SnootGame/game/script/5.fang-and-anon-cut-class-to-talk-on-the-roof.rpy

label chapter_5:
    #Gardening Club
    scene skinrow
    show anon neutral at aleft
    play music 'audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg'

    "It’s been a couple of days since I snooped on Fang’s phone."

    "The guilt still weighs on me, but I’ve found a way to cope with it."

    "Even more aggressive shitposting on a Hungarian steak sampling vlogsite."

    "And I would be enjoying my day by myself in my apartment playing games and shitposting."

    "It’s Saturday after all."

    "Except I’m walking to school."

    "Fuck my life."

    "As it turns out the school keeps a log of what the wifi bandwidth goes to."

    "And the IT guy probably wasn’t too thrilled to see I’d been using it to download the entire Saturnia collection."

    "Spears sentenced me to one week ‘Campus Beautification’ for using taxpayer money on a few dozen gigs of videos."

    "Well, now I know to space the torrenting out a bit more."

    "As I get closer to the dreaded building, the more the thought of ditching crosses my mind."

    "But then the thought of Principal Spears pops up and violently pile drives it into a prius. Weird thought but enough to discourage me from ditching."

    "So here I am now walking to the side and where the gardens of the school are."
    scene flower garden
    show anon neutral at acenter
    with fade
    "I can see others are here as well, probably all for detention too."

    "Wait a sec. Isn’t that Fang? Why is she talking to that green weirdo from before?"

    "Wait another sec. Are they getting closer?"

    "No, I am."

    "Why did I walk up to them?!"

    show fang neutral at sleft
    show stella neutral at stleft

    "Seeing Fang only makes the guilt more intense."

    "I cast my gaze aside instead."

    "The flower bulbs are still closed for the winter, but a few are peeking out."

    show rosa neutral flip at sright with fade

    play music 'audio/OST/Ramo de Rosas.ogg' fadein 1.0

    Ro "I see you are admiring our work! The gardening club takes much pride in our flowers!"

    "BWAHSHIT!"

    "For such a… large girl she’s surprisingly stealthy."

    St "Good morning, Rosa! Ready for today?"

    Ro "¡Sí! It is a beautiful day for gardening, isn’t it?"

    A "Err… you WANT to be here?"

    show fang considering

    F "Rosa’s the head of the gardening club."

    "Judging by Fang’s tone, she’s been through this kind of detention multiple times already."

    show fang neutral

    Ro "Oh! Does he wish to join our club? Is that why he is here? Stella! Stella, we have a new member!"

    St "Oh, wonderful!"

    "My eyes are drawn to the green stego, who I immediately recognize from that encounter with the cards."

    A "Hey, you’re that weird stego from the other day."

    show stella sad

    "Her smile falters ever so slightly. Did I get the wrong person?"

    St "My name is Stella… And I’m not weird…"

    A "Right. So what was with the Pocket Raptor cards?"

    St "I was just saying what my tarot guidebook told me…"

    show stella explanatory

    St "The, uh… work of an astrologer is to show people what fate has in store for them."

    St "And that’s what I do!"

    A "Astrologer? Really?"

    St "But there will always be those who aren’t able to accept what their fortune tells."

    A "A, that’s retarded. two, astrology is retarded. And thirdly, that sounds like something from a bad video game."

    show stella sad

    St "N-no! I uh… awwwww…"

    "The sulky stego is pulled into a hug by the happy hispanic girl."

    Ro "There there, Stella. You’re still my friend no matter how much of the black arts you believe."

    show fang happy

    F "Pfft, you’re one to talk about ‘believing black arts’, Rosa."

    F "You and your magic dino in the sky."

    Ro "Ay pinche pagana… you’re lucky I don’t-"

    show fang neutral

    play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg' fadein 1.0

    Sp "GET ALL YOUR ASSES OUT FRONT RIGHT NOW!"


    "The caveman’s bellow reverberates throughout the entire school, even though I’m pretty sure he wasn’t using the PA system."
    hide rosa
    show rosa neutral at sright
    hide rosa neutral with moveoutright
    "Not wanting to piss him off even more, I follow the others to where Principal Spears has a few other students gathered in front of him."
    hide stella with moveoutright
    "The only one I recognize is the guy Trish had in a headlock that one day."

    F "Didn’t expect you of all people to get detention."

    "It takes me a moment to realize Fang is talking to me."

    A "I, er... used too much of the school bandwidth."

    show fang happy

    F "What, Spears catch you downloading porn in the library or something?"

    A "No! Just torrenting, like, TV shows that I can’t get on cable."

    "She raises an eyebrow like she doesn’t believe me but doesn’t follow it up."

    "She must never find out about Saturnia."
    scene black with fade
    scene garden with fade

    show spears neutral flip:
       xalign 1.2 yalign 0.0
    show anon neutral:
       xalign -0.4 yalign 0.1
    show fang neutral:
       xalign -0.1 yalign 0.1
    show rosa neutral:
       xalign 0.5 yalign 0.1

    Sp "I’m glad you could make it, Anon. I think that’s just about everyone."

    "Not that he gave me much of a choice."

    Sp "Alright, I’m sure you’re all familiar with Rosa, she’ll be supervising you for campus beautification today."

    Sp "If I hear a bad word from her about any of you…"

    "I think I can fill in the rest."

    "Spears nods to Rosa, who reminds me of Naomi with how overly happy she looks."
    hide spears with moveoutleft
    show rosa with move:
      xalign 0.9 yalign 0.0
    show rosa flip with dissolve
    Ro "Thank you all so much for coming out to help with campus beautification today!"

    Ro "If we all work hard and have a good time we can get done before you know it!"

    "How can anyone be so enthusiastic about coming to school on the weekend?"

    Ro "So by the end of the day we need to get weeding done in the gardens, as well as replanting older flowers, and some of the vines are ready to be trimmed back!"

    show fang unimpressed

    F "{i}*groan*{/i}"

    St "Make sure you all get a pair of gloves, and to return them before you leave!"

    "Fang raises her hand."

    Ro "Fingerless don’t count."

    "Fang lowers her hand."

    St "You should all pair off now to split the work evenly, decide amongst yourselves."

    "Even in detention, the partner curse haunts me."
    show rosa neutral with dissolve
    hide rosa neutral with moveoutright
    "Everyone else almost immediately groups off."

    play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "Leaving just me and take a wild guess who else."
    show fang neutral flip with dissolve
    F "I don’t like how often this is happening."

    A "Can’t say I’m a big fan either."

    F "Whatever, let’s just take vine trimming and get this over with."

    "Fang starts heading to one of the ladders already set up near the wall."

    A "Wait, don’t you need gloves?"

    show fang happy flip

    F "What? I’m not a wuss."

    F "You get some if you’re so concerned about getting a few cuts."

    "I just don’t get this chick sometimes."

    "I get a pair of gloves and some loppers and rejoin Fang at the ladder."

    F "Alright cool, gimme the snippy thing."

    A "I don’t like the idea of you with a weapon very much."

    "She flashes an evil grin."

    F "Hold the ladder steady while I do this."

    F "I’ve been here a few times, this is the easiest job of the three."

    A "If you say so…"

    "Fang is quick to scale the ladder, leaving me to hold it in place."

    "I wish I could shitpost on my phone right now to distract myself but my hands are occupied."

    "Fang’s disregard of me is made extremely clear as she carelessly lets the remnants of dead vines rain down on my head."

    "Kind of glad I don’t have hair because I can’t imagine how bad it would be to have these sticky plant bits tangled in it."

    show fang angry with dissolve

    F "Oi! Shift the ladder over!"

    A "But you’re still on it."

    F "Don’t feel like getting down. Come on, you can’t be that weak."

    "Whatever. I shimmy the ladder to the side, Fang’s weight making the process more difficult."

    "Damn my scrawny arms."

    show fang happy with dissolve

    F "Alright this is good."

    "She goes back to clipping vines and dropping them on my head."

    "It’s started building up on my shoulders and neck now."

    play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Shitpost.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "And now the spots the vines have touched start to itch."

    A "Hey."

    "She remains focused on the vines, dropping the largest clump directly on my face."

    A "HEY!"

    "Nevermind. The follow up clump was even bigger and lands right in my mouth."

    "After I finish spitting the wad of dead vegetation from my mouth I try one last time to get her attention."

    label movie:
    A "FANG!"
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    image fang tail = Movie(play="animations/fangtail.webm",loop=True)

    scene fang tail with fade

    "Through my blurred vision I can make out Fang’s tail, slowly shifting side to side."

