idly as she tries to bite back a yawn. You now realise you've probably been looking at her for a little too long. You turn quickly away and try to ignore how flustered you feel from only observing her, seeing her face relaxed and the sunlight drift over her freckles. You need to just not think about it.<</if>> Eve meets your eyes with a sleepy smile and she stretches out her legs slowly, careful not to brush yours with her own, considering that you're already the one who got the short straw in this deal. Her green eyes look a little unfocused as she shifts in the seat, her head leaning against the window. You have a feeling that if she wasn't tired from sleeping on the ground, her nose would be in one of the books she brought with her, ignoring you all in favour of reading. [[Next|eaback]]

It's not long before all of you are asleep in the back of the car. Eve has leant against you in her sleep, her long hair tickling your nose but you don't push her away, not wanting to wake her up too brutally. "Wake them up," Matt orders to you, and you nod, shifting to move Eve from your shoulder and tip her back into the seat. You poke her on the shoulder and she opens her eyes with a slight glare at you, which quickly dissolves when she remembers where you are. Alex doesn't get the same level of care from you and you reach across to punch their shoulder, causing them to wake up with a jolt, eyes wide before they realise where they are and reach across to punch you back. [[Next|servback]]

<<if $mjchat is 1>>You grin at Matt and see him roll his eyes at you. Alex smirks and it pulls a smile from Eve even. Jordan turns in ?their seat a little to look back at you all, smiling like butter wouldn't melt for any of you.<<elseif $mjchat is 2>>The car seat is uncomfortable and it's alright for him to say he's good when he doesn't have to share the back seat. Eve's legs aren't that long but the lack of headrests in the back of the car do make it a tricky one. "We're fine," Eve placates, moving her own legs away from you as best she can to alleviate your discomfort, smiling at your apologetically as she does.<<elseif $mjchat is 3>>You stifle the yawn behind your hand as Alex talks for you and Eve. You would say something, but the yawns seem to be catching and you see Eve catch the yawn back again. You try to bite your tongue and focus onto what Alex is saying to distract yourself. "Don't you trust us?" they ask, leaning forward a little to try and get Matt and Jordan's attention. "I trust Eve and $Name, I don't trust //you//," he says, eyes not moving from the road. The tone is pretty harsh, but you know that Matt is joking with them. At least, you think he is.<<else>>"We're always great, have you seen us?" they ask, their tongue sticking out between their teeth as they talk. "That's what worries me," Matt jokes, although his tone is as serious as it often is. You know it's a joke though.<</if>> Matt looks like he doesn't trust any of you in the back, let alone all together, but you're too warm to really argue. The little cool air that reaches the front of the car doesn't touch you in the back which makes the car a little too warm. You can feel yourself nodding off, head resting against the window. Eve doesn't look like she's faring much better, already beginning to drop off too. Her long red hair is draped around her head like a curtain, blocking her mostly from view. Even Alex is leaning against the window and looking as exhausted as you feel, despite the happy smile on their face. [[Next|eaback]]

<<set $ajseat to 0>> Jordan slides in the middle seat before you can say anything, between you and Alex. ?Their legs settle either side of the central console of the car quickly. It's clear that ?they <<verb 'is'>> used to drawing the short straw, which is a little sad, but now's probably not the right time to address that. [["You can sit in the window seat if you want," you offer.|ajback2][$jordan += 2, $ajseat to 1]] <<link "You thank ?them. ?They didn't have to give you the window seat." "jeback2">><<set $jeback to 2, $Rude -= 5>><</link>> <<link "You slide into the car next to ?them without a word." "jeback2" >><<set $jeback to 3>><</link>>

<<if $ajseat is 1>>Jordan shakes ?their head and does up the seatbelt over ?their lap. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine here," ?they <<verb 'says'>>. You're not going to complain about ?them taking the middle, but you do wish ?they'd be a little more vocal for ?themself if nothing else.<<elseif $ajseat is 2>>That being said, you're not going to complain. Everyone knows the middle is the worst and to not have to offer to take the middle isn't the worst thing ever.<<else>>You'd be stupid to complain. Rarely do you get to take a window seat without some kind of argument if Alex is involved. They're always more than determined to take it for themself and you've not figured out a sure-fire way to avoid that yet.<</if>> As you settle into the car you feel a flick to your ear. You turn sharply to look, Alex returning your gaze as if they hadn't done anything. You narrow your eyes at your best friend and they force a mock innocence onto their face. "It wasn't me, it was Jordan." Jordan looks to them with a scowl, and you know it's the case that ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't know you well enough to have that level of familiarity in ?their actions and ?they-re certainly not confident enough to do that to you. "You're lying through your teeth," you say, eyes narrowed at your friend from your respective side of the car. "We ready to go?" Matt asks, looking at the three of you in the back and instantly you're all nodding, going along with it like there was never another option. Truth be told, there isn't; you're not pushing Matt while he's in control of the car. You know he's not afraid of using the 'I will stop this car right now' phrase on you all. You don't fancy encouraging Alex to push that because you are looking forward to getting home. As you drive, a comfortable silence falls over you although you notice that Jordan is fidgeting, seemingly uncomfortable in the silence. In the front, Eve and Matt have also settled into silence, the redhead resting against her head against the glass. If you look closely, it does look like they're exchanging slow conversation, but quietly. It's not loud enough to carry into the back of the car, not over the rattling that the poorly surfaced motorway is causing to echo. [[Next|ajback3]]

"I'm bored," Alex grumbles, arms folded over their chest stubbornly. "If I didn't care so much about my car and //you'd actually passed your test//, I'd let you drive," Matt replies, eyes focused forwards. Alex pulls a face and rolls their eyes and you're glad that Matt isn't looking at it, as you have a feeling that might have started something. You're glad that there's no way Alex can drive though, you have a feeling they'd be a terror behind the wheel. You're definitely happier that they're in the back with you. "Want to play i-Spy?" Jordan offers, and Alex shoots ?them an exhausted look, "I know, it's a stupid game but we always used to play it with my little sister on trips and it does help pass the time." <<set $ispy to 0>><<set $fort to 0>> "Or we could do fortunately, unfortunately," Alex suggests. You see Eve perk up at that from her place in the front, she loves being able to build a story and you understand Alex's technique, trying to get her on side so that they can get what they want. The attention turns to you and you know you have the deciding vote. [[You love i-Spy! That's your choice!|ispy][$ispy to 1, $jordan += 3, $Chill += 3]] [[You love fortunately, unfortunately! That's the choice!|fort][$fort to 1, $eve += 3, $Chill += 3]] [[You want to pass the time, and i-Spy is as good as anything.|ispy][$ispy to 2, $jordan += 3]] [[You want to pass the time and fortunately, unfortunately is your choice.|fort][$fort to 3, $eve += 3]] [[You don't want to play either, but if you have to choose you're choosing i-Spy.|ispy][$ispy to 4, $Chill -= 3, $jordan += 3]] [[You don't really want to play either, but if you have to pick, you're going for fortunately, unfortunately.|fort][$fort to 4, $Chill -= 3, $eve += 3]] <<nobr>><<if $jordcrush is "true">> <<link "Jordan looks so happy, agreeing with ?them is worth sticking through i-Spy." "ispy" >><<set $ispy to 3, set $jordan += 3>><</link>><</if>> <<if $evecrush is "true">>[[Eve getting involved is unusual, and you have to go with fortunately, unfortunately for her.|fort][$fort to 2, $eve += 3]]<</if>><</nobr>>

<<if $ipsy is 1>>"I vote for i-Spy," you say and Jordan all but beams at you. ?They <<verb 'is'>> clearly happy that you went with ?their choice.<<elseif $ispy is 2>>"Alright, go on. I-Spy it is," you nod to Jordan. Jordan looks delighted and although Alex is rolling their eyes again, looking at the two of you like you're children, you know they'll get into it. They have that competitive nature. <<elseif $ispy is 3>>"Let's start with i-Spy," you say, smiling at Jordan, who beams back at you. ?Their happiness makes your heart skip a beat and you're looking forward to it.<<else>>"Let's go with i-Spy," you say, and Jordan looks ecstatic that you're on ?their side.<</if>> "Okay, I'll start," Jordan says, looking out of the window and waiting for something to see. "Okay, I spy with my little eye, something beginning with… T." You shoot a look at Alex as they predictably mutter 'twat' only loud enough for the two of you to hear. Jordan pointedly ignores that as you look around. "Tarmac?" you offer, to which ?they <<verb 'shakes'>> ?their head. "Trees," Alex says and Jordan nods, "My turn then. I spy with my little eye something beginning with… T." They cast a steely look at Matt before shaking their head, deciding not to start that now. "Actually I pick H." Jordan and you share a confused look, offering up a few suggestions of 'Honda', 'Harley' and 'house' which all receive shakes of the head. For someone who didn't want to play i-Spy, Alex is looking pretty smug to be the one who's winning. They meet your eyes and pointedly flick them to the back of Matt's head. As you try and rack your brain for insults that start with a 'h', Alex pointedly looks back behind their head. "Headrest?" you offer, to which Alex smiles and nods. "You got it." <<set $ipsya to "a">> So now it's your turn. "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…" [["C." You're going with cats eyes.|ispy2][$ispya to "c"]] [["L." You've seen a lorry.|ispy2][$ispya to "l", $Traditional += 2]] [["E." You're choosing Eve, whether she wanted to be involved or not.|ispy2][$ispya to "e", $eve -= 2]] [["S." You're going for speed camera.|ispy2][$ispya to "s"]]

<<if $fort is 1>> "I vote for fortunately, unfortunately," you say and Eve smiles at you. Alex looks content, but you think that's mostly because they've got their own way.<<elseif $fort is 2>>"Let's go with fortunately, unfortunately," you conclude, and Eve turns around in her seat to meet your eyes in the back. You try not to feel flustered when her smile is directed at you.<<elseif $fort is 3>>"Go on, fortunately, unfortunately it is." Alex grins at you and Eve smiles mildly, although you know she's actually really pleased.<<else>>"Let's go with fortunately, unfortunately," you say, and Alex looks smug and happy at your choice; Eve just looks happy.<</if>> "I don't know how to play," Jordan says, and Eve shakes her head. "You'll get it really quickly, don't worry. Just go along with it. I'll start, and pass it to Alex then you'll know what to do." For someone who often speaks so little, talking about story creation really does get Eve to open up. "Fortunately," she begins, "There wasn't a queue at the store when I went this morning." "''Unfortunately''," Alex carries on, "That was because there was a heavy storm." "Fortunately," Jordan starts, voice unsteady, "I had an umbrella." "Unfortunately, the umbrella got caught in the wind and ripped out of my hand." It cycles back around to Eve. "Fortunately, I got into the shop without getting too wet apart from my shoes." "Unfortunately, when I went to get vegetables, they were all slimy." "Fortunately, I like the slime because I am a snail," Jordan says, and Eve's eyes light up as your game takes a step into the absurd. [["Unfortunately, they were salty, so now my hand is burnt."|fort2][$fort to 1]] [["Unfortunately, I got swept away by the cleaner."|fort2][$fort to 2]] [["Unfortunately, the vegetables were onions, which I, as a snail, am allergic to."|fort2][$fort to 3]] [["Unfortunately, I got stepped on by one of the other few customers."|fort2][$fort to 4]]

<<if $ispya is "c">>"Citroen?" Jordan offers, which gets ?them a shake of your head. "Cars," Alex snorts, and you frown at them before shaking your head. "Just had to make sure you weren't being basic," they chuckle, looking out of the window, scrutinising the motorway like it can feed them the answers. "Cats eyes," they settle on and you nod, giving them a hand gesture which says 'alright, go ahead'.<<elseif $ispya is "l">>"Lorry," Alex says instantly, and you wrinkle your nose, annoyed that they're correct so quickly. "You need to be less basic if you're going to beat me," they say, sticking their tongue out briefly at you.<<elseif $ispya is "e">>Both of the other players look really confused at your letter choice. "Elephant," Alex offers, before descending into laughter, their hand clutching the side of the car as they do. Once they fall quiet, they look confused again. Jordan doesn't look like ?they-re fairing much better, stumped over what could be starting with an 'E'. You look at Alex before pointedly looking at Eve, paying them back for their hint over the headrest. "Eve," they say slowly, and you nod. A smile spreads over their face as the game passes back to them but Eve just rolls her eyes, unhappy at the forced inclusion.<<else>>"Service station?" Jordan offers, to which ?they <<verb 'gets'>> a shake of your head and return their staring out of the window, looking for the next thing. "Speed camera," Alex says, and you nod. As they speak, you feel the car slow down a little and both you and Alex have to bite your lip to withhold a grin. Matt is a very safe driver at the best of times, and reminding him of the speed seems to make him feel like he has to slow it.<</if>> "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with C," Alex says, arms crossed over their chest, satisfied. "If you've gone with 'cars'," you threaten and Alex shakes their head, a self-satisfied smile on their face. "Cows," Jordan coos, pointing out the window at a field and Alex nods before they clarify, "Oh, I wasn't playing." "But it //was// cows," they say, not that any of you care any more because you've seen a field of cows and that instantly takes priority. Obviously. "I'm exhausted, I'm not playing any more," Alex says, sighing and resting their head onto the window with a yawn. They curl up slightly, arms tangled in their jumper as they lean against the car door. Jordan leans back into ?their seat as half of ?their captive audience leaves. You take this as a sign that any games are over, and with the amount of yawning that's happening in the car, you're tired too. You let your eyes drift closed, using the fact you've managed to get a window seat to have a nap. Matt's crappy car shouldn't be more comfortable than sleeping on the floor when camping, but it is. You don't even realise when the white noise of driving and the way you're curled up lulls you to sleep. [[Nap Time!|gameend]]

<<if $fort is 1>>"Fortunately, I don't use that hand much anyway." You all try to resist making the comment you know is about to bubble up from Alex. "Unfortunately, it is usually a //very useful// hand." You have to resist rolling your eyes at the easy joke your best friend has made. Eve doesn't resist it, her green eyes rolling at the comment. "Fortunately, I currently have a snail partner," Jordan says, and you're all so shocked by the comment from $?them that you devolve into laughter.<<elseif $fort is 2>>"Fortunately, they were very nice and kept me as a pet." "Unfortunately, they have the same attitude to pets as Darla in Finding Nemo and now I have been shaken up." "Fortunately, I don't have motion sickness." "Unfortunately, it did crack my shell," you say, circling it back to Eve. "Fortunately, I survived that." "Unfortunately, I got shell infection and died." "Fortunately, I'm a lesser spotted Jesus snail, and I came back after three days." You snort at the absurdity of that, and you all dissolve into laughter, Jordan beaming at the way ?they <<verb 'is'>> able to make you all laugh so openly.<<elseif $fort is 3>>"Fortunately, I'm not deathly allergic," Eve continues, "Unfortunately, I'm now all puffy, which is not a good look for such a svelte snail." Alex slides their hands down their sides as if to prove exactly how svelte a snail they are. "Fortunately, I now have a job as a sole of a fancy trainer." Alex snorts out a laugh at that and before you know it, both you and Eve are laughing along with them and Jordan. It's too absurd to do anything else.<<else>>"Fortunately, I'm a strong snail, and I didn't get squished," Eve continues, nodding to Alex to continue. "Unfortunately, it did scupper my bid for the snail Olympics." Jordan laughs at that, and ?their laugh is infectious enough that you start to laugh along with ?them, even as ?they <<verb 'talks'>>. "Fortunately, I have recovered and I hope to relaunch my career with snail curling." "Snail curling," Alex asks, "Do you use yourself as the stone?" "Yep," Jordan confirms, nodding along with Alex as they dissolve into laughter completely. You and Jordan had never stopped, and as a result you're both laughing. Alex gets dragged into it and even Eve starts to giggle along.<</if>> The laughter is cut short when Eve and Alex both duck behind their hands to yawn. "I'm exhausted, I'm not playing any more," Alex says, sighing and resting their head onto the window with a yawn. They curl up slightly, arms tangled in their jumper as they lean against the car door. Jordan leans back into ?their seat as a third of their captive audience leaves. With that cue, Eve turns around in her own seat and settles back into her front seat, utilising her cardigan as a blanket. You take this as a sign that any games are over, and with the amount of yawning that's happening in the car, you're tired too. You let your eyes drift closed, using the fact you've managed to get a window seat to have a nap. Matt's crappy car shouldn't be more comfortable than sleeping on the floor when camping, but it is. You don't even realise when the white noise of driving and the way you're curled up lulls you to sleep. [[Nap Time!|gameend]]

"Wake them up," you hear Matt order to Jordan, who instantly tries to wake Alex up as requested of ?them. You sit up slowly, eyes blearry but with the intention of showing that you are awake and you don't need the help. Eve shifts herself to sit up without comment in front of you. Alex tried to bat ?their hand away but shifts to look at you all from their seat behind Matt nonetheless. You're all awake-ish and Alex has a look on their face which says 'this better be good if I'm being woken up'. [[Next|servback]]

<<set $jeback to 0>> Jordan slides in the middle seat before you can say anything, between you and Eve. ?Their legs settle either side of the central console of the car quickly, with Eve tucking her legs to one side so ?they <<verb 'have'>> a little more leg room. It's clear that ?they <<verb 'is'>> used to drawing the short straw, which is a little sad, but now's probably not the right time to address that. [["I can sit in the middle if you want," you offer.|jeback2][$jeback to 1, $jordan += 2]] <<link "You thank ?them. ?They didn't have to give you the window seat." "jeback2">><<set $jeback to 2, $Rude -= 5>><</link>> <<link "You slide into the car next to ?them without a word." "jeback2" >><<set $jeback to 3>><</link>>

<<if $jeback is 1>>Jordan shakes ?their head and does up the seatbelt over ?their lap. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine here," ?they <<verb 'says'>>. You're not going to complain about ?them taking the middle, but you do wish ?they'd be a little more vocal for ?themself if nothing else.<<elseif $jeback is 2>>That being said, you're not going to complain. Everyone knows the middle is the worst and to not have to offer to take the middle isn't the worst thing ever.<<else>>You'd be stupid to complain. Rarely do you get to take a window seat if you're sat in the back with Eve. She always gets the window seat in default and you can never really bring yourself to argue with her so you're not going to complain over the fact that you do get the chance to not sit in the middle.<</if>> As Matt starts to drive, a silence fills the car that isn't wholly comfortable. Eve seems fine, her head resting against the window. Looking at her, you know she's already close to drifting off. Jordan meets your eyes and smiles at you a little awkwardly<<if $jordcrush is "true">> and //damn//, they look cute<</if>>. You can see that Alex and Matt are also sat in silence in the front. Your best friend looks a little nervous, which is pretty unusual, but you try not to think about it too much. You see them try to talk to Matt, who gives them not much of a response. Having been rebutted, Alex turns their attention back to the window, and you meet their eyes briefly through the wing mirror which forces a small awkward smile from you both. Jordan looks to you a little bit desperately, hoping that you can be the one to break the silence that's hanging uncomfortably in the car. You're quickly getting the impression that silence is what doesn't sit well with Jordan, but ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't quite know how to fix that ?themself. "Have you…" ?their voice is pretty small before ?they <<verb 'repeats'>> the question, "Have you had a good weekend?" It's a weak start for a conversation but ?they-re trying to get something started, and you can't discredit their attempt. [["Yeah, it's been good to get away. All together."|jeback3][$jeback to 1, $Rude -= 5]] [["It's nice to be away from work. I probably would have been working if I'm not here."|jeback3][$jeback to 2]] [["I don't much like sleeping on the ground, but other than that."|jeback3][$jeback to 3]] [["Well, we got footage." Although on a personal level, you'd have liked to be at home.|jeback3][$jeback to 4]] <<if $jordcrush is "true">>[["It was good to get to know you some more."|jeback3][$jeback to 5]]<</if>>

<<if $jeback is 1>> Even though it's had it's low and high points, you do enjoy being here with your friends, and that's quickly including Jordan. "Maybe next time we can all stay together as well," ?they <<verb 'says'>> and you nod along with ?them. Considering that ?they-re new and technically only an intern, ?they definitely fit into your little group here pretty well. You're looking forward to working with ?them.<<elseif $jeback is 2>>Technically you're still working here, but it's a bit different when you're with your friends and you've had to deal with a total of zero customers all weekend, so you're not mad about that. "Me too," Jordan agrees, "It's nice to not be there at the weekend." "The downsides of working retail is all the weekend work," you agree, stretching out in the seat and trying to hold back a yawn.<<elseif $jeback is 3>>Jordan laughs and nods, "It was fun though." Camping //is// pretty fun, but you still wish that Matt would splash out and get a hotel room for you all at some point. Maybe when you get more subscribers you'll be allowed to get one but you don't see that happening any time soon. It's tents for the foreseeable. Maybe a caravan if you get really lucky and the camp sites are all fun.<<elseif $jeback is 4>>"We definitely did that," Jordan agrees, smiling at you and looking down to ?their phone. You think that ?they <<verb 'has'>> started to get distracted on ?their phone but soon ?they <<verb 'turns'>> ?their face back up to you. "We got about 8 hours of footage which I'll need to trim down but that's really good for a weekend. Especially on location." You nod and agree. Having Jordan around seems to make you all more productive, and you can't complain about that.<<else>>You smile at Jordan and ?they <<verb 'smiles'>> back at you before looking down, a little abashed. You don't think ?they <<verb 'was'>> expecting you to say that, and in a nervous tic you haven't seen before ?they <<verb 'fiddles'>> with the end of one of ?their braids.<</if>> "Have you had a good time?" you ask ?them right back and ?they <<verb 'nods'>> eagerly, like it's the best weekend ?they <<verb 'have'>> ever had. "It's so good, I've never been camping before," ?they <<verb 'confesses'>> and you smile, "Unless you count when me and my sister slept on the balcony of a friend's flat." You're really not sure that does count, but you're not going to discredit it. At least one person who isn't Matt enjoys sleeping on the ground, never being warm enough and then waking up and all of your shoes being damp because there's dew outside. Plus, of course, trekking across a field every time you want to go to the toilet. "I'd prefer to be sleeping at home," Eve contributes and you're not surprised on that from her. She's a homebody at the best of times and not being around her bed or her books destabilises her, you know that. "Maybe it's just more novel for me," Jordan suggests and Eve looks more than happy with that conclusion. "You've never been camping before?" you ask, and Jordan shakes ?their head, "I nearly went with university but it was really expensive so I decided against going on the field trip. I decided to save the money to go towards a masters instead." That field trip was expensive, you remember. Ben paid for half of it as a birthday present for you. For camping on a rainy weekend, you were charged much too much. Better that Jordan spend ?their time with you camping than on that trip. The conversation dies after that, and you feel yourself drifting off in the near silence. You glance over to Eve, seeing her drifting off, her chin nearly down to her chest. Alex is slumped in the front but from where you're sat you can't tell if their awake or asleep. As you look out of the window, you feel your eyes start to drift closed and without even realising it, you're asleep. [[Nap Time!|jebaend]]

"Wake them up," Matt orders to Jordan, who instantly tries to wake Eve up as requested of ?them. Eve opens a sleepy green eye before shifting herself to sit up without comment. You open your own eyes slowly, smiling at ?them to tell ?them that you're awake and don't need to be woke up. Alex moves in the front passenger seat, sitting up and taking a deep breath before hitting their head back against the window with a fairly satisfying clunk. [[Next|servback]]

<<if $services is 1>>Matt nods, like one person confirming what he wants is enough. In his defence, he is the driver so he gets to pick when you stop.<<elseif $services is 2>>Matt nods with you, and you know his mind is made up by you agreeing with him. He's in charge though, so you're very aware that he likely would have wanted to stop either way.<<elseif $services is 3>>Alex voices agreement, which seems to be enough for Matt to nod and settle the decision. You suspect you'd be stopping at the next service station.<<else>>A fair point, and Alex voices their agreement over wanting to stop for some food. You're not surprised to hear that's enough for Matt, and he pulls into the closest lane to be ready for the service station when you get there.<</if>> As you slow into the service station you think that you do feel like you could do with stretching your legs, even if that was only around the dull building. It's a different one to the way up, but it imbues the same desolate feeling in you. The grey building straddles the motorway and a sign promises the same fare as every other one of its type; a bookshop, a small supermarket and various fast food outlets. You move across the car park as a pack. You're all a little unsure on your feet, trying to stretch out the stiffness in your joints. You see Matt doing the same, dropping into a lunge as he tries to stretch out his legs. Alex snorts at this and does a deep lunge in mockery of him, which causes a small scowl from Matt. "Right gang," he says as you enter the service station. "How about we meet back in half an hour to get burgers. My parents are offering to pay." You're not going to turn down that offer. You can afford a takeaway meal for yourself, but no one whose ever been a student turns down free food. You're not about to buck that trend. "Deal," you say as Jordan and Eve both just nod. "Alex, can I talk to you quickly?" he says, which you think is pretty odd, but the look on Matt's face says that you shouldn't get yourself involved. You look around the service station with your nose wrinkled. These places never do get more impressive, do they? They're a liminal space filled with ennui and truckers. Maybe you should write that down actually, Charlie would like that phrase. <<set $count to 1>><<nobr>><<set $arguevisit to "false">><<set $textvisit to "false">><<set $jordvisit to "false">><<set $evevisit to "false">><<set $mattvisit to "false">><<set $alexvisit to "false">><<set $benread to "false">><<set $alexread to "false">><<set $charread to "false">><</nobr>> [[Next|servicesb]]

Where are you going?<<if $count <2 && $arguevisit is "false">> [[Matt and Alex are in what looks like a... heated discussion.|argument1][$arguevisit = "true"]]<</if>><<if $count lte 3 && $textvisit is "false">> [[Check your phone|text][$count += 0.5, $textvisit to "true"]]<</if>><<if $count < 3 && $jordvisit is "false">> <<link "Jordan is stood in the bookshop with a magazine. You think you should go and talk to ?them." "jordbook" >><<set $jordvisit to "true", $count += 1, $jordan += 3>><</link>><</if>><<if $count < 3 && $evevisit is "false">> [[Eve is in the arcade? What's that about?|evearcade][$evevisit to "true", $count += 1, $eve += 3]]<</if>><<if $count gte 2 && $count < 3 and $mattvisit is "false">> [[Matt is pacing around the halls, looking livid. You need to go and see what's going on with him.|mattdiscuss][$mattvisit to "true", $count += 1, $matt += 3]]<</if>><<if $count gte 2 && $count < 3 and $alexvisit is "false">> [[You brush past Alex and see that they look exceptionally upset. You have to stop them right there and then.|alexsad][$alexvisit to "true", $count += 1, $alex += 3]]<</if>> [[I'm just going to head for dinner.|dinner]]

