SnootGame/game/script/11.school-assignment-and-route-lock.rpy

label chapter_11:
    scene room anon day
    show fang neutral at sleft
    show anon neutral flip at acenter
    with fade

    "The next day I was about ready to get to school when Fang stopped me at the door."
    play music 'audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "I told her I felt fine, but when I crumbled after she poked my ribcage I decided she had a compelling argument to stay."

    "Fang and I ended up just watching movies and playing Xrox all day."

    "I don’t think I’ve ever seen Fang this morose, though."

    "Didn’t want to pry too much, even if we’re dating now."

    "Although I have a distinct hunch it’s related to the band and Trish."

    scene outside school with fade

    show anon neutral at acenter

    "Today though, I bit my tongue through Fang’s chest-poke test and she let me go."

    "I know she’d stayed the day before to keep an eye on me, but she still didn’t want to go today."

    "I made her promise not to start ‘preening’ again before I left."

    "I know picking up her missed homework will cheer her right up."

    "Now that I finally have some time to myself I can properly address something I’ve been meaning too."

    "The alarms."

    "{i}*ahem*{/i}"

    "A GIRL IS STAYING IN MY HOUSE HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!"

    "How did I go from never being in a relationship to having a chick sleep over in less than two days?!"

    "Ohhhh fuck if anybody finds out…"

    "Fang’s Father, Naser, Trish, all collectively splattering me on a wall."

    "It’s not like I can ask for advice, either!"

    "The only other people I can ask are all hopelessly single and probably living off government benefits!"

    "My heartbeat doing Fang’s chest poke test from the inside is a good indicator I need to calm the fuck down."

    "Just… get through today and check out some romance manga on the way home."

    scene hallway

    "The school is as rowdy as ever."

    "Somehow, nobody confronts me about the events of two days ago."

    "Man, the people here move on fast."

    "Maybe I should take the side route, getting bumped would probably feel like getting gored."

    "It’s a roundabout way to reach my locker, but I got plenty of time."
    stop music fadeout 1.0

    show naser angry at sleft with dissolve
    show anon neutral flip at acenter with dissolve

    Nas "There you are!"
    play music 'audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "I turn to see Naser pushing through the crowd of students towards me."

    "At least I can talk to him about the whole situation."

    "Or ask him for advice as well on how to handle Fang."

    "Wait."

    "Naser’s sister, Fang."

    "The Fang who skipped school and is spending the day at my apartment."

    "And never went home for the past two days."

    "Suddenly I feel like a fish being circled by a very Naser-shaped shark."
    "How do I even begin to explain to him?"

    A "Uh, h-hey, Naser. What’s-"

    scene hallway
    show naser elbow at scenter

    "Naser grabs me by the jacket and shoves me against the wall of lockers."

    A "ARGH MY EVERYTHING!"

    Nas "Where the hell is Fang?"

    A "Woah, hey! I can-"

    Nas "She ditched with you the other day and hasn’t come home since."

    Nas "Do you know what I’ve had to put up with because of you? Everything you do with Fang is my fault for letting it happen!"

    Nas "You’re lucky she texted me yesterday, Dad was about ready to file a missing person report for her."

    A "Look, Naser. Let me explain."

    Nas "You better, before I drag your ass home and make you tell it to my Dad instead."

    "The terrifying prospect is enough to make me pause."

    A "Fang is staying at my apartment, but-"

    "Naser’s eyes shoot up like it’s the one answer he didn’t want to hear."

    A "Let me finish! But it was her idea after I fucked up my chest during an express trip down the stairs."

    A "She wanted to make sure I was alright and wouldn’t take no for an answer."

    "Naser sighs and releases my clothes, but the scowl stays on his face."

    show naser angry at sleft
    show anon neutral flip at acenter

    Nas "Is that all that happened, Anon?"

    A "I mean, we played some video games but-"

    Nas "ALL that happened?"

    A "I don’t think- Oh. OH. We, uh, didn’t DO anything, if that’s what you mean."

    Nas "Mmmm..."

    A "I swear! She couldn’t even kiss me because of the stupid bruise…"

    Nas "What?!"

    "Oh look I’m getting shoved into my locker again."

    "I hiss in pain as Naser’s fists press me against the locker."

    Nas "Why would Fang kiss you?! Anon I swear to Raptor Jesus-"
    hide anon
    show naser elbow

    A "I told Fang I like her!"

    "Shit, I said that out loud."

    show naser shocked with dissolve
    show anon neutral flip at aright

    "Naser freezes, and the color drains from his face."

    hide anon
    show naser elbow

    "Then he shoves me back into the lockers as hard as he can."

    A "FUCK!"

    "A few students start turning their heads."

    "Naser is still frozen in place, staring at his outstretched hands with a thousand yard stare."

    unknown "Hey, isn’t that the track team leader?"

    unknown "He’s beating on that loser from the presentation, right? Hilarious."

    "I could visibly see Naser’s thoughts process on his face as he finally comprehends our current situation."
    #--[/dev/non, have Naser’s facial expression change every half-second on this line]
    show anon neutral flip at acenter
    show naser shocked
    pause 0.5
    show naser smug
    pause 0.5
    show naser neutral
    pause 0.5
    show naser shocked
    pause 0.5
    show naser neutral
    pause 0.5
    show naser smug
    pause 0.5
    show naser shocked
    pause 0.5

    Nas "No, I…"

    Nas "..."

    hide naser with moveoutright

    "He regains control of his legs and hurriedly rushes through the crowd, pushing aside a few students."
    play music 'audio/OST/intercept.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "One or two classmates glance at me again, then continue on their way."

    "While I’m checking for any more broken bones my phone buzzes."

    show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom

    "{i}Fang: Anyone beat you up yet :V{/i}"

    "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

    "{i}Anon: No. On an unrelated matter, have you spoken with Naser recently?{/i}"

    "{i}Fang: Told him i was staying here yesterday but havent checked his responses{/i}"

    "{i}Fang: Why do i need to kill him or something <:V{/i}"

    "{i}Anon: Not yet. Just thinking it might be a good idea to get in touch with him when you feel like it.{/i}"

    "{i}Fang: I might feel like it after i stop raiding your fridge{/i}"

    "{i}Anon: Die.{/i}"

    "{i}Fang: >:V{/i}"

    hide anonphone with moveouttop

    "Glad to know she’s still holding up."

    "Shit, now I’m not gonna have enough soda to last the week."

    "I’ll worry about that when I get home."
    scene black with fade
    stop music fadeout 1.0

    label naserDrama:

    "..."

    scene black with fade

    #Naser Drama
    #THIS SECTION IS SCORE DEPENDENT

    if anonscore >= 4 and fangscore >= 4:
    #Sorting Things
       scene hallway with fade
       show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
       "Today needs to end. Now."

       "I have a backpack full of missed assignments, including Mr. Tsuki’s essay on the history of typefaces."

       "Who the fuck cares about typefaces?!"

       "Worst samurai english teacher ever."

       "My ribs are burning as I heave a sigh."

       "At least I can go home now."

       "Where my hot ptero Gee Eff is waiting."

       "..."

       "My hot ptero girlfriend who may or may not be having a mental breakdown in my apartment."

       "And I have no idea what to do with a fucking girlfriend. All those hours of dating simulators have not adequately simulated dating in the least."

       "Just as I exit the main doors of Volcano High my phone buzzes against one particularly bad bruise on my leg."
       show anonphone at center with moveinbottom
       "Fingers crossed it’s Fang."

       "{i}Naser  We need to talk{/i}"

       "{i}Naser  Meet me in the auditorium{/i}"

       "I’m going to die."
       hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
       unknown "You’re gonna die weeb! Naser’s looking for your weeb ass!"

       "... Best to get it over with now."

       "I meander my way to the school’s auditorium."
       play music "audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg" fadein 1.0
       scene auditorium
       show anon neutral at aleft
       "Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."

       "He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."

       "He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."

       "Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."

       "He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."

       "He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."
       show naser neutral flip at ncenter with fade
       A "You uh… wanted to talk to me?"

       Nas "..."

       "I fold down the seat next to his."

       A "Funny, this is the same seat as the one I was in a few days ago."

       Nas "Hm…"

       A "... Why did you call me here?"

       Nas "Just… Shut up. Let me think."

       "He fixes his gaze at the stage curtains."

       "I can see the gears in his head turning, but his expression is telling me he doesn’t actually know what he wants to do."

       Nas "I shouldn’t have pushed you earlier."

       Nas "Sorry. It was a moment of weakness."

       A "Don’t worry about it, I can take a hit or two."

       "He silently nods."

       Nas "When you told me Fang could kiss you because you told her your feelings… I can’t really describe it."

       Nas "Don’t take it the wrong way, but my mind just screamed at me ‘worst case scenario’."

       A "Why’s that?"

       Nas "Because it’s {i}my{/i} sister we’re talking about here."

       A "So? Fang said she likes me too."

       A "So we’re dating now. I think."

       play music "audio/OST/intercept.ogg" fadein 1.0
       "Naser clamps his hands up to his crest."

       Nas "Dating, even…Sweet Raptor Jesus..."

       A "Why are you so surprised, I told you months ago I liked her, didn’t I?"

       Nas "Yes, you told me {i}you{/i} liked {i}her{/i}."

       Nas "I never expected her to LIKE YOU BACK."

       Nas "Explain yourself, now."

       A "I… I don’t even really know how this happened- I-I mean, I’ve barely even had friends before, let alone something romantic!"

       A "I don’t know how this happened!"

       A "Why would someone, anyone want to go out with {i}me{/i}?! Me, Naser!"

       A "I wouldn’t go out with me!"

       A "I have no idea what I’m doing!"

       "Naser leans back with a hand holding his beak."

       Nas "Oh, man, you’re worse off than I thought."

       Nas "Breathe, man."

       A "I {i}am{/i}. It {i}hurts{/i}."

       Nas "Geez, at this rate I’m going to be more concerned for you than Fang."

       A "Like, thinking about being with Fang, a part of me is fucking exuberant to the point of being higher than Reed. Reed!"

       A "But then I start thinking how I don’t KNOW how to date and get so worried that I feel like I’m going to vomit."

       A "And then there’s my heart beating so hard and the fucking bruise and everything is fuck. Everything is fucking fuck, Naser."

       Nas "BREATHE!"

       "I finally notice the black spots in my vision and gasp."

       "My lungs explode in pain and I falter back against my chair for support."

       A "Is this a panic attack? Naser I think I’m having a panic atta-"

       "My head snaps to the side and a fresh stinging pain blossoms on my cheek."

       "I take the seconds of intense pain to focus and collect myself."