    "And an evil idea comes to mind to get her attention."

    "There’s a less evil one, too, something that’d just shock her."

    menu:
         "Tug Her Tail":
           "I reach out to her when she drops another clump into my eyes, blinding me."
         "Tug Her Ankle":
           "I reach out to her when she drops another clump into my eyes, blinding me."

    "I blindly grasp at her until my fingers brush against something covered in scales."

    "I give the appendage a sharp tug."

    scene black with fade

    "There’s a shrill cry above me. That got her attention."

    A "Stop dropping shi-"

    "Suddenly stars explode in my sight impaired eyes and I fall backwards."

    "There’s a ringing in my ears and I try to blink the vines and stars away."

    scene garden
    show fang very angry at sleft
    show anon sad flip at sright
    with fade

    play music "audio/OST/Many Such Cases of Being So True.ogg"

    F "NEVER. DO THAT. AGAIN."

    "Do what? The fuck did I do?"

    F "Fucking pervert."
    show anon angry flip at sright
    A "What the fuck did I DO?!"

    "When I can finally see again Fang has her wings drawn together behind her and her hands clasped on something also behind her."

    scene black

    "I think I fell in the flowerbed behind us. It’s actually sort of soft."

    F "You pulled my TAIL!"

    scene garden with fade
    show fang very angry at sleft
    show anon sad flip at sright

    A "I thought that was your ankle!"

    F "Why the fuck would you think my TAIL was my ANKLE?!"

    A "Because I couldn’t see because YOU kept dropping fucking vines in my eyes!"

    F "So you pull my fucking tail you perverted fuck!"

    A "You weren’t listening to me when I was trying to tell you to stop!"

    show anon unimpressed flip at sright

    "We’re both out of breath and staring daggers at each other."

    "My eyes are still bleary and starting to itch now because of the plants."

    "Fang is still protectively holding her tail as if I’ll pull it again."

    show fang unimpressed with dissolve

    F "Wha-why is your face all red?"

    A "I was {i}trying{/i} to tell you!"

    A "These vines fuckin’ hurt!"

    F "That makes no sense at all."

    F "Oh wait. Yeah. Humans."

    "She tosses another discarded vine on my face."

    A "Cut that out!"

    F "Hah!"

    show fang happy

    A "I could report you for allergy abuse."

    F "That’s the weakest threat I’ve ever heard."

    F "Actually, in general you seem a bit milquetoast around people."

    F "What gives?"

    show anon neutral with dissolve

    "I start prying off some of the vines stuck to my clothes."

    A "It’s like, why waste time on certain people, you know?"

    show anon neutral flip with dissolve

    A "It wouldn’t be worth my time to do something crazy."

    "Fang leans forward on the ladder, pretending to be hurt."

    F "Aww, I’m not worth your time?"

    A "Some people certainly aren’t."

    A "Just never meant to amount to anything or do anything important."

    "She drops the smug expression for a second."

    F "Anyways, you should get up."

    F "Rosa will kill you if she sees you crumpled in her stupid flowers."

    play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like To Ignore Problems.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "A yell echoes from somewhere across the schoolgrounds."

    Ro "He {i}WHAT{/i}."

    F "Shit, hurry up!"

    A "Hang on…!"

    "I try leaning up. The bush has intertwined with my clothes."

    A "I’m stuck!"

    F "You actual…!"

    "Rosa scrambles over and starts pulling at her hair when she sees me stuck in the bush."

    show fang surprised with move:
        xalign -0.5 yalign 0.0
    show rosa angry at scenter with moveinleft
    show anon fear flip with move:
        xalign 1.5 yalign 0.0

    Ro "Wh-yo-why- ARGH!"

    Ro "¡ESTÚPIDO! ¡¿QUÉ CLASE DE RIDÍCULA Y PATÉTICA EXCUSA DE HOMBRE ERES?!"

    Ro "Wait… Your position…"

    "She points a burning finger up at Fang."

    show rosa angry flip with dissolve

    Ro "Did {i}you{/i} push him!"

    show fang surprised with move:
        xalign -0.8 yalign 0.0

    "Fang’s skin goes a shade paler."

    show anon neutral flip

    A "Uh... no, I fell on my own."

    A "Sorry…"

    show rosa angry at scenter with dissolve

    Ro "SORRY? What kind of pendejo manages to fall that hard into my Middlemist Red Camelias that hard on his own?!?"

    "I shrug apologetically."

    Ro "I just… URGH! Do you have {i}any{/i} idea how long it takes for those to bloom!"

    Ro "Name! What is your name?!"

    A "Er, Anon…"

    Ro "An-on! Why are you still in there? Get up niño, get up!"

    "She grabs one of my hands and wHOA-"

    A "You trying to rip my arm off?"

    "She grabs a bicep proudly."

    Ro "I say all the time. Outside work is good for your health!"

    F "Think I’ll stick to stealing the occasional protein bar from Nasers’ stock."

    Ro "Wait, An-on, why is your face so red?"

    A "The uh, vines. Guess I have an allergy."

    show rosa bossy at scenter with dissolve

    Ro "Oh, no, no no! You must stop working vines then!"

    "She points back up to Fang."

    show rosa bossy flip at scenter with dissolve

    Ro "You! Get down from there, you are both switching to weeds!"

    F "{i}Uuuuughhhhh…{/i}"

    F "...Allright, whatever."

    Ro "Go, go now! And no more tripping!"

    scene black with fade

    "We go exchange our equipment for weeding trowels."
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    "Once we get directed to a place in the dirt to start, Fang and I diligently continue in silence for a bit."

    scene garden with fade
    show anon neutral flip at sright
    show fang neutral at sleft

    F "... Why did you lie earlier?"

    A "Hm?"

    F "About how I kicked you."

    A "Uhh…"

    A "Spur of the moment, I guess?"

    A "Seemed like the easiest way out of getting in more trouble?"

    F "... Sure."

    A "What do you mean sure?"

    F "Sure it was the easiest way to get out of trouble?"

    A "Uh… "

    F "Why did you {i}really{/i} do it?"

    A "What do you mean?"

    F "You know, your reasons, real reasons? Your recta ratio."

    A "Recta ratio? Fancy words outta you."

    A "But I don’t understand..."

    F "You fucking moron what was your motives? Why would you care?"

    A "Uhh… "

    "I had to think about that for a moment. Why {i}did{/i} I do that..."

    F "... You said something before."

    F "About how some people won’t ever amount to anything."

    A "Oh, uh, yeah. That was, uh…"

    F "What did you mean by that?"

    "Why the fuck is she so curious?"

    A "I dunno, you’d probably think I’m some creep for saying this…"

    F "I already think you’re a creep."

    A "Fair but fuck you regardless."

    show fang flip off hostile with dissolve

    "Her retort is a prominent flipping of the bird."

    show fang neutral with dissolve

    A "I dunno, It’s like, the world is too full."

    A "And there’s only gonna be more people as time goes on."

    A "Eventually we’ll run out of food and resources, but culture will be too far gone to really fix anything."

    "Fang stops digging for a moment and gives an attentive stare out of the corner of her eye."

    A "Midwits and morons have kids like crazy. The number of smart people in the world remains stagnant."

    A "Or even goes down over time."

    A "Nobody is immune to propaganda, and useful people can be indoctrinated right into the crowds."

    A "Y’know?"

    F "..."

    A "Told you it’d sound weird."

    F "No, actually, that’s… Wow."

    show fang happy with dissolve

    F "That’s actually exactly how I feel about things!"

    "She what?"

    "Fang is acting strangely enthusiastic all of a sudden."

    F "Right like, in all of history, if you {i}really{/i} look at it, the smart people have never even once had to answer to the excess."

    F "Back in the day, innovation was propelled by smart people working with other smart people."

    F "Trying all sorts of new things the masses would have hated."

    F "Like rock music, right?"

    F "People hated that at first."

    F "When {i}my{/i} band takes off, I’ll get to rub it in everyone’s faces."

    F "All those cock goblins. It’s like everywhere you go, there’s a hundred dumb people for one person worth anything."

    A "What’d you call it before? Excess?"

    F "Yeah, like Naomi."

    A "Right."

    F "Most people in the school, even."

    A "I can see it."

    F "... Maybe Reed? Not sure."

    "...?"

    F "Rosa and Stella, definitely."

    "What the-"

    F "Naser, too, unfortunately. Oh, well."

    F "All of them, sheep."

    "Too casually brush everyone aside like that…"

    "What does she think of me, then?"