You listen as best as you can without looking like you're lurking around and consciously trying to listen to what they're saying. You're on the edges of the conversation but you can still hear Matt's teacherly tone and Alex's furious one. The words Alex is spitting are fast and sharp, but you still hear the words 'home' and 'business'. You think that it's probably unethical to be listening to a private conversation between your best friend and your other friend who is also kind of your boss. Do you want to listen to more? [[No, it's unethical.|argumentno]] [[Yes, and I'm going to get closer.|argumentyes][$matt -= 3, $alex -= 5]]

That's probably a good decision, Alex would be gutted if they heard that you were listening to their conversation without telling them and Matt would give you his well perfected disappointed face. It's best to leave it alone. Focus your attention on something else, if you can.<<set $count += 0.5>> [[Next|servicesb]]

You slowly walk closer to them, pretending to be looking at the options in one of the vending machines. There's enough options between the sweets, crisps and bottled drinks that you can get away with lurking for a while, hopefully long enough that if you can keep your head forward you can listen to the conversation and not get spotted as listening over to them. Sure, it's a little deceptive but you need to know. "Like I said, it's none of your business," Alex snaps, venom dripping from their voice. You try not to turn around to meet your friend's eyes, although it's hard not to when you heard them so angry. You've never heard them take that tone with anyone they're close to, and you're shocked to hear that they're taking it with Matt, of all people, after he'd organised the weekend away. "I just want to help. Let us help you," Matt tries to reason, his voice very level in contrast to Alex's raised one. Matt's pushing them though, and you know that'll get them to shut down completely. Pushing Alex just causes them to push right back, you know that all too well, but Matt doesn't take the same level of lenience with them as you tend to. You're closer than he and Alex are and you know exactly what goes too far, a boundary Matt doesn't care to observe.<<if $alextruth is "true">> You know what Alex will be talking about; their impeding eviction. For all of Matt's intentions, you know Alex doesn't enjoy conflict. For them to be this riled up and not joking, you assume that Matt went in with a fairly accusing tone.<</if>> "Maybe I don't want your charity. Not everyone has to fit under Matt's control," they spit and you hear them turn on their heel and stride past you. You're pretty sure you've got away with listening in when you hear Matt sigh deeply and walk past you as well, but you know he won't be chasing Alex. That discussion is over for now at least. You're glad you've got away with listening to their conversation like this, but also you do feel a little guilty. Alex is usually one to stow their emotions away and you worry that they won't trust you if they realise you were overhearing an argument and them losing their cool. Still, when you're worried for your friend, what else are you supposed to do? You look at the vending machines a final time, deciding you don't actually want anything before you take a step back and turn on your heel so you're no longer looking at the wall. You're glad that you managed to get away with listening in without being detected though, it would only add to that argument and that has to have been for the best. That was certainly dramatic, but you shouldn't dwell on this the entire time you're here, right? <<set $count += 1>> [[Next|servicesb]]

<<if $benread is "false">>[[You have 3 messages from Ben|bentext][$benread to "true"]] <</if>><<if $charread is "false">>[[You have 2 messages from Charlie|chartext][$charread to "true"]] <</if>><<if $alexread is "false">>[[You have 1 message from Al|alextext][$alexread to "true"]] <</if>>[[You've seen enough, actually. You don't want to read any more texts right now.|servicesb]]

You load up the texts from your brother, reading them subconsciously in his voice. They just fit him so perfectly. 'Hope your weekend is going well :)' 'Just thought that you won't have seen this because of signal." 'Still, stay safe. Text me when you can!' You reply; [[You resist the urge to give him a full run-down of your weekend, knowing you can just do that when you're home. In the end, you settle on, 'I've just seen this. Safe and good weekend. Will see you later :)'|text][$benjamin += 5]] [['Just stopped on way home. See you soon!'|text][$benjamin += 2]] [['At services. Back soon.'|text][$benjamin += 1]] [['On way back now.'|text]] [[You don't reply with text, just sending him a 'thumbs-up' in response.|text][$benjamin -= 1, $Rude += 3]]

You load up the texts from Charlie, your boss and closest work friend. 'Work's been boring without you this weekend. You've been missed.' 'See you tomorrow morning! Bright and early! D:' You can imagine that Charlie's tone when they sent the message wasn't as cheery as the message sounded but nevertheless you reply; [['See you tomorrow. Early? Maybe not bright.'|text][$charlie += 5]] [['I might be dead. See you then.'|text][$charlie += 5]] [[You just send a 'thumbs-up' in response to them, not really wanting to get into the conversation right now.|text]]

Attached is a picture message of you as you were recording your segment. It could have easily been unflattering, since you are clearly talking, but it's actually a pretty good photo of you. Text has been overlaid onto it which says 'Is $Name the new Matt? ;)' and although it isn't uploaded as far as you can tell, you know that Alex would like to if you give them the go ahead. There's no point replying now, since you can tell them your decision in person at some point.<<if $alexcrush is "true">> You feel your heart jump as you read the text, trying to ignore the way that even a text from Alex makes you feel. The implication of the ;) in their caption isn't missed on you.<</if>> [[You don't reply, since you're still with your friend. You can tell them about the photo in person.|text]]

<<set $jordbook to 0>>You see Jordan lurking in the bookshop, ?their nose buried in a nature magazine. ?They <<verb 'does'>>n't even look up when you move close to ?them, and ?they <<verb 'jumps'>> when you say ?their name and <<verb 'struggles'>> to not drop the magazine. You realise that the reason it was so precarious is that ?they <<verb 'is'>> balancing it carefully in one hand to take photos of a few of the articles with the other hand. "Sorry, I didn't see you," ?they <<verb 'apologises'>>, looking around the store to make sure ?they <<verb 'has'>>n't drawn too much attention to ?themself. It's pretty evident that ?they had not seen you before you peeper over ?their shoulder. Taking a closer look at the magazine, you can see that it's a nature one, and ?they-re taking photos of an interview with a nature writer and photographer. For looking at later, presumably. "I know you're not supposed to do this," ?they <<verb 'says'>>, looking to you as if you're about to tell ?them off but you just shrug waiting to hear ?their justification, "But Matt recommended an article and the magazine is five quid. That's mad, right?" You understand, five pounds for a magazine that you'll probably read only once is exceptionally steep, especially when you're on minimum wage, which you're pretty sure Jordan is. You doubt a summer job is paying them enough to spend that much on pretty paper, even if it could be useful long term. When you translate it into time, that magazine is worth about 40 minutes of their work. That is a high price. [["Well, I won't tell if you don't."|jordbook2][$jordbook to 1, $jordan += 5]] [["What about the people who make the magazine?"|jordbook2][$jordbook to 2]] [["I'm still pretty sure it's wrong."|jordbook2][$jordbook to 3, $jordan -= 2]] [[You say nothing.|jordbook2]]

<<if $jordbook is 1>>Jordan grins at you and continues to snap photos of the rest of the article before placing it down back onto the stack and pocketing ?their phone. "It seems interesting. Hopefully it'll help with developing my skills a bit." ?They'd probably do as well just asking Eve for help if ?they-re really concerned about ?their writing skills, but maybe this is just a starting ground here to rounding out all of ?their skills. You can understand the desire to be as good as possible at everything going into a postgraduate degree.<<elseif $jordbook is 2>>"I think they probably make more than me," Jordan says, shrugging a little as ?they <<verb 'takes'>> a final picture and puts the magazine back down. "In fact, probably make a //lot// more than me." A lot more than all of you is a safe bet. Service jobs don't often pay too well, especially if you prefer them to work around things you actually want to do. "Okay, that's fair," you shrug, placated by ?their conclusion. If you follow ?their logic then you'd come to the same judgement; no one will be suffering from people who wouldn't buy the magazine not buying the magazine anyway.<<elseif $jordbook is 3>>Jordan's smile fades at that and ?they <<verb 'puts'>> the magazine down without taking any more photos, just slotting it back into place. ?They <<verb 'looks'>> a little confused over you being the one to take that kind of tone with ?them, a tone that Matt would usually be quicker to take than you, but ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't say anything about it. "I don't think it's really doing any harm," ?they quietly <<verb 'rebutts'>>, although ?they <<verb 'does'>>n't pick the magazine back up either.<<else>>Jordan continues to take a few photos of the magazine, so that ?they can read it later before letting it fall shut with a snap and placing it back onto the metal shelf with a small but satisfying clunk.<</if>> Jordan wanders out from the bookshop and you follow since there's nothing for you in there without them. The staff in the shop don't notice the two of you leaving and you're pretty sure they feel like they have better things to be thinking about right now compared to two twenty-somethings lurking around the magazines, even if they were taking photos of the magazines. You guess they're paid as well as the rest of you, that they don't really care.<<if $jordcrush is "true">> You look closer to the youthful face of Jordan and the way that ?they-re frowning ever so slightly. Even as ?they <<verb 'thinks'>>, ?they-re cute and you pull your eyes away to avoid anything looking too obvious. You're at a kind of gross service station, you don't want to flirt in this kind of moment even though looking at Jordan makes your heart beat a little faster.<</if>> "Don't you think service stations are weird?" ?they <<verb 'says'>> and you make a sound of slightly non-committal agreement. They really are a weird place, trapped between two places people want to be. It ends up with a place that no one really want to be, not least the people who work here. "I've never really travelled very much. I'd never been to one before working with you guys." You're almost incredulous in the shock there. "Never?" "Never," ?they <<verb 'confirms'>>, "My mum doesn't drive and if me and my sister go anywhere it's usually by train." "They have the same feeling as a train station though, no?" "Basically the same but more desolate." You can't help but laugh at that and nod. Train stations and service stations have the same feeling of people just passing through; no one wanting to be there and the level of unkemptness that highlights that even further. No one has been in a service station if they didn't have to, and that goes for all of you. "I'm going to pop to the toilet before we eat, I'll see you in a bit." The two of you part ways with a little wave and you go back to wandering around the service station by yourself. [[Next|servicesb]]

As you walk through the grey hall of the service station, you see Eve in the gambling centre you have to pause for thought. It's unusual for her and you've go to poke your nose in there. The lights and noises are going to be annoying pretty quickly but you need to know what she's doing. Her curtain of red hair is pushed out of her face as she looks down at a machine with a roulette wheel on the screen.<<set $evearcade to 0>> "What are you doing?" you ask, narrowing eyes at her a little bit. "I thought I'd try gambling," she says with a slight shrug, turning her attention to you slightly before it quickly focuses back on to the screen. The colours from the screen light up her fair face as she turns her attention back to the screen, the lights reflected in her glasses. [["Aren't you a Catholic?"|evearcade2][$evearcade to 1, $eve += 3]] [["Gambling, really?"|evearcade2][$evearcade to 2, $eve += 2]] [["I'm not sure that's a good idea."|evearcade2][$evearcade to 3, $Traditional += 2]] [["Gambling is lame."|evearcade2][$Rude += 2]]

<<if $evearcade is 1>>"My mam is a Catholic, there's a difference," she corrects, looking back down onto the garish wheel, clicking to make it spin. "So why are you gambling?" "Because //I'm// not," she chuckles, pressing a button which makes the wheel spin on the screen.<<elseif $evearcade is 2>>"I thought I could try it once," she says with a shrug, "And where better to do it than in purgatory itself." She grins at you as you shake your head a little, but she's not wrong about how service stations feel. They're truly the middle ground between heaven and hell. "I mostly just wanted to see what it's about." As she speaks, she presses a button which makes the wheel spin. "So far, I'm not seeing the appeal of it. I don't think it's for me."<<elseif $evearcade is "3">>"I know, I know, it's a slippery slope," she says, "Which is why I'm doing it away from home in a place I don't want to be again." Her voice is quite deadpan as she speaks, and you can't fault her logic. "Okay, that's sensible." "You'll sound like my mam if you go on," she critiques, although there's still a smile on her face as she presses the button a final time, letting the wheel spin.<<else>>Eve lets out a laugh and looks at you incredulously, like she can't believe that you're the one saying it. "Alright, //Matt//, calm down," she says, rolling her eyes at you. "I can't decide if you sound more like Matt or the Father at my mother's church." She rolls her eyes as she presses the button to start the wheel spinning again.<</if>> The wheel comes to a stop, the virtual ball on the screen not appearing to land where she wants it to. Given the chances, you're really not surprised. "Do you want a go?" she asks, "Final spin on me?" [[No thanks.|evearcadeno]] <<set $roulette to random(32)>> [[Yeah, go on then.|evearcadeyes]]

Eve shrugs and presses the button again, watching as the virtual ball gets released. It rolls around the wheel for what feels like ages before slotting into a number that Eve didn't choose. She wrinkles her nose and lets out a huff at the machine, frowning at the machine for wronging her in front of someone else. "Welp, that's how it is, I guess." She doesn't look too fussed by her failure, and you guess that she didn't bet very much even as she says, "Still not rich today." "You'll have to become a best selling author instead then," you console and she smiles before nodding. "A cross I will have to bear." [[Next|evearcade3]]

"Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky," she teases. You choose a number for the roulette and press select before starting the ball rolling. You have no idea what you're going to get and you find yourself holding your breath for a second as it spins. After all, you're gambling with someone else's money. As you see the wheel start to slow you know you're still holding your breath as it settles… <<nobr>><<if $roulette == 5>>[[Next|roulettewin]] <<elseif $roulette == 4>>[[Next|roulettenearwin]] <<elseif $roulette == 6>>[[Next|roulettenearwin]] <<elseif $roulette == 21>>[[Next|roulettefail]] <<else>>[[Next|rouletteotherwise]] <</if>><</nobr>>

<<set $Subscribers *= 2>>The ball stops on your chosen number and you turn to Eve with a grin. You find her grinning back at you at your good fortune. "Hey, you're luckier than I am."<<if $evecrush is "true" and $Confident > 55>> "Maybe you're my lucky charm," you reply, and you think you see her smile spread even more if that's possible. It shifts from an excited grin of celebration to something more realistic and subtle from her before she shifts her gaze from you back to the screen.<<elseif $Confident lte 55>>"I'm not so sure about that," you reply, and you think you see her smile spread a little more if that's possible. It shifts from a purely excited grin of celebration to something more subtle and a little unreadable. She looks content though, and that's all that matters.<</if>> "What was the chance of that?" you chuckle, and as the game dispenses a crisp fiver for you. You offer it to Eve but she shakes her head. "Keep it. I didn't put much in anyway and it's your luck that won it." You smile thankfully and pocket the money. It's a nice little bonus. [[Next|evearcade3]]

<<set $Subscribers *= 1.5>>When the ball stops, you see that it's close, but you've not managed to hit your target. "Close but no cigar," she sighs and you wrinkle your nose a little at the failure; it would have been nice to win her a little bit of money. You nearly made yourself some money but it's typical that you didn't quite manage it. You really were close but your luck isn't entirely on target and that's just tough. You'd have liked to win a little with her money but it's just not the way. Hopefully your luck isn't wasted entirely. [[Next|evearcade3]]

<<set $Subscribers *= 0.9>>The ball settles opposite from your number and you slump a little as you see that you couldn't have done any worse than you just had. That's terrible luck, even if you say so yourself. You turn to Eve and she gives you an awkward smile. "Even I was doing a little better than that," she chuckles, carding a hand through her hair. You're not winning anything from your spin but Eve doesn't looked too bothered by that fact. "You didn't help me lose much money at all, don't worry about it," she consoles, although you feel pretty bad about it still. "Just 20p, don't look so down about it," she chides, and at the revelation it wasn't much you do have to smile. If that's all, then you can feel not too bad about losing money from her last spin. [[Next|evearcade3]]

You don't win, but you don't lose too badly either. Your luck is exactly as you expect, just about average. That's how most people probably fall, having to work hard because luck doesn't just come to them naturally. "I did much of the same," she sighs, shrugging. "I didn't bet much on it though, don't worry." That's assuring, since you'd have liked to have won something for her but just spending her money doesn't feel like a good thing. [[Next|evearcade3]]

The two of you are leant into each other over the machine as it declares that you're out of credit for it.<<if $evecrush is "true">> You're aware of how close you are, her perfume filling your senses again. Her long hair is brushing against your arm and you're glad that she's looking at the machine because you feel like her proximity is heating you up quite a bit. You try not to think about it, keeping your attention onto the machine rather than elsewhere.<</if>> Eve shakes her head and takes a step back, her hands firmly wrapped up in her cardigan as she migrates towards the exit of the arcade. "That's me done with that," she announces, "I'll see you later." You aren't surprised by the curt goodbye as Eve drifts away. She'll want some time by herself before you go for dinner all together and you understand that, she's very introverted at the best of times. It's better not to try and stick with her, since you know she needs that space. [[Next|servicesb]]

Matt looks livid, and you approach him slowly, trying to put on your best smile. "Are you alright?" you ask, trying to test exactly where that temper is. He forces a smile at you but you can see his teeth are grit so tightly that he's going to give himself a headache if he's not careful. "I've been better, but I'm fine," he grunts out and you look at the floor, trying to make a decision on whether to make more out of it or just leave it be. You know he's not fine, whatever he had to speak to Alex about has riled him up and that bodes badly for you all. The best scenario is just an awkward trip home, but the worst promises to be dire. You don't want the kind of incident where he shouts at all of you, or even starts something with Alex. What kind of impression would that leave on Jordan and you're not sure your friends could work together after that. You don't want that. "Your friend is a nightmare," he criticises, and you knew exactly who he's talking about but that feels highly unfair. It's not like Alex is your responsibility, even though you're the closest to them out of everyone. Best friends aren't responsible for the acts of each other. <<set $mattdiscuss to 0>> [["Excuse me?" Alex can be a nightmare but that's not fair.|mattdiscuss2][$Confident += 2, $mattdiscuss to 1]] [["You talking about my best mate like this is too much. You're crossing a line, Matt." You're angry right back at him now.|mattdiscuss2][$mattdiscuss to 2, $Rude += 3, $alex += 5]] [["This feels unfair," you try to mitigate.|mattdiscuss2][$mattdiscuss to 3, $Rude -= 4]] [[Matt is being horrible but you say nothing.|mattdiscuss2][$mattdiscuss to 4, $Confident -= 3]]<<if $mattcrush is "true">> [[You might have a crush on him, but this is too far. You're not responsible for Alex's actions.|mattdiscuss2][$mattdiscuss to 5]]<</if>> [[Alex may be your best friend but you agree with Matt.|mattdiscuss2]]

<<if $mattdiscuss is 1>>"I said your friend is a nightmare." You grit your teeth nearly as tightly as Matt does as he speaks. "I heard what you said, but if you have a problem with Alex you don't get to go through me." You're not the middle-ground between him and your friend and it's very unfair to place this onto your shoulders. He should know that anyway, but if he needs reminding, you're happy to be the one to do it. He looks a little abashed at your statement, and you think you might have got through to him. He seems to get your point, but the fact you had to put your foot down at all is unfair on you. With the way he's acting you'd have thought you were the problem.<<elseif $mattdiscuss is 2>>Matt frowns at you and you scowl back at him, as if you're challenging him to keep speaking. In a way, you are. You want him to know that he can't speak to you like that and get away with it, especially not when it comes to Alex. "It's your best mate that's a being a dickhead," Matt tries to argue and you shake your head, refusing to hear what he's saying. Alex might be your best friend but you can be damn sure that they wouldn't be acting like this towards you. They wouldn't be shouting or raging at anyone else in the team, especially not someone who checked to see if they're okay.<<elseif $mattdiscuss is 3>>"It was unfair for Alex to go out and be irresponsible," he barks, and you have to nearly take a step back at that. You're trying to be calming and helpful rather than combative but he's not making it easy. "You know what I mean," you say and he nods, although his jaw is still set stubbornly at you. You can tell he's annoyed but that doesn't mean that he should be taking it out on you. You don't deserve this; in fact you're the one trying to sort it out. "I'm not saying they weren't being thoughtless but you're arguing with //me//. Alex isn't even here," you again try to reason with him but you have a feeling that he doesn't want to hear it.<<elseif $mattdiscuss is 4>>Silence is basically complicity though, and you know it. Matt is certainly taking it as such, as he continues on with his rant about your best friend and how selfish all of their actions are. You almost zone out before you realise that he's looking at you for input in the conversation. You don't know how willing you are to go along with it. "I…" you pause for thought before ultimately falling flat again. "You don't think what they've done is wrong?" You know that's a loaded question and there isn't actually a right answer. To agree is to put down your best friend for Matt's benefit, and to disagree is to bring the argument onto yourself. You feel your voice seize up on you again as you find yourself not able to argue back to him or defend your friend.<<elseif $mattdiscuss is 5>>"This isn't fair on me," you say, frowning at Matt and crossing your arms over your chest. You see Matt's expression falter ever so slightly as you speak, but after a few seconds it hardens again. "It's not fair on any of us for them to act like that," he tries to argue in response to you. It's almost a fair point, if he was making it calmly rather than in a raised voice, but since he isn't you know he's just being pointlessly aggressive. "I didn't go out," you say, frowning a little. "I know," he sighs, but you know you're not going to get much further with this. He's angry and you're quickly approaching feeling hurt from his accusatory tone.<<else>>"I know they are," you say and Matt looks at you briefly before steaming right on. "And they didn't even consider the impact it would have on the rest of us for them to be so pigheaded and miserable this whole weekend, which you should…" He trails off when you agree with him, like he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "You agree?" he questions and you nod. There's nothing else to say about it; they can be a nightmare when they want to be. They can be stubborn and difficult to read and sometimes outright rude if prodded the wrong way. Still, your agreement doesn't seem to sooth Matt as much as you thought it would. He's still red in the face with anger and looks like he'll explode any minute, although you do see his eyes soften slightly when he looks at you. "I was just checking to make sure you're okay," you say, nose wrinkling slightly as you talk.<</if>> "Maybe you should leave me for a bit," Matt grunts and you inhale, about to say something else, but decide that's probably for the best. If you can't have a productive conversation it probably isn't worth it.<<if $alextruth is "true">> You know what they must have been arguing about, the incident which was held over the start of the weekend, you'd just hoped it wouldn't ruin the end as well. That was a pipe dream. You know Alex has been evicted and you assume now that Matt does too. Still, it's better not to draw attention to the fact that you know.<</if>> "If you want to speak //calmly//, I'm here." Never mind any other emotions you're feeling, you're going to act like an adult about this - one of you has to. You're not going to slump down to his level and imply that he has any control over Alex's actions, although you're quite sure that if he hadn't got involved, Alex wouldn't be quite as upset as they looked. "Alright. I'll see you later," he grunts, and you nod, striding away. Before you go for tea you need a moment to breathe. You don't want to go into it angry, but Matt isn't setting you all up for an easy or even pleasant meal. [[Next|servicesb]]

Alex's eyes are full to the brim with tears, their dark brown eyes rimmed with red when you stop them with a soft hand to their upper arm. Their head snaps to look at you with a steely glare before their eyes visibly soften when they see that it's you. "I thought you were Matt," they explain simply, taking a deep breath and raising a hand to wipe away any of the tears that are threatening to fall as they look at you, a precautionary measure against their own emotion. "Are you glad I'm not?" "More than you could know," Alex breathes, forcing a watery smile at you, "I think if he could murder me right now he would do." <<if $alextruth is "true">> "Because he found out about why you went out?" you ask, and Alex just nods, sighing as they shift their feet onto the ground. "Then he got really mad about it. Said I should have said something. Even though that would have ruined the whole weekend so I didn't say anything then. It's not like he could have done anything this weekend." "He might have understood?" you offer. "It's Matt, he'd say 'why don't you just move back in with your parents?' which isn't what I want to do. Or my grandparents. Or just… someone else and it's not a solution." Matt's relationship with his family has always appeared to be very healthy, something that can't be said for Alex's relationship with their own.<<else>>"Because you went out?" Alex nods at you, tears threatening to spill again as you speak. "He got really mad about it." Their voice comes out weakly as they card a hand through their hair, pushing it away from their face.<</if>> Their eyes are welled up with tears again, and they sigh deeply with their entire body, depressing like they're a balloon that's lost the last of the air inside. Looking at them now even closer you can see that their under eyes are slightly swollen, presumably from them rubbing at them as they try to stem the flow of their tears.<<set $alexsad to 0>> [["If you need anything, I'm here."|alexsad2][$alexsad to 1, $alex += 3]] [[You don't say anything.|alexsad2][$alexsad to 2]] [["I know it's tough, but you can't mope."|alexsad2][$alexsad to 3, $Rude += 3]] [["Matt's a dick, isn't he?"|alexsad2][$alexsad to 4, $Rude += 1, $matt -= 3, $alex += 2]]<<if $alexcrush is "true">> [[You hate seeing someone you care so deeply about like this. You want to just see Alex smile again.|alexsad2][$alexsad to 5]]<</if>>