       A "Did you just slap me?"

       Nas "Yes."

       A "..."

       Nas "You calm now?"

       A "Not really."

       Nas "Would another slap help?"

       A "I’m calm I’m calm."

       Nas "You’ve got it bad, Anon."

       A "Got what bad?"

       Nas "You’re in love with Fang."

       A "How is that bad?"

       Nas "Fang. You {i}both{/i} need help at this point."

       A "Now that’s just uncalled for."

       Nas "It’s true. Last thing you need is to be romantically involved."

       A "What if that’s exactly what we need?"

       Nas "Just… Let me get this straight."

       Nas "You have never had a girlfriend before."

       A "Yes."

       Nas "Ever?"

       A "Yes, why?"

       Nas "Aside from being sad, that just makes it really not a good idea to go for what seems like such a… poor combination."

       A "That a challenge?"

       Nas "Wha-are you even paying attention?"

       A "I can be a great boyfriend, just you watch."

       Nas "Oh my g-"

       Nas "..."

       Nas "You know what?"

       Nas "You may be right."

       A "Hm?"

       Nas "Maybe just the thing Fang needs is someone to support her."

       Nas "I clearly can’t do anything, and neither can our parents, or anyone we know."

       Nas "But thinking back to a few days ago… she did shield you from the crowd and get you out of the auditorium."

       Nas "I brushed it off but... it’s clear she cares for you."

       Nas "So you know what Anon? I’ll trust you."

       A "Dowha?"

       "Naser gets up from his seat, motioning for me to follow."
       play music "audio/OST/bayside_revamp.ogg" fadein 1.0

       Nas "I’ll help you get to know Fang a bit better, and in return, you need to keep your promise of being a great boyfriend to her."

       A "I- uh, yeah! Thank you, Naser. Uh, where are we going?"

       Nas "You’re gonna need some supplies."

       scene outside school with fade

       "I follow Naser to the parking lot, where his half-beaten car awaits."

       Nas "Listen up, because this is all I really know."

       A "Wait, should I be taking no-"

       Nas "First thing is you should always have a giant bag of dino-nuggies in your fridge, with her name written on it with a sharpie."

       Nas "Be warned, she counts them. You eat any and it’s all over."
       scene nascar day with fade
       $ unlockCg("nascar day")
       "I climb into the passenger seat as Naser revs up the NasCar."

       Nas "You’re gonna need some barbecue sauce too. And none of the bargain bin stuff, Fang ONLY likes top shelf dipping sauce."

       "The car violently peels out of the parking lot."

       "Naser continued to rattle off a checklist of do’s and don’ts for Fang, even as he takes me around various stores to stock up."

       Nas "If she ever says she ‘isn’t hungry’, she is lying through her teeth."

       Nas "Most places know what you need if you say ‘my girlfriend isn’t hungry’."

       Nas "Next, either get a good supply of earplugs or say goodbye to your sense of hearing entirely. She can and will stay up until two a.m. listening to music on full blast."

       "Naser tells me more information about Fang than I probably should have known."

       Nas "And lastly, she will rip your shirt at least once. Have spares ready."

       A "What?!"

       Nas "Oh yeah. This is actually my fifth jacket this semester."

       A "I-I see…"

       "So that confirms Naser is just colorblind if he keeps getting these fuckugly jackets."

       A "So… I’ve got your blessing?"

       Nas "IF you help my sister, Anon."

       A "Of course! I’ll be the best boyfriend."

       Nas "You better. Because otherwise it won’t be me next time."

       A "Wha-"

       Nas "Dad needs a new caddy. He’ll probably ask you and then you’ll go missing."

       A "..."

       "Ah. Fuck."

       Nas "Now tell me where your place is so I can drop you off."

       "Naser hesitates when I give him my address."

       Nas "Skin Row? You know I should have figured, but still…"

       "He speeds off in the direction of my apartment with all the grace of a semi truck."

       "Once we reach my neighborhood, his driving gets even more erratic."

       "Never stopping at stop signs and staying just above the speed limit."

       "Paranoid much?"

       "Naser finally comes to a stop in front of my building to let me out."
       scene skinrow
       show anon neutral at acenter
       with fade
       A "Thanks for the ride, Naser. And the, er… Fang stuff, too."

       "Naser’s gaze is fixed on the building’s doors instead."

       Nas "So you’re going up to see Fang now, huh…"

       A "You know you can come talk to her with me, if you want."

       Nas "No! I mean, can’t leave my car alone in this neighborhood. Don’t want something to happen to it, right?"

       "He tops it off with a less than genuine laugh."

       A "Naser, your car has more dents than most of the ones around here."

       A "Also, I need help carrying all this stuff."

       Nas "What? There’s like four bags, you can carry it fine."

       A "Not with these crippling injuries."

       A "You slamming me into the locker didn’t help either."

       A "Oww, It’s a {i}miracle{/i} I’m still able to breathe."

       "Naser rolls his eyes."

       Nas "Fine, I’ll carry the crap up. But only for a moment, I don’t want my car getting jacked."

       "He gets all the bags from the backseat and I lead him up the stairs to my place."

       show naser neutral at sleft

       Nas "... Has Fang been doing alright here?"

       A "Probably still a bit rattled."

       A "Wasn’t in the best mood this morning either."

       A "Probably a good idea to not get confrontational or anything, yeah?"

       "Naser nods and I unlock the door."
       scene room anon day
       show anon neutral flip:
          xalign 0.8 yalign 0.1
       show naser neutral flip at nright
       show fang neutral flip at sleft
       with fade
       "I hold the door open for Naser. He hesitates to enter so I look in to see Fang sat on my bed mashing away on The Duke furiously."
       play music "audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg" fadein 1.0

       show fang shocked with dissolve

       F "Naser?!"

       A "Don’t freak out, he’s just here to- wait."

       A "Why are you playing rockband with a controller?"

       show fang surprised

       F "You mean I was doing it wrong?"

       A "And my account was locked, how did you even get that to start?"

       F "Dude, your password was ‘RAYmba’."

       show fang angry with dissolve

       F "Who cares about that, why’s {i}he{/i} here?"

       "Naser waves dismissively."

       show naser unimpressed flip

       Nas "Well, Anon, you’re welcome for the ride, I’ll just be going now."
       show naser neutral

       pause 0.4

       show fang neutral

       F "-Wait, Naser."

       "He freezes halfway out the door."

       F "... How much do you know?"

       show naser neutral flip

       Nas "Uh… Know?"

       F "About me and Anon."

       Nas "Anon filled me in earlier."

       show fang shocked with dissolve

       F "You what?!"

       A "Fang, don’t worry, he’s cool!"

       F "You weren’t planning on telling Dad I’m here, were you?"

       Nas "... No, I wasn’t."

       F "I’m serious, you can’t tell him, he’d kill Anon!"

       Nas "No, really, I wasn’t going to tell."

       show naser unimpressed flip

       F "Please, Naser, I need to know for absolute sure."

       show naser annoyed flip

       Nas "God damn it, Fang!"

       Nas "Why don’t you trust me with even this?!"

       show fang sad with dissolve

       "Naser inhales deeply and turns towards the door."

       show naser unimpressed with dissolve

       Nas "Sorry. I’m going now. I won’t tell, I swear."

       F "..."

       F "It’s not that I don’t trust you…"

       "He pauses again with his hand on the doorknob."

       show anon neutral

       "Like Spears’ did numerous times in the past, I take hold of Nasers’ shoulder."
       show anon neutral flip
       "I offer a reassuring smile and nod back towards Fang."

       show anon neutral

       A "..."

       show naser neutral

       Nas "... Then what? Why do you hate me?"

       F "... I don’t hate you…"

       F "Every time I see… those…"

       Nas "Those…?"

       F "Your scars, I mean."

       F "I just remember that day back then."

       Nas "What does that have to do with anything?"

       show fang hiding

       F "I mean, It’s my fault, isn’t it?"

       F "I lied to you, and you got hurt."

       Nas "..."

       F "But it’s like you don’t blame me, even though you should."

       show naser sad with dissolve

       F "Everyone depends on you, you’re the star player at school, but it’s in spite of your family instead of because of it."

       F "You can’t even bring yourself to hate me…"

       Nas "All this time, that’s what this was about?"

       "Fang wipes away a tear with her wing and nods."

       "Naser brushes my hand off his shoulder and turns around."

       show naser sad flip with dissolve

       Nas "I don’t hate you because I don’t blame you for anything, Fang."

       show fang sad with dissolve

       Nas "Back then, we were only kids, I was eleven? Twelve?"

       Nas "I was always thinking I’d done something wrong because of how you acted differently since then."

       Nas "I thought you hated me."

       Nas "I mean, look at all the shit I’ve ruined for you."

       Nas "Band practices, shows, parties, hell, dates even."

       Nas "All I ever do is ruin things for you."

       Nas "And when I did I’d always get told off by Trish."

       "A part of me wants to groan at just the mention of her name."

       show fang very sad
       show naser unimpressed flip

       "Oh… I think I did since both Naser and Fang are looking at me."
       play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0

       A "Ahaha…"

       show fang neutral with dissolve

       F "Urgh, way to ruin the moment Anon."

       Nas "Real smooth, man. Real smooth."

       show anon neutral

       A "Oh come on, you two were finally making progress."

       show fang happy with dissolve

       F "Remind me why we’re dating again?"

       show anon neutral flip

       Nas "Hey, he’s your boyfriend. Cut him some slack."

       A "What’s that supposed to mean?!"

       show naser happy flip with dissolve

       "The siblings chuckle lightly at my expense."

       "The things I do for people…"

       "Once the laughter ends Fang looks at Naser."

       F "Look, Naser, for all of Anon’s faults I do like him."

       show fang sad
       show naser neutral flip
       with dissolve

       F "Which is why I’d rather dad not arrest him and kill him."

       F "I know I haven’t been a good… sibling…"

       F "But I’m begging you here."

       Nas "I told you before, I won’t tell."

       Nas "Just be sure to come home later tonight."

       show fang angry with dissolve

       "Fang hisses and looks away."

       show naser unimpressed flip

       Nas "...You ARE coming home tonight, right?"

       show fang considering with dissolve

       F "Weeeeell…"

       A "What-"

       Nas "WHAT?!"

       show fang happy with dissolve

       F "I need to stay to look after my idiot boyfriend."

       show anon fear with dissolve

       A "I don’t need- AIIIEEE!"

       "Fang withdraws her finger from the bruise on my chest."

       show anon sad with dissolve

       A "FUCK! God, again with the tests?"

       show anon neutral with dissolve

       Nas "What am I supposed to tell dad then? Hell, what have you been telling him?"

