Stage 1: Houston, Arc 2.1
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
I was so engrossed with exploring my Options and grinding Gamer's Interface that I 'overslept'. Despite only sleeping five hours, I get four hours in before Mr. Beckett yells at me to get out of bed.
Because of that, I missed my chance to talk to Julia this morning. Mrs. Beckett took her to the courthouse already. No one's sure when she'll be back again, I assume she will be since her stuff is still here. I checked via remote viewing.
It's boring waiting for my turn at the computer, so I eat breakfast, work through the geometry book, and play around with Micro-vision to see the rise of the ink on the paper, and the starchy bumps and fissures on the surface of my oat bran. I'm listening to the personal music collection that my power gave me. So far I like this alternative rock genre the best, it has a good variety. A new notification pops up, I learned another new thing about myself, item number 11, 'Your favorite music style is alternative rock'.
I want to go out and see some of the shops and arcades, but no… gotta go to a CPS appointment with the social worker. That and I think I'm grounded or something because of that first night. Turning the music off I crank some of the volumes up. Mr. Beckett, Thomas and Max are downstairs watching a sports game. I don't see the appeal of watching sports, perhaps not even watching TV in general. You weren't doing anything. It would cut into skill training time anyway. What? No notification saying I don't like TV, that doesn't count as something I learned about myself? TV noise seems to count as Sound FXs, and not voices despite the fact that most of it was talking. Cody is in the bathroom... oh god… putting SoundFXs volume back to normal right now.
Your Disease Resistance skill has increased by 1
A notification tells me the Cellulitis status effect has been removed. Defeating it bumps up my Disease Resistance skill up another level. I still have antibiotics left, the doc told me to keep taking them until I ran out, to be sure the condition is gone but they don't have a power which tells me outright when it expires. I think I'll save them.
If I have time to mess around on the computer before I have to leave for whatever, what's my ultimate goal? Get unrestricted access for myself on the computer and perhaps the network, so I can bypass parental internet controls, and because I'm bored. Hell, I couldn't even install a better browser the other day. Do they even have wireless? I don't have a phone anyway, so…
DING, DING, two quest notifications pop off.
Access Granted
Gain control of the Beckett's upstairs computer and make an admin account for yourself.
Success: 100 XP
Bonus Condition: Gain admin access to their network, 100 XP, and other computers 50 XP each
Failure: No folders of Pr0n for you.
…uh, I guess we can't have that now can we?
Who You Gonna call?
Obtain a smartphone with internet capability. What? You think you're going to look at Pr0n on the public computer?
Success: 300 XP, a smartphone.
Failure: Blue Balls
Okay, is my power trolling me again? Or is it trying to give me an alternative to my newly discovered power of remote viewing? Smartphones are damn expensive.
Ha, my pursuit of computer time is no longer delayed by Joanna watching cat videos. I manage to get part ways into my searches for instructions on how to hack the thing. I paste off my URLs into an obscure text file rather than save bookmarks because of a public computer with shared accounts, and good god… Why has no one learned how to delete browser history yet?
I've been keeping my eye on my Computers skill to note any rises, but it hasn't. I hope that will be a good thing, I want to try to gain more specialties, but it's hard to figure out what would get counted as actions toward the specialty when you didn't even know what you might end up getting, and there are so many different things I can think of for Computers, that I could easily imagine cross contaminating my actions. I've already learned that mere browsing doesn't increase computer skill, or doesn't anymore, so I think I'm safe there. Then Mrs. Pearson finally arrives and it's time to talk to her downstairs.
****
"...So sometimes we will be meeting in my office at the CPS building, but most times it will be here where I can meet with all of you more easily." Mrs. Pearson droned, "Simon, are you listening?"
"Yes" I mumble, though it's difficult while using my Free Camera to see what the hell she is writing into her computer on the other side of the desk. "All of us? I've observed you working pretty hard. How many cases are you working?"
Mrs. Pearson is using her own laptop; the Beckett's computer here in the office is in sleep mode, though their router is in this room. To get the bonuses on that quest, I need access to both, and the office is normally kept locked when not in use. From my brief perusal of the network earlier, there's at least one other computer in the house, plus a printer but that's here in the office too.
"I have twelve direct action cases right now, the four of you that I brought here, and two others I dropped off at other homes. The rest are older cases who are more settled in where they are, and require less of my time. I have numerous other cases which at this point don't require much more than a monthly checkup or phone call. That's where I'd like to lead you Simon, it will be hands-on for a while, until you can get settled, enrolled in school, and into a healthy routine. As you progress we'll see if you're good with staying here, or if placement opportunities with relatives or a more permanent foster family might become available in the future. Simon?"
Relatives? I have no idea if I have any. "So you are working Rachel, Janet, and Julia's cases? What happened to Julia yesterday? What is going on there? Is she coming back here again?"
"Julia's issues are confidential between her, the state and me. You would not appreciate it if I went around talking about the problems or issues you are dealing with in confidence to me with others right? Besides, we are here to talk about your issues, not someone else's, unless they are directly giving you a problem that you feel threatened by or uncomfortable with."
I pause for a while before I respond and drop back to first person camera mode. "Well, one issue I have is that I observed my only friend, someone I shared a horrible traumatic experience with, and is probably one of the few people that can possibly relate to that, get arrested the day before yesterday for bullshit. I didn't even get the chance to talk to her yesterday when she did come back, and only found out through one of the other girls that she spent a night in jail, and went to a court trial. The fact that this happened, without regard, or even an attempt to listen or understand the circumstances, gives me a very real fear of authority and makes me feel unsafe. Observe-ing that my friend is okay and is being supported would go a long way to helping me feel better and be more cooperative." That came out way more eloquently than I thought myself capable of. Is that how my speech power works?