<<if $alexsad is 1>> Alex smiles weakly at you and nods, taking a deep breath which comes out in a series of shudders. They're trying to hold back sobs against your support, and you know that they're nearly at their breaking point. "I know you are. That's why we're best friends." <<if $alexcrush is "true">>You know what they mean, but the phrase 'best friends' hurts you a little in this context, even if you don't know what you'd prefer to that. You know it isn't meant to be hurtful, but it still hurts a little to hear that's all they think of you as, when you'd like to be a little more. <</if>>"So you can tell me if you need something, that's okay," you assure, but you know Alex and you're not convinced. Leaning on anyone isn't their style, they like to pretend they can be entirely self-sufficient without any detriment, but you probably have more chance of them leaning on you than anyone else.<<elseif $alexsad is 2>>You just meet Alex's raw eyes and feel all words fail you entirely. Their pain feels like a stab to your stomach and what can you say to that, knowing that their pain will be even worse? "I know, I'm being stupid. I shouldn't cry because someone has shouted at me. I'm not a child." You hush Alex with a shake of your head. "You're not being stupid," you try to assure. <<if $alextruth is "false">>Besides, you doubt that it was just Matt shouting at them which made them this upset. If that was the case you would have seen them like this before. <<else>>You know that this is about more than just Matt shouting, but you can't do anything either about their impending eviction. Not right now, at least.<</if>> This just isn't how Alex acts, and it's terrifying to see them that way.<<elseif $alexsad is 3>>Alex's jaw sets at that and they nod, although the tears brimming in their eyes at your harsh words don't match with that movement. They use the back of their hand to wipe tears away. "You're right, I've got to get on with it." As they speak their voice is fragile, but they get to the end of the sentence without it cracking entirely. "You're tougher than this," you assure, and Alex nods again, their dark curls bobbing as they do so. Maybe it's not the best message to be instilling into your best friend, but it'll get you through the battle, if not the war. Right now, they're crying in a service station and you just need to get them through this moment. Everything else can wait.<<elseif $alexsad is 4>>Alex laughs hollowly at your comment and nods, like it's expected of them, even if they can't follow along whole heartedly right now. "He's definitely //something//," they say before their smile falls and they sigh again, "He just doesn't need to be so severe with it." "The channel is his baby, what else do you expect him to do?" You don't want to be devil's advocate here, but you're pretty sure insulting Matt mere seconds ago covers that base for you. "I don't know, get a partner? Something to be invested in that I'm not involved with. Maybe a dog?" Alex's tone is forcibly joking, but you know they're clinging to a precipice of emotion right now. "That would probably do us all some good," you say, forcing a laugh of your own to try and soothe your friend. Maybe pretending this isn't so shit is the way to get out of it unscathed. You might be able to get through it with fragile humour. <<else>>"I…" Words fail you for a second as you look at Alex, their features still as handsome as ever even with their eyes rimmed with red and swollen. "I'm here for you," is what you settle on, and although that really doesn't cover every emotion you feel towards them, or every emotion you want to tell them you feel. Still, it's what you've got for now. "I know you are," they whisper, rubbing a hand over their eyes fruitlessly as their shoulders slump for a second. <<if $alextruth is "true">>You're pretty sure you know exactly where all of this is coming from, but you're not going to push them. Alex isn't going to feel better for you pushing them to speak about it, so you just need to offer reassurance, at least for now.<<else>>You know better than to push and that's why you won't, but seeing Alex so devastated is hard for you.<</if>> <</if>> Alex looks closely at you and takes a deep breath before they drop their head and a sob wracks their body, but they're still tense, like they didn't want to let it out in front of you. You've never seen them like this before, and you've seen them through all sorts of events. You've seen them at the peak of exam stress, during break ups, after arguments with their parents and this is the first time you've ever seen them cry more than the odd tear. You're helpless, which leaves you not being able to offer your friend anything. You know that solutions aren't what they want; that was the problem with Matt's contribution. You just need to be here for them. [[So you offer them a hug.|alexsad3][$alexsad to 1, $alex += 2]] [[So you offer them a firm clasp on their arm.|alexsad3][$alexsad to 2]] [[So you stand there increasingly awkwardly.|alexsad3][$alexsad to 3, $Confident -= 4]]

<<if $alexsad is 1>>Alex wraps their arms tightly around you as soon as you offer your arms for a hug,<<if $Height is "Very Tall" or $Height is "Tall">> their face hiding against your chest.<<elseif $Height is "Average">> their head leaning on your shoulder, their face hidden against your top.<<elseif $Height is "Short" or $Height is "Very Short">> their head leaning on your shoulder, although you know that they're tucked down to hide their head there.<</if>> You wrap your arms back around them firmly, pressing the two of you together. Now that your friend has their face hidden against you, you feel a sob move their entire body, safe knowing that no one can see their face or their tears. You move a hand up to the nape of their neck, holding them against you as they cry. You stroke through their curls, trying to soothe them as well as you can do considering you're stood in one of the world's most desolate places with your best friend in your arms who has a problem you're pretty sure you can't fix. But you'll try anyway. After a while, they take a step back and a deep breath. Their face is wet with tears, and they wipe them onto the arm of their jumper as subtly as they can do, as if it wasn't obvious to any passerby what's happening. "Thank you," they mumble, voice still quiet. If they weren't so close to you, you don't think you would have heard it. You pull them in for another brief hug before letting them go with an affectionate clap to their shoulder.<<elseif $alexsad is 2>> You put your hand onto their bicep in what you hope is a reassuring manner. You're not sure how well it works though, as Alex swallows before one of the tears they'd been desperately trying to restrain drops down their face. They hide their face behind their jumper sleeves as they try to wipe it away. You squeeze their arm again and they move your hand to hold theirs tightly as they take a deep breath. It's not the contact you've been intending but you know that they must want the reassurance from their friend. You'd be the same if you were as devastated as they are; Alex is your best friend for a reason. "I'm sorry I'm a mess," they say from behind the sleeve of their jumper and you shake your head at them, even though they can't see it. "Don't apologise for being sad." You're not surprised this is their reaction though, since usually they bottle up the emotions they're feeling. You've never seen them be this emotional before, and they lower their hand away from their face. Their face is puffy as they let go of your hand and rub their eyes one final time before taking a step back.<<else>>Alex sobs and the tears they've been valiantly attempting to hold back finally overspill and they hide their face behind the sleeve of their jumper. "I'm sorry," they apologise from behind their knitwear. You can hear them sobbing as they hide their eyes, but eventually they lower it. Their eyes look raw from being scrubbed with their sleeve before they force themself to straighten up and take a deep breath. "Don't be," you murmur, wishing you could do something better to assure them.<</if>> You pass a few moments in silence as Alex breathes deeply, trying to force their face into something resembling neutrality, their eyes less red than before. "I'm going to pop outside for a cheeky cig," they say, forcing a smile that doesn't quite make it to their eyes, "I'll come back though." "Well how else are you going to get home?" you ask, raising an eyebrow at them. Although, if they're this upset over the argument with Matt, you wouldn't put it past them to just walk or catch a taxi home. It would be a fortune they couldn't afford but to avoid a situation, that's something you could see them doing. "At this point I might just walk," Alex says, pushing a scoffed laugh out, "But I promise I'll come back." "If you promise." They nod before walking out towards the door, waving back to you with a facade of happiness plastered onto their face. They're out of the way and now you're going to have to face the rest of your team and eat with them, knowing that Alex is miserable. At least they said they're coming back. [[Next|servicesb]]

<<if $count < 3>>You're the first one to arrive for dinner, and you awkwardly sit down at one of the sticky tables, trying not to touch the table too much just in case anything untoward is to be found on it. Eve and Jordan drift out from wherever they'd been lurking, sitting down across from you. Matt arrives in a whirlwind, red faced and looking full of fury as he strides up to you all, looking between you as you go.<<else>>You arrive to see that your group of friends are already waiting for you with a notable exception of Alex. Matt stands as you approach, letting you sit opposite Eve and Jordan. It looks like they've been sat in an uncomfortable silence as they waited for you, and you're glad that you didn't arrive any earlier. It looks… awkward, to say the least.<</if>> "Do you know what you all want?" he asks, voice that of a military commander as he speaks. You're stunned into silence at both his tone and the fact that Alex isn't here and he's asking already. "What about Alex?" Jordan tentatively asks, purposefully avoiding Matt's eyes as ?they <<verb 'chooses'>> to focus onto you instead, like the question could be directed to you instead of him for a nicer answer. "Well Alex isn't here," he grunts out before repeating his earlier question, "So they'll have to miss out." With an efficiency that even Matt can't always muster, he collects your orders and rushes off to get food. The three of you that are remaining fall into an awkward silence as his heavy, purposeful footsteps fade away. [[Next|dinner2]]

"Are we going to ignore that elephant? Incident 2.0 do we think?" Eve asks, and you feel that all of you are resolutely looking away from each other to avoid any awkward eye contact and risk sparking a discussion about this. Jordan is very obviously looking away from the two of you and you meet Eve's eyes slowly, forcing an awkward smile which she returns. Alex chooses that moment to arrive and they don't look happy. You didn't see them before now as you came to the food court, but you have a feeling they might have been waiting just out of the way to come in when Matt was gone with the reassurance of all of you. He //is// unlikely to say anything in front of the rest of you. In contrast to Matt's anger, they look morose. The red rimmed eyes of someone who has been crying are prominent, but none of you say anything. As they sit down heavily next to you in the gross seat, the smell of cigarette smoke clinging to their jumper is overpowering. They lean against you and even through the smoke smell you say nothing, just letting them lean because you can tell it's a tiny comfort they want. "You alright?" you ask, and they shrug, looking down at their hands. That's all the answer you really need. "I can go and tell Matt what food you want, if you'd like," Jordan offers, and they shake their head. "Thanks, but I'm fine without," they sigh, head still bowed. You look at Eve and she makes a face which says she has no idea what to do either, so you probably just have to stick it out. You have no past experience when it comes to what to do with Alex like this, so you just pat their hand awkwardly. [[Next|dinner3]]

Matt chooses that moment to return, pointedly sitting next to Eve rather than Alex. The air feels instantly colder for his return, and he sets the plastic tray down with a clack onto the table, possibly harder than it strictly needed to be. "I didn't get you anything," he says, his voice curt and Alex just shakes their head, not looking up or at the food placed down between you all. Matt passes the food to each of you in turn, pointedly ignoring Alex, acting as if they can't even be seen. You hate this side of Matt; the way he gets when his temper flares up properly. It's not healthy, and you're glad that you don't have to see it often. Still, knowing it's there is bad enough. Even though the food is free, it takes time for you to get through it as you eat in silence, trying not to meet each other's eyes for too long like chastised children at a lunch table. Thankfully, it doesn't take too long for you to work through your meal in silence, even though it feels like hours before you finally all stand up to leave. [[Next|lastbithome]]

Travelling the rest of the way home is pretty uneventful, although very quiet. You manage to get back without any arguments, although Matt is gripping the steering wheel so tightly you worry that's what will finally be the thing to finish his car off. Matt had demanded you sit in the front of the car because you're the last to be dropped off, but that's also the only thing he says to you for most of the journey. The portion where you're all sat in a traffic jam is a particular low point, all of you sitting in silence as Matt refuses to let you turn the radio on with clipped denials, even to allow the traffic alerts. You end up just staring out of the window, watching as you crawl past other cars, and then they crawl past you, and the cycle repeats over and over again. Jordan is sat in the middle of the back, pointedly looking forwards and trying to avoid the gaze of Matt. It's quite different to the tone you were all taking earlier, and in the wing mirror you see ?them turn ?their gaze to look past a sleeping Eve and into the traffic instead, mirroring what the rest of you are all doing. Alex's eyes are glassy and unfocused as they look out of the driver's side behind Matt and overall it makes for a bad end to the road trip. You're relieved when you enter the suburbs again and see the signs of your town, even though it should be the part where you're all getting mournful for your weekend. Instead, you’re sure you’re all more than ready to go home. You drop Alex off first and they leave you all with the shortest goodbye ever, slamming Matt's car boot after the retrieval of their bags in what you know is a desire for revenge before they stalk out of your view. Even with their dramatic exit, the atmosphere does feel a little lighter for them being gone, and Jordan slides out of the middle seat into the one behind Matt. The steering wheel is still gripped so tightly that you're sure his hands must be cramping, but you all manage to relax a bit more on the drive between Alex and Jordan's homes. Matt peels himself out of the driver's seat to help Jordan retrieve their own equipment, leaving you and Eve in the car.<<set $jordreact to 1>> "Do you think Matt'll have scared Jordan off with that performance?" she asks, leaning forward to speak more directly into your ear from her seat. [["No, I think Jordan needs the work experience too much."|nearlyhome][$Prepared += 3]] [["No, I feel like Jordan can toughen up when needed."|nearlyhome][$jordreact to 2, $jordan += 3]] [["I'd be scared."|nearlyhome][$jordreact to 3, $Confident -= 1]] [["Yes, I'd get gone after this. We're supposed to be adults."|nearlyhome][$jordreact to 4, $Rude += 2, $matt -= 2]]

<<if $jordreact is 1>>"That's probably pretty true," Eve concedes and you nod as you hear Matt unpack some of the equipment for ?them to take into ?their house. You don't risk a look around, keeping your head forward like you're not talking about Matt and he couldn't get back into the car any second. "Otherwise, I think that would have done."<<elseif $jordreact is 2>>"Multiple siblings, right? Tougher than ?they <<verb 'looks'>>." "I bet that ?they can put up a real fuss if ?they <<verb 'wants'>>," she agrees, "Just not to us." "We're in charge though, aren't we? We're the elders now." "Please don't," she says, her voice a mockery of begging. You know she hates the idea that she's old, even though if there's one of you who is old before your time, it's Eve. "Still, a hell of a thing to happen with your 'old' work colleagues. It's not 'professional'."<<elseif $jordreact is 3>>"That's a lie," she quickly rebutts, "You stayed when Matt chewed Alex out last time." "It wasn't this bad last time though, was it?" you ask, arms folding across your chest. "No, Alex didn't cry last time. Have you ever seen them cry?" You purse your lips and shake your head. That's the real truth of it; Alex doesn't cry but Matt managed to goad them enough to make it happen. This isn't some argument about sleeping in the car, this is the kind of thing that breaks friendships.<<else>>"Harsh, but true. Jordan is an adult too though, you know." With ?their youthful attitude and want for knowledge it's definitely easy to forget that ?they <<verb 'is'>>, but it's the truth. The difference being that unlike your esteemed leader, ?they acted like one. "Hopefully Matt will text them with an apology." "Or the promise of a good reference," Eve says, and that's probably more honest, although you're not sure you needed the cynicism this late in the evening.<</if>> "I'd be gone if that happened on the first real trip out with my work colleagues. It's not even a paid internship," she drawls, and you would like to say that she's right, but you both stuck with this after //The Incident//, why wouldn't Jordan be the same? You didn't even need it for a post-graduate degree. "?They <<verb 'needs'>> it, I guess." "I think that's more the truth than anything else." Eve returns to her seat properly when Matt gets back into the car, starting it back up without a word to either of you, although you're sure he knows you've been talking, and he drives you all to her house. You wave her goodbye and she <<if $eve > 70>>presses a kiss to your cheek<<else>>lightly pats you on the cheek<</if>> before she gets out of the car. Again, Matt gets out and retrieves her bags and folders from the depths of the car boot, leaving you in silence. Night has properly settled in now, and you're left looking at the orange glow of the street lamps. At least it isn't too late, since you need to get up tomorrow. The sooner you're home, the better. The sooner you're away from this, the better. Your leader drives you to your brother's house in the same quiet as the latter half of your journey has been in. He's still stressed, you can tell, but he doesn't seem to be holding the steering wheel in quite the same death grip as before, which you're glad for, if only because it'll be better for his knuckles. You arrive outside of the familiar semi-detached house and are about to reach for the door, anticipating the sweet touch of freedom when Matt's voice cuts through the silence. [[Next|sonearlyhome]]

"Hey $Name," Matt's voice slices through the quiet like a knife, stopping your motion in its tracks, "Can I just ask you something really quickly?" His eyes are focused forward and purposefully avoiding you, which is pretty peculiar for him and even more so when he's spent the last three hours staring at everything like he really does have the will to make anything he stares at explode.<<if $Confident < 45>> Are you getting kicked off the team? Have you done something wrong? Maybe your work wasn't up to scratch over the weekend and Matt is giving you a warning.<</if>> <<if $mattcrush is "true">>As weird as it is though, he still looks pretty attractive like this, in the half light outside your home.<</if>> You can't think what he's going to ask you for a few seconds before you remind yourself on what he's likely to talk to you about, it's just strange that he phrased it like a question, rather than descending into a rant. He and Alex were arguing at the service station and that wasn't usual. Sure, they bicker fairly frequently but it's not usual for them to have a full blown argument, with one massive exception. You shift your eyes to look forward paralleling Matt's own actions before you nod for him to speak, trying not to wince as you fear the dam is going to break. Maybe you'll be trapped in a rant forever now, so close yet so far from the comforting embrace of your bed.<<if $alextruth is "true">> You know what this is going to be about, and you don't know if you want to talk to Matt about that. You're not sure it's your place to talk about everything that's going on with Alex; they told you in privacy, after all.<</if>> "Did Alex tell you they're getting evicted?" <<nobr>><<if $alextruth is "true">>[[You have to tell him the truth. "Yeah, they did."|truth]]<</if>> <<if $alextruth is "false">>[["Yes, they did," you lie, although you're just trying to keep face.|truth]]<</if>><</nobr>> <<nobr>><<if $alextruth is "true">>[[You're going to lie about it. "No, they didn't."|reveal]]<</if>> <<if $alextruth is "false">>[["No, they didn't." But you're feeling a little hurt that you didn't know.|reveal]]<</if>><</nobr>>

<<if $alextruth is "true">>Of course they did, you're their best friend. The idea that Matt would know about that before you is kind of laughable.<<else>>The two of you are supposed to be best friends, why did they tell Matt before you? You're almost mad at them for it.<</if>> "So, what are we going to do about it?" Matt asks, and you shake your head incredulously. How are you supposed to know what to do?<<if $alextruth is "false">>You didn't even know that they were being evicted until 10 seconds ago and you're supposed to have a plan?<</if>> "I offered them a place at my house," he says, but you understand that Alex hasn't accepted that. Matt and his family are nice enough but they're overbearing in that 'perfect family' kind of way. Alex is the complete opposite to all of his family values, and you know that they won't cope well with staying in that kind of environment. [[Next|finallyhome]]

<<if $alextruth is "true">>But of course they did. You're friends but you don't want Matt to get his nose out of joint. Besides, Alex told you not to tell anyone, even though the cats out of the bag.<<else>>You're supposed to be best friends, how could they not tell you that? But they would tell Matt? Someone with who their relationship is fractious at best?<</if>> "Well, they are. That's why they insisted on putting a damper on the weekend." You're not loving Matt's tone about this; Alex being evicted was a more than fair reason for them to be upset, or go out clubbing when they shouldn't have been. You know it's their coping strategy, they tend to just pretend things aren't happening and avoid the emotions for as long as they can before they overflow. It's not atypical of Alex, you remember them going out the night before their dissertation was due just to avoid the pressure of the actual hand in. They'd done fine, they usually did, but avoiding the emotions it invoked seemed to be their preferred way of dealing with it. "So… they've got to move out now?" you ask, trying to tread around the subject. "A month. I said they could stay with me if they wanted to but…" They wouldn't want to. You understood. Matt and his family were nice enough but they were overbearing in that 'perfect family' kind of way. Six o'clock meal times and Friday night films with the family wasn't Alex's idea of a good time, it never had been. You couldn't imagine them fitting into Matt's family dynamic. [[Next|finallyhome]]

Matt's gaze onto you is getting a little too pointed, and you know what he's thinking. He just wants you to be the one to vocalise it so it sounds like your idea. So you do. "I'll ask if they want to stay with me. Ben should be fine with it but I'll ask him." Your brother will definitely be fine with it; Alex has spent whole weeks at your house before during university holidays when they didn't feel like going home. You have no reason to think that this would be any different, even though you haven't offered it explicitly to Alex yet. The two of you are talking like you can be the one to settle their fate. "You don't think they'll want to go and stay with their parents for a while?" he asks and you shoot him a look which says he really doesn't have a clue about anything to do with Alex and their life, they've clearly never talked about it. Matt might be close with his parents and feel he can rely on them, but Alex never has been like that with their own. You're not sure they've even seen much of them since you all graduated. Moving back in with them is off the table. So off the table, in fact, you're pretty sure the idea is buried in the garden. It won't happen unless it's a last resort.<<if $alextruth is "true">> "More likely their grandparents, but they're pretty far away." Too far for their job and working with you on the channel. Living with them would be like handing in their notice to their social life, and you know Alex doesn't do well without the bubble of friends surrounding them.<</if>> "I'll talk to them about finding somewhere new. A new flat or something," you conclude, and Matt looks relieved that this duty hasn't fallen to him. You can almost imagine the argument they'd have over trying to find them somewhere to live, given their drastically different priorities when it comes to housing. "Good, sounds like a plan," he says, nodding along with his words, "Call me if you need back up." "I'll text you tomorrow," Matt says, sighing as his fingers rap on the steering wheel, a nervous pattern rather than along with anything like it was for the way home. [["Yeah, I'll text you then."|home2][$mattdiscuss to 1]] [["Not if I text you first."|home2][$mattdiscuss to 2]] [["Goodnight."|home2][$mattdiscuss to 3]] <<if $mattcrush is "true">>[["Um... yeah, bye," you stammer. Stunningly smooth.|home2][$mattdiscuss to 4]]<</if>>

<<if $mattdiscuss is 1>>Your voice is empty as you speak and you're a little unsure over where you're going next but you've got to just keep pushing on. You're worried about Alex, even though you're trying to be proactive about it. <<elseif $mattdiscuss is 2>>That's unlikely, since you'll be busy early and Matt seems to utilise his time at work to work on everything but doing call centre tasks, but it's the thought that counts. It's the freedom of the job apparently, but he hasn't been fired yet so you guess they're okay with it. Still, you feel like you can be a little more chipper. You have a plan in place, after all.<<elseif $mattdiscuss is 3>>"Night $Name," Matt parrots. It feels a bit weak considering the last subject of conversation, but you have nothing else to say to him right now. You need time to think and Matt isn't going to help with that. Right now, you're just really tired.<<else>>You would hope that usually you'd be a little more smooth than that, but with what you've just found out hanging over your head, it doesn't really work that way. There'll be time to flirt in future, you're sure.<</if>> You get out of the car and close the door behind you before quickly retrieving your belongings, without Matt's help, you note. However, without everyone else's piled in, it's easy to gather everything and before you know it you're walking up to the door of your brother's house. You give Matt a wave before you unlock the door to your home. When you hear his car pull away you finally feel like you can breathe, dropping your head to clunk lightly on the inside of the door after you lock it behind you. "I'm back," you shout as you drop your bags onto the bottom of the stairs. You hear your brother's dulcet voice shout that he's in the living room and you toe your shoes off before going to join him, sitting down on the sofa heavily with a sigh. He doesn't critique you, but with how he's sat with one foot on the coffee table and the other splayed out onto the footstool of his sofa, you think it's probably more out of awareness of his hypocrisy than anything else. "Good trip?" he asks, turning the sound of the television down so he can listen to you properly. "It started well. Filming went well and then…" You start to ready yourself for recounting the events of your afternoon and your car trip home. [[Next|home3]]

"Wait," Ben holds up a hand, "Let me guess, Incident 2.0." You narrow your eyes at him, incredulous that he took the words right out of your mouth. "There is no way you could have known what I was about to say." Your brother is an accountant, not a mind reader, but at the moment he's doing a bloody good impression of one and you want to know how. He's good and knows you well but there's no way that level of exhaustion is written on your face, right? No one can have anger, exhaustion and general friendship-related dread written on their face. And brothers can't just read that all. "I would like to take the full credit, say I used my flawless big brother senses to know when you're in need but…" He retrieves his phone from where he'd let it drop into the side of the sofa and waves it in front of you. "Alex texted me." "They texted //you//?" you ask, voice pitchy in your disbelief. A quick glance to your own phone confirms your worst fear; that your best friend has indeed texted your older brother and not you about the events of your evening. You may as well shred the 'cool younger sibling' card you were desperately holding onto, because Ben has taken over. "I don't think I was meant to tell you. They just said you might be feeling down after it." You scoff and shake your head. 'Feeling down' is a bit of an understatement. 'Feeling down' is when your favourite contestant on Bake Off gets booted. 'Feeling down' is when you find out that Ben's eaten the ice cream you were saving for a particularly tough day. You're not 'feeling down', you don't know what to do to help your best friend over being evicted and you don't know if this has broken your friend group for good. "It's a bit more than that," you sigh, forcing yourself to your feet to get yourself a drink. Going through motions in your kitchen helps everything feel a little bit normal. It's just a normal evening with Ben, you tell yourself, the same as every other one you've spent together. There's nothing special and you just sink back onto the sofa next to him, your feet joining his on the coffee table. If you don't think too much about it, you can almost let yourself melt into the football highlights on the TV. Before you know it, you've almost drifted off with your mug in hand and Ben is turning the TV to black, football well and truly over. [[Next|home4]]

"Work tomorrow for us both, come on sleepyhead." He nudges your feet with his own before you slowly pull yourself to standing, feeling very much like a puppet underneath your brothers guidance. You leave your bags at the bottom of the stairs - very much a problem for a future version of yourself - and stumble into bed still half dressed in your clothes from the day. You mumble-shout a goodnight to your brother and before you know it, the call of your pillows have lulled you to a sleep. Even the drama of the day can't overcome the exhaustion of sleeping on the ground last night, it seems. You desperately hope you've set an alarm, but in your tired haze you can't be entirely sure. [[Roll on tomorrow!|chapterthree]]

<<set $gamechapter = "chapter three">><<set $metchar to "true">><<set $charuni to 1>>It turns out that you did set your alarm when it rudely wakes you up, blasting its chirpy tune into your room. You… [[get up easily. You're used to this.|workmorn][$Prepared += 5]] [[roll out of bed. You don't want to be late to work with Charlie.|workmorn][$Rude -= 5,$charlie += 3]] [[stay in bed for a few minutes before you get up. You know you have the time.|workmorn][$Chill += 5]] [[stay in bed. Who cares if you're late?|workmorn][$Rude += 5]]

You have to get up, mostly because you hear your brother moving around and you know he'll give you a lift if you're up and ready quick enough. You stumble around your room, retrieving your all-black work uniform. The combination of a black shirt and black trousers is never the most fun, but do you do things to accessorise? (within company limits, of course) [[I have piercings and tattoos, so that jazzes it up.|uniform][$Traditional -= 5, $charuni to 1]] [[I have pins on my apron at work, but for now I just look boring.|uniform][$Traditional -= 2, $charuni to 2]] [[I wear colourful socks, if that counts?|uniform][$charuni to 3]] [[No, I stick with the standard uniform. Work isn't the place to wear the clothes you enjoy the most.|uniform][$Traditional += 5, $charuni to 4]]