       F "That I’ve been staying at Naomi’s place for a group project."

       A "..."

       Nas "..."

       F "Well I can’t say I’m staying at Trish or Reed’s place."

       Nas "But Naomi?"

       F "If I told dad I was staying at Anon’s place in Skin Row what do you think would happen?"

       Nas "...Okay, fair point."

       A "Are you actually okay staying here though?"

       "Fang shrugs and looks away."

       show anon neutral

       F "S’not bad. Just… boring when I’m all alone."

       F "And there’s not much to eat here."

       A "Well let’s fix that last part then."

       "I get a questioning look from Fang as I take one of the grocery bags from Naser."

       "Her eyes instantly lock onto the hefty back of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets I take out."

       A "You gonna stay for dinner Naser?"

       Nas "I want to but-"

       show fang surprised
       show naser shocked flip
       with dissolve

       "The loud blaring of a car alarm has Naser drop the rest of the bags onto the floor and rush out the door."

       Nas "Shit! The NasCar!"
       hide naser with dissolve
       A "Huh… Guess he wasn’t wrong about the carjacking thing."
       show anon neutral flip with dissolve
       "I turn back to Fang."

       "Whose currently writing her name on the bag of tenders."

       F "Mine."

       A "Fang you can’t hog-"

       F "*hiss*"

       A "Did you just hiss at me?!"

       F "Mine."

       "We ended up watching Top Spear until midnight while Fang hogged her bag of nuggies."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       scene black with fade
       "..."
       scene outside school with fade
       play music "audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.ogg" fadein 1.0
       "I was ready for an uneventful day of school."

       "In fact I’d be extremely happy if it was."

       "This entire week has been the most dramatic in my life."

       "Even the walk to school was dramatic, with Fang escorting me as if she was Secret Service."

       "In English class I’m still trying to catch up with the rest of the class."

       "In any other class I’d have been caught up, but Mr. Tsuki is an absolute slave driver."

       "My phone buzzes, and I try to tell myself it’s not worth getting distracted."

       "The next question is on Serif’s history, however, and I decide it’s not worth it."
       show anonphone at center with moveinbottom
       "Fang: Ughh"

       "Fang: Pleeeease tell me your morning is going better than mine"

       "Anon: could be better, why?"

       "Fang: I didnt even think of Trish"

       "Fang: She hasnt seen me in two days and is trying to bother me with band stuff"

       "Fang: Shes reeeaaaally not taking me taking a break well"

       "Anon: oh. you serious about quitting music and all that?"

       "Fang: What :V"

       "Fang: Why would I quit music"

       "Fang: Just taking off from the band for a while"

       "Anon: ah."

       "Fang: Think Trish gets the memo now"

       "Fang: Apparently cold shoulder works wonders on her :V"

       "Anon: you think that’ll work for long?"

       "Fang: No lol"

       "Fang: Will have to make distance at lunch"

       "Fang: Lets eat on the roof or something"

       "Anon: good idea"

       "She doesn’t respond further so I turn my attention back to the assignment."
       hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
       " ‘{i}Serif fonts can be broadly classified into one of four subgroups: old style, transitional, Didone and slab serif, in order of fir-{/i}-’ Nope."

       "Nope, just writing a review of BIIC: A PostPaleo RPG here."

       "(I passed the assignment.)"

       "After a torturous science period where Fang poked my bruises whenever she got bored lunch came around."
       scene cafeteria
       show fang happy at sleft
       show anon neutral at aright
       with fade
       "Fang and I got plates of country fried steak and start heading up the stairs, chattering about possibly seeing a movie this weekend."
       F "-seemed like a Kong fan."

       A "Did Naser say that?"

       F "Maybe… But c’mon, it looked like it’d be a great movie."

       "Before I can retort I hear footsteps rushing in from behind."

       show trish happy with dissolve:
          xalign -0.2

       show fang neutral with dissolve

       T "Fang! I thought we’d be hanging out in the auditorium. Y’know, like usual?"

       scene hallway
       show fang neutral at sleft
       show anon neutral at aright
       show trish indignant:
         xalign -0.2
       with fade

       "Fang doesn’t even bat an eye and continues up the steps."

       hide fang with moveoutright
       show trish indignant with move:
         xalign 0.3

       "Trish follows even as Fang starts taking the steps two at a time."

       T "Fang! C’mon!"

       "If the door was still there I’m pretty sure Fang would’ve kicked it open."

       "Instead she quickly turns with a huff and starts to scale the ladder one-handed."

       hide anon with moveoutright

       "Before Trish can climb it I pull myself up the ladder awkwardly."

       "Each step up a rung I need to pause, the rough movements causing bouts of pain across my chest."

       "Trish growls as I take my time climbing up. Halfway up I’m able to hand Fang my tray of food and scale the ladder at a slightly faster snail’s pace."

       "Once I’m at the top I swing my legs onto the ladder, blocking Trish from climbing up too."

       show trish angry with dissolve

       T "Asshole! Let me talk with Fang!"

       A "Know any theaters with easily accessible fire exits?"

       F "You kidding, of course I do."

       A "Sweet, saves me some money."

       T "Anon I swear to fuck!"

       T "Fang, please! Just say something!"

       "I can tell Fang is getting annoyed at Trish not taking the hint."

       F "Trish, I just don’t want to see you right now, okay?"

       T "But… why?! I’m your best friend!"

       F "I still need some time away after what you did."

       T "What about Reed? What about VVURM DRAMA? We can’t perform with just the two of us!"

       F "I think you should leave, Trish."

       T "I think you aren’t thinking straight!"

       T "We {i}need{/i} you to come back to-"

       F "Trish."

       "Her voice is a calm fury, cold and collected and bitter."

       F "I am trying to have lunch."

       F "With my boyfriend."

       F "That you just humiliated in front of everyone barely two days ago."

       F "I am perfectly capable of deciding for myself if I want to take a break."

       F "If and when I want to get back into the band, I will talk to you."

       F "For now, all you’re doing is pissing me off and ruining our lunch together."

       F "Leave."

       show trish sad with dissolve

       "Trish’s jaw hangs open, a barely audible squeak of protest escaping her."

       "She wipes a tear away with her jacket sleeve and shimmies down the ladder."

       T "... Sorry."
       hide trish with dissolve
       "Fang waits until her footsteps quiet before letting out a sigh."

       scene roof day
       show fang sad at sleft
       show anon neutral flip at aright
       with fade

       F "... That hurt."

       "Fang’s hand finds mine and grasps it."

       "Her grip is feather light, and I can feel her shuddering breath as a shiver in her palm."

       "I offer her silent reassurance, my fingers curling around her hand softly."

       F "Anon, do you think I fucked up?"

       "I consider for a moment."

       "While Trish did mess up, big time, she’s still Fang’s best friend."

       "It wasn’t all malicious. Just… Misguided."

       "Maybe some time apart will help both Fang and Trish."

       "Maybe… but y’know…"

       "I know you can hear this, though."

       "Fang simply rolls her eyes."

       show fang happy with dissolve

       F "Such a dweeb."

       A "Yep."

       "She held my hand the entirety of lunch."

       "Which was nice."
       scene black with fade
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       "But it made eating my mediocre steak fucking difficult."

       "..."

    elif anonscore >= 3 and fangscore <= 3:
    #Mending Things
       scene hallway with fade
       show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
       "Today needs to end. Now."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0

       "I have a backpack full of missed assignments, including Mr. Tsuki’s essay on the history of typefaces."

       "Who the fuck cares about typefaces?!"

       "Worst samurai english teacher ever."

       "My ribs are burning as I heave a sigh."

       "At least I can go home now."

       "Where my hot ptero Gee Eff is waiting."

       "..."

       "My hot ptero girlfriend who may or may not be having a mental breakdown in my apartment."

       "And I have no idea what to do with a fucking girlfriend. All those hours of dating simulators have not adequately simulated dating in the least."

       "Just as I exit the main doors of Volcano High my phone buzzes against one particularly bad bruise on my leg."
       show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
       "Fingers crossed it’s Fang."

       "{i}Naser  We need to talk{/i}"

       "{i}Naser  Meet me in the auditorium{/i}"

       "I’m going to die."
       hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
       unknown "You’re gonna die weeb! Naser’s looking for your weeb ass!"

       "... Best to get it over with now."

       "I meander my way to the school’s auditorium."
       scene auditorium
       show anon neutral at aleft
       "Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."

       "He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."

       "He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."

       "Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."

       "He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."

       "He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."

       show naser neutral flip at ncenter with fade
       A "You uh… wanted to talk to me?"

       Nas "..."

       "I fold down the seat next to his."

       A "Funny, this is the same seat as the one I was in a few days ago."

       Nas "Hm…"

       A "... Why did you call me here?"

       Nas "Just… Shut up. Let me think."

       "He fixes his gaze at the stage curtains."

       "I can see the gears in his head turning, but his expression is telling me he doesn’t actually know what he wants to do."

       Nas "I shouldn’t have pushed you earlier."

       Nas "Sorry. It was a moment of weakness."

       A "Don’t worry about it, I can take a hit or two."

       "He silently nods."

       Nas "When you told me Fang could kiss you because you told her your feelings… I can’t really describe it."

       Nas "Don’t take it the wrong way, but my mind just screamed at me ‘worst case scenario’."

       A "It’s because I’m human, isn’t it."

       Nas "Just picture the fucked up flipper ba- hey! Anon this is serious!"

       "So much for brevity."

       "Naser’s looking torn up over himself."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0

       A "You blaming yourself for something?"

       Nas "Uh, no… Sort of, I don’t know."

       Nas "I was thinking only of myself, I wasn't being understanding and I just unloaded it all on you."

       Nas "If you and Fang like each other then that's not my problem, right? You're a nice guy, really."

       Nas "If she’s happy then I'm happy, right?"

       Nas "I just want to know if she can forgive me for being harsh on you, I feel like it's one of those things she'd hate me for, right?"

       "Naser’s smile could at best be called fragile."

       A "I wouldn’t worry about it too much right now, she’s under a lot of pressure."

       Nas "... Did something happen to her?"

       A "Because of the stunt Trish pulled she broke off with her and the band."

       A "Now she’s refusing to leave my place out of fear and stress."

       Nas "..."

       A "I’m honestly feeling out of my depth here, there’s really nothing I can do except be there for her."

       Nas "..."

       A "You’re in a much better position to help her, you’re her brother and all."

       Nas "It’s… complicated. You know that. I suck at helping her."

       Nas "Remember earlier this year? That concert? She told me to kill myself and the next day Trish came lashing out at me."