    A "If you think so little of Rosa and Stella and everyone, why hang out with them?"

    show fang neutral with dissolve

    F "... I don’t like being alone. You don’t need to know any more."

    F "As long as they aren’t the sort of people that showed up that day at our concert…"

    F "Those lazy, talentless, inconsiderate, self-righteous, condescending excuses for peers."

    F "Thinking they can just make fun of our music."

    A "Haha, yeah, those guys sucked. Their insults weren’t even that creative."

    "Fang’s arm jerks back violently, pulling a bundle of weeds and topsoil out and onto my jacket."

    A "Hey-"

    play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0

    F "What is that supposed to mean?"

    "Her eyes scrutinize me thoroughly."

    "But why-"

    "Oh."

    "Oh shit."

    "My foot tastes a bit salad-like today. Damn gardening."

    A "Er, just… gossip I heard from classmates afterwards?"

    "We both know that’s a lie."

    "I feel anxious as Fang continues watching me."

    "I watch it happen, as if in slow motion, as comprehension dawns on Fang."

    "Her voice is low."

    "Accusatory."

    show fang very angry

    F "...you were at the show?"

    "My heart stops."

    "There it is."

    "I couldn’t have hoped to hide it forever."

    "Fang stands over me, her wings spread wide and her shoulders shaking."

    "I… how do I explain this?"

    "We’re close enough friends now, right?"

    "I could probably even joke about it a bit."

    menu:
     "Explain it to her honestly, she should understand by now":
        jump beHonest
     "Joking is a good way to move past mistakes.":
        jump jokeAround

    label beHonest:
    $ anonscore += 1
    play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0
    "I guess honesty is the best policy."

    A "Well, Naser did invite me to your concert... and I did end up going."

    show fang angry

    "Fang’s expression hardens and she crosses her arms."

    A "He told me there’d be free food so I figured why not? It’s not like I knew it was going to end up the way it did."

    F "So why did you tell us you didn’t go?"

    A "Because I kept seeing your psycho friend hunting down everyone else who went, why would I make myself a target?"

    F "Trish was only looking for the dicks who…"

    F "Did you laugh at us too?"

    "She jabs an accusatory finger at me."

    A "Fang, I-"

    F "Did. You. Laugh?"

    "I open my mouth to answer but the words aren’t coming to me."

    "Fang seems to pick up on my inability to answer."

    show fang very angry

    F "I fucking knew it."

    A "Look Fang, I’m sorry, right? I didn’t know-"

    F "I can’t believe you right now!"

    "Fang begins to storm off and I try to chase after her."

    A "Fang, wait!"

    "But my self-defeating clumsiness seems to have a different plan and my foot catches on the pile of discarded gardening tools."

    "The world spins and I land on my ass where we were weeding."

    scene black

    "At least something broke my fall…"

    "Wait. Isn’t this the flowerbed?"

    "Suddenly an orange terror descends upon me like I set off some sort of alarm."

    Ro "¡MALDITO CABRÓN PELÓN! ¡QUÍTATE DE AHÍ PORQUE ESTÁS APLASTANDO LAS FLORES!!!"

    scene garden with fade
    show rosa angry at sleft

    A "Err… Sorry?"

    Ro "Ay Dios mío...do you have any idea how long it takes those to bloom!"

    Ro "And for you to just tumble onto them AGAIN!"

    jump postAnonLaughReveal

    label jokeAround:
    play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 1.0
    "We’re good enough friends now, right? This’ll be fiiiine."

    A "I know that you guys sounded so bad you never made it past your intro."

    "Her eyes narrow. Eh, maybe if I…"

    A "I was expecting dinner and a show, not a comedy skit."

    show fang ultra angry

    "I know I’m not the best comedian but still nothing?"

    "No, wait, I think I hear some cracking."

    "Oh, that’d be her knuckles popping."

    "Fang’s face twists into a sneer and her hand slowly comes up into a fist."

    "I may have overestimated my comedic talents. Or our friendship."

    scene black

    "My head snaps to the side, a burning sting radiating from my cheek."

    "My foot catches on the pile of discarded gardening tools."

    "The world spins and I land on my ass where we were weeding."

    "At least something broke my fall…"

    "Wait. Isn’t this the flowerbed?"

    F "You fucking asshole…"

    "Fang storms off, shouldering past Rosa, who is stunned silent."

    "Rosa isn’t stunned for long though, and suddenly an orange terror descends upon me like I set off some sort of alarm."

    Ro "¡MALDITO CABRÓN PELÓN! ¡QUÍTATE DE AHÍ PORQUE ESTÁS APLASTANDO LAS FLORES!!!"

    scene garden with fade
    show rosa angry at sleft

    A "Err… Sorry?"

    Ro "Dios mío...do you have any idea how long it takes those to bloom!"

    jump postAnonLaughReveal

    label postAnonLaughReveal:

    show anon neutral flip at sright

    "I jump to my feet and quickly inspect the damage. The entire section of flowerbed where I had landed was imprinted with my outline like a snow-angel."

    "Just my luck."

    A "Rosa, I didn’t mean-"

    Ro "It doesn’t matter what you meant!"

    Ro "Once is forgivable, but twice! TWICE!"

    Ro "¡¡QUÉDATE QUIETO QUE TE JURO POR RAPTOR JESÚS QUE TE GOLPEARÉ CON LA CHANCLA!!"

    St "Whoa, whoa, whoa!!"

    show stella unimpressed at stleft with moveinleft

    "I am saved by a green stegosaur grabbing the mighty arm of judgement out of the air mid-swing."

    St "Rosa, remember what we talked about!"

    "Steam erupts from Rosa’s nostrils like a bull."

    show rosa considering with dissolve

    Ro "..."

    St "Don’t use physical force to make people hurt, alright?"

    A "Th-thank you St-"

    St "That’s what manual labor is for, right?"

    A "..."

    Ro "...Yes… Yes, of course."

    show rosa bossy with dissolve

    Ro "You! An-on, you will help extra two hours after everyone else! Two!!"

    A "For flowers?!"

    Ro "For flowers!"

    A "... Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just beat me?"

    Ro "I can do both!"

    St "Where did Fang go?"

    show stella

    A "I uh… Did something I shouldn’t have."

    A "She ran off…"

    Ro "You ruin the flowers of friendship like you do of my labor!!"

    St "You should go find Fang and apologize. And bring her back."

    St "If you don’t share someone’s pain, you can never understand them."

    "Did this bitch just quote Naruto of all things?"

    "If I weren’t being directed to leave I would have bailed anyways."

    A "I saw her going towards the parking lot, I’ll be right back."

    Ro "You better!"
    hide anon neutral with moveoutleft
    scene outside school with fade
    show anon neutral at acenter with moveinleft

    "There aren’t many cars in the parking lot, so finding Fang shouldn’t be too hard to find."
    play music 'audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "That pair of wings rustling in-between two parked cars is probably a hint, not sure."

    "I silently approach, hiding behind the other cars in the lot."

    "She’s huddled around the passenger door of a garishly yellow minivan."

    "Wait, is she…?"

    "Shit, I gotta stop her."

    A "Fang, what are you doing?!"

    show fang very angry flip with dissolve:
       xalign 1.4 yalign 0.0

    F "Fuck off, fuck-knuckle."

    A "..."

    A "Fang, don’t break into a teachers’ car, we’ll get-"

    F "Shut the fuck up cunt smuggler I’m focusing on this."

    A "..."

    "I’m over it."

    A "Why are you doing this?"

    show fang angry flip

    F "... It’ll be fun."

    F "Hehehehe…"

    F "Why, you want to join in on a joyride?"

    "She looks at me like it’s a genuine question."

    A "No, I don’t."

    show fang kicking with dissolve:
       xalign 1.6 yalign 0.0
    show anon fear at sleft with move

    A "Fang, what are you doing?!"

    A "Stop kicking the car!!"

    A "Damn it Fang!"

    A "I don’t know what more to say,"

    A "except I’m sorry."

    A "I messed up and that was a dick move,"

    A "But if you keep this up we’ll both be going-"

    F "What do you care?!"

    F "We’re already in detention, what’s a FEW MORE DAYS?!"
    show anon angry with dissolve
    A "... TO JAIL, FANG."

    F "GO."

    F "AWAY."

    A "YOU WANT TO GET OUR PARENTS INVOLVED?!"

    "Fang stops kicking the glass, drained of energy and out of breath."

    show fang sad at sright
    show anon neutral
    with dissolve


    "Thankfully, the glass isn’t even scratched."