You run down the stairs with purposefully loud feet to let Ben know that you're awake and up. He's perched at the dining table in an immaculately pressed shirt sipping from a cup of coffee. "Do you want a coffee before work?" he asks, gesturing to his coffee machine with the hand still holding his mug. You've heard this ‘joke’ every morning that you've worked at the coffee shop, which given you've worked there nearly-but-not-quite full time for three years, is many times. The coffee from the machine is fine, but it’s exactly and only that. It’s not barista coffee. "I think I'll be alright," you say, sitting down next to him. There's no point in you having food or anything to drink when you can just go to work and your boss will definitely just give it to you for free. There has to be some benefits to working a job that’s mostly customer service, right? "You want a lift, then?" he asks, reading your intentions much too well, and you smile cheekily, nodding at him although he obviously knows it’s a given. He nods and slurps up the last of his coffee, sliding from his chair before he moves to pull his jacket on. You follow closely as he picks up his keys and grab your bag for work, making sure you have your keys and your card to pay for transport on the way home. You climb into the car, glad that your brother's car is considerably nicer than Matt's. You don't worry that you'll break down when you're in Ben's car, since it's considerably newer and cost more than you really like to think about. At least you don't have to pay for it when it's dropping you off at work. <<set $charmorn to 1>> [[Next|workjourney]]

The drive is uneventful as Ben chooses to have the news on the radio despite the fact it's much too early to find out about the unbearable sadness in the world, and after a familiar 20 minutes you're pulled up outside your workplace. "Have a good day making coffee!" he shouts to you and you wave back to him as you get out of the car and pull your bag out after you. "Have a good day adding stuff up," you shout back, closing the door behind you. You open the door to the cafe, locking it behind you. Your boss Charlie is already here, hence the door is unlocked for when you turn up, but you're a while from opening. At least, you hope it's Charlie and you haven't just locked yourself into the scene of a burglary or something awful. Now that you're looking for him, you can see Charlie's characteristic blue hair over the coffee machine, where he’s setting it up for the day. Your boss is an averagely built person, their appearance softened by years of working around (and consuming) full-fat milk and pastries, and made harsher by the piercings that litter their face and ears. From his rolled-up sleeves you can see his tattoos, often more likened to doodles than anything else and not particularly good ones at that, though thankfully he’ll be the first person to agree with that. Their hair is tied back loosely, suppressing the loose mohawk they have and stopping it from escaping and meeting it’s full potential. You can't see their eyeliner, but you know as soon as you get their attention the dark smudges around their eyes will be obvious. To get their attention you… [[Turn the lights on and off a few times like they've said they prefer you to.|work1][$charlie += 40, $charmorn to 1]] [[Go up to them and tap their shoulder. You know that they're okay with you greeting him that way.|work1][$charlie +=20 , $charmorn to 2]] [[Put your bag away and get your apron on. He'll see you eventually.|work1][$rude += 5, $charmorn to 3]]

<<set $coffeecount to 0>><<if $charmorn is 1>>You flick the lights by the door on and off a few times, which causes them to look up and over their shoulder to the door before smiling at you. You see him reach into his apron pocket as you walk past, turning off the music you know will be blasting over his hearing aids right now. "Good morning," he greets, leaning against the coffee machine as you tie your apron on and put your bag away into the employee storage room. "I hope you enjoyed your weekend without me. You were missed," they say, and you smile back. "Missed you too," you reply, and they nod as if no possible other answers even entered their head. <<elseif $charmorn is 2>> Charlie jumps when you place your hand onto their shoulder, frantically reaching to turn the music blasting over their hearing aids off before turning around to see you. "Oh thank God, it is you. I thought you were a customer," he breathes, and you give a shit-eating grin back. "Morning," you say, moving to put your bag away as they lean against the coffee machine as you tie your apron and take a deep breath, readying yourself for your shift. Thankfully your boss is okay, but otherwise, you might dread being here. "I hope you enjoyed not being here for a weekend. I didn't," they say, smiling at you a little but determinedly keeping their eyes forwards and on the coffee machine.<<else>>You continue into the store, watching as Charlie bobs their head along to their music, playing over their hearing aids as usual. You go to put your bag away, grabbing your apron and putting it on before you see him look up and almost jump out of his skin. "Fucking hell," he all but shouts, shaking his head at you as he searches for his phone in his pocket, turning his music off and turning to you. "And there was me, almost missing you over the weekend," they gripe, turning their attention back to work.<</if>> "I had to work with Alana, and you know she hates my music. And my hair. And my piercings. And my tattoos. Maybe just me in general, actually," they pause for a second to concentrate on pouring coffee beans into the grinder, their tongue squeezed between their lips as he does so. "Plus, she still speaks at me like I genuinely can't hear her at all. Does she think they're for decoration?" he asks, rolling his eyes and gesturing towards his hearing aids, which he fiddles with quickly so that they're not wasting battery on being connected to their phone via Bluetooth. You're wondering already if Char has helped themselves to a pastry and coffee, because he's talking a mile a minute. Maybe they really did miss you, quietening himself over the weekend when he didn't have an audience that was receptive to listening. It's been three years now anyway, so you have to put up with it. Three years is a long time to work in one coffee shop, so you must like your manager, right? [[No, but I get away with murder here, so I'm hardly going to quit.|work2][$Chill += 5, $charmorn to 1]] [[Not really, but this gives me time to work on my other projects, most notably the channel.|work2][$matt += 3,$Prepared += 4,$charmorn to 2]] [[Charlie is still just my boss, but we get along well enough.|work2][$charlie += 5 ,$charmorn to 3]] [[Yes, my relationship with Charlie is great. We're more friends than coworkers now.|work2][$charlie += 10,$charmorn to 4]] [[Yes, but it's more than just friendship for me. I've had a crush on Charlie for a while now.|work2][$charlie += 10, $charcrush to "true",$charmorn to 5]]

<<if $charmorn is 1>><<set $workethic to 1>>Sometimes your priorities aren't a minimum wage job and customer service, and that's not always a bad thing. The fact that people expect the highest service possible when a coffee costs half of your hourly wage is the real travesty here. Char bends over backwards to give you the holiday time you deserve, and lets you off an hour early if you have somewhere else to be. So maybe, they're not your preferred person, but he's an alright manager.<<elseif $charmorn is 2>>That's as good a reason as any other to stick in one place. If you can make it work for you then why wouldn't you? Char certainly respects that, and you know his priorities are elsewhere too, if he’s truthful about it. Having a manager like that is better than one who assumes your shitty job should be the be all and end all of your life.<<elseif $charmorn is 3>>That sounds like healthy boundary setting for sure, but it never hurts to work with people you like. It certainly makes life easier when your boss accepts that your poorly paid job with rude customers isn't going to be the highlight (or even the priority) of your life. It helps even more when you know you can complain to them and they'll not chastise you, they'll understand.<<elseif $charmorn is 4>> You started as just boss and employee, of course, but with how charming and fun to be around they are, it's hard to keep Charlie at that kind of arm's length. They have a personality which is almost infectious, and you've seen how good they are with customers. Plus, he gives you free pastries most days and you get free coffee on demand, what's not to like?<<else>>You started as just boss and employee, of course, but with how charming and fun to be around they are, it's hard to keep Charlie at that kind of arms length. Their personality also means that you're harbouring a little something more towards them than just friendship, but you've never said anything. You're great friends at work, but you rarely see each other outside of it, so it's easy to assume that's all you're thought of as by him.<</if>> You move to the till and switch it on, staring at the screen as it loads up. You feel like your brain is doing exactly the same and your eyes focus on the screen as it starts up and you give yourself a few minutes for it to boot. You jump when Charlie turns the milk steamer on with a loud hiss, drawing your attention from the till and the rest of the cafe with a start. He doesn't look up at you and keeps his attention forward as he finishes setting up the machine for the morning. They sigh as they do so, pushing a button to drip through an espresso as a 'test'. "Do you want this one? As a test, of course." They grin at you and you roll your eyes a little. Technically you're only supposed to taste the coffee to make sure it's running okay and that the machine isn't burning it, or diluting it too much, but either way it's free coffee. If you want it. "Of course." [[You take the coffee.|work3][$coffeecount +=1]] [[You don't want an espresso. Maybe something more diluted.|work3][$charmorn to 1]] [[You don't want coffee.|work3]]

<<if $coffeecount gte 1 >> You take the espresso cup and down the hot coffee quickly. Hopefully the caffeine is enough to wake you up sooner rather than later. "I'm pretty sure the Italian way to do it is to sip, not down it like a shot." "You think it's not burnt? Not too diluted?" they ask and you nod. As always, they've set up the machine confidently and the coffee tastes exactly as you expect it to. Like good coffee.<<elseif $charmorn is 1>> "I don't want something too strong," you say and Charlie nods, understanding your point. Still, he stands and sips his espresso down, leaning against the counter as he does. "I'll make you one later," they promise and you nod, as if you couldn't just make one for yourself. <<if $Rude < 45>>Still, it's nice to be looked after.<</if>> "I could make myself one," you say and they shrug at you, turning his attention away from you and towards everything else you need to do for the morning.<<else>>"Nah, I'm alright," you say and Charlie shrugs, raising the comically small cup in cheers before sipping down the coffee himself. He takes time over it, eyes drifting closed briefly as he sips at his espresso before putting the small cup into the dishwasher. "Time for more later, I suppose."<</if>> "Now then, let's crack on," Charlie says, smiling at you and moving from where he's leant against the counter, "Opening in 15. I'll get the pastries out. You give the counter a wipe down." You nod as they disappear into the back of the shop, out towards the storage to retrieve some cakes and sandwich ingredients from the chillers. Your kitchen space is pretty cramped and with limited food preparation space, so most of it is bought in from suppliers elsewhere but there's still enough for you to be getting on with without Char. The food preparation space should be immaculate. However, now you're left by yourself, which means how well you do your task is up to you. What's your work ethic like? [[Great! You pride yourself on your great work ethic.|work4][$workethic to 1, $Prepared += 5]] [[Good! You work hard while you're at work, but you're not going above and beyond.|work4][$workethic to 2]] [[Average!|work4][$workethic to 3]] [[Kind of ...bad?|work4][$workethic to 4, $charlie -=4]]

<<if $workethic is 1>>You go above and beyond in all aspects of your job, even though it doesn't pay very well. That doesn't mean you don't have self-respect though, and you want to work hard off your own back rather than anything else. You wipe down the surfaces and the inside of the counters around you, making sure to get into the corners and giving it all another clean with a spray of sanitiser for good measure. You're not sure that it could be much more clean than this now, you can almost see your reflection. You know that no one could pick up on anything lacking in your own cleaning. Charlie comes back, arms laden with pastries and starts to put them into your newly cleaned food display counter. "Looks like we got a new counter," he jokes, and you<<if $Rude > 55>> just nod in response <<else>> smile in response <</if>>to his compliment. <<elseif $workethic is 2>>You get the work done, and honestly what else do they want from you? You smile at customers, you keep the counters clean, you get orders right and that's all that should be asked for from you. You work hard while you're here but once you're out of the door, you're done! You wipe down the surfaces and the inside of the counters around you, making sure to get into the corners. Once you've done that you take a step back, happy that the counters are clean enough to prepare food on. Charlie chooses that as their time to return, arms full of pastries. They place them carefully into the counter before taking a step back, making sure that the food looks as appetising as possible, considering that they aren't exactly home made. "Alright, ready to go?" he asks, and you know you have no choice but to nod. You're here, after all.<<elseif $workethic is 3>>Stuff gets done when you're at work but Charlie is always better at getting it done than you are, but isn't that because they're paid much more than you are? You're on minimum wage. Pay peanuts, get monkeys, as the saying goes. You wipe down the surfaces half-heartedly, not really getting into the corners that you know the customers can't really see anyway. You're taking your time with cleaning before you hear Char return. You quickly step out of their way, allowing them space to organise all of the cakes and pastries that are carefully balanced in his arms. He doesn't say anything about your cleaning as he slides a finger into the corners you didn't clean and picking at some of the residual grime there. You note that they don't meet your eyes as they grab a cloth and get into the corners again, leaving them much cleaner than you did.<<else>>At least here, your work ethic is lacking to say the least. Minimum wage means minimum effort to you and you can't see how a company that makes enough profit to open stores in every town and city doesn't manage to pay you more. They get what they deserve with you. You give the counters a quick wipe over before leaning back, giving Char the space to put the pastries into the display cabinet. They place them on the counter and frown a little. "You cleaned this, right?" he asks, eyes narrowed as he takes a cloth for himself and cleans up the side, leaving it much cleaner than you did in your half-arsed attempt.<</if>> "Right, ready to go," Char says, not waiting for your input before going over to the door and flipping the sign around before unlocking the door. It's not long before customers start to wander in, starting their mornings with steamy coffees and sweet pastries. You get the usual mix of early morning customers; people who work in healthcare and tired-looking parents who look grateful for your mere existence. It's pretty typical for a day at work once you get into rush hour. You have your steady stream of customers, some of them regulars, most of them not. The morning rush is pretty standard, most people dropping in and getting coffee before they rush off to work on their own jobs, leaving only a few people actually sitting in the cafe, their conversations melting into a general hubbub with the music. You both lean against the counter as give yourself a breather, keeping an eye on your customers but mostly basking in the moments of quiet. "So… good weekend?" Char asks, arms folded over their chest and ugly brown apron as they look to you. "<<if $alexcrush is "true">>How's Alex? <<elseif $mattcrush is "true">>How's Matt?<<elseif $evecrush is "true">>How's Eve? <<elseif $jordcrush is "true">>How's Jordan? <<else>>How was the wildlife?<</if>>" [["Filming went well."|work5][$Subscribers *= 1.25]] [["Everyone was good."|work6][$matt += 2, $eve += 3, $jordan += 2, $alex -= 2, $Rude -= 2]] [["It was actually hard work."|work7]] [["It was good, and then took a nosedive on the way back."|work8][$matt -= 4]] [["Weirdly, I'm just glad to be back."|work9][$charlie += 4]]

Char nods, but you know that they don't really know much about that sort of stuff, but they're still interested when you talk about it. They like when you tell them about what kind of animals you managed to get footage of, at least.<<if $Specialism is "Camera Work">> You'll not be going into detail again, though. You think that you saw his soul leave his body last time you went into detail about managing to balance the perfect exposure on a morning shoot. <</if>> "So you got good footage?" he asks and you nod along as you clean a spot you've found on the counter. "Yeah, we did a lot of filming so hopefully don't have to have another weekend away for a while?" You hope that's the result anyway. Weekends away are nice enough but you do feel like you're using all of your time off up with filming for the channel rather than having holidays fully off with your friends and family. "So you can be here with me?" he teases, grinning at you from where he's leaning against the counter. <<if $charlie > 50>> "Yeah, sounds like it. Don't be too pleased," you tease right back and your manager laughs in response, his laugh warm and easy as he does. "I'll try not to get too excited about it," he chuckles, finding his mug of coffee and taking a sip from it, letting his eyes rest closed briefly.<<else>> You nod in response, standing back to lean back next to them again with a simple, "Seems that way." "I'll not be by myself, at least. Or with worse people to work with."<</if>> [[Next|work10]]

"Well, I would hope so. It's a weekend away with your mates," Char says with a shrug, “If I got the chance to be away with my mates for a weekend I’d hope we have a good time.” A weekend away with their mates would probably be carnage from what you’ve heard about them all in the past. “Well, if you get the chance to have a weekend off I’d encourage a weekend away camping.” “Me? A weekend off? You are aware I’m the manager here,” they laugh, shrugging a little, “But yeah, maybe, as long as I can still charge these bad boys.” He gestures towards his hearing aids. [[Next|work10]]

<<if $workethic is 4>>"Well, that sounds about right for you, you are always working away," Charlie comments, but you know that they're only teasing. They love to work with people who don't just let them pick up the slack. "Early mornings and late nights, plus a lot of travelling time," you say and they nod along with you. You know that's pretty much par for the course for your boss' life however, staying out late in the evenings and still managing to get into the cafe in the morning earlier than anyone else. They're lucky they don't seem to need sleep because by your estimation they're burning the candle at both ends. <<elseif $workethic is 1>>"Really?" he asks, narrowing his eyes at you a little, "So… why don't you work hard while you're here as well?" "In this job?" you ask, eyebrow quirking up at him. They shrug before placing their hands in a way which says they're not supposed to be starting a fight, "It's just a comment." They move to wipe some steam from a few cups before placing them back. "I get it's not the most ideal job. Minimum wage sucks and it's not what you want to be doing but you know… a little bit of effort everywhere isn't a bad thing." <<if $Rude <= 60>>You try not to feel a little bad<<else>>You don't feel as bad as you should<</if>>that your lack of effort here hasn't gone unnoticed, but they're right. A lack of effort puts work onto everyone else. "And I'm not saying don't create chaos. Steal food, drink whatever, stay out way too late and come to your shift half cut, you know I do, but you working less doesn't impact them higher up the chain, it just impacts the rest of us here. You know?" You nod and he shrugs before letting his face fall back into his customer service smile as he looks back into the cafe. <<else>> "I'm not surprised, it sounds like a long weekend. Not much better than just being here," he says with a laugh, and you know he's joking really. Charlie knows that you don't want to be here forever and that's fine to him, he's never begrudged you for it. "You won't catch me having time off just to go and do work somewhere else," they drawl, letting their head drop back as they do. Their hair bounces a little as they do before they roll their neck with a satisfying crack. "Even if you got with a band and they wanted you to tour and work was the only thing holding you back?" you counter. Charlie's eyes narrow slightly and you know you've caught him in a trap. "Work //is// the only thing holding me back." His grin is toothy and only highlights his lip piercings as he shakes his head. "But hey, I understand your point." <</if>> [[Next|work10]]

"A nosedive?" Charlie asks, eyebrow quirking at you as you nod, rolling your lips against each other as if saying 'yes that's exactly what I said.' "That was a cue for you to elaborate," they say, pronouncing each syllable of 'elaborate' very deliberately like that itself would compel you to do so. "Well, where to start…" you sigh, trying to figure out exactly where to go with this. You don't want to air all of the dirty laundry from the weekend but at the same time it is just Char, what's the worst that can happen? It's not like they'll get on with Matt either way. "Beginning would be good." You cast your eyes to your boss in a disapproving look and he just grins in reply. "So Alex had been out really late and I'm pretty sure was still drunk when Matt picked them up." "A person after my own heart." You know they're not lying, all too often you've come in and found them in the remnants of make up from last night, hair still spiked up to the skies. Still, they never complain when they do it, even when you can tell they’re struggling with a hangover. "Ignoring that," you continue, "They did get on with it over the weekend and then Matt confronted them on the way home and made everything worse." You explain the whole situation with Alex and Char sighs deeply, his shoulders dropping slightly as he does. "I mean, if they really need somewhere they can always stay with me. You've probably got that covered with your brother though I guess." "Yeah, we've got that sorted but I'm pretty sure you're still higher on the list than Matt." "Oh I bet everyone is." Char's eyes widen almost imperceptibly and they let out an exhalation of understanding. You know that they can't offer anything in terms of contribution to the situation apart from a sympathetic ear, but they're doing that well. [[Next|work10]]

"Well, who wouldn't be glad to be back here with me?" Char teases you with a grin, "Was it that bad though?" You wrinkle your nose, avoiding rehashing the whole weekend for him. You know he'll understand it. "It just… was a harder weekend than I thought it would be," you summarise. That was the easiest way to put it, especially considering that you don't want to go into detail about Alex's current situation. Work was supposed to be an escape from all of that stuff, not drag it all back up. "So you're not glad to be back with me? I'm hurt. Wounded, even," they say, a mock sob in their voice before they shake their head, earrings lightly jangling as they do. "I'll fix your heartbreak," you jest, and Char mockingly wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. <<if $charcrush is "true">>You ignore the way that their dramatics make your heart flutter a little and ground yourself by looking at the coffee machine just past him. Act chill, you're at work, you remind yourself.<</if>> [[Next|work10]]

<<set $mattread to false>><<set $alexread to false>><<set $everead to false>><<set $jordread to false>><<set $coffeebreak to false>>A customer approaches the counter and you plaster on a vapid smile to greet them, taking their order before passing it over to Char who gets to work without a second of hesitation. You direct the customer to wait at the end of the counter where they do, lightly tapping their toe as they do. You try to ignore it as well as you can and focus on the high-pitched whistle of the coffee machine instead as your boss works away before giving the customer their coffee with a beaming grin. They look confused by the jolly smile of the otherwise extreme-looking barista, forcing an unsure polite smile towards him before collecting the coffee and leaving. You get it, they can look like a lot sometimes, with the piercings and the hair and the kind of shitty tattoos up and down his arms, but they're never anything other than professional towards customers. You've seen it yourself lots of times, they go above and beyond for your customers at every chance they have. He’s left you for 10 minutes to carry coffee and cake to the car of a woman who already had her hands full, he's organised food bank collections using the cafe as a hub, and he started a pay-it-forward scheme in the cafe to keep people inside during winter, at least while you're open. While you're thinking about all the good that your boss does, a grumpy-looking middle-aged woman comes up to you, slamming her coffee cup onto the counter. <<if $Rude < 60>>You force a polite smile onto your face, no matter how hard it is when you're distracted by the coffee that's spilt over the edge of the cup and onto the counter.<<else>>You try to force a smile onto your face, but it doesn't really work. Not when the coffee has spilt so violently over the edge of the cup that it's quickly encroaching onto your hand and there's a woman with the face of a pug staring you down.<</if>> "This isn't soy milk," she barks, and you blink a few times. You can see that she's wrong with her assertion, considering the way that the undrunk remains of her coffee are starting to split. Other milk doesn't really do that like soy does. "And it's cold," she continues, waving her hand in a way that implies that's entirely your fault, even though you know she's been in the cafe on her phone for half an hour. Any coffee would be cold after that. Her clearly incorrect woes about her coffee aren't the question though. The question is what do you do? <<if $Rude > 65>> [[Tell her what you saw. She needs to know she can't get away with this.|custrude][$charlie -=4, $Rude += 5]] <</if>>[[Make her a new coffee without a word.|custneu]] [[Apologise and make her a new coffee, all with a polite smile on your face.|custgood][$Rude -= 3]] [[Direct her towards Charlie instead.|custmanager][$Traditional += 3, $charlie += 2]]

"Well you let it go cold," you say, feeling quite smug when she looks taken aback. The customer is always right is usually the rule of thumb, but you've just given a big middle finger to that because you're not going to have the piss taken out of you! She's drunk half of it after all! "This still isn't soy milk," she retaliates, and you force yourself not to narrow your eyes, but judging by the way her reflection is mirroring your thoughts, you don't know how well you're doing this. "It looks like soy." It's a simple reply but that seems to do nothing for your situation apart from pull Charlie into the conversation. They insert themself effortlessly between you and the customer,<<if $charlie >50>>setting a hand onto your shoulder as they do<<elseif $charlie lte 50>>being careful to gently move you out of the way with only their presence <</if>> and beaming a friendly smile at the customer. "I'm sorry about $MCpronoun2, I'll make you a new coffee. Can I get you anything else?" He quickly goes to work to make a new coffee, and gestures you over to him as he turns the coffee machine on. "What was that about?" he asks, eyebrows furrowing as he scrutinises you. He doesn't need to look at the machine to steam the milk since he's so well practised, which unfortunately means that you're unable to escape the piercing look in his eyes. As angry as you were, getting glared at by him is terrible. "I know it’s stressful but you can't be stressed //at// customers. Go and take your break. Cool down," they instruct and you nod before trudging off to go towards the break room. [[Next|break]]

You settle yourself on the table close to the counter, pulling out your phone and seeing a range of notifications. No one really sits there as it's nearly behind the counter you work at. It's no good for the customers since the view is rubbish and you're basically in the main pathway for the staff. It does mean it's always free for you to settle into, your back hitting the cushioned soft chair. It's good to be off your feet and have a minute to yourself and not have to think about working for 10 minutes. You open your phone to an array of messages from your friends, which is a little unsurprising. Of course, before replying you could always get yourself a coffee for your break - perks of the job after all. What are you going to do with your break?<<set $text to 1>><<if $matt >= 65 and $mattread is false>> [[You have 2 messages from Matt.|mattgoodtext][$mattread to true]]<</if>><<if $matt < 65 and $mattread is false>> [[You have 2 messages from Matt.|mattbadtext][$mattread to true]]<</if>><<if $evecrush is "true" and $everead is false>> [[You have 2 messages from Eve.|evetext][$everead to true]]<</if>><<if $jordcrush is "true" and $jordread is false>> [[You have 1 message from Jordan.|jordtext][$jordread to true]]<</if>><<if $alexread is false>> [[You have 2 messages from Alex.|alexbtext][$alexread to true]]<</if>><<if $coffeebreak is false>> [[You return to the counter to get yourself a coffee.|coffeebreak][$coffeebreak to true, $coffeecount += 1]]<</if>> [[Break is over, better get back to work.|breakend]]

You turn towards the coffee steamer and start to make her a new drink, leaving the soy milk carton on the side deliberately to show that you haven't made a mistake, even though you're quite sure that one wasn't made in the first place.<<if $glasses is true>> You push your glasses up your nose with the back of your hand and try to pretend that you can't see the way the steam is encroaching onto your lenses. <</if>> You turn to place the coffee down in front of her, gently to ensure nothing spills and force a smile towards her. You're met with a stony unimpressed look in response. "Bloody customers," you hear Char mutter and when you glance out the corner of your eye you see them rolling their eyes. They're faced away from the main cafe and you force a smile, hoping your irritation doesn't play on your face<<if $Chill < 65>> and knowing that it probably does<</if>>. "Do you want to go for a break?" You nod and happily trudge away from the counter towards the back room instead, glad that it's already break time. You need it and you've only been here for a few hours. [[Next|break]]

You turn towards the coffee steamer and start to make her a new drink, leaving the soy milk carton on the side to show that you haven't made a mistake without telling her and explaining the entire process.<<if $glasses is true>> You push your glasses up your nose with the back of your hand and try to pretend that you can't see the way the steam is encroaching onto your lenses. <</if>> You gently place the coffee down in front of her to ensure nothing spills and smile politely at her. You're met with a stern unimpressed look in response before she takes the coffee back to her table and sits down, facing away from you all. "The way you just resisted sticking your tongue at her was magnificent," comes a low voice from your side and you have to bite your tongue to stop yourself from smirking at him. "It's always difficult with people like that but it's part of the job, isn't it?" <<if $charlie > 60>>Char gently butts into you with their shoulder and you smile back at their own toothy grin.<</if>> "Do you want to go for a break?" You nod and happily trudge away from the counter towards the back room instead, glad that it's already break time. You need it and you've only been here for a few hours. [[Next|break]]