       Nas "Telling ME how my own sibling feels about me. How she'd be better off if I didn't exist."

       Nas "Now you’re here telling me she’s having a mental breakdown, which {i}I{/i} didn’t know."

       Nas "Hell, even Reed tells me how she’s doing sometimes."

       Nas "Fucking hell, Anon, tell me: Why do I gotta hear about how Fang feels from Trish, Reed, and now YOU? What's so POISONOUS about me she can't tell me this shit ''THEMSELF''?"

       Nas "WHY do I aggravate ''THEM'' so much?"

       A "Dude!"

       Nas "Shut up for a second, man. Oh God..."

       "I can only watch as Naser breaks down in front of me, hands on his head in emotional turmoil."

       Nas "..."

       Nas "What did I ever do to her…?"

       if wingStory:
         jump wingA
       else:
         jump wingB

       label wingA:

       A "I-er…"

       Nas "What, do you know?"

       A "I’m thinking the two of you might be in the same boat, actually."

       Nas "Wh-shut up."

       A "She told me a while back… she does want to reconnect with you, but…"

       Nas "She’s afraid of me?"

       A "Herself. She’s been beating herself up ever since that… Thing that happened."

       A "Still thinks you blame her."

       Nas "What thing?"

       "I gesture to one of his scars."

       Nas "What?"

       Nas "You're not serious, it's over THAT shit? From fucking YEARS ago?"

       A "She was in tears when she told me."

       Nas "Holy shit, shut up."

       A "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

       Nas "I told you already, she won’t even glance my direction."

       Nas "..."

       Nas "Why would it be about that? I was just a little retarded kid then. I didn't blame her for one second."

       Nas "Not for one second..."

       "He turns his head aside."

       Nas "You know what happened while I was at the hospital recovering?"

       Nas "She never showed up. I don't know why."

       Nas "Mom and Dad were always there with me but Fang never saw me in the hospital."

       Nas "I wanted to see her the most."

       Nas "I worryingly asked mom and dad every day where Fang was."

       Nas "When I’d get restless, they had to keep telling me Fang was close by in the building, or at home, safe."

       Nas "I didn't cry when I rolled down a cliff and broke every bone in my body, but every night when I was alone in that hospital room I cried like a baby thinking I had disappointed my sister by doing this to her."

       A "You think it's your fault?"

       Nas "Yes! It’s all I do! It’s all I’ll ever do! Ruin my sister’s life!"

       Nas "..."

       jump wingB

       label wingB:

       Nas "Man..."

       Nas "where did it all go wrong?"

       Nas "Do you remember your life four, five years ago?"

       A "Rather not."

       Nas "Things were simpler then though."

       Nas "It was FINE. We hung out, we had movie nights, she'd bring her friends, we all got along."

       Nas "Somewhere in there, shit just changed. Everyone just started talking about herbivores, genres and other shit..."

       Nas "I didn't think of fighting Fang for it, but then she changed her name, started this whole non-binary thing, this pronoun thing took a while to get used to, but I was happy for her at first, going along because I didn't want to step on her toes."

       Nas "I thought she'd be happier, but she only got more and more miserable and distant, I'd try helping her and everything would just get more insufferable everytime."

       Nas "At some point Trish would just talk to me for her, and she would turn unbearable to talk to too."

       A "Trish?"

       Nas "Trish is not a bad girl, Anon. But goddamn if she didn't inculcate in Fang’s head ALL the wrong things."

       A "Well, Fang needs you now to start putting the right things in her head again. Please, help her."

       Nas "Anon, go away. I want to be alone for a second."

       A "What do I tell Fang when I get home?"

       Nas "JUST GO."

       "I sigh, taking one last look at Naser as he sat motionless in the barely lit auditorium."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       scene black with fade

       "Between Naser not being any help and my injuries, my walk home feels like agony."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
       scene skinrow with fade
       show anon neutral at acenter
       "My knee is back to not liking it when I bend it too much and I’m taking careful breaths again."

       "He was still upset when I left…"

       "Man, I’m two for two now in terms of not being able to do anything."

       "What could I have done more…?"

       "I still have enough strength to get home without any major problems."
       scene black with fade
       A "Fang? I’m here!"

       "My apartment door is locked..."

       "...And I left my keys inside."

       "Smooth."

       "I bang my fist on the door."

       A "Fang? You in here?"

       F "I’m changing, don’t come in!"

       A "Why?"

       F "What do you mean why? I took a shower you dumbass."

       A "But you wear the same things every day, what are you changing into?"

       A "Wait, you’re not trying on my clothes again are you?"

       "*BANG*"

       "Was that one of her boots?"

       "She seemed pretty cheery when she messaged me earlier, this isn't right."

       A "Why can’t you change in the bathroom?"

       "No response."

       "I rustle the doorknob a bit before hearing it unlock from the other side."

       "As soon as I enter, Fang starts pressing her fingers on all the bruises I had."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg' fadein 1.0
       scene room anon day
       show fang sad at sleft
       show anon neutral flip at acenter
       with fade

       "Worry is etched onto her face."

       "She’s acting like I'm about to fall over, geez."

       F "You ok?"

       A "Whoa, calm down."

       "That's close enough."

       A "I'm fine, don't worry about me."

       F "Good. I...I'm just a little tired. Think I’ll take a nap."

       "I dropped my things on the corner of the room, went to the kitchen to check the food..."

       A "Very funny."

       "Fang wasn’t joking about raiding the fridge."

       "All the salami is gone."

       "It was good salami too."

       "Guess I need to go out for more."

       "Back in the main room, Fang lies down on my bed."

       A "Are you really that tired? I figured we could go buy groceries..."

       F "No..."

       A "Fine, I'll just go by myself."

       F "Nooooooo."

       A "Don’t worry, I won’t push myself. Only getting a few things."

       F "Anon, please!"

       "She pulls me by my jacket so I’m sitting next to her on the bed."

       "Fang carefully hovers her hands over me, a very different attitude from when she was poking my ribs earlier."

       F "Is your arm still hurting? Don't fucking lie to me."

       A "It doesn't hurt that much, only my other wrist… and knee."

       F "Good."

       scene room anon day with fade
       show fangarm with dissolve

       "She lays her head on my arm, very carefully. It was fast becoming her preferred pillow here."

       "In any other situation I would find this cute but I totally lied to her and this hurts like crazy."

       "I'm almost willing to have another go at the stairs if that keeps her from touching me like this."

       F "You don't hate me, do you?"

       "That’s not what I was expecting."

       A "What? Why would I ever hate you?"

       F "Because...it's all my fault, right?"

       F "You didn't deserve all the shit me and the others gave you..."

       F "Maybe we should just… start over?"

       A "Nah, I like what we have now."

       A "Maybe you do need some rest, Fang. I'll be back soon with the groceries."

       "I gently slide my arm out from her grip."

       F "No! God damn it, can't you just stay still for one second? You can't leave me here alone!"

       A "What? I'm just going for groceries, what’s going on?"

       F "I'm fine, I’m just… fucking dizzy."

       A "What did you do?"

       F "Don't leave, please..."
       scene black with fade
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
       "I hold her by the shoulders. They feel scruffy."

       A "Fang, what happened?"

       F "Don't leave me here all alone..."

       "I catch a speck of red on my hands as they brush against her wings."

       "Oh fuck."

       "Oh god damn it."

       "First Aid kit! I need the First Aid kit."

       "Fang grips my arm tightly as I get up from the bed."

       F "Anon wait!"

       "When I open the bathroom door a wave of humidity from the shower washes over me."

       "A smear of blood on the shower stall wall."

       "A feather behind the toilet."

       "Another stuck to the seat."

       "At least three in the bowl, one of them still has blood in it."

       A "Fang…?"

       "She huddles against the corner of my bed away from me."

       "Now that I look at it, her wings do seem slightly thinner."

       A "You were preening again?"

       "She hesitates for a moment before nodding."

       F "...Yes."

       F "I couldn’t stop doing it… it got really bad, there was blood everywhere."

       F "I spent all day cleaning it up."

       "She looks like she’s on the verge of tears."

       "I don't know what to do."

       A "God fucking damn it."

       F "Fuck. fuck shit."

       A "Fuck."

       "I make us both some microwave dino nuggets and we silently eat on the floor."

       "Groceries will have to wait for now."

       A "You think you’ll be able to go to school tomorrow?"

       F "Nooo…"

       A "But you’ll fall behind in class."

       F "I’ll drop out."

       A "Come on, Fang."

       F "I don’t want to see anyone right now…"

       A "What about Naser? I talked to him earlier and-"

       F "Fuck him."

       A "He can help you..."

       F "He can go die."

       A "Fang, this isn’t healthy. I can’t help you through this alone."

       F "But you're good at it!"

       A "Then take my advice, tomorrow we go to school, you sort this out with him."

       F "Why not just get him to come here today?"

       A "I uh… Don’t think he’ll come to Skin Row."

       A "Why are you so against this? It’s Naser. Naser!"

       "Fang’s head falls and she let’s out a shuddering sigh."

       F "It’s… Trish…"

       F "Trish will probably be there."

       F "I blocked her number..."

       F "She kept messaging me."

       "Shit. I forgot about her."

       "And if she’s been messaging Fang all day…"

       "Trish’s last plan humiliated me in front of the entire school body."

       "And all because I hung out with Fang."

       "The fuck would she pull just to talk to Fang."

       A "Okay, yeah, Trish. Fucking Trish."

       A "Well. What about your parents? Have you even told them you’re here?"

       F "No fucking duh. Dad’s mad. Big shocker there."

       A "And your mom?"

       F "I don’t know."

       A "Maybe she can help then."

       F "Fine, fine. I’ll text her. But I’m not going tomorrow."

       A "Okay."

       "Morosely she withdraws her phone from her pocket."

       "Her fingers tap rapidly at the screen."

       "What feels like an eternity of her writing, erasing, and rewriting a text message ends when she looks at me with eyes filled with worry."

       "I shuffle close to her, arm carefully wrapping over her shoulder."

       "Fang thumbs the send button and sighs."

       F "There, happy?"

       A "Tired actually. So uh, movie may-"

       F "I just want to sleep, Anon."

       "Sleep sounds good."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg' fadein 1.0

       "Fang gets up first before needlessly helping me up."

       "I consider the option of changing to pajamas but I don’t think Fang would be impressed with my Master Grug onesie."

       "Fang slips into my bed first, her wings carefully laid behind her."
       scene wounds16 with fade
       $ unlockCg("wounds16")
       "I climb in to the space she left for me."

       "Which she’s quick to invade."

       "Her head settles on my shoulder and her wings once again act as a shared blanket."

       F "Night Anon."

