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"Wakingdreams" Part Two - The Interactive Text Adventure


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You walk down a few steps while Corbel saunters down the ramp.

"So, how was class?" he asks.

Inventory: Tools (assorted), Empty Plastic Bottle, TI-84 Graphing Calculator
Bladder: 0%
Bowels: 10%
Sanity: 90%
What do you do?
> It was fine
> Talk about the positives
> Talk about the negatives
> Don't talk about it

I have almost the whole day to myself, as long as I do the dishes. That's fine though, because I have the enthusiasm attribute which the main personality doesn't use.

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"Well, we went over while loops today. I think I understand them now." You answer.

"Did your high school have any programming classes? Mine did. I took it. I know the topic of loops is really super difficult for lots of other people, even though I just cannot understand why. Like, one of the most common questions on stackoverflow is about loops, if you disregard the questions that are obviously someone's homework, but those get downvoted anyway so... uh..." He trails off, as if he forgot what he was talking about.

Maybe his train of thought gor stuck in another complicated rail yard with thousands of switches. You joke to yourself, smiling a bit.

"So, good I guess. It really is the concepts that matter in programming, and once you realize that, it makes it almost trivial to go between related languages." He continues.

"I also saved a botched bottle flip" You add.

"Noice." He says, then falls contemplatively silent.

One of the tracks from Factorio starts playing in your mind, and you step along with the beat the rest of the way to Normanspik. Once you arrive, Corbel holds the door open for you and asks where you want to sit.

Inventory: Tools (assorted), Empty Plastic Bottle (2), TI-84 (Holstered)
Bladder: 10%
Bowels: 10%
Sanity: 80%
Mood: Calm
Status: Uninjured
What do you do?
> Same spot as before
> Similar spot
> Opposite spot
> Leave now

As with any sensor system taking in real-time data, these readings are subject to noise and inaccuracy, so don't be surprised if they fluctuate a little. 

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"Over there." You gesture towards an empty table close to where you sat this morning.

"'Kay." He meanders off towards the food.

You spend a minute browsing the available meals lining the counters.

Inventory: Tools (assorted), Empty Plastic Bottle (2), TI-84 (Holstered)
Bladder: 0%
Bowels: 10%
Sanity: 80%
Mood: Hungry
Status: Uninjured
Choose a main dish:
> Spaghetti 
> Pizza
> Fish fillet 
> Taco
Choose one or more toppings:
> Nacho cheese
> Hot fudge
> Sugar strands
> Ranch dressing
> Pineapple chunks
> Gummi worms
Choose two drinks:
> Root beer
> Chocolate milk
> Iced tea
> Tea

Spaghetti and gummi worms sounds delicious. I must try that at some point.

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Ah! You see something you feel like eating. Grabbing a platefull of spaghetti, you head over to the sauces and ladle some nacho cheese over it. Not satisfied yet, you look for something else to drizzle on your pasta. You spot some hot fudge and you're halfway there when you remember the last time you paired chocolate and pasta. It wasn't all that good. Instead you go back to the counter and add turkey gravy. Same colour, roughly. You think, justifying the substitution to yourself. Still seeking some sweet topping for your experiment, you swing by the dessert bar and snatch some gummi worms from a bowl, then carefully arrange them on top of your unstable pile of food. You grab a fork from the utensils bin and take your stuff to the table. Corbel's already there, digging into a bacon-stuffed, bacon-wrapped baked potato.

"Looks delicious." You put your plate down and place your bookbag on the chair.

"Same of yours"

"Watch my stuff, okay? I'm-a go get something to drink." You tell him.

"Mmmfkay." He nods, his mouth full of bacon.

You turn around and head to the drink machines. You wait while someone else fills their water bottle with cola, then grab two cups, filling one with chocolate milk and the other with a 20-80% mix of chocolate milk and root beer. You bring those back to the table before Corbel has even finished his potato. You sit down.

Inventory: Tools (Assorted), Empty Plastic Bottle (2), TI-84 (Holstered), Fork (Equipped)
Bladder: 10%
Bowels: 10%
Sanity: 70%
Mood: Hungry
Status: Uninjured
What do you do?
> Talk about Factorio
> Talk about a dream
> Talk about a television show 
> Let him start the conversation

Is food a huge turn-off for you guys? Or were there too many options? What did I do wrong?

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"You know something that bothers me?"

"What does?" Corbel takes a bite.

"I play this one server on Factorio frequently, and they have this rule that all rails follow the same pattern. I get that it's efficient for traffic, but I always log on and find a train jam somewhere because nobody seems to understand how to use signals. It's one thing to have a backup, which can easily be solved with a train stacker, but it's another thing to have trains stuck in the middle of critical junctions because there aren't any chain signals! I always have to fix it even though it's their rules!" You fume, taking a few bites of your spaghetti and gummi worms. "Oooooh this is tasty."

"Lys, you'd make a mighty fine police state enforcer." He quips with a wry smile. 

"Oh, enough of that!" You smile back and wave your right hand dismissively with a short laugh. You proceed to sip your cup of chocoroot milkbeer. The mixture is delicious, just as you predicted, though it reminds you of the drinks you had earlier which are already on their way to your bladder. It's no big deal right now, you just went an half hour ago. You continue to discuss Factorio with Corbel for nearly an hour while you finish your plate and drinks.