"I'm sorry about that, I'll just get my manager for you." Charlie, always within listening distance, slides up to you and smiles genuinely at the customer. Or at least, they’re performing an incredible facsimile of being genuine. "I'll get you a new one. Can I get you anything else with that? As an apology?" they offer. The contrast of a navy-haired punk acting as a genuine manager seems to take her aback, but not far enough that she doesn't take advantage. "Almond croissant," she barks and your manager keeps a polite smile on his face as he gestures at you to get the pastry as he works on preparing the coffee. By the time you've got back they've done exactly that and are valiantly trying to make small talk with your customer who truly appears to have no interest in doing so. Once she's out of earshot their smile drops quickly and they take a deep breath before wiping up the remnants of the coffee left on the counter. "I wouldn't have given her a croissant," you mutter and your manager shrugs. "It's only a croissant, it won't bring the place down. Hopefully she just won't come back." You give a tired smile to your colleague and he checks the time on his watch briefly. "Do you want to go for a break?" You nod and happily trudge away from the counter towards the back room instead, glad that it's already break time. You need it and you've only been here for a few hours. [[Next|break]]

'I'm alive, alert, awake and very NOT enthusiastic.' 'This job is going to kill me." You reply; <<if $coffeecount gte 1>>[[I’m caffeinated so ready to face the day|mattgoodtext2][$text to 1]] <</if>>[[And we'll all mourn.|mattgoodtext2][$text to 2]] [[That song is going to haunt me all day now.|mattgoodtext2][$text to 3]] [[You seem chipper for someone who made his friend cry last night.|mattgoodtext2][$text to 4,$matt -=3]] [[Work isn't so bad over here you know.|mattgoodtext2][$text to 5, $charlie += 2]]

<<if $text is 1>>‘I can’t say I don’t envy you.’ comes his almost immediate reply.<<elseif $text is 2>>'Somehow I feel that's not likely.' comes his almost immediate reply.<<elseif $text is 3>>'I would say I'm sorry but I'm not.' comes his almost immediate reply.<<elseif $text is 4>>'Really? Thanks $Name,' comes his quick response but you can't seem to find yourself to care about his feelings being hurt in contrast to your best friend right now.<<else>>'Why does it feel like you’re gloating?' comes his almost immediate reply.<</if>> You know he'll be sat at his desk, idly replying to messages as they come in rather than paying attention to what he needs to be doing. Which as far as you understand is mostly just talking to annoyed customers. [[Back to breaking|break]]

'I'm alive and I hate this job.' 'Tell me why I work in a call centre again.' You reply; [[Money is necessary for living in our current society?|mattbadtext2][$text to 1, $charlie += 2]] <<link "So you can fund $Channel?" "mattbadtext2" >><<set $text to 2>><</link>> [[So you can spend the weekends upsetting your friends?|mattbadtext2][$text to 2, $matt -=3]]

<<if $text is 1>>'Oh yeah, that's it, I remember now,' comes the reply from Matt almost instantly.<<elseif $text is 2>>'Yes, that's pretty much it.' <<elseif $text is 3>> 'That's how it is?' You choose not to reply further to him at that, thinking better than getting irate on your break.<</if>> You know he'll be sat at his desk, idly replying to messages as they come in rather than paying attention to what he needs to be doing. Which as far as you understand is mostly just talking to annoyed customers. [[Back to breaking|break]]

You open the messages from Eve. 'Good morning, hope you've not had a breakdown at being back from work <3' 'Haven't heard from Matt, did you kill him? Or maybe Alex did it? I'll cover for you either way!' You reply; [[Not had a breakdown, don't worry <3|evetext2][$eve += 3]] [[Touch and go but I'm coping <3|evetext2][$eve += 3]] [[Ugh... if we're lucky.|evetext2]] <<if $mattread is true>>[[I've heard from him, don't worry about it. The fearless leader lives on.|evetext2]]<</if>>

You receive a thumbs up and a green heart in response to your reply quickly but no other reply from Eve comes. That's pretty standard, you don't know what you expected. [[Go back to breaking|break]]

'How are you coping? It felt a little awkward last night.' You reply; [[Awkward is an understatement. We survived though.|jordtext2][$text to 1]] [[A little?|jordtext2][$text to 2]] [[Yeah it can be that way with Matt. How are you?|jordtext2][$text to 3, $jordan += 1]]

<<if $text is 1>># 'Survived is good?' comes the reply from Jordan.<<elseif $text is 2>> 'Maybe a lot? Matt messaged me though, he's alright.'<<if $mattread is true>> You know that he is as well, but you choose not to add that in. Jordan is just thinking of you all and doing ?their best to keep you in the loop. It's good of ?them, and honestly what you expect.<</if>> <<elseif $text is 3>>'I'm okay. Work sucks but you know how that is.' ?Their reply is quick but you know both of you are skirting around the subject of Alex.<</if>> [[Go back to breaking|break]]

'I'm alive. Ben said I should text you to let you know I'm alright.' 'So you know, I'm alright.' The text is painfully absent of emojis and their usual flair, but there's still nothing you can think of to reply to that. They might not be explicitly saying how miserable they are but you can tell that they're struggling. Texting you because your brother asked them to is so out of character that you know they can't possibly be okay. [[Go back to breaking.|break]]

Char grins at you and steps out of the way to let you help yourself to a hot drink. You make the same coffee that you would have ordered if you were just visiting the cafe as quickly as you can, very aware that it's eating into your break time, and settle back down into your seat. If you couldn't feel the seconds counting down, you'd almost feel like you were on a nice relaxed day out. You can keep up the mental illusion for now. You catch your boss' eye as you take a sip from your coffee and their smile spreads slightly before they keep their neutral polite one as they serve customers.<<if $charcrush is "true">> You try not to think about the subtle change in his smile as he sees you, because it makes your heart want to beat a swift exit from your chest. And that would be messy. Nothing says 'I like you' like forcing them to do a full sanitisation of your shared workplace.<</if>> [[Go back to breaking|break]]

Why do these things go so quickly when you've got to get back to work? Logically you know your break lasts for the same amount of time no matter what, but it doesn't make a difference when you're trying to stretch it out for as long as you possibly can. No one wants to go back to work, even if you do enjoy aspects of it. <<if $coffeecount == 2>>You feel very awake now that you've got a few coffees inside of you. The feeling of being lethargic from this morning feels like a million miles away, but maybe that's just the coffee. It has to wear off eventually, but you can't think about that now.<<elseif $coffeecount == 1>>At least you're more awake as you return to working behind the counter. The coffee has worked its way into your system and you do feel a bit better for it, although you can still feel the lack of relaxation of your weekend.<<else>>You're absolutely knackered and returning from your break feels like moving back into the workhouse. Hopefully, you'll have nicer customers and more regulars than arseholes so that they don't deplete your limited resources more than necessary.<</if>> Returning to work is always a little sad, and returning to your feet at the end of the break is slightly painful. You know it's getting steadily busier though, now it's getting later on and people are sticking around for their lunch as they begin to socialise. As they order food you get a little busier, and Charlie meets the demand easily as you keep making hot drinks for your unending stream of customers. The lunch rush passes quickly with how busy you are. That's typical of catering, you know, but you're brought out of your busy monotony by your stomach rumbling. You know you have to power through though, since no one who works in catering actually gets to eat during lunchtime. It’ll come around soon enough and you’re glad for that. [[Next|work11]]

As the rush of a lunchtime full of frustrated office workers finally quietens down to your usual afternoon visitors you know you'll get to have the time to stop for yourself. Well, once you get the attention of your boss, anyway. Char is leant against a table and rapidly signing to a group of people that visit just after the lunch rush every Monday like clockwork. You know they visit here because they can get served easily without having to go through the pantomime of pointing at what they want and having to frustratingly try to gesture that they're deaf. They don't have to do that with him, but it does also mean that your boss often gets dragged into their stories as they're always excited to tell him about their weeks. A small experience, but not necessarily one that they get too often elsewhere. For their part, Charlie is beaming and laughing a deep hearty laugh at a lot of the stories they're so eagerly telling. Do you know what they're saying? [[Nope, not at all. I haven't managed to pick it up, even working here.|work12][$bsl to 1]] [[A little. I've picked up bits and pieces from Charlie while working with them.|work12][$bsl to 2,$charlie +=3]] [[Yes. I'm pretty fluent now since I made a point to learn it.|work12][$bsl to 3, $charlie +=6]] [[I've always used sign language. It's nice to be around other people who can use it too|work12][$bsl to 4, $charlie +=6]]

<<set $coinflip to random(1, 2)>><<set $lunch to "unknown">><<if $bsl is 1>>It's all pretty much a flurry of hands to you and a joke that you're missing out on. <<if $charcrush is "true">>You wish that you did know though, since knowing what pulls that warm laughter out of them sounds pretty good to you. You try not to stare at him as his laugh only seems to get louder, causing you to smile along with them.<</if>> It would probably be pretty useful if you did know what they were all saying, and not just because it looks like a really good conversation to be in. You'd never really noticed how useful sign language could be until you saw how many people came into your cafe specifically because of your boss. <<elseif $bsl is 2>>You recognise a few of the signs well enough to get the jist of the conversation but you can't get the nuances. You definitely don't get the joke or what exactly has your boss laughing so heartily, their warm laugh echoing around the cafe as they lean against a chair and talk. You get the signs for 'window' and 'date' pretty easily but amongst the flurry of hands around the group you don't get much more than that.<<if $charcrush is "true">>You wish that you did though, since Charlie's hearty laugh is filling you with warmth from the inside out. He turns to look at you briefly and you turn away, trying not to look like you were too obviously looking at him, especially when the word ‘date’ is one of the few you do know.<</if>> <<elseif $bsl is 3>> You've learnt to sign since you started working here and you're pretty much entirely fluent now, with the help of a few online courses to really catch up. You could pick up the signs for individual words, but the dramatically different grammar was something that you needed some help with and couldn't just pick up on, understandably. Still, your understanding is at a pretty good level now. You pick up the general theme of the story pretty quickly, that one of the women had been on a pretty awful date which had ended up with the guy trying to climb out of the window and then remembering that she was on the second floor and he couldn't get down. It's exactly the type of scenario that makes Char laugh, and now you know what happened you're not surprised to see his face lit up as he laughs, clutching the back of the chair as his laugh envelops the whole cafe and warms the otherwise largely soulless place up. <<else>>You're fluent now and have been for a very long time. Still, it's nice to be around other people who can use it too and to be able to use it as another form of communication between the two of you. You pick up the general theme of the story pretty quickly, that one of the women had been on a pretty awful date which had ended up with the guy trying to climb out of the window and then remembering that she was on the second floor and he couldn't get down. It's exactly the type of scenario that Char finds hilarious, and now you know what happened you're not surprised to see his face lit up as he laughs, clutching the back of the chair as his laugh envelops the whole cafe and warms the otherwise largely soulless place up.<</if>> [[Next|work13]]

After a while, your boss migrates back to the counter but not before feeding the group a few pastries that don't quite get through the till between the counter and the table. You quirk your eyebrow at them and they shrug. "It's just some food, isn't it, it doesn't-" You interrupt them quickly with a single raised finger. "If you say it doesn't matter because nothing does, I will fight you." Char holds his hands up to you to try and mollify you before shrugging a little. There's nothing that they can say to that, since you've quickly pre-empted their fall back argument. "Your nihilism is getting predictable," you tease and he rolls his eyes. "But you know me, I'm the ‘fun’ kind of nihilist," he shoots back and you sigh, although you can hardly disagree with him. They're definitely more fun than the otherwise boring kind of nihilism. Nothing matters so don't bother is much less fun than Char's stance of nothing matter so do want you want and have fun.<<if $charlie > 60>> "Well, I'll give you the 'fun' part," you allow and they give you a toothy grin in response.<</if>> "Hey $Name," you hear, and your head shoots up at the familiar voice. It's slightly jarring to hear it in your day-to-day work environment instead of the normal context, but not at all unwelcome. <<nobr>><<if $jordcrush is "true">>[[The shy smile of Eve greets you.|evelunch]] <<elseif $evecrush is "true">>[[Jordan's beaming face greets you.|jordlunch]] <<elseif $coinflip == 1>>[[The shy smile of Eve greets you.|evelunch]] <<else>> [[Jordan's beaming face greets you.|jordlunch]]<</if>><</nobr>>

"Are you free for lunch?" she asks and you cast a sidelong glance to your boss. "You can go for a while if you want. I think I'll cope without you." The cafe is looking empty apart from the group who are still quickly signing at each other and laughing along. Char busies himself with cleaning up the counter as you take off your apron and set it aside, trying to not obviously overhear your conversation with your friend. Or the conversation going on across the cafe. On both counts, he's failing miserably.<<if $bsl == 3>> You know the group has moved on to talking about someone's dog who escaped, and the hilarity that ensued from that but your attention is currently elsewhere now that your friend is standing on the other side of the counter.<</if>> "Do you want anything?" you ask and she smiles politely as your offer. "Oat milk cappuccino?" she asks, and it's obvious that your boss is actually keeping an ear out as he fluidly retrieves the oat milk and starts to make her one up. He sets it in front of her with a grin and a well practiced cheeky wink. It’s the same one he usually reserves for older ladies who flirt back but apparently your friend is also an exception. <<nobr>><<if $evecrush is "true" or $eve > 65>> "Keep away from my friend," you threaten and your boss shrugs. "I'm only flirting //because// she's your friend," they clarify, but Eve just smiles and wraps her fingers around the cup with a quiet thanks. She disappears off to find a table to settle at quickly. <<if $charcrush>>"Plus I know you'll get funny about it." You try not to look offended at that <<if $Chill <=30>>and you're pretty sure you succeed.<<else>> but judging by the look Char is giving you, you've failed.<</if>> <</if>> <</if>><</nobr>> What are you having for lunch? [[I brought my own pack-up.|evelunch2][$lunch to "packed"]] [[I brought pack-up, but I'm having a coffee from work.|evelunch2][$lunch to "packed", $coffeecount += 1]] [[I help myself to a sandwich from the chiller cabinet.|evelunch2][$lunch to "work"]] [[I help myself to a sandwich from the cabinet, and also a coffee for good measure.|evelunch2][$lunch to "work", $coffeecount += 1]]

You sit yourself down where Eve has already made herself comfortable, her camel coat shrugged off and placed over the back of her chair.<<if $lunch == "packed">>You unpack your lunch and start to eat,<<else>>You unwrap your sandwich and start to eat, <</if>>keeping comfortable but quiet eye contact with your friend as she does the same. "I forgot they're such a flirt," Eve comments, sipping at her cappuccino and gesturing slightly towards your boss with the back of her hand, where he's making conversation with a woman as he makes her coffee. "You should be used to it with Alex," you response and she shrugs. As she does, she smiles softly and her red hair bobs a little as she shakes her head. <<if $alexhookup is "true" or $alexcrush is "true">> "It's not me that they flirt with," she says lightly, although you know the implication in her voice well. "They flirt with everyone," you insist and she just shrugs, smiling at you over the rim of her coffee cup like she's full of secrets. Knowing Eve, she probably is. Who knows what her could hide? Secrets are probably the least of it.<</if>> <<if $alexhookup is "false" and $alexcrush is "false">>"They don't flirt with me," she says lightly, and you know that there's nothing more to be said about their friendship. Eve doesn't mind, it's just a fact. They're too close to really flirt with each other. Alex adores her but it's firmly platonic between them and there's never been anything more. "Probably scared of Matt jumping down their throat if they did," you muse. Her eyes steel slightly and you teasingly smile back at her, waiting for her response although you know that you could be waiting a while. Silence is very comfortable for Eve. <<if $mattcrush is "true">> You'd almost be annoyed at their dynamic if you knew there was still something there. Eve has firmly shut down any suggestion more heavy handed than teasing from you and Alex on the matter of their past relationship. It's firmly extinguished. Apparently. "Well, there's nothing [i]there[/i]," she finally says, slowly putting down the cup with a quiet clink onto the saucer. <<if $Chill < 40>> "Anymore," you mutter and you know she's looking at you with her jaw set, politely not saying anything and allowing you to have the last word.<</if>> <</if>> <</if>> As you tuck into your lunch properly, <<if $lunch == "packed">> your lunch now a little lukewarm, <<else>> your sandwich a little cold still,<</if>> Eve keeps her eyes on the cafe behind you. Her eyes are flickering around as she watches Char and other people move around the cafe as she sips on her coffee in comfortable silence. You know she'd sit in silence all break if you don't say anything, which would waste her visiting you somewhat and feel like a hollow visitation, so you opt for a question instead. [["How's work?" That's mild enough, but you know books and insects are Eve's two favourite things.|evelunq1][$eve += 4]] [[”Are you writing any more scripts?”|evelunq2][ $Prepared += 4, $matt += 2, $eve -= 2]] [[You want to stick with silence, but there's an elephant in the room and you both know it. "So Matt..."|evelunq3][$eve += 1,$alex += 2]]

Eve sighs and shakes her head. Whatever it is, you know you're in for some strong opinions and truthfully, you love it when she's passionate. "So we've got a big book launch, you know the drill. Everyone's coming in for the preorder. I just want to direct them towards an actually good romance instead of someone writing god awful characters and who writes about the working class like we're a mythical beast rather than actual people." Passionate Eve is probably your favourite version of her. She's usually happy enough to go with the flow, letting herself drift in comparison to stronger personalities like Matt and Alex but to see her on her own is always fun. "You'll still read the book though, won't you?" "Of course I will," Eve says, chin jutting a little, "Who do you think I am? I'm a //bookseller//, after all. I need to know what to compare it to when I'm telling everyone what to buy instead." She runs a hand through her hair and inspects the ends closely. "You know contemporary romance isn't always my favourite anyway, but I want at least a little humour when I am reading something romantic. Or at least without an eye watering amount of classism." "That's a pretty low bar, to //not// be classist. It's not hard," you try to agree with her and she shrugs with her palms up as if to say 'yeah exactly'. You've had this conversation with her multiple times, and every time you end up just agreeing with each other. There's no argument to be had, not that it'll stop Eve trying. "Well you'd think that was the case but," she inhales through her teeth, "A lot of people disagree. They like the books which would be fine, if we can excuse the class implications, if they actually were properly punctuated. I could write a better romance." "I've seen your writing so I don't doubt that much." Eve puffs up a little at that and even though her actions are subtle compared to most people, you don't miss the blush that's dusting over her cheeks at the compliment. "When I publish a novel I expect you to be first in line then," she needles, a soft smile spreading over her face before she turns her attention down to the curls of steam emanating from her coffee. She seems to soften fondly, as if she's thinking of something or someone she loves very much. However, you know Eve. That's her 'I'm thinking of Pride and Prejudice' face, but there's something else in her look. It's not a wild jump from your current topic of conversation to think that she might have something in mind. "Is there something in the works then?" you ask, in what you hope is a desperately inquiring and not at all accusatory tone. "Maybe," she admits quietly, "But it's loosely in the works. Nothing serious //or// soon." [[Next|evelunchend]]

“We //just// got home,” she huffs, rolling her eyes at you, “I’ll start calling you Matt if you’re not careful.” “I… was just making conversation.” Being told off by Eve is a rare experience for you and you aren’t entirely sure on how to react to it. You definitely didn’t expect that such a simple question would make her snap but you suppose she does look tired and she has been at work all morning fending off customers. It’s enough to knacker anyone. <<if $Chill <50>> Although you don’t think that you’re entirely in the wrong by asking, you only wanted to know what her and Matt have been planning. <</if>><<if $Specialism is "Script Writing">> “And I wanted to know if there was anything you wanted help with.” It’s Eve’s turn to look sheepish now, not quite meeting your eyes as she looks down at her coffee. “I’ll let you know when I’m writing.” You’re thankful she’s conceded this much to you, since it does all work out better if you’re kept in the loop.<</if>> “At the moment it’s just radio silence from Matt’s end. Editing time, you know? I bet Jordan has heard some more from him.” You nod and take a bite of your lunch as Eve focuses past your shoulder and runs her finger over the edge of her cup distractedly. “You think that he’ll be happy with the stuff from this weekend?” “Yeah why not? I mean it was all good until…” she waves her hand as if to say ‘you know what I mean’ and you do, of course. There’s no getting away from what happened at the end of your trip and you do appreciate her not wanting to speak it back into acceptance, like it’ll cause a recurrence.<<if $Chill >50>> “I’m just hoping Matt has cooled down somewhat,” you sigh and Eve shrugs. “Aren’t we all? Although I don’t think pretending nothing happened will be for the best either.”<<else>> “Matt loses his shit?” Eve’s eyes widen slightly but her nose wrinkles in a way that says that she entirely agrees with you. “Unless he admits that he’s in the wrong our team might be a little… fractured for a while.” That’s the polite way of saying it, if you’re honest. She refrained from saying it explicitly but you both know if they don’t make up then you’re fucked.<</if>> It leaves an uneasy silence hanging between the two of you for a few seconds and you try to take a deep breath to clear it out of your system. It might not be ideal or anything like a long term coping strategy, but you need to try and not let this carry over to your day job. Expectation of level emotion and all of that. [[Next|evelunchend]]

"Was entirely out of line," she finishes for you, meeting your eyes directly and without hesitation. "I give him a lot of leeway usually. He knows what's best for $Channel, but that doesn't mean he can bulldoze through all of us and upset the whole balance." 'Upsetting the balance' seems a bit of a mild term for causing your best friend to burst into tears and then almost disappear in a very uncharacteristic move, but Eve is being purposefully mild and you know it. "I'm not saying Alex is blameless, but Matt's reaction wasn't the reaction of someone who cares for their colleagues. And especially not of someone who cares about his friends." That's almost a damnation from your often impartial friend. "Have you heard anything from them?" <<if $alexread is "true">> "The briefest message. Because //Ben// told them to text." Eve bites her lip and lets her head drop a little as she thinks. With the back of her hand she pushes her glasses up, her gaze slowly following the movement of her head and settling back on you. "Maybe they just need a little bit of time." "Or a lot of time," you sigh, trying not to get too down about it. You've still got to the rest of your shift and although Char will excuse a lot of weird behaviour, you don't think that crying while serving a customer is one of those things. "They'll come back around. At least to you. They just need to work through it first," she tries to assure, but you can see that she isn't secure in her own assertion. You think that she's more assuming that Alex [i]has[/i] to come back around to you, because for them to not is an unprecedented event. None of you would cope well with that.<<else>> "They messaged but I didn't get the chance to look." Eve looks skeptical at your sentence but doesn't push at all. She never pushes any of you to say any more than you're prepared to and that seems to work well for her. "I didn't hear anything at all. I sent them a picture of a vole but I got nothing back at all. Not even a heart emoji." "They could just be busy?" you suggest, knowing for a fact that Alex is due at work today. Still, it's peculiar for them to not text any of you back. Doubly so with the temptation of small animals. "They could be," she parrots back with a deep sigh that moves her shoulders, "But I was thinking about dropping by their house tomorrow evening and seeing if they're there. Just to know that they're okay." You feel guilty over ignoring their text now. If they've only messaged you then you could have known if they were okay and shared that with Eve. Now, there's nothing. Eve takes a deep sigh and a long drink from her cappuccino to distance herself from the conversation and put her thoughts together. You think it might go on forever with how long the silence feels when she finally puts the cup down and relaxes back into her seat. "It will be okay again. Maybe not between Alex and Matt, but otherwise." That feels quite damning on what remains of their friendship, but she has somehow gone for exactly what you needed to hear at this moment.<</if>> [[Next|evelunchend]]

An alarm goes off on Eve’s phone and she sighs, and quickly gulps down the last of her cappuccino before pulling a slight grimace. “I better be off before people miss me too much,” she says, pulling her coat back on and tying it tightly around her, “I’ll message you in a bit.” <<if $eve > 65 >> She places a kiss on your cheek before she drifts away in a familiar cloud of light, fruity haze.<</if>> As she leaves she throws up a casual hand in farewell to your boss, which is eagerly returned even through trying to serve a customer. You guess this is your own cue to return to work and <<if $lunch is "packed">>return your lunchbox to the staffroom.<<else>>throw away the box of your sandwich.<</if>> You don your apron <<if $charuni is 1 or 2>>, ignoring the jangling from the pins adorning it,<</if>> and return to life back behind the counter. Charlie looks a little grateful for your return and you quickly slip back into the role of making coffee as he chats to one of the customers. “How was my favourite of your friends?” they ask and you roll your eyes in response, shaking your head and turning your attention to foaming the milk. You don’t want scalding soya milk froth over your hands again. “Eve is good, thanks for asking.” Their attention on Eve doesn’t go amiss. <<if $charcrush is "true">> And you try not to get a little jealous of your own friend over it, as if his attention isn’t on you for most of the day. <</if>> “I asked about you earlier, don’t get huffy about it,” they tease, grin showing slightly too many of their teeth in the typical way it does. <<if $Rude < 35>> You didn’t think you were getting anything close to ‘huffy’ and you turn your attention firmly away from them to hide the fact that your face feels a little warm for being casually joked with by them. You don’t want to come off as rude though, do you? “Hey, it was just a joke,” they try to placate and you nod but your face still feels warm from the mortifying idea that you’re getting anything like angry at your boss.<</if>> “Shouldn’t you be heading off for your own lunch now anyway?” Char downs tools pretty quickly now you’re back, observing the lack of queue and the way that the cafe has quietened down post lunch rush. “Yeah I’m off,” they say, “Shout if you need me and I’ll be back.” They shed their apron and hang it up on the hook before donning their jacket, digging around for his packet of cigarettes before taking his half-filled mug of coffee out the back door. He’ll return for food soon, but you’re in charge of the shop for now. [[Next|work14]]