       A "Night Fang."

       "That night, laying together with Fang, I dreamt of us escaping all of our problems."

       "If only."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       scene black with fade
       "..."
       "Fang refused to leave again this morning."

       "I originally told her I’d have to stay as well since I didn’t want to risk her hurting herself again."

       "She ended up swearing on her guitar she won’t hurt herself again."

       "I’ll need to pick up her assignments for today as well."

       "How did things end up like this?"

       "I can’t do anything about Fang on my own, and Naser…"

       "Isn’t interested in helping, to say the least."
       scene outside school
       show anon neutral at aleft
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg' fadein 1.0
       St "-you see Fang’s brother beat on Anon yesterday?"

       St "He’s the star of the school, right?"

       Ro "I’ve heard Fang has eloped with An-on, she was not at school yesterday."

       St "If that’s the case he’s changed his mind already. Hey, Anon!"

       "I hadn’t noticed the two on the steps ahead of me."

       "But Rosa noticed me, judging by her waving hand and overly cheerful smile."

       menu:
          "Guess I’ll say hi.":
            "I’m not in a great mood today, but I should still say hi."

            A "Good morning, Stella. Morning, Rosa."
          "Don’t want to talk to them today.":
              "Really don’t want to put up with Stella’s overly positive attitude today."

       show stella neutral flip at scenter
       show rosa neutral flip at sright

       Ro "Oh, An-on, you do not look so happy. Why?"

       St "Indeed, a dark haze hangs heavy over your heart."

       "Rosa and I give the green stegosaur a flat look."

       A "Don’t worry about it, just dealing with some heavy stuff right now."

       Re "Oh dear."

       St "Did you finish a good series and feel that post-finale depression?"

       A "What? No."

       St "Was it because that one pervy anime got canceled? I wouldn’t have pegged you as a fan of that kind of stuff."

       A "No Stella, it’s not that."

       St "Oh! Is it money related? Do you need money to get Fang a proper ring?"

       A "What?! Why would I need to get Fang a ring?!"

       St "Well I heard from a guy who heard from Mr. Carldewskii who heard from-"

       A "Get to the point Stella."

       St "I heard that you and Fang are getting married."

       A "W-w-w-w-"

       St "I wish you both a happy marriage!"

       St "Come on, I’ll give you a reading here!"

       St "I can tell you how your future life together will be!"

       St "Let me get my cards out-"

       A "Stella! I’m not feeling it right now, maybe later, okay?"

       St "You shouldn’t go about your day without this sort of knowledge, it can really help show your path forward!"

       A "STELLA, I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID READINGS!"

       A "Please, just leave me alone!"

       "Guilt hits me immediately when I see her shirk back."

       Ro "Ay dios mio! An-on! What is the matter with you?!"

       Ro "You are acting just horrible today!"

       A "Sorry, Stella. Just… Don’t worry about it."

       Ro "Please tell us, what has you down?"

       A "Just Fang stuff. You know she hasn’t been showing to school lately."

       A "She’s actually been refusing to leave my apartment."

       St "You mean like-"

       Ro "Now is not the time, Stella."

       Ro "Is it really that bad?"

       A "She... hasn’t been taking recent events well."

       "That’s one way to put it."

       Ro "I do hate to see friends in trouble, I know Fang is a good girl at heart."

       Ro "Please, if there is anything we can do, Stella and I will try to be there."

       "Rosa takes a piece of paper from her bag and hands it to me."

       Ro "My number, An-on. If you do need it."

       A "Thanks, Rosa. I’ll think about it."

       St "Do… you want a reading now?"

       "The school bells interrupt."

       A "Sorry, Stella. Some other time."

       St "Awww."
       scene black with fade
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       "We all enter the school and split off to our homerooms."

       "In class it feels just like the beginning of the year."

       "All alone."

       "Naomi’s apparently busy with yearbook stuff."

       "Trish and Reed have been ditching math."

       "Not that I care honestly. I just want to get home and make sure Fang is okay."
       scene cafeteria with fade
       "Time passes so quickly that it’s lunch now and I already have my tray."

       "I didn’t even realize I was walking up the stairs to the rooftop."
       scene hallway with fade
       show anon neutral at aleft
       "My stupor is broken by the sight of Trish and Reed."

       "Worry is etched in both their faces as they approach me."

       "Worry that I do not want to be involved in at all."

       "My feet carry me up the stairs quickly, and away from the two band members."

       "I pass through the broken threshold to the roof and manage to climb the ladder one-handed to the top of the stair enclosure."
       scene roof day broken with fade
       show anon neutral at aleft
       Re "-Doesn’t want to talk to us. See?"

       T "Damn it, where’d that skinnie go!"

       Re "Trish c’mon. You’re actin’ crazy."

       T "It’s his fault Reed! If we can just get him to talk to Fang for us-"

       Re "She doe-"

       T "It’s THEY damn it!"

       show anon sad with dissolve

       "I hear a defeated sigh and retreating footsteps."

       "I feel like Neo after dodging that."

       "Maybe Fang had the right idea about not coming back to school."

       "Who needs it, anyway?"

       "Ugh, no, focus Anon."

       "I hunker down on the rooftop and silently eat my meal."

       "Just need to focus on Fang right now."
       scene black with fade

       "For the rest of the day I’m constantly on the lookout to avoid Trish."

       "I want no part in whatever she’s looking for me for."

       "Thankfully I reach the end of the day with no more triceratops-shaped incidents and hurry my way back home."

       "Once I’m free from being intercepted on the school campus, my mind starts to wander back to my conversation this morning."

       "Rosa and Stella seemed pretty willing to help Fang and Naser."

       "But do either of them really understand what’s actually going on? It’s not like this is just some dumb argument."

       "I’m not really sure what either of them could do to help, either."

       "Rosa would just pull something out of the Bible to read, and Stella…"

       "Stella would show them some anime about friendship or something."

       "I guess it couldn’t hurt to talk to them though, right? At the very least they could point me in the right direction."
       scene skinrow with fade
       "Before long I reach my apartment building, once again lost in my thoughts around Fang."

       "At least I remembered my key this time."
       scene room anon day with fade
       "Things seem normal enough when I enter."
       "Fang is resting in my bed, her chest rising and falling."

       "A quick look in the bathroom shows no gore splattered on the walls."

       "Still, I should check on Fang myself."

       "A closer inspection makes my heart drop like a rock."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0

       "Dozens of feathers are strewn about the bedsheets, most of them under Fang."

       "I bite back a scream of frustration."

       "They’re everywhere…"

       "Fang’s wings are folded behind her, but I can’t see the damage at all."

       "I gently lift one to try to see where she hurt herself."

       F "Mmmng…"

       F "Anon?!"
       show fang shocked at sleft with dissolve

       "She sits up with a jolt, a dozen feathers sticking to her side."

       F "Oh, shh-"

       "She quickly sweeps the feathers off of her and into a pile behind her."

       F "Y-you’re home!"

       A "Fang, why?"

       A "You swore this morning you wouldn’t start again!"

       F "Th-these aren’t mine! Look!"

       "Fang stretches her wings out. Sure enough, there’s no fresh blood on them."

       A "Then what…?"
       show fang sad with dissolve
       "My gaze shifts to my pillow."

       "I pick it up and a chunk of down falls out a hole ripped in the side."

       "I glance back to Fang in bewilderment, she’s cast her head aside in shame."

       A "I mean… It’s not self-harm, but… Why?"

       F "W-well, I was looking for something to watch online…"

       F "And, and I was about to see a movie when I got a call."

       F "It said it was Reed, and I remembered what you said yesterday…"

       F "So I got myself ready to talk to him, since it’s what you’d want me to do…"

       F "And…"

       F "...It wasn’t Reed."

       F "Trish used his phone."
       show fang hiding with dissolve
       F "I just couldn’t stop myself from ripping something, I’m sorry Anon."

       A "Hey."

       show anon neutral flip at scenter

       "I scootch closer to her on the bed and put an arm around her."

       show fang very sad with dissolve

       "She turns and buries her face in my collar."

       A "Don’t worry about the pillow."

       A "I’m more worried about you."

       A "You can’t just hide here forever, you know?"

       F "..."

       A "..."

       A "How about going out for a good meal?"

       A "We’re out of food here anyways."

       A "Are you able to go somewhere if it’s with me?"

       "I feel her head nod against my chest."

       A "I’ll place a reservation at Moe’s, why don’t you clean the feathers off your arms?"

       "She slowly lets go and gets up for the bathroom to get ready."
       hide fang with dissolve
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       "When the door clicks I call Rosa."
       show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
       Ro "Yes?"

       A "Yeah, I need your help with Fang."

       Ro "I’ll be glad to help as best I can!"

       A "This is a longshot, but…"

       A "Can you get Naser to Dino Moe’s Pizza in Little Trudoon within the hour?"

       Ro "Is that all? Of course I can!"

       Ro "I will go get him now!"
       hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
       "She hangs up on me."

       "The bathroom door swings open and Fang throws a fistful of down into the kitchen trashcan."

       F "Okay… I’m ready."

       A "Great, think we can catch the next bus in ten minutes if we leave now."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       scene black with fade
       "…"

       "For all the heartache and mental anguish I’ve been through these past few days there’s one good thing to come of it."

       play music 'audio/effects/chatter loop.ogg' fadein 1.0

       "I’m on an actual date!"

       F "Such a dweeb, Anon."

       "I feel my cheeks warm up as Fang’s fingers interlock with mine."
       label FangRosaDate:
       scene moes pizza with fade
       "We’re in Moe’s reception now. In hindsight I should’ve called Moe too."
       show fang neutral with dissolve:
          xalign -0.2
       show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
       show moe neutral flip with moveinright:
         xalign 1.3
       Moe "Aye! My lil Lucy! Back again so soon?"
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/Venetian Values.ogg' fadein 1.0
       "I can feel Fang flinch as her barrel chested uncle hobbles toward us."

       Moe "And you brought Anon! Must be date night den!"

       F "Y-yeah. Date night. Please don’t tell dad."

       Moe "O’ course! I know ole Rip would jus’ keel over."

       A "Thanks Moe."

       Moe "No problem no problem. Nows let’s get you twos settled in. Jerry! Get dat table clean NOW!"

       "We wait a little longer in the foyer as the overworked employee scrubbed the booth table clean."

       Moe "So’s, you two official nows?"

       "I notice a fluffy white wing slowly wrap itself over my shoulder."

       "I now look like I have a feathered cloak hiding my Ptero girlfriend from view."

       A "Y-yeah. We are, Moe."

       "I don’t know if I’m wincing at the awkwardness or the pain from Fang’s claws digging into my hand."