    A "... You’re right for being angry at me, you’re talented and skilled, and I got nothing to show for myself, and what I did was wrong.."

    A "But you’re better than this, come on."

    F "..."

    "Fang won’t look my direction."

    "At least she hasn’t started kicking the car again."

    "... Might be a good idea to give her some space."
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    "All of a sudden I feel like I shouldn’t be here."

    play music 'audio/OST/you need gopher chucks.ogg' fadein 1.0

    unknown "HEY!!"

    unknown "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING TO MY CAR?!"

    "We freeze."

    menu:
      "Get out of there.":
        scene black with fade
      "GET OUT OF THERE.":
        scene black with fade
      "GET THE FUCK OUT OF DODGE.":
        scene black with fade

    "Fang immediately bolts towards the front of the school."

    "I follow after, legs pumping furiously in an attempt to both catch up to Fang and avoid the teacher screeching at us from behind."

    "I see Fang veer into the school, the door closing slowly after."

    "By the jacket on my back I’m able to slip in just before the door shuts completely."

    "Fang is panting in the stairwell near the door. And I’m sure I’m redder than I was earlier with the vines."

    scene garden with fade
    show fang angry at sleft
    show anon neutral at aright
    F "Why… hah hah… did you… follow me?"

    "Why?"

    A "Be haaaaah… because… I’m sorry…"

    "Her snear returns and she makes to turn away."

    A "I fucked up. Yes, I was at that concert. And yes, I laughed. I never expected to actually become your friend."

    "Her wings block my view of her."

    "But she hasn’t left yet. Maybe I can fix this after all."

    A "I just wanted to coast through school. I was happy being a loner."

    A "I’ve always been one, after all."
    show anon neutral at acenter with move
    hide fang neutral with dissolve

    "Without a word Fang climbs the stairs."

    play music 'audio/OST/The Hunt for more (You)s.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "Fuck."

    "I consider following but her silence was evidence enough she wants nothing to do with me."

    "And standing here by myself I have time to think of my own admission."

    "If Fang leaves me alone, I’ll get exactly what I want. Right?"

    "She could probably talk Trish and Reed into leaving me alone too."

    "I’ll get the easy life I wanted."

    "So why the fuck do I feel absolutely empty right now?"

    "I sigh and slump over on the stairs."

    A "Can today get any worse?"

    show stella neutral at stleft

    St "Karma would suggest yes."

    "Oh."

    "You know, I always thought that tempting fate thing was just a dumb cliche."

    "It still is. But maybe Stella has a good point about astrology."
    show stella explanatory
    St "Rosa! I found our errant runaway!"

    "I hear the shrill screech of a latina banshee approach."
    show rosa angry at sright with dissolve
    Ro "Where did you go?!"

    Ro "You were supposed to get Fang and return! RETURN!!"

    A "Oh… Right. Yeah, uh… Sorry."

    Ro "You will be sorry!"

    St "There’s two hours left for the rest of the students, but that makes four for you."
    show rosa neutral
    Ro "Do not worry An-on! We stay as well!"

    A "... Greaaat."
    scene black with fade
    "The next few hours were grueling hell."

    "Carrying bags of the most rancid smelling fertilizer back and forth…"

    "Clearing entire sections of flowerbed of weeds using only a trowel…"

    "Tilling the same flowerbeds by hand..."

    "I don’t think the phrase ‘backbreaking labor’ was supposed to be literal."

    scene garden with fade
    show rosa neutral at sleft
    show anon neutral flip at acenter
    Ro "As is expected of hombres!"

    "I could already tell that by the end of the day I would have crippling arthritis."

    "Fang returns eventually, but still won’t talk to me and just sticks nearby cutting vines."

    "Only an hour has passed, but I’m about ready to sleep for days."

    Ro "An-on! We will now be replanting the flowers you destroyed!"

    "‘Destroyed’ is a harsh word…"

    A "But I don’t know anything about planting-"

    Ro "You speak nonsense! Come here, now, I’ll teach you!"

    "She motions me to get on my knees next to her and hands me a clump of dirt with a juvenile daisy in it."

    Ro "I will dig the hole, you will place it in. Very simple!"

    "I somehow almost drop the flower."

    A "Y-yeah…"

    "I don’t even {i}want{/i} to think what would happen if I mess up a third time."

    "Rosa points up at Fang, who is still aggressively trimming back the vines."

    Ro "Fang, do you want to plant some, too?"

    F "I’ll… pass."

    "With a practiced hand Rosa clears out a cylindrical hole deep enough for the clump to go in."

    Ro "Okay, it’s ready."

    "My arms are practically rubber from today’s work and are faltering to the point pieces of dirt are being shaken off."

    "A little bit from the hole, I have to catch the whole thing when it slips from my grip."

    "Rosa puts her hands around mine to steady them before I drop it for real."

    Ro "Veeery easy, like this…"

    "The bulb is placed in the hole and we let go."

    "Rosa quickly fills up the patch of dirt with the trowel, leaving only the stem and flower visible."

    Ro "You did it!"

    A "Doesn’t seem like I did much at all…"

    Ro "Hush now. We still have dozens left to plant."

    "A keening whine rumbles from my mouth."

    A "Can’t I just take the beating instead? Please?"

    F "I’ll do that if you really want."

    Ro "Do you want to borrow my slipper?"

    A "I’d prefer the shovel. Aim right here, and do {i}not{/i} resuscitate me after."

    play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "Fang’s chuckle helps to lighten my mood immensely."

    "Maybe…"

    "I continue replanting flowers under Rosa’s caring yet Orwellian supervision."

    "At noon the bellowing of our principal calls us back up to the front of the school."

    Sp "Thank you all again for showing up today."

    Sp "I hope that through your hard work all of you learned a valuable lesson."

    "I catch Fang rolling her eyes from the corner of my vision."

    Sp "Please do stay safe on your way home, and try to keep out of trouble in the future."

    Sp "Dismissed."

    show rosa bossy with dissolve

    Ro "Not you, An-on! You stay!"

    Ro "Right! And before everyone goes…!"
    show stella explanatory at sleft with moveinright
    "Stella approaches holding a covered pot and paper plates."
    show rosa neutral with dissolve
    Ro "I made lunch for everyone!!"

    "The small crowd gets a bit more energetic."

    Ro "Home cooked Mole Poblano! Enough for seconds and thirds!"

    "I graciously accept a plate and stack it high with salty-sweet goodness."

    "The hot food is absolutely heavenly, reinvigorating me as I bite into the mexican meal."

    F "mmmm… so filling…"

    A "Yeah… Wish I could cook like that…"

    "Wait."

    "I look around and see that the only ones left are Rosa, Stella, Fang and I."

    "Even Spears has gone home."

    A "Fang, ab-"

    Ro "Alright An-on, back to work! You still owe me two hours of heavy lifting!"

    Ro "Oh don't be sad. You are a natural greenthumb!"

    Ro "When you are not laying on my flowers, that is."

    "I don’t really… Get compliments."

    "It’s just circumstance, it’s not like I'm actually any less lazy or unskilled."

    F "Hold on, I’m not done yet."

    play music 'audio/OST/Dino Destiny Reader.ogg' fadein 1.0

    St "We can wait a bit while you two finish. You need all your energy after all."

    "These guys aren’t half bad."

    "I thought they were slave drivers, but then again I did ruin their hard work."

    A "Stella, I’ve been meaning to ask…"

    A "Why {i}are{/i} you like this?"

    St "Like what?"

    A "You know, the whole thing with astrology and quoting…"

    A "..."

    A "...video games."

    St "Oh, I dunno, I guess it’s just the stuff I like."

    A "Right…"

    St "Why do you ask? Ooh, are you interested in it, too?!"

    A "I, err… maybe some other time, Stella."
    scene black with fade
    "The rest of lunch passes by without incident, and I’m left savoring Rosa’s delicious cooking."

    "Like they say, the first rule of Mexican food: the more it looks like raw sewage, the better it tastes."

    "The next two hours of work fly by relatively quickly without Rosa and Stella breathing down my neck."

    "Replant the rest of the flowers I had crushed, all done by me."

    "Collect all of the discarded vines and clippings into compost bins, all done by me."

    "Carry all of the tools back into the maintenance shed."

    "Take a guess who did it."

    play music 'audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "Fang stuck around for some reason, even though I don’t think she had any other work to do."

    "But now my prison sentence is finally over and I’m free to go."