"Do you want to have lunch with me?" ?they <<verb 'asks'>>, looking a little bashful as ?they <<verb 'meets'>> your eyes. "You can go for a while if you want. I think I'll cope without you." The cafe is looking empty apart from the group who are still quickly signing at each other and laughing along. Char busies himself with cleaning up the counter as you take off your apron and set it aside, trying to not obviously overhear your conversation with your friend. Still, you know he's listening. Not just to you, but to the conversation going on across the cafe too.<<if $bsl >= 3>> You know they've moved on to talking about someone's dog who escaped, and the hilarity that ensued from that but your attention is currently elsewhere now that your friend is stood on the other side of the counter.<</if>> "Do you want anything?" you ask and ?they <<verb 'smiles'>> awkwardly as you offer. "Just a tea?" Jordan slowly inquires, eyes flickering to your boss as ?they <<verb 'speaks'>> and Char nods, getting a teapot and filling it up without hesitation. "You can have something fancier if you want," they offer but Jordan shakes ?their head. "I really do just want tea." "Well, if you want to spice up your life a bit more, you know where I am," he says with a wink, before sliding over a tray with the tea pot and cup over to your friend. Jordan goes to fetch ?their card from ?their pocket, but Char shakes his head and holds up a palm in response to the movement. Friends don't pay here and you know that rule. Jordan hasn't been inducted into your team so firmly yet. ?They just <<verb 'nods'>>, still looking a little nervous but busies ?themself and takes the tray away to a table as you meet your boss' mirth filled eyes.<<if $jordcrush is "true" or $jordan > 55>> "Keep away from my friend," you threaten and your boss shrugs.<</if>> "You know I'm only pissing about //because// ?they-re your friend," he says, picking up a tea towel and drying up a cup from the dishwasher as they do. "But ?they <<verb "is" "are">> cute. In a small animal kind of way." Char ignores your glare as they busy themselves with other menial tasks and leave you to sort out your lunch. What are you having for lunch? [[I brought my own pack-up.|jordlunch2][$lunch to "packed"]] [[I brought pack-up, but I'm having a coffee from work.|jordlunch2][$lunch to "packed", $coffeecount += 1]] [[I help myself to a sandwich from the chiller cabinet.|jordlunch2][$lunch to "work"]] [[I help myself to a sandwich from the cabinet, and also a coffee for good measure.|jordlunch2][$lunch to "work", $coffeecount += 1]]

You move over to sit with your friend, watching as Jordan fiddles with ?their pot of tea, checking how strong it is and shaking ?their head ever so slightly before ?they settle the lid back on to let it continue brewing. “Your boss is really nice,” ?they say as ?they fiddle with the top of the tea pot, spinning it around a few times and pulling a slightly grating ceramic-on-ceramic noise as they do so.<<if $lunch is "packed">> You start to unpack your lunch, noting it’s a little lukewarm after being in your bag as Jordan does tucks into ?their own box of leftovers.<<else>> You manage to rip your way into the carton of the sandwich you procured from the chiller. <</if>> <<if $charlie >60>>“Charlie? Yeah he’s pretty good. Gives everyone free food at least.” <<elseif $charlie <40>>”They’re as good as bosses really get. Free food and drinks and the like.”<<else>>”Yeah he’s alright as a boss. Makes life easier when you get free food.”<</if>> You see ?them perk up a little at that, casting a glance back to the pastry cabinet before ?they <<verb 'settles'>> into the chair opposite you and <<verb 'unzip'>> ?their jacket. “It’s really cosy here. I don’t come to coffee shops very often,” ?they <<verb 'muses'>> as ?they <<verb 'looks'>> around. You see this place all the time and the dark blue feature walls and inoffensive Italian-esque art just remind you of every other shop in the chain. If you didn’t work here you’d get it, you definitely understand why ?they would find the warm smell of coffee and pastries and cushy high backed chairs to be comfortable, even though your particular store has been looking worse for wear recently. Charlie had recently insisted it adds to the ‘rustic charm’ of the cafe. How that fits into it’s place in a busy city high street you’re not sure, and you’re yet to be convinced. The conversation falls to a lull and you realise that ?they-re waiting for you to say something. It’s always weird when you realise that ?they <<verb 'sees'>> you as somehow ‘higher’ than ?them. You hope eventually ?they’ll realise you’re just the same as ?them and you don’t actually know what you’re doing. You’re not Matt, you can’t even pretend you have everything sorted out. [["How was work?"|jordlunq1][$jordan +=1]] [[”How’s editing going?”|jordlunq2][$Prepared +=2, $matt +=1, $jordan -=1]] [[You wish that you could stay with silence but you know that you can’t. Or else Jordan is going to start making that noise with the teapot again. ”So… Matt was entirely out of line.”|jordlunq3]]

“Oh, it was good, thanks,” ?they <<verb 'says'>>, again checking ?their pot of tea before slowly pouring some out, seeing that it’s the right colour and pouring out a lot more quickly and adding a little too much milk. “I did the stock unloading shift at the shop and I’m helping Ronnie this afternoon so she has time to do my hair this evening. That all means I’ve got a few hours in between for lunch.” That’s already a lot of work for someone in one day, but ?they <<verb "doesn’t" "don't">> look too tired so you let it slide. “I thought I needed some caffeine and then you’re nearby so I thought…” <<if $Confident >= 50>> “You’d pop by? That’s really nice.” Fits ?them well though really, doesn’t it? ?They-re always lovely.<<else>> “So… you wanted to visit?” That’s really nice of ?them, and pretty much just fits perfectly. To know that ?they-re thinking of you outside of when you’re working together.<</if>> “Well, I’ve never been around here before and Matt said you worked kind of near the shop so I thought on my way I’d see if you had time for lunch.” ?They <<verb 'looks'>> up at you briefly and you can see ?them visibly panic a little, “Not that you’re //obliged// to spend your time with me, of course.” “Jordan, it’s fine.<<if $Rude <45>> I want to spend time with you.<</if>>” ?They <<verb 'is'>> obviously trying not to look too happy at the compliment for you, trying not to show too much of ?their teeth as they almost beam. <<if $jordcrush is "true">>You like ?them a lot, of course, but you don’t really want ?them to see you as someone who is above ?them. You want to be equals.<</if>> “My sister also wanted me to bring her a coffee since I said I might drop in to see you.” [[Next|jordlunchend]]

Jordan lets out a heavy exhale and ?their nose wrinkles a little. Whatever ?they-re going to say, you’re quite sure ?they-re not happy about it. “Matt sent me over a gigantic list of things he’d like for the footage to definitely include. I don’t know how he does it because we’ve only just-” Jordan pauses for a second and looks up to you with a look in ?their eyes which reminds you of a deer caught in headlights, “Sorry, I shouldn’t say this to you.” “It’s good.” <<if $matt > 65>> Although you like him a lot, you know he can be demanding. <<else>> And you mean it. You know he’s often demanding.<</if>> Heck, you’ve been on the receiving end of his demand over finishing content for $Channel multiple times. “I’m just not sure I’ve got the time to do it //right now//. I had a weekend off and now I need to catch up on my hours, you know?” “<<if $Confident <50>> You could maybe… <</if>>Tell him that.” Jordan looks aghast, before shaking ?their head. You had a feeling this would be the reaction ?they’d have, ?they <<verb 'has'>> the feeling that ?their entire future is hanging on what Matt says in a reference, which probably isn’t as inaccurate as you’d hope. “There’s no need, I mean… I’ll get it done,” ?they <<verb 'promises'>> and you try not to feel slightly distressed over they way ?they-re talking. You have a horrible feeling it won’t be long until ?they-re rivaling Eve for the depth of ?their eye bags. <<if $Rude < 50 >>”Make sure you rest as well. You don’t want to burn yourself out before you even start your career.” <<else>>”Well, get some sleep too. I don’t want to have to take over all of your editing duties.”<</if>> Jordan looks a kind of relieved at the way you’re talking with familiarity about ?them, before focusing back onto ?their cup of tea instead. [[Next|jordlunchend]]

“Uh…” Jordan seems to have short-circuited somewhat at your casual declaration of Matt being wrong. It’s like ?they can’t decide whether or not it’s some kind of trick question. “It did seem a bit out of character compared to the rest of the weekend,” ?they <<verb 'concedes' 'concede'>>. ?Their eyes turn down towards ?their cup of tea pretty quickly as you speak, giving ?them the space to think. “That behaviour isn’t acceptable,” you emphasise, and Jordan nods, ?their hands going back to anxiously twirling the top of the tea pot and pulling the horrific scraping sound from it again. You try not to wince, although you’re not sure how successful you are with that goal. “I know that,” ?they <<verb 'says'>>, ?their gaze firmly fixed onto the crockery rather than you. It’s a little annoying at how pointedly ?they <<verb "is" "are">>n’t looking at you, but you guess you understand. You probably sound too much like every adult in ?their past pulling a patronising conversation. That’s definitely not what you want. “I would just understand if you don’t want to work with us anymore.” “Is that what you want? You want me to go?” ?They <<verb 'looks'>> offended at your suggestion. <<if $jordan > 65>>”No,” you rush to say, “That’s not what I want at all… but it’s your decision about how you want to be treated at the end of the day.” <<else>> “It really is up to you. I won’t stop you if you want to go.”<</if>> “I don’t want to stop working with you all. Even if it is hard sometimes. I knew what I signed up for.” ?They didn’t sign up for arguments and shouting in service stations, but there it is. If ?they-re okay with it then what can you really say? If ?they-re willing to stick with you all through it, then that’s truly up to ?them. <<if $jordcrush is "true">> You hope that you’re a small part of ?their decision.<</if>> [[Next|jordlunchend]]

Jordan checks ?their phone and you see ?them sigh before starting to pack up ?their lunch, everything slotting back into place in ?their bag. “It’s Ronnie. I better think about heading off, she’s asking if I’m on my way.” You drag yourself back to your feet, aware that you’ve had the time for lunch and you should really consider letting your boss go before it gets too late for him to go. As Jordan stands up you notice Char moving quickly towards you both with a paper bag in hand. He presses it into your friend’s hand before ?they can say anything and moves away, out of arms reach in seconds. You know what’s in the bag before ?they open it and you see ?their dark eyes light up a little when they see the food inside. <<if $jordcrush is "true">> You stubbornly ignore that your heart speeds up a little as ?their eyes do so, clamping down on your feelings. You’re at work, for Pete’s sake.<</if>> “Are you sure it’s alright for me to have these?” ?they ask, eyes glancing back at your boss, who’s navy hair is turned away from you as they restock some of the cold drinks in the cabinet. “Well, the boss says so, so yeah?” ?They <<verb 'looks'>> delighted at the news and Jordan packs what appears to be a fair number of pastries into ?their bag. “Ronnie will be happy with me turning up with baked goods,” ?they <<verb 'comments'>> as ?they close up ?their backpack and put it onto ?their back. ?They <<verb 'darts'>> back to the counter and quickly order a coffee, which Char refuses to take payment for in their typical way. ‘Friends dine free’ and always have done. “I’ll see you later $Name.” ?Their farewell is a quick wave at you coupled with a charming beam of a smile and <<if $bsl == 1>> a sharp movement of ?their hand down from ?their chin at Char. <<else>> the sign for ‘thank you’ aimed at your boss. <</if>>They counter with a wave that looks a little bit like a salute, except way more casual. [[Next|jordlunchend2]]

“?They-re sweet, I like ?them,” Char says as soon as Jordan is out of eye shot. You pull your apron back on<<if $charuni is "2">>, ignoring the jangling from the pins adorning it<</if>>. <<if $jordcrush is "true">> You ignore what feels like a very knowing look from your boss and turn your attention back to working, taking over on making coffees and wiping up after them.<</if>> “Yeah ?they-re good at what ?they <<verb 'does'>>.” Your boss seems fairly happy with that response, nodding away as he tidies up some of the various milk cartons that are left empty from the lunch rush and you hadn’t had time to quite get rid of yet. He precisely squashes each one down precisely with a level of glee you don’t often see from him at work.<<if $charlie >60>> Why would you take that job away from him by being too organised?<</if>> <<if $workethic is 4>> “Do they want a job here then? I could do with some decent help.” You narrow your eyes a little at your boss before turning your attention to the coffee machine and pretend to clean it’s already clean steam nozzle.<</if>> “Shouldn’t you be heading off for your own lunch now anyway?” Char downs tools pretty quickly now you’re back, observing the lack of queue and the way that the cafe has quietened down post lunch rush. “Yeah I’m off,” they say, “Shout if you need me and I’ll be back.” They shed their apron and hang it up on the hook before donning their jacket, digging around for his packet of cigarettes before taking his half-filled mug of coffee out the back door. He’ll return for food soon, but you’re in charge of the shop for now. [[Next|work14]]

<<if $workethic < 3 >> You tidy up the counters as well as you can do in the quiet time, organising and restocking the fridges for the inevitable afternoon rush you’ll get when schools have been let out. Char will thank you for it when he’s not rummaging around the back for oat milk in an hour or two.<<else>> You do nothing, leaning against the counter and waiting for another customer. It’s nice to take advantage of the quieter moments. They’re few and far between. <</if>> Char emerges from the back of the shop after five minutes, a slight smell of smoke clinging to his jacket before helping himself to a sandwich from the chiller cabinet and sitting on a free table close to the counter. He sits carefully, one boot propped up in a way that means the dusty sole of his boot avoids the material of the chair and his foot isn’t actually on it, more his ankle. They give you a grin before tucking into the sandwich, eyes trained on their phone. You know them well enough to know that music will be blaring through the Bluetooth setting on their hearing aids by now. Just because he said that you can get him for help, doesn’t mean it’s actually an open invitation. The idea is that you get on with it unless the store is burning down around you and then maybe, just maybe, you can consider asking them for some help with the situation. Work is a little boring without some company though, especially when there are only a few customers, and you’re glad when you hear the telltale scrape of the chair as he stands up and joins you back at the counter, donned in an apron and phone tucked away in the back pocket of his once black jeans. You’re pretty sure you’ve arranged and rearranged the counter a few dozen times by the time they return. “So… in a fight who would win-” You aren’t surprised they’ve started this game, it’s a staple for a quiet afternoon between the two of you, “-between Mothra, the love of my life, and an equally big tiger.” [[Mothra, hands down. Giant moths beat tigers any day.|mothra][$char +=2,$eve +=2]] [[The big tiger, come on! Tigers are always going to beat a giant moth!|tiger][$alex +=2]]

“I’m glad you know well enough to go for the correct answer in this situation,” Char says, grin pulling up the corners of his mouth. “Well, Mothra would just fly out of the way, wouldn’t she?” The way your boss’s hands start gesturing says ‘obviously’, like any other answer couldn’t be more wrong. “Exactly, how could anyone catch her? She’s pretty much the best monster, after all. And I am a connoisseur of monster movies.” You can’t argue with that, monsters are pretty much Char’s speciality, apart from managing moderately successful chain cafes. The only book you’ve known them to read multiple times is Jurassic Park, and he’s very unapologetic about that fact, although whether dinosaur movies are monster movies remains a hotbed of contention among the various visitors of your cafe. Unfortunately, the tally chart which was officially keeping track had been erased when the corporate heads came for an inspection. R.I.P monster chart, you’ll never be forgotten. [[Oops, there's a customer!|work15]]

“I mean, I respect your opinion but as your boss, I can tell you that you’re wrong. How is the big tiger going to reach Mothra when she flies out of the way?” The look on your boss’ face says that he knows he’s right and that he’s quite sure they’ve laid down something you can’t overcome. Luckily, you’ve had training at this game through your year and a bit working here. “Big tiger can do big jumps, obviously,” you counter, watching as the grey eyes watching you narrow slightly. Char’s fingers tap on the counter for a few seconds and you can see that he’s thinking, way too visibly for how serious the question is not. “I think the big tiger will be constrained by gravity in a way that Mothra isn’t.” You don’t want to point out that gravity doesn’t really pick and choose who it works on, but you know Charlie hates that physics has to apply to him. [[Oops, there's a customer!|work15]]

Your further conversation about who would win in a fight between different dinosaurs is cut short when a mother and her screaming child come into the cafe. You see Char’s hand go to their hearing aid quickly, and you have to stop yourself from rolling your eyes at that, them switching their hearing aid off so that they don’t have to engage with the high-pitched, loud noises of a squalling child. “Can we get them anything to quieten them down do you think?” your manager asks, and the mother looks relieved as she orders a cookie which Char delivers promptly with the aim that it does what you all are hoping. Thankfully it does, and your own relief mirrors the obvious of the mother. She orders for herself, looking like she’s finally got the chance to think for herself for the first time in hours and as they turn around to make her coffee, you notice Char subtly turn his hearing aid back up with a wink thrown at you. “On the house, don’t worry about it,” he says, waving the mother away when she tries to dig for her purse. She looks ready to cry but Charlie just gives her a friendly grin that is miles away from being flirty. He’s just being nice and they’re trying hard to emphasise that. <<if $charcrush is "true">> You’re glad, the idea of Char flirting with anyone else is enough to make you feel a tiny bit jealous. Not that you have any right to be, they’re actually just your boss. <</if>> How do you feel about your boss making the decision to not charge for that order? [[Fine, I mean that woman looked stressed. It’s the least we can do.|ethics][$charlie +=5,$charmorn to 1]] [[Good, why not? Getting paid minimum wage means the company can’t expect me to defend them.|ethics][$charlie +=5,$Chill -=3,$charmorn to 2]] [[Meh, I don’t care either way. It’s up to Charlie since they’re the boss but I am a little concerned.|ethics][ $Traditional += 2,$charmorn to 3]] [[It’s theft, right? So not good about it.|ethics][$charlie -=10, $Rude += 5,$charmorn to 4]]

<<if $charmorn is 1>>“You’re not going to get in trouble for this, right?” Char rolls their eyes at you and shrugs, “Pretty sure I’m the manager here. Who else is going to care?”<<elseif $charmorn is 2>>“You’re not going to get in trouble for this, right? What if she’s a secret shopper or something?” “I really don’t think that the woman with the crying baby is a secret shopper.”<<elseif $charmorn is 3>>“The higher-ups won’t be happy if you give too much food away. What if she’s a secret shopper or something?” “I really don’t think that the woman with the crying baby is a secret shopper.”<<else>>“Should we be doing that? Giving food away?” Char gives you possibly the most withering look you’ve ever seen them cast onto another person. <</if>> “Don’t worry about it, it's a corporation, fuck 'em and have a croissant.” With that, you get thrown a croissant left over from the morning. It’s slightly stale from being left out but nothing that a quick blast in the microwave won’t fix. [[Next|work16]]

Afternoons in the coffee shop are pretty quiet, and as you tuck into your vaguely warm croissant you take advantage of the quieter moment to lean against the cleaned surfaces and take an unofficial break in between serving customers. Afternoons don’t have much for you to do and even Char has only found one person to talk to, leaning against the wall with a tray in their hands as they chat to an old man who regularly comes in while his wife is shopping. They could be in that conversation until the store closes with your boss nodding along as the old man talks about how his grandchildren are getting on with school and university. The conversation does indeed last until you realise you have to close up shop, but not before the man’s wife returns and shows Charlie videos of their smallest granddaughter in her school play. You can see that he has no clue about what’s going on and that they are just smiling through the bad recording, unable to hear what’s going on among the background noise. He does look a little relieved when they realise they need to get back to the car and he’s free to close up behind them, giving one final smile as they go. “They’re nice but hell they can talk. I feel like we’re behind now.” Charlie places the tray and crockery on it into the dishwasher quickly before setting it on for one of the last runs of the day. "Right, I'm going to cash up,” they say with a sigh. A necessary evil for them as a manager. “You know me and numbers aren't exactly besties, so don't disturb me unless the world ends." [[Next|workend]]

You start to tidy up, knowing that interrupting him would probably leave you to fall foul of some kind of strange and unusual punishment. Last time it was only listening to Char’s pick of playlists for a month and you’re not sure you’re ready to handle that again just yet. You put the last few things into the dishwasher before moving out onto the floor of the shop. You start stacking the chairs up out of the way before starting to sweep, <<if $workethic < 3 >> getting into the corners and dragging all kinds of nasties out. <<else>> focusing on the main thoroughfare and not really working your way into the edges. It’ll get done properly another time, right?<</if>> Char emerges from the office, hair slightly mussed from exasperatedly running their hands through it when counting, jacket and backpack thrown over their shoulder. <<if $charcrush is "true">> You try not to think too much about how endearing you find his dishevelled look.<</if>> [[You're ready to go home|workend2]]

“Have you got an exciting night <<if $Specialism is "Camera Work">> filming nonsense?”<<elseif $Specialism is "Script Writing">> scribbling down some nature facts?”<<elseif $Specialism is "Social Media">> filtering out Alex’s input on social media?”<<elseif $Specialism is "Science Communication">> figuring out how to dumb down science news for people like me?”<<elseif $Specialism is "Presentation">> getting ready to speak in front of people?” <</if>> “Night off actually,” you say, to which your boss does an impressive mock-awe face. “Ooo, quelle surprise, some time to actually relax. Matt’s going soft on you all then.” He pulls on his jacket, letting his hair out of the tie keeping it up, shaking it so it falls out into the loose mohawk style he keeps outside of work. “The opposite of soft. You should have heard him last night.” “That bad?” Your boss gestures to the back of the store for you to get your belongings as you continue your conversation. “Really bad.” “I don’t know how you work with him. I think I’d have decked him by now.” “Well, that’s you,” you chuckle, knowing that he’s not lying. You could see him fighting Matt in the streets if they spent too long together, but it would also definitely be started by Matt rather than Charlie. They’re a finishing fight type of person rather than someone who starts it. They just can’t let go of people being pointlessly mean to each other and the whole incident with Alex probably would have been too far for them. You dread to think what his solution would have been to Matt's attitude. [[Next|workend3]]

You get hurried out of the door by your boss before he can set the alarm. They lock the door before the two of you can set it off and test the door a few times just to be on the safe side. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, you not got a lift home?” Char got rid of his own car a little while ago so you know he’s off onto public transport himself, although the opposite way to you. Otherwise, you’d get a lift back and you know it. “Nah, Ben dropped me off but he’s busy.” “Safe journey then, text me if you need anything and I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waves to you as he walks off and you see him disappear around the corner pretty quickly, keen to be home as soon as he can. You can’t blame him for that, you’re keen to be home too and the only thing separating you and your bed is the fact you’ve got to wait for the bus first. Once you’re on the bus though, the day feels quite thoroughly over, which you’re glad for. The bus journey isn’t too long but it’s giving you more than enough time to look back on your day and think about everything; your day, your boss, your friends. How do you feel your day went? [[Good! Working with Char isn’t too bad!|chapter four][$charlie +=2]] [[Could have been better, I’m still thinking about Alex and their situation.|chapter four][$alex +=3]] [[Work is super tedious, I’m never going to be a fan.|chapter four][$Chill -=3]] [[I’ve got other stuff to do, I’d rather be elsewhere.|chapter four][$matt +=3,$Rude +2]]

You can hear Ben on the phone vaguely referring to you. He must be talking to your parents because his voice is jovial and you over hear a fragment of them speaking... [["He's doing really well with the channel actually..." (sets pronouns to he/him)|morning][$MCpronoun1 to "he",$MCpronoun2 to "him", $MCpronoun3 to "his"]] [["She was away at the weekend with Alex..." (sets pronouns to she/her)|morning][$MCpronoun1 to "she",$MCpronoun2 to "her", $MCpronoun3 to "hers"]] [["They seem to be balancing their job with it..." (sets pronouns to they/them)|morning][$MCpronoun1 to "they",$MCpronoun2 to "them", $MCpronoun3 to "theirs", $MCplural to "true"]] [["Xe's feeling really positive about the way it's growing." (sets pronouns to xe/xir)|morning][$MCpronoun1 to "xe",$MCpronoun2 to "xir", $MCpronoun3 to "xirs"]] [["Yes, I'll make sure ze doesn't burn zirself out." (sets pronouns to ze/zir)|morning][$MCpronoun1 to "ze",$MCpronoun2 to "zir", $MCpronoun3 to "zirs"]]

<<set $gamechapter = "chapter four">> The rest of your week goes through in much of the same manner, Ben driving you to work, spending the day doing very little with Char (working very hard if anyone asked, of course) and then going home without hearing much from any of your friends. Most notably, Alex still hasn't replied with more than a thumbs up when you've sent them pictures of various small mammals. The one text you sent with actual words received no reply at all. When Matt texts you with a calendar invite for an "interview with contributor", you're almost glad to hear from him and think about $Channel again and you accept without a second thought. It's not far away at all, only tomorrow, but he couldn't allow himself to go without an official invite. Over email, no less. It does mean that the next day seems to speed by, your head pre-occupied by running through the whole scenario between your friends in your head. You haven't seen Alex since the weekend away and you can't wait to see them in person. If nothing else, you need to know that they're actually okay. [[Chapter Four|mattshouse]]

You turn up to Matt's cookie-cutter suburban house without fanfare, just a wave to your brother as he drives away, knowing exactly where you are. It's boring but there's nowhere really safer than Matt's house with it's perfect little lawn and perfect everything else. It feels like you're dirtying up the place when you turn up and the pale carpets are only a part of that. Matt's mum never lets you forget that feeling, that's for sure. You're all wrecking her perfect hallway by leaving your shoes there. She might have been your first subscriber but occasionally you can't help but feel that's all part of her masterplan to get Matt back out of the family house as soon as she can. You knock on the door and step back, waiting for a few seconds before you hear thundering feet coming down the stairs and the door is flung open by Matt, donned in black sweatpants and a t-shirt donned with the logo of your university's rugby club. "So, I'm going to warn you now, Alex isn't here and they've told me that they're not coming," he says, voice even, "Just so you're not disappointed." He's pre-empted it pretty effectively since you //were// definitely gearing up to have a few awkward conversations. Still, a hello first wouldn't have gone amiss. You follow Matt up to his bedroom, which has also been designated as the $Channel office and workspace during the evenings when you can't use the lounge because his parents are around. Eve and Jordan have already arrived; Eve sat with feet crossed on Matt's bed, still in her bookshop uniform and Jordan perched neatly on his desk chair, decked in ?their own university hoodie and usual skinny jeans. Jordan's hair is out of braids, worn naturally but otherwise ?they <<verb 'looks'>> the same as usual. <<if $Rude lte 55>>"Sorry I'm the last here," you say with a small smile as you sit yourself down next to Eve's feet on the bed. <<else>>You don't say a thing, just set yourself down on the bed next to Eve with a nod hello to them all. <</if>> [[Next|bozoom]]