       "Probably both."

       "Moe laughs regardless."

       Moe "In dat case I’ll make sure dat your date night goes perfectly."

       "The old t-rex lead us to our clean table and set about lighting the lone candle there with an extra long barbecue lighter."

       Moe "Dere we go. Don’ worry ‘bout the menu, kids. I’ll set yous up right."
       "When I take my seat across from Fang, she gets up to sit next to me and lays her head against my shoulder."
       show black with fade
       hide moe
       hide black with fade
       show anon neutral:
          xalign 0.3
       show fang neutral flip:
          xalign 1.1
       A "Wasn’t expecting it’d be free. Your uncle’s pretty nice."

       F "Yeah, he’s nice..."

       "We sit a while, listening to the soft music playing through the cheap speakers."

       "It only now occurs to me Fang might not like the sudden appearance of her brother."

       A "You holding up so far?"

       F "Heh. I’m not that fragile, come on."

       A "Certainly had me fooled."

       "She bumps her elbow into my side."

       A "Ow."

       "My phone buzzes in my pocket. Probably Rosa."
       show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom
       "I discreetly peek at the notification."

       "She’s here already?"
       hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
       "I crane my neck around to see Rosa enter, dragging a horrified Naser by the arm."
       "Suddenly my stomach tightens and I’m having second thoughts."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/Ramo de Rosas.ogg' fadein 1.0
       "Rosa spots me through the lattice and her face lights up."

       "I cover my eyes with one hand and slump in my seat."

       show naser neutral:
          xalign -0.4
       show rosa neutral:
          xalign -0.4
       with moveinleft
       show fang sad flip
       with dissolve

       Ro "An-on! Fang! What a happy coincidence to see you two here!"

       Nas "Is- is this what you dragged me here for, Rosa?"

       "Fang’s voice is an angry hiss in my ear."

       F "What did you do?!"

       A "I’m here with you, just give it five minutes."

       F "I am so not buying you a new pillow."
       show anon neutral flip with move:
           xalign 0.9
       show fang neutral flip with move:
           xalign 0.7
       show naser with move:
           xalign 0.23
       show rosa neutral with move:
           xalign 0.0

       "Rosa practically shoves Naser into the seat across from me and sits down herself."

       Nas "Rosa I thought you wanted to talk about the gardening club budget!"

       "He’s quick to turn his glare from the latina to me."

       Nas "What’s all this about, Anon?"

       Nas "I told you before, I…"

       Ro "Hush, this was my idea."

       Ro "You were just telling me in the car you were having struggles with your sister."

       Nas "Yeah, but…"

       Ro "Go ahead and try talking to Fang about it."

       "Fang shifts in her seat to get up and I squeeze her hand to get her to stop."

       F "Ngh."

       Nas "..."

       Nas "... Uh… Well…"

       Nas "... I guess I want to say-"

       Moe "ALRIGHT I BROUGHT BREADSTICKS FOR THE LOVELY COUPLE."
       play music 'audio/OST/Venetian Values.ogg'
       show moe neutral flip at rright with moveinright

       "Rosa slams her head into the table."

       Moe "Whoa, Nasah?!"

       Moe "I sees you’ve finally dumped that strumpet!"

       Moe "I’z told you she was bad for yous, I did!"

       Moe "Do I know how to call ‘em or what?"

       "Moe’s powerful jaw clicks shut when he notices our unenthused stares."

       Moe "... Dis ain’t a double date, ain’t it?"

       A "Thank you for the breadsticks, Moe, but it’s not the best timing."

       "Moe drags over a chair with his tail and sits in it with his tiny arms on the backrest."

       Moe "Nobody tells me nothin’ anymore from your family, you twos, but I got a good idea what this’d be about."

       A "Moe, you really don’t have to-"

       Moe "Don’t think I haven’t noticed how little Lucy there looks."

       Moe "Even little Nasah looks like he’s had the shit kicked outta him."

       Moe "Ol’ Moe can intuit what’s happenin’."

       Moe "As for Nasah’s new lady friend and you, please give us a little privacy."

       Moe "Family matters are best handled by da family."
       show rosa neutral at sleft with move
       "Fang turns a worried look my way as her claws once again dig into my hand."

       "An old memory flashes in my head."

       "If it worked for Naser…"

       A "It’ll be fine, Fang. I’ll be nearby."

       "I draw her into a hug and my cheek rubs softly against her long beak."

       "I pull away to see Fang with a luminescent blush across her cheek."
       show anon neutral at aleft with move
       show rosa with move:
         xalign -0.3
       "I shuffle out of the booth and stand next to Rosa."
       hide moe with moveoutleft
       Moe "JERRY! GIT DESE TWO A TABLE AN’ SOME MOZZARELLA STICKS!"

       "The overworked busman brought us to a small table on the opposite end of the restaurant."

       "Guess this isn’t the first time this kind of thing has happened."
       scene moes pizza
       show rosa neutral at sleft
       show anon neutral flip at aright
       with fade

       A "So uh… Now what Rosa?"
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
       Ro "Mr. Moe said it best. Family matters are solved by familia."

       Ro "We just sit and wait now."

       "She grimaces as her eyes sweep over the menu."

       Ro "Is there any vegetarian options here?"

       A "Why not the pasta?"

       Ro "I am watching my figure, An-on."

       "I hope Moe can solve this quickly."

       Ro "You know, this is to help you too, An-on."

       "What."

       Ro "You yourself look like you are struggling with something."

       Ro "Let me hear {i}your{/i} troubles, An-on."

       "My troubles?"

       "I look across the room to see Naser and Fang actually laughing with Moe."

       "My heart clenches as I wish I was there with Fang."

       Ro "Is it your new relationship?"

       A "*sigh* That and a hundred other things."

       Ro "Let it out, An-on. There is no need to bottle up these anxieties of yours."
       show rosa considering with dissolve
       "It was as if a bulwark broke."

       "The words spilled from my lips at so rapid a pace I feared Rosa wouldn’t understand."

       "I told her everything."

       "From how I wound up at Volcano High, all my inner turmoil there, even my romantic failings."

       "Time slipped by as I used this rare moment to finally vent about everything around me."

       "And through it all Rosa simply smiled and nodded."

       "Few times she would speak up, if only for clarification or to offer sympathy."

       "Our meal came and went ignored."

       "I just kept talking and talking until I couldn’t anymore."

       "My throat is so dry now and my voice is hoarse."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg' fadein 1.0
       "God how long was I talking."

       "Rosa slides out from her chair and steps around it."

       "Her fist rocks my shoulder back harshly."

       show rosa bossy with dissolve

       A "Agh! What was that for?!"

       Ro "For being a stupid boy. Here, drink."

       "I take the proffered glass of water and down it greedily."
       hide rosa
       hide anon
       show rosa hug
       with dissolve

       "As soon as I set the cup down a pair of arms wrap around my head."

       "Oh god oh fuck Rosa is actually gonna kill me."

       Ro "You stupid boys. Always hiding away your own pain."

       "Her heavy hand rubs my head gently as she cradles it against her chest."

       Ro "Be sure you tell Fang of this, okay?"

       A "...Okay…"

       Ro "Good. Personally I think you two are absolutely adorable."

       Ro "But my Lord on His cross of rock are you two dumb."

       Ro "Always hiding away these pains you have from the world and your loved ones."

       show rosa neutral at sleft
       show anon neutral flip at scenter
       with dissolve

       "Rosa loosens her grip around my head and I sneak a glance over towards Fang and Naser."

       "They aren’t trying to kill each other, so they seem to have made some progress."

       "I almost think I just saw Fang actually smile."

       "Right as I turn back to the table, my ears are assaulted by Moe’s Italian shrieking from across the restaurant."

       Moe "AY! YOUS KIDS CAN COME ON BACKS NOW!"
       show anon neutral:
           xalign 0.2
       show fang happy flip:
           xalign 0.6
       show naser happy flip:
           xalign 1.0
       show rosa neutral:
           xalign -0.4
       show moe neutral flip at rright
       "The first thing I notice on the way over is how much more lively Fang and Naser look, like they had regained all of their lost energy."

       "Before I can take a seat Fang gets up and wraps her arms around my head."

       "I almost ask her what the deal is, but I can feel the icy stare she’s shooting at Rosa from here."

       Ro "F-Fang, you know I didn’t mean it like that!"

       "Fang lets out the laugh she was holding in."

       F "I know, just messing."

       "I let out a sigh of relief. Fang’s back to making jokes, that’s good."

       Moe "It’s good to sees ol’ Moe could help to sets things straight. Don’t ever hesistate on coming right backs if yous needs it!"

       Moe "And good job on gettin’ yousself a better half Nasah, she’s a better looker than your old lady friend."

       Nas "Wait, Rosa isn’t my-"

       Nas "Naomi and I are still-"

       Moe "I knows, you’re probably all heart broken about da break up, but dun do it in front of yer new gal, Nasah."
       hide moe with moveoutright
       "Moe rushes off before Naser can finish his sentence, leaving the four of us alone once again."

       "I promptly take my place in the booth next to Fang, feeling her clawed fingers lock with my own."

       "Rosa on the other hand took a seat a conspicuous distance from Naser, and I’m not quite sure who looks more embarrassed."
       scene black with fade
       "The rest of the time at Moe’s goes by pretty well, whatever family trick up his tiny sleeve seemed to have worked."

       "Fang is more calm than I’ve seen her in months, Naser is talking and laughing without having to walk through a verbal minefield."

       "From everyone’s mood alone, I feel like a burden is lifted from my shoulders."

       "Dinner is lively, and Rosa offers to take Fang and I home."

       "Fang agrees to return to her place with Naser."

       "She drops me off back at my place, and I return Fang’s backpack to her."

       "After locking the door I collapse on my bed, completely spent."

       "... I forgot to get a new pillow."

       "..."

       scene outside school with fade
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Atmosphere.ogg' fadein 1.0
       "Fang texts me while I’m walking to school the next day."

       "Fang: i slept like a rock last night lol"

       "Fang: you feeling better too?"

       "Anon: Yeah. Were your parents upset?"

       "Fang: im friggin"

       "Fang: grounded from everything basically forever"

       "Anon: Uh oh."

       "Fang: my mom will forget in like a week lmao :V"

       "Fang: see you in science as always, right?"

       "Anon: Yeah, of course."

       "Anon: What do you plan to do about your missing assignments?"

       "Fang: naser stayed up to help me with them."

       "Fang: i think he did most of it though lol"

       "Warms my heart to see she’s back to normal."

       "Wait, she still hasn’t spoken with Trish."

       "I shouldn’t be worried."