Inventory: Tools (Assorted), Empty Plastic Bottle (2), TI-84 (Holstered), Fork (Equipped)
Bladder: 20%
Bowels: 10%
Sanity: 90%
Mood: Satisfied
Status: Uninjured
What do you do?
> Check phone
> Stay and talk about stuff
> Leave
> Leave with Corbel

I'm not into messing, so you're going to have to try pretty hard if you want it to happen. I'll write it if it comes to that, because pushing my own boundaries blah blah blah, but I'd rather not. The bowels stat is in there for realism.

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"Hey, have you seen the finale of Star Wars Rebels?" You ask him.

Corbel thinks for a few seconds, "Hmm... No, I don't think I have. Is it good?"

"It's pretty epic. There's a twist that I didn't even expect. I don't wanna spoil it so I won't say any more."

"Sounds impressive."

You talk about Star Wars lore for a while before the conversation turns to other things. You're aware that your bladder is still filling up, but you keep getting drinks. It's no emergency.

"You wanna hear about this crazy dream I had last night?" Corbel asks. 

"Sure, I guess."

He begins, "Okay, so it starts out we're on this plane. Like an old one with high-mounted wings and propeller engines. And I'm in the passenger area with a bunch of my professors. We're flying and you're the pilot, Lys. So we go into this really steep dive, right? I walk into the pilot's area and you say 'This is just like Factorio!' Then you pull up hard and I get squished into the floor. I say 'The sky squids are coming! Get to cover!' So you land the plane near this mountain, and everyone gets out. Then there's these bathroom entrances in a cave carved into the mountain, and everyone but you and me disappears into the left one, but you're waiting in line for the one on the right. But the line is made up of mannequins, so I punch them into sugar dust and then you thank me and the dream ends."

"You're right, that does sound crazy. A little weird with the bathroom thing because of what happened this morn-" You stop and shake your head, as if the memory can be cleared as easily as an Etch-A-Sketch. It's just a coincidence. 

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to remind you." He checks his phone. "Crud! I'm gonna be so late for class! Sorry Lys, I have to go. Like right now. Sorry!" He gathers his dirty dishes into a towering pile.

"Oh, okay..." You say, a bit crestfallen that you couldn't talk more. Then you remember that you still have his car keys in your room. "Wait, what about your stuff?"

"What stuff?"

"The stuff in my room that belongs to you? Yanno, the jacket and the car keys?" You elaborate.

"Oh, that. I completely forgot about that." Corbel facepalms. "Look, I really gotta get to class. I'll come by your place later to grab my stuff, if that's okay with you?"

"Yeah, it is. See ya later."

"Yup." He gets up, grabs his empty dishes and takes them to the dish return, then rushes out of the dining hall.

All alone now, you look at the stack of empty cups in front of you. How much did you drink? Picking up your plates, you can hear the sloshing in your stomach. Hmm you think in a disapproving tone. You hear a rumble of thunder outside, though it doesn't look like it's raining yet. You check your phone and see that it's now 18:15.

Inventory: Tools (Assorted), Empty Plastic Bottle (2), TI-84 (Holstered), Room Key (1)
Bladder: 50%
Bowels: 10%
Sanity: 80%
Mood: Calm
Status: Uninjured
What do you do?
> Study at the Library
> Eat Second Dinner 
> Club activities
> Return to dorm room 

*Typewriter-reaching-end-of-line sound* *Tearing paper sound* Here, read this. *Shoves more dialogue in your face*

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You put on your backpack and take your plates to the dish return and push them under the curtain, then head back to the table and do the same with your empty cups. On your final round you push in the chairs and wipe down the table. Good. Like we were never here. Dad and Mom would be proud of me. You smile to yourself. 

With the evidence of your meal erased, you exit Normanspik Dining Hall via the main entrance. You turn and stride off towards the Library. A cool breeze picks up out of the North-West, from the direction of the solemnly approaching thundercloud. You spot a flash and wait, counting the seconds in your head. One, two, three... That's one kilometer. ...four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... Three kilometers. ...ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen... You're beginning to wonder if it wasn't loud enough to hear from this distance, but you continue just a little longer. ...twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight... The distant but satisfying grumble of thunder finally reaches your ears. Twenty-eight. Twenty-eight divided by three, about nine kilometers away. The storm doesn't look like it's in any hurry to get here. Meanwhile you've arrived at the Library, a vibrantly-coloured steel-and-glass eyesore on the periphery of the campus of otherwise uniformly dull buildings. You open the door, enter the building, and are immediately greeted by a blast of refrigerated air. There are very few spots on the ground floor and all are occupied, so you take the long, awkwardly-curved staircase to the next floor. You search around and find a small study room with a door and a window overlooking the street. Perfect. You shut the door and unpack your laptop. It's now that your bladder starts warning you that it's feeling a little full. 

Inventory: Tools (Assorted), Empty Plastic Bottle (2), TI-84 (Holstered), Room Key (1)
Bladder: 60%
Bowels: 10%
Sanity: 90%
Mood: Relaxed
Status: Uninjured
What do you do?
> Study
> Play Factorio
> Find a bathroom
> Take a nap

Poor Nikeryda, always getting out-voted. Your line of thinking, however, is absolutely correct and totally accurate to Lys.

Edited by NerqTheMighty
I mathed wrongly. Derp. (see edit history)
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