<<set $metbo to "true">>"We all know why we're here, we need to have a quick chat with Professor Park about xir contribution going forwards. This is just an introductory meeting, of course, but we need to make a good impression." He logs into zoom through a link he'd wisely already had loaded and turns around. You can see him slipping into business mode, a subtle shift towards the Matt that you see on camera. Slightly more positive, poised and enunciated than he is when he's relaxed. If you didn't know him well, you wouldn't even notice. You all scoot into the small frame of Matt's webcam as the video pops up on screen, him setting himself down into the centre of the frame, which turns out to be sat next to you on the bed with Eve. "Good evening, Professor Park," he greets, as soon as the figure on screen is visible to you all. You smile<<if $Confident < 40>>, albeit awkwardly,<</if>> at the person who has just joined your video call. Xe looks tired, xir grey eyes rimmed with dark bags which are only highlighted by xir thick rimmed glasses, which is to be expected considering that it's the end of the day. From the look of it, xe is still in xir office even though it's way too late to be at your workplace if you don't have to be. Xe is still dressed immaculately despite the late hour, shoulders covered with a tweed jacket and a white shirt still firmly fastened to the top button. Xir dark, chin length hair is still perfectly neat and having done a few of these ridiculously late meetings yourself, you're sure that xe put a comb through it before xe joined the call. [[Next|bozoom2]]

"Good evening. It's nice to finally put a face to the name, Matt." Xir face is barely cracked with a smile towards your leader, obviously still in the uptight professor mode rather than a socialising one. "It's nice not to just talk on the phone. I need to quickly introduce you to my team since I'm sure you'll be in contact with them as much as with me." You deeply doubt that, Matt would struggle to give up that level of control to you all and you can see Eve's eyebrow twitch up in scepticism in the monitor of his computer. <<if $Specialism is "Presentation">> Although, you never know what might happen. You might end up interviewing the Professor yourself if Matt finds his attention drawn in multiple directions on the wrong day.<</if>> "So we have Eve on the end, she writes our scripts. We have $Name who <<if $Specialism is "Camera Work">>does a lot of our filming<<elseif $Specialism is "Script Writing">> works on those with her <<elseif $Specialism is "Social Media">>is one of our social media managers<<elseif $Specialism is "Science Communication">>helps us with making the science accessible to viewers<<elseif $Specialism is "Presentation">>is our other presenter<</if>>. Then we have Jordan who <<if $Specialism is "Camera Work">> also works on the camerawork with $Name<<else>>has been responsible for all of our filming over the last few months<</if>>. We also have Alex who is our <<if $Specialism is "Social Media">>other <</if>>social media manager but couldn't make it this evening." "It's a pleasure to meet you all, I look forward to working together." You can't figure out if Professor Park's clipped words are because xir words are only polite or if xe really is happy to see all of you but just too tired for a meeting this late in the evening. "Like I said on the phone, I'm really keen to interview you about your current work in ecology and also get you consulting for the channel if you're interested in that." These words are more for your benefit, you're sure, Matt has been talking to a lot of people and doesn't want any of you to trip yourself up here. It wouldn't be professional enough for his tastes. "Do you think your audience would be interested in my work? I've looked at your social media and it's a lot of animal photos." <<if $Specialism is "Science Communication">> [[You jump in to back up your channel. Why wouldn't your audience be interested?|bozoom3][$Confident +=3, $bo += 5]] <</if>>[[You let Matt handle this one.|bozoom4][$Confident -=2, $matt +=3]] [[Shit, are you... attracted to Professor Park? Keeping it cool and professional as always|bozoom4][$bocrush to "true"]]

"Well Professor, I think our audience are more than interested. They understand that the animals we show are part of the environment we need to protect." Professor Park looks pretty impressed at the way you speak up. Perhaps it's with a little less reverence than Matt would like towards xem but you have to defend your work. You've heard too many people refer to $Channel as a little side project rather than the very honest and serious science communication job it is. "And the point of our work is to develop people's interests from a casual appreciation of animals towards an appreciation of science and the amount of work that needs to be done to maintain the environments of the animals they do like." Sure, your visible presence online is largely about cute animals, that's what gets people to actually click on your content, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? Not everyone has a biology degree like yourselves, or a PhD in ecology like Professor Park. You have to hook the public in to get them on side. The Professor looks like xe's pondering your words, a finger resting on xir lips lightly as you talk. "Please, call me Bo-Yeon, we're all adults here. I understand your case. I think I am within the bubble of academia nowadays and out of touch." You've won xem over and you all know it. You see Matt smile at you from the corner of your eye and you know you've impressed two people here today. [[Next|bozoom5]]

<<if $bocrush is "true">>You're looking at xir over a screen and xe seems really quite unhappy with the fact you're looking to target laypeople, so why are you feeling a little hot under the collar?<</if>> "Professor Park, I believe that our audience have shown themselves more than capable in understanding the bridge between the animals that they see and the way that their actions affect the world around them." Matt pauses for a breath. You can see him getting a little worked up over the argument he's had many times before. 'What's the point of this?' is a question you've all heard too many times. "We need to get more people into educational and influential positions like you are, and the way we get to those people is with things that are simple like social media content and education in primary schools. Someone has to get people engaged and I believe that we're well placed to do just that." The Professor looks like xe's pondering Matt's words, a finger resting on xir lips lightly until he finishes. "Please, it's Bo-Yeon, we're all adults here," xe says, and you see Matt's shoulders relax at that. "And I can see your point. I am probably out of touch with what education in schools is like." Matt's won xem over and you all know it. [[Next|bozoom5]]

"Essentially, we just want to do an interview about your work. No difficult questions or anything to catch you out," Matt assures, a little more relaxed now he's into the swing of things. "And you can see the questions first if you'd like. You have the final sign off on the interview too, we can edit it however you want it to be edited." Xe seems happy to hear that, and you're not surprised. There's no reason for you to undermine xem but you know that stranger things have happened. "I'll schedule you in somewhere. Do you want to come to my office to do the interview?" "That could work," Matt agrees, nodding along. Not filming in someone's house or garden is a step up for you. And it's professional as fuck. "If we could find somewhere that shows an example of your current work we could film there," Jordan pipes up, "I'm happy to film outside while the weather is still nice enough to sit around." ?They <<verb 'is'>> tentative with ?their idea but Matt's casual nodding has sped up a little, nodding in a way that's much more definitive than it was before. "I took some first years for fieldwork not too far away, that could be a good place to go." You can tell that Jordan is pleased ?their idea has been the successful one. "We could do bits of both. Have a proper interview which is slightly more scripted in the office and then go out. Meld those two together and we look really professional. Like a proper documentary," Eve suggests. Matt's shoulders tighten up again at the suggestion you're anything less than professional but Eve doesn't bat an eyelid. She said what she meant to. "That sounds like a good compromise to me, assuming I can give you enough time." "We can work with whatever you can give us. Which brings us onto the next point. I'm keen to bring you on for consultation from time to time. Paid of course." You have to try not to seem too alarmed at Matt promising money that you're really sure you don't actually have but Bo-yeon looks pleased with that offer. "I will let you know when I'm available," xe promises, then glances to the side. "I apologise, I've squeezed you in between some other appointments I have this evening. I'll email you tomorrow about the consistent times I have free in the coming months." You choose to defer to Matt on that and allow him to close off the call with pleasantries between him and the professor. Matt stands up to shut the webcam off and doesn't return to his place squashed against you<<if $mattcrush is "true">>, much to your chagrin<</if>>. A silence has fallen over you all, but it's not really a negative one. You're all just as shocked as each other that it all went well, you were expecting something to go wrong but you seemed to get through that without even a close call. Well, with one big exception. "So... where are we going to get the money to pay Bo-yeon?" That question is left unanswered for a few beats before you remember what else Matt wanted to discuss in your meeting.<<set $sponsor to 0>><<set $Subscribers *=1.2>> [[Next|sponsor]]

"We also need to decide which sponsor we want for the videos we filmed during our weekend away." Matt stands between you all with an unspoken air of importance, even though he's just standing in his childhood bedroom in front of all of you. "We've got a couple of options for once and I wanted to go through them with you all." The absence of Alex hangs over you with his words; you certainly hope that this isn't all of you for the long term. It's hard to imagine all of this without your best friend to work with. Matt hands each of you a sheet of paper, just a few sheets, before perching himself on the corner of his desk and giving you all time to read. As you look down you realise that what you're reading is essentially a pros and cons list of each of your sponsors, helpfully typed up by Matt, no doubt when he was pretending to work very hard at his day job. "Look them over and let me know what you think." [[A local clothing brand which highlights their ethical practise on their website.|Option1]] [[A brand promoting a tough, but sustainably made phone case.|Option2]] [[A sustainable toothbrush that claims to be biodegradable.|Option3]]

The local clothing brand Deal value: Amount promised: £500 Pros: • Small business with ethical business practises. • Non single use product - very sustainable. • The business gives money back to small grassroots charities and pays workers a living wage. Cons: • Smallest fee out of the options given. • Maybe not great for our publicity as promoting a small business. • Encouraging the production and purchase of clothing isn't the most ethical [[I want to look at the phone case company.|Option2]] [[I want to look at the toothbrushes.|Option3]] [[I've made my decision.|sponsorchoice]]

Who are you going with? [[The clothing brand|sponsor2][$sponsor to 1]] [[The phone cases|sponsor2][$sponsor to 2]] [[The toothbrushes|sponsor2][$sponsor to 3]]

Phone Case Company Deal value: £800 Pros: • Small business • Non single-use product Cons: • Difficult to find production details although they say it's ethical. • It is a product that will ultimately end up in landfill likely within 2 years. [[I want to look at clothing brand.|Option1]] [[I want to look at the toothbrushes.|Option3]] [[I've made my decision.|sponsorchoice]]

The Toothbrushes Deal value: £1200 Pros: • Large fee for the channel size • Large business, if we get their customer base we could get a lot of new subscribers ourself Cons: • Larger business with difficult to find business details with regards to ethical practices. • Disposable product - maybe not the thing we want to encourage purchase of. [[I want to look at the clothing brand.|Option1]] [[I want to look at the phone case company.|Option2]] [[I've made my decision.|sponsorchoice]]

Matt nods along with you as you make it clear who you think you should go with. <<if $sponsor is 1>>"I agree, it was tempting to go for the most money but we have to stick by our values here, we want to promote people being good to nature." "I'm glad we're going for the most eco-friendly option but is it even enough money to invest into ourselves though? Can we get much for that?" Eve pipes up. "We'll have to make do like we have been so far. It's not the end of the world." You can see her concerns though, but choosing to keep the environment healthy is everything you stand for and promoting a local business to your viewers is a great thing.<<elseif $sponsor is 2>> "The best of both worlds, isn't it? Not an awful product but some more money to invest back into ourselves." Eve seems to be in agreement, nodding along as Matt talks through his reasoning as well. "And a product that we can get some use out of in our day to day. Hopefully no more breaking phones on rocks."<<else>>"I'm glad we've agreed there. I think the money is just too good to pass up, it means we can invest a little and pay ourselves some for the time we work in the next few weeks." "You don't think we'll get a backlash? We're an ecology based channel." Eve's voice is clear through the small room and you see Matt mulling it over. "But also we need to live and afford to do the channel in the first place." Eve seems somewhat mollified at that, but the way that she's nodding along also says 'when this goes to shit I'll have told you.'<</if>> Jordan doesn't offer any criticism on what you're saying, feeling like ?they'd be overstepping to override you and Matt, no doubt. It seems that ?they-re happy enough to go along with whatever the rest of you choose, but you're aware ?they won't end up bearing the brunt of the backlash either. You can't help but to wonder what conclusion you'd have come to if Alex were here instead. <<set $reaction to 0>> [[Next|meetingend]]

"So that's the main business over, I just wanted to have a quick status update on where we're at this week. We're working on content a couple of months ahead now, but we need to stay there." Matt still keeps himself stood over you all, although it's somewhat less effective as a power pose when you can see that his socks aren't quite the same shade of navy. <<if $mattcrush is "true">> It's endearing though, to see the cracks in his façade. It reminds you of the Matt you met in university rather than 'real world' him. You definitely prefer it.<</if>> "I'll go first," Eve offers, although the point is a little moot when there's only the four of you here and you know full well you're all in touch with Matt day by day. The updates are most useful when Alex is here to combine your social media channels with the videos and vice versa to get everything as cohesive as possible. Once again, their absence hangs over you while remaining unsaid. "I've got some tentative scripts for some of our city wildlife series written up, but they're dependent on what we actually find, of course. I've written up some things for social media posts as well for things like National Fungus Day." She peters off at the end of the sentence. Those kinds of paragraphs need to be forwarded to Alex <<if $Specialism is "Social Media">>or you<</if>>, not to Matt. He can't be let loose on the social media really, not again. "Good, sounds good. Can I see them before we cement anything?" She nods, but you know it's just a matter of process rather than necessity. Eve can write without oversight. "Jordan?" Matt asks, and the youngest of you tips ?their eyes up to you all. "I'm on the second of the videos that we took from the weekend away now. It's mostly done so I'll get it to you by the end of the week." Matt nods approvingly, but you know that that turns the buck to you. <<if $Specialism is "Camera Work">>[["Most of the footage is edited ready to go out."|meetingend2][$reaction to 1, $jordan += 3, $matt +=3]] [["I've started cutting down the footage."|meetingend2][$reaction to 2]]<<elseif $Specialism is "Script Writing">> [["I've got another script done too and some things for promotional material."|meetingend2][$reaction to 1, $eve += 3, $matt +=3]] [["I've started writing."|meetingend2][$reaction to 2]]<<elseif $Specialism is "Social Media">> [["I've sorted out the grid for the next month. Three posts a week ready to be sent out across the board."|meetingend2][$reaction to 1, $matt +=3]] [["I've set up posts for the next few weeks. They're pretty much ready to go."|meetingend2][$reaction to 2]]<<elseif $Specialism is "Science Communication">> [["I've reached out to be some places for possible collaborations."|meetingend2][$reaction to 1, $matt +=3]] [["I've got a list of places that could be good collaborations for us."|meetingend2][$reaction to 2]]<<else>> [["I'm ready to go out to film whenever I'm needed."|meetingend2][$reaction to 1, $matt +=5]] [["I still need the rota from the cafe so I know when I'm working next."|meetingend2][$reaction to 2]]<</if>> [["I haven't had the chance to do anything for the Channel."|meetingend2][$reaction to 3, $matt -= 3, $Prepared -= 3]]

<<if $reaction is 1>>"Good stuff," Matt intones approvingly, "We're on track to keep getting better. We'll make a job out of this all yet." You're glad he has that level of confidence, but you can tell no one else in the room feels that way. Eve particularly looks like she's yet to see anything like progress but she doesn't vocalise her doubt, there's no point having this argument tonight.<<elseif $reaction is 2>> "That's a decent start. Let me know your progress by the end of the week." It isn't quite an admonishment, but you also don't feel good by the time he's finished the sentence. Not when everyone else is cracking on and doing things for $Channel as well as their jobs. It's just been a hell of a week.<<elseif $reaction is 3 and $Rude >60>> "Well, you'll have time by the end of the week, right? Don't let the team down $Name, not when we're doing so well." You don't manage to bite your tongue. "I'm sorry? I'm not //letting the team down// Matt, I've been busy. I haven't had the chance to think about this with everything else going on." His face turns sour quickly when you speak up against him before you see him consciously swallow whatever he was going to say back. Pissing off two members of his team isn't on the agenda for the week, obviously.<<else>>"Well, you'll have time by the end of the week, right? Don't let the team down $Name, not when we're doing so well." You hold your tongue and don't tell Matt where to stick his words and just nod, which seems to mollify him. You just don't want an argument tonight.<</if>> "As always, keep me in the loop on your progress, yeah?" You all nod like the obedient little puppies you are when it comes to $Channel. With that, Jordan stands up. "Sorry, I've got to go catch a bus but I'll see you all later." Jordan's already grabbing ?their bag and putting anything that managed to escape back into it, clearly in a rush to leave you all. <<if $jordcrush is "true">> You're gutted that ?they <<verb 'has'>> to go so quickly but get over yourself since you know ?they <<verb 'has'>> work early in the morning. It just would be nice if ?they could stay a little longer. <</if>> Matt follows to show ?them out like a good host and Eve turns her eyes to you, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to go and make sure Alex is okay after this," she announces. In terms of tact, it leaves a lot to be desired but it's characteristic for Eve. She isn't asking because she's making the assumption that you, as Alex's best friend, were already thinking along the same lines. <<if $alex > 70>> She's right, of course, you've left it a few days and now it's time to go and check that they're alright. The lack of any response from them is uncharacteristic to say the least.<</if>> You hear the door shut gently and then Matt's bounding footsteps quickly ascending the stairs towards the two of you. "Do you two want a cuppa and then a lift back?" Matt offers, slumping down into his desk chair, now conveniently vacated after Jordan's departure. "Peppermint tea please," Eve requests, garnering a short nod from Matt, implying he already knew the answer as he rises to his feet. <<if $evecrush is "true" or $mattcrush is "true">> You try not to think too hard about the implications of Eve being so at home here she already knows the tea selection.<</if>> [["I'll have a peppermint tea too please."|matthouse1][$reaction to 1]] [["Yorkshire tea for me."|matthouse1][$reaction to 2]] [["Is it too late for a coffee?"|matthouse1][$reaction to 3]] [["Just some water please."|matthouse1][$reaction to 4]] [["I'm alright with nothing, thank you."|matthouse1][$reaction to 5]]

<<if $reaction is 5>>"We can get going if you're in a rush, I don't have to have anything," Eve offers, but you shake your head. <</if>>Matt disappears back down the stairs and you hear him briefly talking to his parents before the kettle clicks on. Eve looks around Matt's slightly bare, slightly sad room in silence for a few seconds. "I couldn't live in a room like this," she mutters. You're unsure whether it's a comment you were meant to hear or not. "It's so impersonal." She's not wrong, the blue is the same blue that every boy in your school year always had in their rooms. The bed is made with enough pillows to be comfortable but not enough to be luxurious. Everything is packed away neatly, nothing out of place. It's exactly as you'd expect upon meeting Matt for the first time yet so utterly devoid of personality. He once told you that his parents used his room as a spare room as soon as he moved to go to university and you're not surprised. Matt has his passions, loves animals and brings the most energy to presenting your show, but you wouldn't know that looking around. The single clue to his job is the camera resting on the desk and the stack of documents next to it. Otherwise this could be a hotel room. It's the opposite to any space that Eve inhabits. He comes back with<<if $reaction is 5>> a mug in each hand<<elseif $reaction is 4>> a small tray with two mugs and a glass of water<<else>> a small tray with three mugs<</if>>, doling out the drinks before sitting himself back down. "I didn't really want to talk about it with Jordan here, Lord knows ?they probably <<verb 'thinks'>> I'm mad enough already after that whole situation at the service station. Plus, ?they <<verb 'do'>>n't know Alex too well so I don't want to drag ?them into it, but what are we going to do to sort out their... situation?" Eve sighs and turns her attention towards her cup, letting the steam cloud her glasses a little to obscure the reaction you know she's having. She's focusing as much of her concentration onto feeling the steam against her face and intending fully to let you fill the time instead. You know her opinions on the situation well and despite her silence to Matt now, you're well aware of her plans. [["Do you think you should be interfering?"|matthouse2][$matt -=5, $Rude +=2]] [["Me and Eve are going to see Alex on the way home."|matthouse3][$Confident +=2]] [["We can't help Alex sort themself out."|matthouse4][$alex -=2, $eve -=2]]

"Contrary to popular belief, I //do// care about Alex," he snaps, jaw setting and his arms crossing defensively across his chest. "But do you think you're actually helping them with what you're doing? You're just making it more difficult for them to be comfortable with you." Your argument cuts straight through to the reality of the situation. Matt might consider himself to be helpful but the truth is that he's only making it worse for everyone in his surrounding. With Alex already uncomfortable and the relationship between the two of them remaining tense only hampers how well $Channel and the rest of you are going to do. "I'm trying to help them." "You're not doing that, you're pushing them away." "They need to realise that tough love would sort them out!" Matt's voice has raised a little, pulling Eve's attention up to the two of you. Until now it had remained doggedly focused onto the spirals of steam emanating from her mug, as if she could focus on being invisible so much that she might really disappear. "I don't think that Alex needs tough love," she pipes up, "They need people who show that they love them regardless. That's why //we// need to go around to see them." Her speaking up finally shuts Matt up completely, leaning back to sip at his tea instead in a jerky movement, effectively stepping himself out of the argument. You don't quite miss the quirk of her lips into a smirk as she realises she's won the argument, although it's still facing the mug instead of either of you. [[Next|matthouse5]]

"Will they be in?" he asks, eyebrow raised at your declaration. "Well we'll see, won't we?" Eve interjects, flicking her eyes up to Matt and voice steely, her words deliberate. He might be trying to dissuade you from even attempting to go, you're not entirely sure but you have a feeling she isn't going to allow that. Not today. Most of the time Eve lets herself go with the flow but when she puts her foot down even he has to take notice. "You don't think that they'll be out partying instead of sorting things out?" The accusation in his voice is still there but weakened somewhat by the sharpness in Eve's. "Like I said. We'll see." The sternness in her usually soft voice cuts him off completely. [[Next|matthouse5]]

"Thank you," Matt says with a huff. It's hard to miss the glare that Eve shoots you although it's a little undercut by her glasses still being slightly steamed up. Still, you don't really need to see her eyes to know you've irritated her. "We have tried," you attempt to argue against her incredibly pointed look and Matt nods along with you, clearly feeling vindicated. "Look, if $Name is saying it, aren't we doing more than enough?" Eve's jaw sets in a way that you're not sure you've ever seen from her. Somehow you've managed to piss off the most relaxed member of your group. "I can't believe that you're saying this." Her voice is exasperated but level and her eyes are darting between the two of you like she can't believe what she's hearing. "I'm going to see Alex and if you don't want to go //$Name// as their 'best friend', then so be it." She sits back with a slump, angling herself away from you both as she sips at her peppermint tea. She's checked herself out of the argument, the barriers put up between you and her. [[Next|matthouse5]]

Eventually it's Matt who breaks the tension between all of you, gulping down some of his coffee in wat you think is an attempt to put off starting the sentence. "I could drive you around to theirs if you want." "They're not going to want to see you." You probably don't need to say it, it doesn't take a genius to work that one out. Still, worth saying it just to reaffirm against Matt's stubbornness. You wouldn't be surprised if he still pushed his way into the situation. Instead he shocks you with a simple response; "I know." "Thank you." With that, some of the tension on Eve's face melts away a little. You don't miss the small smile that flashes across Matt's face at that<<if $mattcrush is "true">> and you attempt to ignore the way that it makes you feel. You want to be the one pulling those little fond smiles from him<</if>>. <<if $reaction is 5>>You watch in silence as they both gulp down their hot drinks. <<elseif $reaction is 4>>You gulp down some of the water as you see Eve and Matt speed up drinking from their mugs. <<elseif $reaction is 3>> You speed up the sipping of your coffee when you realise Matt and Eve have necked most of their drinks. <<else>> You take a gulp of your tea when you realise that the other two have drunk most of their drinks. <</if>> They're both getting ready to leave and you don't want them to be waiting on you when they clearly want to be on the move. <<if $reaction <5>>You set your empty cup down and as soon as you do so<<else>>As soon as Eve is done with her drink and the mug is set down<</if>> Matt is up to his feet. Eve follows him out of his room, leaving you to trail behind them down the stairs. Your driver pops his head around the door to say goodbye to his parents, something you choose to avoid, instead shouting a quick goodbye to his mother while you're pulling your shoes on. She gives you a pretty half-arsed goodbye in response as you're opening the door and leaving, clearly quite glad that their house is now empty of the group of twenty-somethings. Just because they do allow you to meet at their home does not mean you are actually welcome in their otherwise pristine home. Eve is first to the car but stands by the back driver-side door while Matt pulls his jacket on. As soon as it's unlocked she's firmly installed in the back, leaving you in the front for what promises to be a quiet journey. Thankfully when the car is turned on Matt doesn't go to turn the radio off, instead turning it down just in case someone does want to talk. None of you do. Matt knows where he's going without having to check the route and you're pretty glad that he doesn't need the direction. You don't know that you know where to go when it's not the daytime. [[Next|decisions]]

When you get to Alex's house he pulls up right outside. The road is moderately busy considering how late it is and he's double parked but since you're just getting dropped off it doesn't feel too bad. Still, someone beeps him and you see him resist the urge to flick them the v's as they go past. "Thanks for driving us here," Eve says, pressing a kiss to the palm of her hand and then to Matt's cheek as she gathers her belongings and kicks the door open. "Text me when you're home." She nods and waves a goodbye to him before she rushes to the kerb to wait for you outside of Alex's house. [[You also thank Matt for driving.|alexhouse1][$alex += 2,$matt +=1, $alexhouse to true]] [["Actually, I'm going to stay in the car with Matt."|mattcar1][$eve -=10, $alex -=5, $matt +=1, $mattcar to true]]

"See you guys later," Matt says as you clamber out of the car and shut the door behind you. It doesn't latch properly, as it often doesn't, and Matt is forced to open the door and slam it shut again. Upon seeing you approach, Eve knocks on the door of Alex's house. It's not massively kempt, the window and door frames could really do with a repaint, if not a whole replacement. It's not the best house in the world but Alex has been there since you graduated university and it's strange to think you might not be seeing them there anymore. For how run down their shared house is in places, you've had a lot of good times in their house. <<if $alexhookup is true>> *Very* good times. <</if>> It takes a while and you're starting to think that you've wasted your time being here, standing on the doorstep of someone who might not answer to you at all. You glance over your shoulder to see that Matt is waiting to see if they answer despite the fact that he's holding up traffic. Still, it's really very helpful. It means you won't be stranded here if they don't come to the door. You can see Eve preparing herself to suggest that maybe you should go when the door slowly opens. Your best friend is standing there, looking like an absolute shell of themselves. [[Next|alexhouse2]]