       "But… when she called, Fang…"
       show reed explanatory flip at sright with moveinright
       Re "Yo, Anon! Wait up!"

       "I instinctively start picking up the pace."

       Re "Wait, man! I need to talk to you about Trish!"

       "Ugh. Well, I don’t have a beef with Reed, can’t hurt to talk."

       A "What?"

       show anon neutral at aleft
       show reed sad flip
       with dissolve
       Re "Trish’s been, like, super beat up over everything that’s happened."

       A "So I’ve heard."

       Re "So, you wouldn’t mind if, uh…"

       A "No, Reed."

       show reed shocked flip with dissolve

       Re "Huh?"

       A "I’m not going to lure Fang into meeting Trish so she can try to fix their abusive relationship."
       show reed considering flip with dissolve
       "Reed winces."
       show reed neutral flip with dissolve
       Re "Read me like a book, huh?"

       Re "Come on, man. Trish’ll be better this time, I know it."

       Re "Just give it a chance, what’s the worst that could happen."

       "I hear the desperation in his voice."

       "Hesitating, I sigh and roll my eyes."

       A "...Fine. But I’m going to be there and we’re leaving the split second I can tell it’s not going well."

       Re "Oh man, you’re a lifesaver! Just bring her over into the auditorium for lunch, I’ll make sure Trish doesn’t flake!"

       "Reed excitedly jogs away to his homeroom."
       hide reed with moveoutleft

       "That’s the most relieved I’d ever seen him."

       "Guess Trish really is sorry."

       "I give Fang the memo as I duck into class moments before the bell."

       "Fang: i dunno…"

       "Fang: youll be there right? <:V"

       "Anon: Of course I will."

       "Fang: ill try not to get too worked up in anticipation then. :V"

       "I sigh and glance at the clock."

       "I feel like my mood’s been put in a guillotine now."

       "And Trish and Reed are the ones in the black hoods."

       "The anxiety’s returned, making time crawl by so slowly now."

       "Even in science, where Fang and I could at least sit next to each other and talk didn’t alleviate it."

       "But Math…"

       "Mr. Carleciidewski was unconscious at his desk, once again being of no help."

       "Reed is now sitting behind me, and every time I glance back he smiles and nods."

       "Trish is nowhere to be seen."

       "The ticks of the clock’s second hand are a countdown to doomsday and I’m at the epicenter of it."

       "The lunch bell blares loudly and I shuffle out from behind my desk."
       scene cafeteria with fade
       show reed explanatory flip at rcenter
       show anon neutral at aleft

       "A powerful arm wraps around my shoulder, dragging me to the door."

       Re "C’mon man, sooner we get our food the sooner we can put all this behind us."
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/sadist.ogg' fadein 1.0
       "There’s an edge of something to Reed’s voice, making his words sound unnatural."

       "My phone vibrates in my pocket."

       "When I reach for it Reed bumps me."

       Re "Whatcha want for lunch?"

       A "I uh… what’re they serving?"

       "Another buzz in my pocket."

       Re "Well I think it’s mystery meatloaf and pizza today."

       "And another."

       A "One sec-"

       Re "Yo the line’s moving."

       "I’m bumped forward in line by Reed."

       "My phone is vibrating nonstop now."

       A "Reed what’re you-"

       Re "Just trying to get us some grub before we see Trish and Fang. Don’t wanna do this on an empty stomach right?"

       "I get my phone out at last to see-"

       Re "Yo so the pizza right? Let’s get the pizza."

       A "Reed what is with you right now?!"

       "I glance at my phone’s screen to see ten messages all from Fang."

       "Reed pushes me forward and my phone hits the floor."

       A "God damn it Reed!"

       Re "I got it Anon."

       "He scoops up my phone and pockets it."

       Re "Food first, man, c’mon."

       A "Reed seriously what the fuck is up with you!"

       Re "What? Nothing, man, just us two getting some food. Right?"

       A "... Give me back my phone, Reed."

       Re "..."

       Re "......"
       show reed considering
       Re "Sorry."

       "I drop my tray and make a break down the hall towards the auditorium."
       hide anon neutral with moveoutright
       hide reed with moveoutright
       "Reed is chasing close behind only a few feet behind me."
       scene hallway
       show anon neutral at acenter
       Re "Anon, wait!!"

       "Think I’m managing to outpace him."

       "Just need to turn the corner and it’s on the other end of the hall."

       "I hear Reed’s footsteps get further away, and stop for a split second."

       "Did he give up?"

       play sound "audio/effects/firealarm.ogg" volume 0.3 loop

       "What the fu-?!"

       "Water sprays from the ceiling and the halls are quickly crowded with screaming students running for their lives, the teachers trying fruitlessly to keep them calm."

       "Reed, you dirty bastard!!"

       "I’m shoved aside from all angles by the student body."

       "Just a dozen more feet to the door-!"

       "I finally manage to get my hand on the handle and-"
       show reed choke at scenter
       hide anon
       A "*Glk-!*"

       Re "Sorry, man."

       "He’s got me in a chokehold with one arm."

       stop sound

       Re "Convenient."

       "Reed opens the door with one foot to look in."

       Re "You’ll see, man. It’s all going well."

       "I can only watch the scene before me unfold."
       label TrishFangArgument:
       stop music fadeout 1.0
       play music 'audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg' fadein 1.0
       scene hallway
       show trish angry at tleft
       show fang sad flip at sright
       with fade

       T "{i}WHY{/i} don't you want to talk about it?"

       T "Please talk to me, {i}PLEASE{/i}."

       T "It's been days, didn't you have enough time to think about it already?"

       F "Fuck off from my life, already!"

       T "No, Fang, I won't! I helped you, remember? I wanna keep helping you."
       show fang angry flip
       F "You USED ME. YOU BETRAYED ME."

       T "I did not! You couldn't deal with yourself, you weren't happy with how things were going."

       T "I HELPED you achieve a new YOU, you've embraced something beautiful, I was proud of you!"

       F "I don't NEED a NEW me-"

       T "I don't UNDERSTAND, would you PLEASE tell ME what's so WRONG?"

       show fang sad flip with dissolve

       F "Please Trish, stop talking to me."

       show trish indignant with dissolve

       T "BUT WHY?"

       F "STOP YELLING."

       T "What about the other guys? What about the band?"

       F "You ruined everything! It was supposed to be fun!"

       show trish unimpressed with dissolve

       T "How? Please tell me."

       F "You just took control of everything, we were doing what you wanted all the time."

       show trish indignant with dissolve

       T "We VOTED to know what to do next!"

       F "And we only did what you wanted!"

       T "Because I THOUGHT you'd be ok with it, if you didn't agree with anything I did then you should've just TOLD ME"

       F "You should have known!"

       F "You're confusing me!"

       show trish fury with dissolve:
          yalign 10.0

       T "IT WAS {i}YOUR{/i} IDEA."

       T "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WANTED US TO TAKE THE BAND MORE SERIOUSLY- AND I DID"

       T "I WAS JUST DOING WHAT YOU WANTED BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD HAVE MADE US HAPPIER."

       show fang hiding flip with dissolve

       show trish sad at tleft with dissolve

       F "..."

       T "..."

       "Reed’s chokehold is making my wounds flare up again. Can I just die? Right here?"

       T "You didn't answer about the band, what about Vvurm Drama?"
       stop music fadeout 10.0
       show fang very sad flip with dissolve
       F "I don't know Trish. It's over, ok?"

       show trish fury with dissolve:
          yalign 10.0

       T "I was HOPING you were just taking a time-off to cool off and RECONSIDER-"

       T "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO YOU, FANG?"

       F "I don't know who you are anymore, Trish. You did something that's making me question YEARS of my life- WASTED YEARS."

       show trish fury point with dissolve:
          yalign 10.0

       T "Because of him? That's what it is?"

       T "You're really just gonna THROW AWAY our entire life together, since we were kids - up until now- just as we're about to make it-"

       F "Trish, no, I didn't mean it- I-"

       T "Everytime I offered you a shoulder to cry on, the songs we wrote, the stories we came up with, all gone? Is that it?"

       T "And for fucking what?"

       T "For a fucking bum you met a few months ago? Is this what you want, to become a trailer wife?"

       show fang ear cover flip

       T "To do absolutely fucking NOTHING all day inbetween getting beaten up and feeding little brats to the benefit of some penniless NOBODY?"

       T "I was always here for you, we do EVERYTHING TOGETHER, and THIS is how you thank me? By kicking me out of your life to become a CUM DUMPSTER for this worthless PRION?"

       T "do you NOT see what's wrong here?"

       show trish sad at tleft with dissolve

       T "..."

       T "You told me when the year started you were scared shitless you weren't gonna amount to anything in life."

       T "Are we in this together or not? If not you'll dive headfirst into exactly THAT, you'll be a nobody!"

       T "Remember? I still HAVE THE MESSAGES, LOOK."

       T "You KNOW I'm right. I'm always right!"

       T "Answer me, Fang!"
       scene hallway
       show reed unimpressed at rleft
       show anon neutral flip at aright
       with fade

       "Reed lets go of my neck completely."

       "He wordlessly puts his hands in his pockets and withdraws my phone."

       "The phone is dropped limply in my palm and Reed turns away silently."
       show reed unimpressed flip at rleft with dissolve
       hide reed with moveoutleft
       "I only caught a glimpse of it, but I saw the disappointment in his eyes."

       Re "..."
       scene hallway
       show trish angry at tleft
       show fang ear cover flip at sright
       show anon neutral flip behind fang at acenter
       with fade
       "I stand back up and throw the door open."

       "Silence washes over the room."

       "Eventually Fang takes a deep breath and lets it out, before facing Trish again."

       show fang very angry flip with dissolve

       F "Fuck."

       F "Off."

       F "Just fuck off from my life, Trish."

       T "..."

       "Trish shoots me another of those petty glares before dashing out the side door."
       hide trish with moveoutright
       "Fang folds a seat down and sits in it with her knees to her chest, covering herself with her wings."
       show fang hiding flip
       show anon neutral
       with dissolve

       "I sit next to her and she starts silently weeping into her knees."

       "I reach through the wings and find a hand to hold."

       "The lunch bell comes and goes, as does the tardy bell for music class."

       scene black with fade

       "We ended up ditching the last few classes and just go back to my apartment again."

       "..."

    elif anonscore <= 2 and fangscore <= 2:
    #Breaking Things
       scene hallway with fade
       show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
       "Today needs to end. Now."

       "I have a backpack full of missed assignments, including Mr. Tsuki’s essay on the history of typefaces."

       "Who the fuck cares about typefaces?!"

       "Worst samurai english teacher ever."