    "My feet hurt, my arms hurt, my back hurts."

    scene garden
    show rosa neutral at sleft
    show stella neutral at stcenter
    show anon neutral flip at aright
    with fade
    Ro "Anon, you did such a good job today! You should sign up for the gardening club!"

    St "Yeah! You could come and help out with {i}all{/i} of our meetings!"

    "I just want to go home."

    A "That’s… I’ll just… think about it."
    hide rosa neutral with dissolve
    hide stella with dissolve
    "I walk away before either of them can push joining their club further. I’m too tired to argue."

    "Fang seems to have disappeared, guess she didn’t want to stick around longer than she had to."

    "As I pass by some of the gardens I take a moment to admire my handiwork."

    "As much as I didn’t want to be here, I have to admit they look a lot cleaner than before."
    show fang neutral at sleft
    F "See? That’s what doing some actual hard work for once can do."

    "Fang’s sudden appearance from behind me makes me flinch. I guess she stuck around after all."

    show fang happy

    F "A wimp like you could use it, too."

    "So now Fang is suddenly talking to me, again?"

    A "Yeah, sure…"

    show fang angry

    F "Now all the important and beautiful plants can thrive without any of the useless weeds choking them up and holding them back."

    "Oh right, I almost forgot Fang thinks people like me are barely worth the oxygen."

    "Not that I really blame her after earlier."

    A "Yeah, well, don’t let the weeds like me get in your way…"

    "I sigh and turn away from Fang, beginning my very achy walk home."

    "Time to go and sleep for twenty hours."

    show fang neutral

    F "Anon, wait."

    "I stop in my tracks. Now what does she want?"

    A "Look, I said I was sorry, okay? I laughed at you guys and ruined your concert."

    A "I don’t care if you never want to talk to me again, I just don’t know what else you want me to say."

    F "Anon... It…"

    show fang sad

    F "It’s not the concert I’m upset about."

    "What?"

    A "It’s not?"

    F "I mean, maybe a little bit, but..."

    F "I’m mad because you kept it from me, okay?"

    F "It’s just… I haven’t made many friends in, well… a while."

    F "I don’t want to lose an actual friend over stupid bullshit like that."

    F "I just thought you would have trusted me more to tell me the truth…"

    A "I… is this why you stuck around earlier?"

    "She hesitates before nodding, like she needed to convince herself."

    F "Not that it matters but… I’m sorry too."

    A "You… for what? Kicking me in the face?"

    show fang happy

    F "I {i}might{/i} have overreacted a bit earlier but you did deserve that."

    F "I’m sorry for calling you one of the weeds. You’re not a weed, you’re… I dunno, a mushroom or some shit."

    A "A mushroom? Not like a cool tree or a cactus or something?"

    F "Hell no, you’re not {i}that{/i} cool. Mushrooms take all the bad shit and turn it into nutrients for all of the good plants, y’know?"

    F "Plus you kinda look like one, too."

    "Fucking rude."

    A "That’s like the nicest thing I think I’ve ever heard you say."

    F "Now you’re pushing it."

    "I let out a sigh of relief. Can’t say that’s how I expected this conversation to go."

    A "I guess we’re both assholes, then…"

    F "Heh, yeah… friends?"

    A "Friends."

    A "So, uh… why do you know so much about mushrooms, exactly? Reed?"

    show fang considering

    "Fang gives me a sideways glance and smiles a bit."

    show fang neutral

    F "Spend enough time around Stella and Rosa and you pick up a few gardening facts."

    A "Yeah, first impressions aside they’re pretty alright I guess. Stella’s a bit weird and Rosa is a walking stereotype."

    show fang happy

    F "BWAHAHA!! A dork like {i}you{/i} calling Stella weird?"

    A "A dork like me has every right to call out Stella."

    F "Sure, sure. Anyway, I’ll be seeing ya, Anon."

    A "Yeah… See you…"

    hide fang with moveoutright

    "Fang strolls away, humming some tune I’ve never heard."

    "Left alone now with just my thoughts I find myself feeling a great weight lift from me."

    "Friends, huh… I can’t recall the last time I had a legitimate friend…"

    A "{i}Some people certainly aren’t.{/i}"

    A "{i}Just never meant to amount to anything or do anything important.{/i}"

    A "..."

    A "I just don’t know anymore."
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    scene black with fade

    "I set off for my apartment, body sore but spirit soaring."

    "..."
    #Heart to Heart
    play music 'audio/OST/punk_revamp.ogg' fadein 1.0
    "One month now. Five to go and I’ve found myself in a predicament."
    "I’m enjoying my time with Fang."
    "Most of the time just talking about stupid shit."
    "Like our mutual love for wire-fu and comedy movies."
    "{alpha=*0.5}{i}We are both ventriloquist, ventriloquist, ventriloquist. We are both ventriloquists and we practice every day.{/i}{/alpha}"
    F "{alpha=*0.5}{i}He carries a basket{/i}{/alpha}"
    A "{alpha=*0.5}{i}He carries a paper roll{/i}{/alpha}"
    "{alpha=*0.5}{i}and we don’t have cysts. But there is one thing that’s for sure friends, we are ventriloquists.{/i}{/alpha}"
    "Almost every day now I’m either at her desk helping her in Science or working on a lab with her."
    "Or she’s sat next to me decrypting the mystical arts of Not Sucking at Music."
    "I’m talking more with her than anyone I’ve ever talked with."
    "Not to mention lunch and after school. It’s less hiding from the tangerine tyrant and Naser these days and more spending time with Fang and Reed."
    "Even if he’s constantly checked out."
    "And smells of burnt skunk."
    "The fuck is he on, anyway?!"
    scene bandroom
    show anon neutral at acenter
    show reed neutral at sright
    Re "It’s carfe, bro…"
    "...what?"
    Re "Carfentanyl."
    "..."
    "Whatever."
    "Fang and the gang (heh) are pretty alright."
    "Trish though…"
    "Every day she gives me the same look of distrust and a put-upon sigh."
    "As if I’m some kind of chore to deal with."
    "Whatever. S’not like she matters in the long run."
    "But I find myself having these weird thoughts lately."
    "Like, is any of this real or not?"
    "I tumble backwards."
    "Off of the stage."
    show anon neutral at aleft:
       xalign 0.5 yalign -0.1
       linear 1 rotate -90
    hide anon neutral with dissolve
    "Woah"
    A "ow…"
    Re "bro….. That sucks….."
    "It’s lunch time now, and I guess I dozed off."
    "Too many late night ‘study’ sessions."
    Re "You like… need help?"
    A "ffff…. Just fix the projector Reed."
    Re "‘Kay… Almost done…"
    show anon neutral at aleft:
       xalign -0.8 yalign 0.0
       linear 1 rotate 0
       ease 1.0 xalign 0.0 yalign 0.1
    "I hobble to my feet, feeling out the bruise blossoming on my shoulder."
    A "Hrrrrg… Stupid fuckin’ stage."
    "I consider jumping back up, but find the stairs up more appealing."
    scene hallway
    show anon neutral flip at acenter
    show trish unimpressed at tleft
    play music 'audio/OST/i_have_no_clue_what_im_doing.ogg' fadein 1.0
    "Going up the stairs, Trish suddenly grabs my shoulder, pinning it to the wall."
    "She leans in close, looking me dead in the eyes."
    A "Uhh…"
    A "Can I help you?"
    T "Don’t play dumb."
    T "Something’s up with Fang today."
    "She gestures to where Fang is sitting."
    "Fang’s picking at her lunch with a fork, not eating a bite."
    "Now that I think about it, she has been a bit distant today."
    T "They’ve been like this since band practice yesterday."
    "Wait, what?"
    show trish angry with dissolve
    T "Did you do something to them?"
    "Do something? What does she mean?"
    "Does she think that Fang and I…"
    #if persistent.lewd == True:
    #  show howlewd at truecenter with dissolve
    #  pause 3
    #  hide howlewd with dissolve