Alex's eyes are sunk into dark circles and they look rumpled, like they threw their clothes on in a rush before coming downstairs to open the door. Their hair is flat, not immaculately teased into the perfect amount of messy volume they usually insist on and their eyes are rimmed with red. It doesn't surprise you that they've been crying, not with everything still so up in the air. "Can we come in?" Eve asks, voice modulated very carefully into the voice she'd use to coax a cat out from behind a bin. "Why are you guys here? Thought it was team meeting tonight." Alex's tone is predictably wary and you cast a quick glance back to Matt's car which they follow. Matt casts an awkward wave over to them which they respond to with a small twitch of their hand and an attempt at a smile that doesn't reach their eyes. "We did the meeting then came over to see you. We just wanted to make sure you're okay," Eve explains. Alex is looking antsy, fidgeting between each foot before they take a few steps back to let you both into the hallway. Eve takes the chance quickly, before Alex can change their mind and kick you both back out. You follow after her and see Matt turn the car back on and get himself ready to go now the two of you are inside. Alex shuts the door behind you and locks it before stumbling towards the kitchen and putting the kettle on. "Reiterating, we just wanted to make sure you're okay," Eve says again, watching as Alex clicks the kettle off and back on again. "Clearly I'm not," they mumble and you see Eve deflate slightly, the confidence she was working so hard at keeping up knocked out of her at the first comeback from Alex. "We care about you," you tell them, and Alex meets your eyes briefly before looking away again into the slightly grotty kitchen of their shared home. "I know that." "So let us help you." <<if $Confident > 50>> Your voice comes out clear, as if you're taking control of the situation. It's what you're good at and it causes Alex to straighten themself up to look at you properly. <<else>> Your voice comes out confidently, something which is unusual and it's the change in tone from your usual more timid demeanour which causes a quick look up from them which steels into properly meeting your gaze.<</if>> "How are you going to do that? I love you and Ben but I don't want to be living with you again." They look nervous to say that, like it's going to burn bridges with you. <<if $alexcrush is "true">>You have to ignore the way your heart speeds up at the idea that they could be living with you again, even though it's so inappropriate you have to push down the thought as quickly as possible. You feel like you're being a bad friend by looking forward to the idea.<<elseif $alex gte 75>>They're being so daft to assume that would upset you.<</if>> "We'll help you find somewhere to live. Me and $Name will keep an eye out for you," Eve offers, pulling a tiny nod out of Alex. "Good luck, places are going before I can even see them. The rental market is too quick for anyone who has a job as well as look for places to live." You know they're not wrong, you've heard it from a few people. "And I didn't really want to have to live with new people." "Well, worst comes to worst you stay with one of us for a little while until you're done looking," Eve says with a shrug, reaching out to pull Alex into a half hug. They go willingly, letting their head curl down onto her shoulder as Eve's arm wraps around them. "We won't let you end up somewhere horrible and paying too much." They do look soothed somewhat at that and Eve cards her fingers slowly through their hair, trying not to draw attention to when her finger snags into a stray knot. <<if $alexcrush is "true">>You wish you'd got there first.<</if>><<if $evecrush is "true">>And you wish that you were that close to her, alas you're not. You have to remind yourself it's not the moment to feel any kind of envy over who is the closest to Eve.<</if>> "We'll sort it out," she soothes again, voice low. A sob unexpectedly wracks Alex's body and they turn their body fully into Eve's, the half hug turning into a full tight embrace, face hidden into her shoulder. [[Eventually, Eve manages to get Alex into their room and sets you on the project of making tea for them.|alexhouse3]]

By the time you bring up a round of hot drinks Alex has been tucked up into their bed, blankets wrapped tightly around them. Their room is catastrophic, like they've started to think about packing things into rough boxes but have since needed things from the boxes, pulling everything out in the process. They're rarely a tidy person but this is a new level even for them. "We'll help you pack up too," you promise, and Alex offers a watery smile as you come closer. They push themselves to sit up properly and accept the cup of tea from you. You perch on the other side of the bed, sandwiching Alex between the two of you. They lean a little onto you. [[You allow them to keep leaning on you.|alexhouse4]] [[You wrap your arm around their shoulders.|alexhouse4hug]]

Them leaning their weight onto you is reassuring and if you didn't know about the surrounding circumstances it could be any day while you were at university. You're sat in a comfortable silence as Eve clicks about on Alex's laptop to find something mindless for the three of you to watch. Eventually Eve settles onto a fashion history video, a compromise between her interests and messing up Alex's algorithm completely. You're not consulted and that's probably for the best since you're not in the mood for the debate. None of you are, in fact. Eve settles back onto the other side of Alex and sips at her own mug of hot water. It's the first time that Alex feels somewhat relaxed and you hope it means that the worst is over. At the very least, they know both of you are there for them whenever they need it. Once you're at the bottom of the mug you feel like you're drifting off a little, resting your own weight back onto Alex, whose own eyes are almost fluttered closed. "I'm going to have to go if I want to catch the bus," Eve says, slowly standing up. She looks tired and you notice that her joints crack a little as she stretches. You hadn't realised how late it had gotten in amongst the autoplay stream of history videos. "I'll come to the bus station with you." A quick glance at your phone proves that it's later than you thought you would be out after the team meeting. You glance at Ben's contact but a lack of activity proves he's still out; it's the bus for you too. You struggle to get up. Your own joints creak a little as you work your way to your feet. Alex doesn't follow, settled in their cocoon of blankets and only just awake. "We'll see you soon," Eve says, pressing a kiss to the side of their head as they settle back down, letting her take the mug from their hands. "Try to get some sleep." You leave Alex with an equally gentle goodbye, not wanting to disturb them. <<if $alexcrush is "true">>You settle on copying Eve, pressing a soft kiss onto their forehead. <<else>>You settle on leaning in and giving them a brief squeeze.<</if>> It's quite hard to put your shoes back on when balancing on the tiniest gap of clear floor and trying to be quiet but you manage. This awkward moment was worth not putting your dirty shoes onto Alex's bed, especially when they don't really have the capacity to tidy up too much. [[Next|alexhouse5]]

Eve's waiting by the door for you as you finally manage to get down the stairs with both of your shoes actually on your feet. She double checks that the door will lock itself after you leave before stepping onto the street and hissing at the cold. She walks quickly to stop the cold from getting to her, her shoes clicking lightly as she walks. "That was a lot," you sigh after a while. "I knew it would be," she said, almost a little shrug, "But I couldn't have them ignoring everyone forever and trying to avoid us." "They could have been out." "I had a feeling they weren't, no one's tagged them in anything for a few days." Eve's path of thought becomes instantly clear and you're annoyed you're not the one to have thought about it. <<if $alex gte 70>> It makes you feel like an awful best friend.<</if>> Still, you're not the internet sleuth she is. "You //knew// they'd be in," you clarify. <<if $evecrush is "true">>Her intelligence always astounds you with how attractive it is; you can't believe that you forgot about it even for a moment.<<else>>You always know she's an observant person, but you'd forgotten how astute she can be when given the chance.<</if>> "I suspected that they would be. They always post when they're out out." She makes it sound so simple that you can't believe you didn't think about it before. You've always relied on Alex telling you what they were up to so their silence had thrown you for six but Eve was busy using her time to keep an eye on them anyway. The bus station isn't far from Alex's house and Eve comes to a natural stop as she roots through her bag to find her purse and her bus pass inside. Your own bus stop is on a different bay so it's time to say goodbye. <<if (($eve >60) and ($evecrush is "true"))>> [[A wave of boldness overtakes you. "Would you like to go out some time?"|eveyes]] <<elseif $evecrush is "true">>[[A wave of boldness overtakes you. "Would you like to go out some time?"|eveno]] <</if>> [["I'll see you soon."|homeevening]] [["Text me when you're home."|homeevening][set $reaction to 8]] [[You wave her a goodbye.|homeevening]]

Eve looks shocked and not in a good way. Her eyes go quickly to the road as if she's praying for her bus to arrive to get her out of the situation. You can't believe you've just fucked this up. <<if $Prepared > 50>> You're rarely spontaneous and it feels like this is why. You've not laid the groundwork for this and now you've created tension. <<else>> This is why spontaneity doesn't work, you should have learnt this before now. <</if>> "Oh $Name." Eve's voice is little more than a sigh, and she's fidgeting on the spot. "You know you're one of my favourite people, but I don't feel //that// way about you." You feel like you've been punched in the gut but try desperately to not let it get to your face. From Eve's own expression you know you've had mixed success in that, she looks worried and a little nervous over how you're going to react. "Hey, isn't that your bus?" Eve's hand points past you and you know straight away that she's right. You nod and use the excuse to slope away as quickly as you can. It's not strictly you running away but it might well as be; you're glad for the excuse to limit your embarrassment. The bus driver gives you a knowing look and waves you onto the bus before you can get your card to tap on. "Don't worry about it, <<if $gender is "female">>love<<else>>mate<</if>>." When you sit yourself down you notice that Eve is intently looking down at her phone screen rather than at your bus as it goes past. [[Next|homeevening]]

You return home to find the lights all turned off and the house empty. It's pretty unusual off Ben to not be in by the time you get back. You knew he couldn't give you a lift home but you really hadn't thought that he wouldn't be home by the time you got back. Coming home to a dark house is quite odd but you try not to think too much of it. He'll be home pretty soon, you're sure.<<if visited("alexhouse")>> Eve has added you to a group chat with yourself and Alex entitled 'House Hunt Team!'. She's already linked a few places she's deemed as possible houses for them, presumably found while she was on the bus home.<</if>><<if visited("eveyes")>> A more recent message from Eve saying 'Home safe <3' pops up. <</if>><<if $reaction is 8>>'Home! See you soon!'<</if>> Still, it's late and you head upstairs, ready to rinse off the stress of the day. You can't wait to go into bed and let everything melt away from you. <<if visited("mattkissyes")>> Well, almost everything. Silver linings and all that. <</if>> [[End demo.|enddemo]]

Eve looks shocked, and even in the dark and with the colder air surrounding you, you can see a blush filling her face quickly. "Like... a date?" she asks, biting her lip nervously. <<if $Confident gte 60>> You nod, trying to play it cool and like it isn't just something you'd blurted out to her. <<else>>The boldness has drained away and you're left giving Eve a jerky, unsure nod.<</if>> The tension is broken when her face splits into a smile, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear and looking pointedly past you for a second. You can see the cogs turning as she formulates a response, as calculated as ever. "I'd love to, do you have any ideas?" she asks and your brain short circuits a little. <<if $Confident lte 50>>You hadn't thought you'd get this far.<</if>><<if $Prepared >50>>You really should have prepared yourself for a positive response, or prepared yourself for asking the question at all.<</if>> Spontaneity hasn't done you too well right now. "Can I... I'll have a think." "There's a poetry reading I want to go to and I was going to go by myself," the end of her sentence trails off. "But I'd like to go with you." She's made it so easy for you, like she was waiting for you to ask. The thought makes your heart flutter. It's a pretty intimate place for a first date but it's so quintessentially Eve. Like it was made for the two of you. "I'll send you the details," she says. You've been focusing on her so intently that you only now notice your bus has pulled up and you have to break into a bit of an undignified jog to make sure you get onto it, throwing Eve little more than a frantic wave as you go. The bus driver looks entirely unfussed by the fact you nearly missed it but gives you a smile which says 'nice one'. Maybe you're not as cool about Eve as you try to think you are. <<if $Confident lte 40>> Who are you kidding, you've never been cool.<</if>> [[Next|homeevening]]

Eve's face tightens into one of the most furious and horrified expressions you've ever seen on her face before she settles somewhat, forcing her face into neutrality. You have no idea what the next thing out of her mouth will be but you find yourself a little bit worried about it. "I thought you loved Alex more than that," Eve spits, turning away from the car sharply and storming up to the shabbily painted front door of Alex's house. She takes a deep breath and composes herself before she raps on the door. <<if $alexcrush is "true">>Her words cut too close to home, but you don't feel like you can do anything for them right now. She can try all she wants but Alex clearly wants time away from you all and who are you to work against that? It doesn't feel like respecting their wants and needs.<</if>> Matt is very pointedly looking away from both of you, a clear indication that he's not going to take sides this time. Matt sighs and watches Eve in the wing mirror until Alex lets her into their house before he pulls out of the space which, admittedly, is less of a space and more him blocking the road. As he pulls into the road again his hands tap on the steering wheel, only half in time to the music. He sighs as if he doesn't know what he's waiting for and you see him briefly check his watch, despite the fact the dash board is //right there//. "Do you fancy stopping at Maccies drive through?" he asks after a few moments of silent and aimless driving, clearly not wanting to go home yet, "I'll pay." You wish that wasn't what really sealed the deal but a free meal has always been a temptation that's hard to beat. It's continually hard to pass up and has been since your student days, even though you've now got a steady income the lure of free food is still far too good to pass up. The drive around to McDonald's is short and passing through the drive through is as uneventful as you would expect it to be. Before long, Matt is idly stirring an increasingly melted looking ice cream and staring out over the main road that runs past the fast food restaurant. You can see his eyes tracking cars as they go past but he doesn't pipe up to speak to you or provide any commentary, instead letting the music fill the car, even when it switches over to the late night alternative show. The music is something you'd connect more to Charlie than Matt, but he makes no move to switch it off, instead continuing to focus his effort on butchering his McFlurry. "If you wanted a milkshake you could have just got one," you comment and he chuckles but it hardly reaches his eyes. [["Are you okay?"|mattcar2][$reaction to 1]] [["You're concerning me being so quiet."|mattcar2][$reaction to 2]] [["You need to cheer up."|mattcar2][$reaction to 3, $matt -= 2]]

<<if $reaction is 1>> Matt lets out a hum and turns his attention down to his ice cream, still playing with his food rather than looking at you. "Sure, I'm fine." Funnily enough, that's not inspiring any confidence in you.<<elseif $reaction is 2>>The corners of Matt's lips turn up slightly into something that would like to be a smile but definitely isn't there, like he's trying to pretend he's entirely fine when something is clearly on his mind.<<else>>He looks at you completely gone out, but at least his attention is on you now. "//I// need to cheer up?" he asks, voice up an octave from where it usually is before his jaw resets into a stoic, more level expression. <</if>> <<if $matt gte 65>>"I know that you think I don't give a shit, but I'm actually concerned about Alex." You're not entirely shocked, you know he can be a caring person, but him being so down about Alex's situation is throwing you a little. It doesn't feel like the same person who was having a shouting match with them in a service station.<<else>>"I'm okay, really, can you leave it?" His voice has a tone which says that's his final word on the subject and you better not say anything more on the subject.<</if>> "There's just a lot going on at the moment and it doesn't help any of us do as well as we should be doing. Distractions aren't going to help us be as successful as we could be." His voice is a little softer that it previously was but still level, words carefully calculated as per usual. <<if $matt < 60>>"I'm going to drop you home now." You can't help but feel as if he wanted to say something more but he's entirely ducked it. You wonder if it was something you said to cause this stark change in attitude. it's a bit of a change from the Matt who was avoiding going home by taking you to sit in the car park of a fast food joint. [[Yet, you're dropped home without another word about anything, let alone with any more clarification from Matt.|homeevening]] <<else>>[[Next|mattcar3]]<</if>>

"I know there's a lot happening," he tries to restart his point in the most neutral way possible, desperately trying to look into his ice cream like staring at it long enough will just absorb it without him having to eat. "And I know I push us all." He pauses like he's giving you a moment to interject, but you can see the cogs turning in his brain and you choose to give him a moment. <<if $Confident gte 60>> It might not be your usual response to this kind of gap, but you allow him to time to get his thoughts into order instead of jumping in. He's trying to make a measured point and you let him. <</if>> "It's just..." Matt's really struggling right now, and you see his eyes dart upwards from the ice cream towards the main road, briefly to you and then back to his dessert. "A rising tide lifts all boats? If we do well then everyone will benefit from it. Alex can rent somewhere more easily, we can move out from our families, Eve can try being a writer full time." His words might be cliched but you're pretty sure his intention is pure. "That's not too much to want, right?" He looks towards you like you're meant to have an answer for him and sure... you can do that. [["It's not too much to want."|mattcar4][$matt +=2]] [["It sounds like too much for where we are right now."|mattcar5][$matt -= 2]]

Matt's eyes light up a little at that and you know you've said the right thing for him. He shovels some of his now mostly melted ice cream into his mouth and his eyes go from the ice cream to you. He's not smiling but you can still see it in his eyes, they're hopeful and determined, exactly like when you first met him. It's one of the things you like most about him, one of the things that drew you to working with him in the first place. "See, you get it!" He is excited now, you can tell. "So I've been working on $Channel while on the phones at work and mostly just sorting the emails and reaching out to people we could work with. I'm staying away from the social media during the day for now." Alex may be in a tricky situation but you know that they'll feel glad he hasn't got his fingers in those pies. Matt uses social media like he's someone's dad and it's definitely not what you all need for growth of your channel. "I get it," you affirm, "But we do only have so many hours in the day and we need to balance our lives, you know?" [[Next|mattkiss]]

Matt lets out a deep sigh that sounds like it comes from the depths of his stomach and it seems to echo around the car. "I can see why you feel that way, but we need to be positive and ambitious. Otherwise we're going to fall into just scraping by for the rest of our lives and I don't want that for any of us." You can see his logic and it's entirely on brand for him but at the same time you need to be realistic. None of you can just 'work harder' in order to get to the next level. You're already working hard enough between your day job and everything to do with ?Channel and there's already so little wiggle room. You're not sure where Matt can find the time to just do a little more either. Looking closely at him you can see the slight rings of darkness around his eyes. He is obviously more tired than he's been letting on, burning the candle at both ends. "You can't keep this up either, you know. You're not superhuman." Another deep sigh from your friend but you know you're right and he can't say otherwise. [[Next|mattkiss]]

Matt throws down the ice cream cup, clearly aiming for the cup holder in the middle of the car but instead missing it and getting speckles of ice cream across his dashboard. He lets out an incredibly resigned grumble and frantically feels for the napkins from your takeaway bag to sort it out. He manages to mop up most of the ice cream remnants, clearly regretting his moment of attempted laziness. He tidies up after the both of you before throwing the bag into the back seats of the car, his arm coming back to rest behind you briefly as he successfully lands the bag in the footwell behind you. It has the side effect of pushing him closer to you. He's so close that you can smell the fresh sandalwood of his cologne. <<if $tentshare is "matt">> You've not been so close to him since you shared a tent with him the other month. <<else>> It's been a long while since you were so close to him. <</if>> Your eyes meet each other's for a second and Matt pauses like he's an animal trapped in headlights. He takes a breath that's slightly deeper than a normal breath for him but you don't think you'd have noticed if you weren't so close to him. However, you are, and it's somehow louder than the radio. And he is really bloody close to you, his lips about a foot from your own. It feels like something from a romcom and it's so incredibly daft. If his eyes weren't so intensely locked on yours you'd probably find yourself laughing. Some stupid meet cute where friends realise they've had feelings all along. <<if $gender is "female">>[[Fuck, am I going to kiss him?|mattkissyes]] [[This is a mistake... but I'm making it.|mattkissyes]] [[I'm kissing him.|mattkissyes]]<<else>>[[Fuck, am I going to kiss him?|mattkissyesangst]] [[This is a mistake... but I'm making it.|mattkissyesangst]] [[I'm kissing him.|mattkissyesangst]]<</if>> <<if $mattcrush is "true">>[[NOPE. It's not the moment for it.|mattkissno]]<<else>>[[NOPE. I don't feel that way about him.|mattkissno]]<</if>>

Your lips finally press together and you're somehow covering your shock enough to enjoy what's actually happening. His lips are a little cold from the ice cream but they're smooth enough to not be distracting and it's a firm, nice kiss. Chaste but reassuring, much like the rest of the personality. His hand gently comes up to cup your cheek. His hands are a little calloused but warm and it feels like the perfect contrast to how cold his lips remain. He keeps his lips gently pressed to yours for a few seconds before he pulls back, hesitation clear in his eyes. <<if $mattcrush is "true">> "That was nice?" your voice stumbles out of you with a tilt up at the end and Matt can't help but let out a short breath of a laugh at that. "Yeah, that was nice," he's laughing awkwardly now, like he can't believe his own luck. He leans in again for a quick, brief peck of a kiss before sitting back in his seat and sticking his seatbelt on. He can't help himself, eyes glancing over to you fairly frequently. You've never really seen him like this. He's 'giddy'. He gestures towards your seatbelt before putting his own on and starting to drive. You can see he's trying not to be too distracted by your presence and what just happened between the two of you. His lips are tilted up ever so slightly despite his attempted concentration on the road while he drives you home, the journey quiet but happy. As he pulls up outside your house you can see he's a little hesitant to let you go so easily and leans in for another quick peck before you get out. You're concerned that if you stay in the car for much longer you might not ever want to get out again and that feels a bit too risky. If for no other reason than the fact the heater in his car is erratic at the best of times. "I'll see you soon?" Matt says, and it feels a little more tentative than his usual goodbyes to you. "Yeah, I'll see you soon," you say, climbing out of the car door. As usual, you only hear him drive away when you get into the house and it gives you half a minute to reflect on the events of the last hour. What a weird evening.<<else>> "That was nice?" your voice stumbles out of you with a tilt up at the end and Matt can't help but let out a short breath of a laugh at that. "Yeah, that was nice," he's laughing awkwardly now and you can't help but join in. "There's a reason we're just friends, isn't there?" He relaxes back into his seat and clips his seatbelt in. You mirror him, still trying not to laugh. It feels bizarre to kiss someone who's such a close friend but you think you can move past it. He gestures vaguely for you to fasten your seatbelt and you do so just before he starts to drive you home. Every so often one of you lets out a little laugh and you're forced to try and stifle it so you don't distract him too much; you know it's a bug bear of his. Don't distract the person in charge of heavy machinery and all that. He drops you off pretty unceremoniously and you wave him off with a shout of a 'see you soon'. What a strange evening. <</if>> [[Next|homeevening]]

You turn your head away at the last moment and you see Matt pull back like he's been burnt, leaning back into his seat. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that." He's wincing as he puts his seatbelt back on and takes a deep breath. His jaw is set a little like he's mad but you're pretty sure you can see his eyes glazing over a little. You find it hard to believe that he would be upset over this. <<if $mattcrush is "true">> It's just not the time for it. It was only a few minutes ago that you were talking about Alex being homeless and how crucial the success of the channel was for all of you.<<else>>You've never shown interest in him like this and he must know that, right? You're just friends and you're not going to ruin that.<</if>> "Don't worry about it," you hear yourself say, but parsing your emotions over what just happened is another thing. <<if $mattcrush is "true">> And the idea that he might like you back? Amazing. Revelatory. Showstopping. <</if>> Matt drops you home in silence and you get out with a <<if $Confident <45 >>slightly awkward <</if>>wave to him. He waits for you to get into your house before you hear him drive away and you reflect on the weirdness of the evening. [[Next|homeevening]]

Alex's weight leans on you even more as you wrap your arm around them, sighing deeply and curling up a little. Eve is clicking around on their laptop to find something mindless for you all to watch. Eventually Eve settles onto a fashion history video, a compromise between her interests and messing up Alex's algorithm completely. You're not consulted and that's probably for the best since you're not in the mood for the debate. None of you are, in fact. Eve settles back onto the other side of Alex and sips at her own mug of hot water. It's the first time that Alex feels somewhat relaxed and you hope it means that the worst is over. At the very least, they know both of you are there for them whenever they need it. Once you're at the bottom of the mug you feel like you're drifting off a little, resting your own weight back onto Alex, whose own eyes are almost fluttered closed. "I'm going to have to go if I want to catch the bus," Eve says, slowly standing up. She looks tired and you notice that her joints crack a little as she stretches. You hadn't realised how late it had gotten in amongst the autoplay stream of history videos. "I'll come to the bus station with you." A quick glance at your phone proves that it's later than you thought you would be out after the team meeting. You glance at Ben's contact but a lack of activity proves he's still out; it's the bus for you too. You struggle to get up, extracting your arm from around Alex. Your own joints creak a little as you work your way to your feet. Alex doesn't follow, settled in their cocoon of blankets and only just awake. "We'll see you soon," Eve says, pressing a kiss to the side of their head as they settle back down, letting her take the mug from their hands. "Try to get some sleep." You leave Alex with an equally gentle goodbye, not wanting to disturb them. <<if $alexcrush is "true">>You settle on copying Eve, pressing a soft kiss onto their forehead. <<else>>You settle on leaning in and giving them a brief squeeze.<</if>> It's quite hard to put your shoes back on when balancing on the tiniest gap of clear floor and trying to be quiet but you manage. This awkward moment was worth not putting your dirty shoes onto Alex's bed, especially when they don't really have the capacity to tidy up too much. [[Next|alexhouse5]]

Your lips finally press together and you're somehow covering your shock enough to enjoy what's actually happening. His lips are a little cold from the ice cream but they're smooth enough to not be distracting and it's a firm, nice kiss. Chaste but reassuring, much like the rest of the personality. His hand gently comes up to cup your cheek. His hands are a little calloused but warm and it feels like the perfect contrast to how cold his lips remain. He keeps his lips gently pressed to yours for a few seconds before he pulls back, hesitation clear in his eyes. <<if $mattcrush is "true">> "Fuck. That was a mistake." As soon as the words leave his mouth, your ears are ringing and it feels like the world is going to implode into your chest. You're too stunned to speak and Matt is buckling up his seatbelt already. Talk about emotional whiplash. He briefly looks at you and you wordlessly copy his action, clicking the seatbelt into place as he starts to drive. He doesn't say anything to you about what just happened, instead keeping his eyes forward apart from when his eyes briefly dart to check his mirrors. At the point you're sure his eyes are full of tears but you don't know if they're from anger or hurt. Those emotions are way too similar when it comes to Matt. You take a deep breath when he finally slows down outside of your house and you try and force yourself to put together a sentence that won't make everything worse. "I'll see you soon?" is what you land on, but it doesn't do much to settle you when all you get from your friend is a curt nod. The only thing that makes you feel like you haven't burnt your entire friendship is that he still waits for you to get into your house before he drives away.<<else>> "Fuck. That was a mistake." As soon as the words leave his mouth, your ears are ringing and it feels like all your worst memories have resurfaced instantly. You're too stunned to speak and Matt is buckling up his seatbelt already. "Hey, we're just friends, that didn't mean anything. You know that, right?" You're aware that your words are increasingly desperate while your friend stays resolutely silent next to you. "Matt, seriously. I can forget it if you can." He looks at you with a steely glare and you wordlessly obey his silent instruction, clicking the seatbelt into place just before he starts to drive. He doesn't say anything to you about what just happened, instead keeping his eyes forward apart from when his eyes briefly dart to check his mirrors. You take a deep breath when he finally slows down outside of your house and you try and force yourself to put together a sentence that won't make everything worse. "I'll see you soon?" is what you land on, but it doesn't do much to settle you when all you get from your friend is a curt nod. It feels like you've burnt two friendships in one night and you don't know if you feel sick or nothing at all. The only thing that makes you feel like you haven't burnt your friendship is that he still waits for you to get into your house before he drives away.<</if>> [[Next|homeevening]]