       "My ribs are burning as I heave a sigh."

       "At least I can go home now."

       "Where my hot ptero Gee Eff is waiting."

       "..."

       "My hot ptero girlfriend who may or may not be having a mental breakdown in my apartment."

       "And I have no idea what to do with a fucking girlfriend. All those hours of dating simulators have not adequately simulated dating in the least."

       "Just as I exit the main doors of Volcano High my phone buzzes against one particularly bad bruise on my leg."
       show anonphone at center with moveinbottom
       "Fingers crossed it’s Fang."

       "{i}Naser:  We need to talk{/i}"

       "{i}Naser:  Meet me in the auditorium{/i}"

       "I’m going to die."
       hide anonphone with moveoutbottom
       unknown "You’re gonna die weeb! Naser’s looking for your weeb ass!"

       "... Best to get it over with now."

       "I meander my way to the school’s auditorium."
       play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0
       scene auditorium
       show anon neutral at aleft
       "Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."

       "He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."

       "He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."

       "Some of the lights are off when I get there, but I can make out Naser’s outline sitting alone in the front row."

       "He doesn’t turn to look at me when I enter or walk down the aisle."

       "He’s hunched over with his head resting in his hands, and glances at me from the side."

       show naser neutral flip at ncenter with fade

       A "You uh… wanted to talk to me?"

       Nas "..."

       "I fold down the seat next to his."

       A "Funny, this is the same seat as the one I was in a few days ago."

       Nas "Hm…"

       A "... Why did you call me here?"

       Nas "Just… Shut up. Let me think."

       "He fixes his gaze at the stage curtains."

       "I can see the gears in his head turning, but his expression is telling me he doesn’t actually know what he wants to do."

       Nas "I shouldn’t have pushed you yesterday."

       Nas "Sorry. It was a moment of weakness."

       A "Don’t worry about it, I can take a hit or two."

       "He silently nods."

       Nas "When you told me Fang could kiss you because you told her your feelings… I can’t really describe it."

       Nas "Don’t take it the wrong way, but my mind just screamed at me ‘worst case scenario’."

       A "I don’t follow."

       Nas "Like, uh… I told you a while back how I can’t do anything to help my sister."

       Nas "That frustration has just been getting worse."

       Nas "I’m not even sure it’s anything wrong with Fang at this point, like, it might be me getting upset over what I don’t understand… Something like that."

       A "I wouldn’t worry too much about Fang, she tells me she’s fine."

       A "She might come back to school tomorrow, even."

       Nas "She bounces back well."

       A "Still a bit on-edge about everything though."

       A "But that’s her business, right?"

       Nas "Sure…"

       Nas "I still just can’t shake the feeling…"

       Nas "I just can’t find the right words."

       Nas "..."

       A "Does Fang and I going out bother you that much?"

       Nas "It’s not that exactly, but…"

       A "But?"

       Nas "..."

       "I’m lost."

       "Is he asking me to say something for him? That’s dumb."

       "I’m not a mind reader."

       Nas "Er…… I mean…… Ugh…"

       Nas "..."

       Nas "......"

       A "Well, if that’s all, I’m gonna leave. I have homework and stuff to do."

       "Naser sighs."

       Nas "Yeah, sure. Sorry…"

       A "Text me if you figure it out, I guess."

       Nas "Yeah…"

       Nas "See you."

       "Naser looks back ahead at the curtains and doesn’t get up to follow me out of the auditorium."
       scene black with fade
       stop music fadeout 1.0

       "..."
       scene room anon day with fade
       "I fish the key from my backpack and unlock my door."

       "My place is as drab as ever, and Fang is laying in my bed paying close attention to whatever she’s doing on her phone."

       "She looks like she hasn’t slept in days, how long has she been on her phone?"

       A "Yo, I’m home. You feeling better?"
       scene room anon day with fade
       show anon neutral at aright
       "The loud sound of chewing and a thumb up was a good enough reply."
       show fang neutral at sleft with dissolve
       A "You didn’t really miss anything today."

       A "Mr. Fernsworth basically gave everyone the day off."

       "She finally finishes whatever she raided from my fridge with a massive gulp."

       F "Aaaaah."

       F "Nice, so no homework to catch up on."

       A "So, uh…"

       "C’mon Anon, relationships shouldn’t be this hard."

       A "What’ve you been doing?"

       F "Nothing."

       A "O-oh."

       F "Ate all your salami. Tried playing a game but I don’t know your password."

       "Thank fuck. She didn’t see any Saturnia."

       A "My bad, I guess it slipped my mind to give it to you."

       "What else can I-"

       A "Oh, and Naser wanted me to meet him."

       "Fang looks up from her phone."

       F "He did? Why?"

       A "Yeah, he ended up just mumbling a lot about the two of us, so I left."

       F "Ugh, what a weirdo."

       F "Can’t he stop getting into my business for, like, a week?"

       F "Sickos. Him and Naomi."

       "I sit on the bed next to Fang."

       A "Hey, forget about them."

       A "How about we actually do something fun now?"

       F "Sure. Like what?"

       A "We could play some party games or something."

       F "...Oh…"

       A "Can be something else if you want."

       F "I just thought you were going to say we should go out somewhere or something…"

       A "Er, I’m trying to save money for a new game that comes out in a few weeks, so…"

       F "That’s alright."

       A "Got anything you want to play in mind?"

       F "No, I’m fine watching. Still have a lot to think about, y’know?"

       "I get the feeling I just stuck my foot in my mouth."
       play music 'audio/OST/intercept.ogg' fadein 1.0

       "Or maybe she’s just not telling me something?"

       "Not really my place to pry."

       A "... If you say so."

       "I load up Towervania: Melody of Melancholy , and Fang’s phone buzzes."

       F "Oh, snap."

       F "Something happened, I gotta go."

       A "Someone get hurt?"

       F "No, nothing that serious, but I should still be going."

       F "Don’t want to overstay my welcome here, and all."

       A "Oh, alright."

       "Fang gives a quick hug goodbye and waves as she goes out the door."
       hide fang neutral with dissolve
       A "..."

       "I return my attention to the game and end up playing until nightfall."

       "..."
       scene black with fade
       stop music fadeout 1.0
    else:
      #>>Doomer, no naser
      "..."
    #Anouncement
    label endingFigure:
    play music 'audio/OST/to_swagger.ogg' fadein 1.0
    "April first."
    "Fang and I have been together for a month now."
    if anonscore >= 3 and fangscore <= 4: #tradwife
        label tradwife:
        $ tradwife = True
        "Things are going pretty well. When we discount Trish’s weekly attempt to talk with Fang."

        "Rosa and Stella have helped with that."

        "In fact they’ve done a lot for our relationship."

        "Between distracting Trish and giving us a space to just be together on the weekends away from everyone."
        "Only downside to it is all the fucking gardening we have to do during our alone time."

        "Still, things are good."

    "And right now I’m gonna win our prank war."

    "She may have gotten me with that stupid kiss prank."

    "How the hell she found a mouse trap that small I’ll never know."

    "But I got her a special Pachy treat for her today."

    "For once I can use my weebiness for the greater good."

    scene classroom
    show anon neutral:
       xalign 0.2
    show fang neutral flip behind anon:
       xalign 0.7
    with fade

    A "Hey Sweet Tooth."
    show fang considering flip at sright
    "Fang groans at the pet name. Honestly that hurt me to say too."

    "I considered using her mom’s pet name but after the last time, I didn’t want to tempt her."

    "Phase one complete, she’s too distracted to check the box in my hand."

    A "Wanna play the pocky game?"

    show fang neutral flip at sright

    F "How do you play that?"

    A "Well, I hold one of these,"

    "I take one of the green sugary sticks from the box and hold the plain end by my teeth."

    A "bhetween mah teef. Den joo haff too take it wiff yer lips."

    A "an’ try an’ bite as ‘uch as joo can wiffout touchin’ my fashe."

    "Fang narrows her eyes in suspicion, and then cautiously moves her head towards mine."

    A "It’sh jush shocola’e!"

    "She moves in and crunches down on the pocky stick centimeters from my face."

    "Jackpot."

    "Her face contorts almost immediately and she spits it out on the floor."

    show fang angry flip at sright

    F "...What the fuck is that?! Where did you even get those?"

    "I barely contain my laugh as Fang downs the rest of her coffee to get the taste out of her mouth."

    A "Let’s just say Stella gets all sorts of weird snacks from Japan."

    A "...Like wasabi pocky sticks."

    "Fang looks ready to strangle me but I still have one card left to play."

    A "Hey, I have amnesty for today, April Fools! Payback for the mousetrap from the other day."

    "She growls at that and jabs me in the shoulder. I guess I deserve that much."

    play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg' fadein 1.0
    "Before I can make my retort, an announcement comes in over the speakers."

    show fang neutral flip at sright

    Sp "ALRIGHT EVERYONE LISTEN UP!"

    Sp "NEXT MONTH! WILL BE WHAT IS POSSIBLY THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR TIME HERE AT VOLCANO HIGH!"

    Sp "PROM! THAT’S RIGHT I SAID IT! TOMORROW WE WILL BE SELLING FUCKING TICKETS TO PROM!"

    Sp "SO GET THOSE FORMAL FUCKING OUTFITS READY!"

    "The P.A. system’s ending chime ushers in a moment of complete silence."
    stop music fadeout 1.0

    "Then, all at once the chatter starts."

    unknown "Ohmanohmanohman, I gotta ask him to go with-"

    unknown "-I even have a dress good enough for-"

    unknown "-tickets are pretty expensive, I’ll pass this-"

    "Everyone seems excited about the sudden news."

    "Prom, huh…"

    play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "I guess I wouldn’t mind going if it’s with Fang."

    "What would she wear?"

    "Actually, scratch that, what would I wear?"

    "I can’t afford a decent outfit… Maybe I’ll mail home and ask Dad for his old suit."

    "Couples tickets are like a hundred bucks, too."

    "I’m sure I could make it work if I needed to."

    A "Hey Fa-"

    Drf "Settle down students!"

    Drf "There will be plenty of time to scheme your night of debauchery later!"

    Drf "We still have the lesson to get through, finish this and then chatter all you need."

    "The class collectively throws their heads back to groan."

    Drf "Oh, fiddlesticks. It’s only two pages of particle physics."

    F "You have a spare railgun in your backpack?"

    "Professor Fernsworth passes out the assignment and returns to his desk for a quick nap."

    "Particle physics isn’t too hard, more tedious than anything."

    "I should finish pretty quickly unless something comes up."

    F "Anon, remind me, what’s a quark again?"

    "Oh right."

    "Lab partners."

    "..."

    return