    T "OI!"
    A "What? No! I don’t think at least."
    A "Why are you so concerned?"
    A "Everyone has a bad day every now and then, right?"
    T "Fang and I have been friends for ten years now."
    T "Not once have I seen them this upset."
    T "You’re the only new thing around here."
    T "It can’t be anyone else."
    T "So. What did you do?"
    A "I swear I haven’t done anything with Fang."
    A "Look, we’ve got music next. I’ll ask Fang what’s up then."
    "Trish glowers. We both glance at Fang to see her still sitting there with her untouched food."
    T "You’ll talk to Fang? You’ll probably make it worse. I should be the one to talk with them."
    A "So why haven’t you?"
    show trish unimpressed with dissolve
    "Trish’s mouth shuts with a click."
    "I stare her down."
    "Her eyes harden and she finally speaks."
    show trish annoyed at tleft with dissolve
    T "...Fine… but you better not fuck up."
    "She lets go of my shoulder, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets with a huff."
    hide trish with moveoutright
    "I finally return to where I was sitting on the stage to continue finishing my lunch."
    scene bandroom
    "Right when I plant myself on the ground Reed speaks up."
    show anon neutral at aleft
    show reed neutral at scenter
    show trish neutral flip at sright
    Re "Aaaaand… Done!"
    A "Done? With the projector?"
    Re "That’s right, man… Now we can watch movies… Shows… Pornos… All that."
    T "We’re not watching porn in school."
    A "Not with that attitude…"
    "Trish throws an orange slice at me."
    Re "So what do you guys wanna watch…?"
    "I can’t think of anything that would be appropriate around normal highschoolers."
    "Trish raises her hand and jumps in place."
    T "How about the Count of Monte Cristo?"
    Re "Oh, I know that one! The actors in that one are pretty great…"
    A "Oh yeah. I love the VA work."
    "Trish and Reed stop and stare at me."
    play music 'audio/OST/The.ogg' fadein 1.0
    T "..."
    Re "..."
    "Crap, was it something I said?"
    T "What-"
    "*DING-DONG BING-BONG*"
    "Saved by the bell!"
    "I look to Fang and-"
    "Oh."
    "When did she leave?"
    A "Oh, Fang left already. I’ll go catch up with her."
    A "BYE!"
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    scene black with fade
    "I make record time out of the auditorium, leaving a still confused Trish and Reed."
    "..."
    scene classroom with fade
    "Fang isn’t in music class when I get there."
    "I tap out a quick message to her on my phone. I take a spot next to her seat and wait."
    "Maybe she just needed to use the bathroom."
    "..."
    "It’s been about twenty minutes."
    "I’m starting to get worried."
    T "{i}{alpha=0.5}Something’s up with Fang today.{/alpha}{/i}"
    "Hmmm..."
    "I looked at my phone, and the message I sent her way just before class started."
    show anonphone at scenter
    A "Hey. Wanna talk?"
    "Still unseen?"
    "..."
    T "{alpha=0.5}{i}you better not fuck up.{/i}{/alpha}"
    "God damn it."
    A "Mr. Jingo! I need to use the bathroom!"
    "..."
    "One guitar-shaped bathroom pass later I’m scrambling through the halls."
    scene hallway with dissolve
    "If I were a non-binary teenage pterodon having a crisis, where would I hide?"
    "Someplace only Fang would go..."
    "The family bathrooms!"
    "There are only two in the building."
    "I sprint to the first bathroom, closer to the back of the school and nestled away in the special needs area."
    "My knuckles rap against the door, locked and preoccupied."
    A "Fang? You’re missing class and I seriously need help with this sheet music."
    play music 'audio/OST/Dino Destiny Reader.ogg' fadein 1.0
    unknown "The one you seek is elsewhere."
    "Who the fuck… Wait…"
    A "You’re that weird stego chick…Stella?"
    St "That’s very rude… And I’m not weird…"
    A "Whatever, do you know where Fang is?"
    St "...Not here… Can you please leave? I have a nervous bladder."
    "I turn away from the door and sprint to the front of the school where the other bathroom is."
    "It’s while I’m moving briskly through the empty corridors of the school with un-tuned guitar in hand that I find divine providence."
    "Or rather."
    "The feathers floating by the window provide me with the clue I need."
    "I look out the window, and while I can’t look up to see for sure, the shadow that she is casting on the ground below is enough verification required."
    "My feet climb the steps easily, but my mind is ill at-ease."
    "The hell is wrong with me right now."
    "Why do I feel anxious right now?"
    T "{alpha=0.5}{i}What did you do?{/i}{/alpha}"
    "What if I did do something?"
    T "{alpha=0.5}{i}Fang and I have been friends for ten years now.{/i}{/alpha}"
    "I’ve known her for barely a month. And why is it my problem to fix?"
    T "{alpha=0.5}{i}Not once have I seen them this upset.{/i}{/alpha}"
    "I can’t stop the gnawing feeling in my chest."
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    scene roof day
    show fang neutral:
        xalign -0.2
    show anon neutral flip at aright
    with fade
    "I’m at the door to the roof now. It’s shut, but by the handle I notice a piece of cardboard tucked between the door and frame, keeping the latch open."
    F "Good job, dork."
    show fang happy
    "Fang smirks a bit."
    "Damn it all. Fang’s problems first, then I can figure out my chest."
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    "I open the door and am immediately blinded by the sun."
    "I shade my eyes."
    "The door clicks shut behind me."
    A "Oh… shit…"
    show fang neutral
    F "Whose the- Anon?... What’s with the guitar?"
    "Fang is sitting atop the stair enclosure looking down at me."
    A "Mr. Jingo’s hall pass. I uh… Kinda need help with sheet music again."
    F "Wow. You really suck at music."
    A "Yeah. I really do."
    "I find the ladder easily enough and climb on top of the tiny hut."
    play music 'audio/OST/Appreciating her Company.ogg' fadein 1.0
    "Around Fang are scattered feathers."
    A "You alright? The feath-"
    F "Preening."
    "What."
    "Fang sighs. She holds one of her wings and gently brushes her fingers through the feathers."
    F "I’m preening my wing."
    "She winces. A feather drifts to the floor."
    A "That looks painful."
    show anon neutral flip at acenter behind fang with move
    "I move closer."
    F "A little."
    "I sit down next to her and look out at Volcaldera Bluff. It’s a beautiful view."
    "It’s a distraction."
    F "You ever…"

    menu:
        "stay quiet...":
         jump quiet4b
        "Interrupt":
         jump interrupt4b

    label quiet4b:
    "There’s a time to speak and a time to listen."

    show fang sad

    F "... You ever feel like you just don’t matter?"

    "Fang stares at the vista of Volcaldera but her eyes are vacant."

    F "I feel like no matter what I do, I’ll never be able to make something."

    F "I try and try but nobody likes the ways I express myself."

    show fang angry

    "She growls."

    F "Not once after all the work I’ve put into VVURM DRAMA has anyone ever told me it was good,"

    "Her eyes wetten. Her voice roughens. Her shoulders quake."

    F "nobodies ever said ‘Good job, Fang! Can I get a copy of that last song on CD’ ."

    F "I’ve been playing music since I was basically in diapers and all I have to show for it is a shit reputation."

    show fang very angry

    "Her hand curls into a fist. Her nails bite into her palm, and I can clearly see the minute trickle of blood."

    F "How much harder do I have to try to get people to notice me!"

    "Her fist crashes down on the floor."

    show fang ultra angry

    F "Even my own parents!"

    F "When dad looks at me it’s like he just sees a lost cause!"

    F "\"Oh, Fang is the scene teen, better focus on the one that ISN’T broken so we don’t screw up again!\""

    "She punctuated her shouts with her fist, striking the roof beneath her."

    "Her fist lands softly one final time, uncurling to reveal the bleeding grooves her sharp nails have left."

    F "..."

    show fang ear cover

    "Watching her break apart, it’s causing the dull pain in my chest to intensify."

    F "Why can’t I be popular like him?"

    show fang very sad

    "Fang deflates completely. All her anger gone, replaced with melancholy."

    F "Naser doesn’t have to try at all!"

    F "Even crippled, he just breezes through life!"

    F "Why does he get straight A’s?"

    F "Why does he get my parents’ attention?"

    F "Why do I have to be the burden on everyone?!"

    show fang hiding

    "She grabs her knees and buries her face in her lap."

    A "..."

    menu:
        "stay quiet...":
            jump quiet4c
        "Interrupt":
            jump interrupt4c

    label quiet4c:
    F "And the worst part is he can’t even hate me."

    show fang sad

    "She picks her head up."

    "Rivulets of tears and orange eyeliner run down her cheeks and leave bright stains on her knees."

    F "I can tell him to fuck off every day and he’ll still be there the next."

    F "As if nothing fucking happened."

    F "He’s a constant reminder of everything I can’t be."

    F "He’s a goddamned boy scout!"

    F "Lil’ Mr. Perfect!"

    F "And I’ll always be in his fucking shadow!"

    F "I can’t just change, just magically get better at everything even if someone like Naser tries to help."

    F "And it’s clear he wants to."

    F "But the sheer difference between us…"

    F "It won’t ever happen."

    F "But my brother tries."

    F "He’s always trying. He just FUCKS UP!"

    F "Every. Fucking. Time."

    show fang anguish

    "She wipes a tear with one of her hands, but leaves a bloody smudge instead."

    F "Naser knows who he is."

    F "I don’t even know what I am."

    A "..."

    "Do I step in now…?"
    menu:
        "stay quiet...":
            jump quiet4d
        "Interrupt":
            jump interrupt4d

    label quiet4d:

    show fang ultra angry

    F "WHO AM I, DAMN IT?!"

    show fang very sad

    F "I can only define myself by the thing’s I’m not."

    F "I’m not a good band player."

    F "I’m not a good sibling."

    F "I’m not a good friend."

    F "I’m not a good person."

    F "My mind is a fucking mess. In my head it’s all…"

    F "My thoughts… they’re all fucking foggy. Half the time I’m hating myself."

    show fang hiding

    F "‘Am I who I say I am?’ Maybe? Not really…"

    show fang anguish

    F "The other half I’m daydreaming of being something special."

    F "That I’m different from everyone. Above them… I know more than them."

    F "They’re both lies. I’m fuckin’ lying to myself but…"

    F "It’s like I’m just here to be a drain on myself and others."

    F "I’m stuck with myself, I can’t just drop everything and try other things now."

    F "It’s just too late for that."

    F "There’s too many ways to fuck up."

    F "Music is the only thing I’ve ever been decent at, and even then…"

    "She looks to me desperately, at a loss for words."

    "..."
    menu:
        "stay quiet...":
            jump quiet4e
        "Interrupt":
            jump interrupt4e

    label quiet4e:
    $ fangscore += 1
    $ anonscore += 1
    A "..."

    F "..."

    show fang very angry

    F "Why won’t you say anything?"

    F "Here I am begging for help and you haven’t said a word!"

    F "You’re always so sure of yourself, yet here you are listening to me in a crisis and you can’t say anything?!"

    "Fang grips my jacket with both hands, digging in."

    scene fangroofcry with fade

    F "What is it you have that I don’t?!"

    F "What is it you want from me?!"

    F "What is it I want from you?!"

    F "When you got here a few weeks ago you were just some nobody kid without friends who lives alone on financial assistance!"

    "She’s shaking my arm around."

    F "And now everyone I know is friends with you!"

    F "You have no talents, no specific knowledge anywhere, no real personality…"

    F "WHAT IS IT WITH YOU THAT YOU CAN LACK AN IDENTITY BUT KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE?!"

    "Honestly I…"

    A "dunno"

    F "...What…"

    A "I dunno how to say it. All I know is I’m me…"

    F "You’re… You?"

    "I struggle to find the right words."

    "Fang stares pleadingly. Eventually she buries her eyes in my jacket arm."

    A "It's like.. I don’t know..."

    A "You’re trying to be something you’re not."

    A "It needs to happen naturally."

    "Fang looks up from my arm."

    F "Naturally…?"

    A "If you are forcing this… whatever... then it's like some misplaced idea or like, a refusal to leave the comfort zone..."

    A "Argh, what I’m trying to say is…"

    A "I ended up trying to be someone else too."

    A "To the point that I rejected who I really was and started to fuck myself up."

    A "I’m not about making others' notice me, or about being great at something."

    A "I just do what makes me, well, me."

    A "I'm the only me here, and I think it's safe to assume that there's several of you. Like, you don’t know, you said it yourself."

    "Her fingers tighten around my arm."

    "I’m not certain she’s breathing right now."

    A "And there’s tons of different people going through what you are right now, trying to force their egos, only to reject who they really are."

    A "Not to undermine your feelings or anything."

    A "And at the end of it all, I’ve accepted that ‘I’ am, and will always be, ‘me’."

    A "Ya see?"

    F "I have to… Figure it out myself…?"

    "Fang’s grip loosens."

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

    "She puts her hands around her knees and lowers her head."

    "Her expression is one of complete resignation."

    F "I don’t… I can’t do anything on my own."

    F "How am I supposed to do something like this?"

    A "You aren’t alone."

    A "I’m here. Reed and Trish are here. You already know Naser wants to help."

    F "..."

    show fang very sad

    A "It doesn’t need to be all at once."

    "Fang looks back to me and gives a sad smile."

    F "... Alright…"

    show fang sad

    "She tries to dry her tears again, only to smudge her face with blood and makeup again."

    "I remove my jacket and offer the sleeve to her."

    "She sniffles, then grabs it to wipe her eyes."

    "...It’s laundry day anyways."

    show fang happy with dissolve

    "After returning my jacket, Fang looks to me again with a somber smile."

    A "Why did you come up here?"

    F "It’s nice up here. Quiet."

    A "But why? And why alone?"

    F "To think. Maybe to throw myself a pity party. I do this every year."

    A "Up here?"

    F "Nah… Just somewhere I can be alone."

    A "Every year though?"

    F "... Since I was 11…"

    A "Jeez. What happened?"

    show fang sad with dissolve

    F "I broke Naser’s wing."

    "Ah. My foot tastes extra salty today."

    F "We used to be really close. He looked up to me."

    F "I was supposed to watch him. I’m his big sister after all."

    F "He had asked me if we could really fly."

    "Fang stretched her wings to highlight that."

    F "I said ‘of course’... I looked away for a second and then it happened…"

    F "He jumped off the bluff."

    "Her eyes become distant, and I can only guess just how vividly she’s reliving this moment of her past."

    F "I watched as he jumped. As he bounced off the cliff and into the water."

    F "I climbed down as fast as I could, hoping to God he wasn’t dead."

    F "But the current… Dad and the lifeguard had to go in because the current was too strong."

    "Her voice quakes as she’s engulfed in her memory."

    F "When mom came with the medic-"

    show fang hiding

    "Fang chokes back a sob and continues."

    F "Naser was… I thought he was dead…"

    F "...Covered in blood…"

    F "...Limbs mangled…"

    F "My baby brother, just 9 years old, had jumped off the bluff, thinking he could fly!"

    hide fang
    hide anon
    show fanganonhug
    with dissolve

    "Fang’s eyes grow wet again. Without a second thought I draw her into a hug, comforting her."

    "Her voice is muffled by my jacket but she continues."

    F "I’m why his wing is a fucking mess. I did it…"

    F "So why…"

    F "Why doesn’t he hate me…"

    Nas "{i}{alpha=0.5}She’s still family.{/alpha}{/i}"

    A "Because you’re his sister."

    "Fang flinches in my arms, but doesn’t pull away."

    A "You’re the one that’s hurting, Fang. Not Naser."

    "I surprised myself there. I honestly don’t know how I managed this conversation."

    "I let go of Fang and lean back, giving her some space. Her breathing is evening out, and she looks far more composed now."

    hide fanganonhug

    show fang sad at sleft
    show anon neutral flip at sright

    F "... I’m sorry for what I said earlier."

    A "Huh?"

    F "About how you’re a nobody."

    A "You’re pretty much right."

    F "Maybe, but I shouldn’t have put it so harshly."

    F "All this time I thought people like you were…"

    F "Useless? Something like that."

    F "But here you are, proving me wrong time and time again."

    A "I get what you mean."

    A "I could say the same to you as well."

    A "I’ve been breaking your rules like you’ve been breaking mine."

    F "Maybe we’re both just useless nobodies."

    show fang happy with dissolve

    "She chuckles to herself."

    jump postFangAndAnonTalk

    label interrupt4b:

    "She seems at a loss for words."

    "I should say something."

    A "You’re feeling helpless, right?"

    A "Like you don’t matter?"

    show fang sad

    "Fang looks at me with desperation."

    F "Y...Yes…"

    A "Here’s what I think…"

    jump postinterruption

    label interrupt4c:
    "Here’s a good place to butt in."

    A "You aren’t a burden to me."

    show fang sad

    "Fang removes her head from her knees and looks to me with pleading eyes."

    F "What?"

    A "I’m your friend too, right?"

    A "I don’t think you’re a burden."

    "Fang sniffles a bit."

    A "Here’s what I think…"

    jump postinterruption

    label interrupt4d:

    "Now’s a good time."

    A "You’re Fang."

    show fang sad

    "She looks to me with tears streaming down her cheek."

    A "Even if you don’t see it, you’re still you."

    A "The Fang I know likes music, bad movies, and doesn’t take crap from any adults."

    A "Am I right?"

    "Fang nods slowly."

    A "Here’s what I think…"

    jump postinterruption

    label interrupt4e:
    "Here we go."

    A "It’s never too late to try something new."

    F "...I can’t."

    F "I just can’t."

    show fang sad

    A "You have support from me and Naser, right?"

    F "..."

    F "...Maybe..."

    A "Here’s what I think…"

    jump postinterruption


    label postinterruption:

    "I put my arm on Fang’s shoulder."

    A "You’re in a pretty bad spot right now."

    A "Self-improvement is hard, but there’s nothing to be gained without sacrifice, right?"

    "Fang gives a slight nod."

    A "You need to step out from your comfort zone more often, even if you think there’s no time."

    A "There’s no harm in diversifying, right?"

    "Fang looks away from the coastline and to me."

    F "... I don’t know. Maybe you’re right..."

    A "You could also try harder to get along with Naser."

    A "I guarantee there’s not that much in the way between you two."

    F "...You’ll be there to support me, right?"

    A "Sure."

    F "I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do all that…"

    A "I believe you can be."

    A "Being weak is nothing to be ashamed of."

    A "Staying weak is."

    A "You don’t have to do it alone."
    hide fang
    hide anon
    show fanganonhug
    with dissolve

    "Fang embraces me tight."

    F "Thank you."

    "We sit in silence for a few minutes."

    ".."

    "..."

    "...."

    "Eventually, she lets go."

    "Fang’s breathing is evening out, and she looks far more composed now."

    label postFangAndAnonTalk:

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

    F "Hey, can I see that?"

    "Fang points at my oversized hall pass."

    A "Yeah, sure"

    hide anon
    hide fang
    show hallpass
    with dissolve

    "She takes it from my hands, our fingers brushing for a second."

    "She blushes while she handles the acoustic bathroom pass."

    F "I think… I think I finally got the tune, Anon."

    A "Tune?"

    "She finishes tuning the guitar and tests it. With a nod to herself Fang begins strumming."

    "The rhythm is slow and the tone is soft, enough so that her humming blends perfectly with it."

    "I lean back, bobbing my head along to the impromptu music."

    "The streaks from her tears that had once marred her pretty face only help the highlight her soft smile now."

    "I hum along now too, which causes Fang to giggle. The rhythm is slowing to a crawl, the song about to end."

    F "With a meteor coming soon"
    F "Everyone’s going to die"
    F "So I’ll say to everyone"
    F "Goodbye Volcano High"

    "The lyrics surprise me, but I shrug it off."

    A "You ready to get up?"

    "Fang nods and wipes her tears one last time with her forearm."

    "I stand and pop my back, looking out over the fence at the ground below."

    "From here I can see the afternoon sun starting to encroach on the skyline of the small coastal town."

    "Turning to Fang, I crouch a bit and extend my hand to her."

    "She moves her bloody hand to take it, but hesitates."

    "..."

    "..."

    "She softly grasps my hand."

    "She winces in pain."

    "You know…"

    "It’s strange, I expected the alarms to go off again, but…"

    "This feels different, somehow."

    "More natural."

    show weridkissu
    hide hallpass
    with dissolve
    "I’m careful to hoist her to her feet. Mindful of her injured palm. But her beak accidentally bumps into my cheek on her way up."

    stop music fadeout 5.0

    "Ah, there they are."

    "Fang’s eyes contact and she instinctively hops backwards, covering her muzzle with her hands and turning her head away in her flusteration."

    "I clench my lower jaw and look at my palm, slick with sweat and her blood."

    "The silence continues for an immeasurable amount of time."

    A "Haha… So that’s how dinos kiss… Haha…"

    hide weridkissu
    show fang happy at scenter
    show anon neutral flip at aright
    with dissolve

    #[Internal screaming sfx here]

    "FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFU-"

    F "Haha… not really haha… haha…"

    A "Ha ha… haaaa… uh…"

    "I look for something, anything, to end this awkwardness."

    "Like the guitar hall pass. Wait…"
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    "I check my phone, seeing that Mr. Jingo’s class will be ending in 10 minutes."

    show anon sad flip
    play music 'audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg' fadein 1.0

    A "Fuck… the assignment…"

    "Fang finally looks my way again, though her face is still flush."

    show fang surprised

    F "What?"

    A "Mr. Jingo’s assignment. There’s no way in hell I’ll be able to do it at home."

    F "Pfffft."

    show fang happy
    show anon neutral flip

    "Fang’s hands try to cover her beak, failing horribly to contain her giggles."

    F "Hehehehehehe. God, you really suck at music."

    "I glare at her."

    F "haaaaah... Why don’t you just drop it? It’s an elective anyway."

    "Because I need to maintain my GPA for college."

    A "Because… I kinda like it…"

    "I blush and look down to the entrance of the roof below us."

    F "Hmm… maaaaybe I’ll help you…"

    "Fang hops down, her wings easing her landing."

    F "I owe you for the fuckin’ therapy session anyway."

    A "Oh thank fuck."

    "I climb down the ladder. Those wings must be really convenient."
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    show fang surprised flip
    show anon fear flip
    play music 'audio/OST/we just turned on the microphone in our programmers_ house.ogg' fadein 1.0
    Sp "WHO THE FUCK IS UP HERE!"

    "The door flies open, off its hinges, through the suicide fence and over the side of the building, crashing loudly on the concrete below."

    scene roof day broken
    show fang shocked flip at sright
    show anon fear flip at aright
    with fade

    show spears angry at sleft with moveinleft

    Sp "I KNOW SOMEONE IS DITCHING UP HERE! MY HUNTING INSTINCTS CAN TELL!"

    "Oh double fuck."

    A "Uh…"

    Sp "YOU!"

    "Principal Spears looks at us, finger pointed at me as if to fire a special beam cannon through my chest."

    Sp "In all my god damned years… On top of the roof! Explain. NOW!"

    "Bullshit mode activate."

    A "I got lost looking for the bathroom?"

    "Spears incinerates me on the spot."

    F "Estrus season?"

    "For a brief instant I picture Fang in a bikini."

    #if persistent.lewd == True:
    #  show howlewd at truecenter with dissolve
    #  pause 3
    #  hide howlewd with dissolve

    "Hot."

    "Fang gets a similar stare and withers down."

    Sp "I’m not stupid. Ptero estrus season isn’t for another few months."

    Sp "Empty your pockets. Now."

    show anon neutral flip
    show fang neutral flip
    with dissolve

    "I reduce myself to hoover flags. All I had on me was my phone and a ratty wallet held together with hot glue and duct tape."

    "Fang does the same, dropping her own phone, a spare guitar pick, and an unopened pack of cigarettes."

    "Spears looks at Fang dead in the eyes, rips the package open, and stuffs every cigarette in his mouth at once."

    "To our mortified stares, he chews them until they are a brown glob and spits it over the fence, landing on a rather oriental looking car."

    Sp "Anon. Go to class. Now. Fang. To the Nurse’s."

    scene bloodywing with dissolve
    play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0

    "I look to Fang one last time. She looks a mess."

    "Her wings are ragged, feathers misaligned and a clear patch of them missing on one."

    "Stains on her legs from her make-up, tears and blood."

    "Drying blood on her hands, arms and beak."

    "Eyes puffy and red from crying."

    "But her smile… was…"

    "I wave her goodbye and wordlessly return to class."

    scene bandroom with fade

    "I only have a few minutes, but I can’t focus on the assignment. I’ll have to take it home as homework."

    F "{alpha=0.5}{i}Hmm… maaaaybe I’ll help you{/i}{/alpha}"

    show anonphone at scenter with moveinbottom

    "I take out my phone and consider messaging Fang again."

    "!"

    "My heart thumps roughly in my chest. Just what is with me today."

    hide anonphone with moveoutbottom

    "All this drama… When did my life become a soap opera…"

    "Heh… even included a dramatic kiss…"

    "I look at my hand, her blood now dried and dusty on my palm."

    "Did… That count as a kiss?"

    "I mean, it was unintentional. She backed off and all."

    "..."

    "Jeez, my insides feel like liquid."

    "Surely that’s just my disgusted reaction to Spear’s scare tactic up there."

    "Nah, this isn’t fear. Unlike a bottomless pit the feeling is..."

    "Pleasant…"

    "Yeah, I kinda like it. Hmmmm…"

    "I wonder if Fang-"

    "!"

    "The feeling intensifies. But why? I only thought of-"

    "It’s not as if she-"

    "But-"

    "..."
    stop music fadeout 1.0
    scene black with fade

    "Do I like Fang?"

    "!!!!!!"

    "..."

    "Fuck."

    "..."

    return