Laura Pearsons has gone from stranger to acquaintance
Your Speech skill has increased by 1
"Alright, you make a fair point. Julia is safe, I am supporting her, CPS is supporting her. While I can't get into the details, it was my advocating that got her out of jail, into an emergency hearing, and appointed a lawyer. That hearing is still ongoing now, I will be picking her up later today to bring her back here, and you can try and talk to her again then. But right now I am here for you and your needs, so I need you to talk about what you need and how we can help you." Two notifications pop off. Mrs. Pearson has become an acquaintance, and I gained a level of speech.
"I hope the lawyer proves useful, maybe me sticking around, and yelling at her to stay silent and get a lawyer was a good thing? The Beckett's punished me for it."
"You were more than a bit unruly, but I'll keep that thought in mind."
"Well, I observed that no one was listening so what else could I do?"
She keeps talking while I minimize my accumulating Observe windows, and go back to free camera mode. At least I can practice some skills while stuck here. She says I'm to get counseling, that all of us are, both one on one and group therapy over the next couple weeks and beyond if warranted. I don't have any opposition to that. I hope it will help my stress levels, since that 'Get Healthy Again' quest depends on it. I also hope it can help me with the 'Help Julia Recover from Trauma' quest.
Talking about my counseling leads right into the psychological notes I see on her computer about me, as she dances around a few subjects or perhaps it explains why she is ignoring some things.
Simon Anderson, DOB unknown, age estimated 14-16 years. Relatives: undetermined. No identification.
Confirmed victim of Leviathan attack on Dec. 19th, 2009. Rescued from sinkhole on Galveston Island by capes involved in search and rescue. Witnessed multiple deaths and devastation.
Observations:
Claims to have amnesia; may be legitimate from injuries received or psychological trauma. However it does not fit normal clinical definition. Initial physical exams were inconclusive, but probably did suffer from a concussion. This has made obtaining identification difficult. Requires more extensive medical follow-up to confirm and provide post care for broken arm and removal of stitches.
Has tendencies to make repetitive hand gestures and mutterings of specific words, or incorporate them into his speech. It could stem from a nervous habit, OCD, or Tourette's? Need psychological evaluation to ascertain.
May have delusions or suffer from temporary psychotic break as a result of trauma. Full psychological and medical examination should be scheduled. MRI recommended.
How much of that is Mrs. Pearson's notes or came from that PRT lady I failed to convince I was a Parahuman? I figure a lot comes from the latter. Mrs. Pearson doesn't strike me as a counselor or psychologist on her own. I suppose some knowledge of that in a job like hers is inevitable. Was leaving out the fact I told them I was a Parahuman done on purpose or was it an oversight?
"…We'll need to schedule you a medical check-up as well. Get your arm and head looked at, and get those stitches removed. Now I haven't been able to find any of your relatives because I am lacking a lot of information about you. The state of Texas aims to place children with family members whenever possible."
"You know I have amnesia right?" I ask even though I know the answer.
"It was mentioned, but that can be temporary. That's part of why we will want to get a doctor to see you. Do you know your date of birth? The status and names of your parents? Social Security number?
"I'm fifteen. I was born in 1994. I don't remember my birthdate, or my SSN. My parents are dead, or I assume they are. I remember them being in the mall that fell into the sinkhole…I can't even remember their names or even their faces…"
Panic starts coursing through me again, I try to calm myself as the memories of that night begin to surface. I fall into a nervous sweat, fumble with awkward motions putting myself back into First Person camera mode and fall right off my chair. My Gamer's Mind skill inches toward the next level again. Fuck you power.
"Simon, are you okay? We can talk about other things if you're not ready for that yet."
"I'm okay, thanks. Just give me a minute." I sit back in my seat and try to mentally prepare myself. Even though it's hard, I want to get this over with. If I gained more Gamer's Mind skill then I guess that is merely a bonus. I can't see how moving toward 100% immunity in the things it covered could be a bad thing."
"I don't think I have any siblings, though I don't know for sure because I can't remember. I feel pretty strongly that it's accurate. I had friends, well I remember that I had friends, I even remember their first names, and their faces, because they were with me at the time…" I take a deep breath, and soldier on. "…at the time of the attack. They were in the mall with me. Some I saw die right off, others I saw fall into the sinkhole still alive, and never saw them again…" I have to stop a bit, wiping sweat off my forehead with my sleeve and take a long swig of water from a glass I had brought with me.
I continue on, working my way through a condensed story, from hanging on for dear life, Julia a mere 20 feet away doing likewise, to falling, to waking up on Lifeline's sled, then the camps, getting attacked by a looter, helping Julia find her house and so on, pausing as I needed to. I purposefully left out the whole Parahuman stuff, not going to make that mistake again.
"…the whole time I was in the camps, despite trying, and even posting my picture up, I never found anyone I recognized or that recognized me, except one guy. A teacher from Ball High School named Jerry Mondale. I don't actually remember attending Ball, or that I was in ninth grade. But he said he remembered me from his history class this past fall semester. Maybe you could find him and ask him for more details?"
Even though I don't have Free Camera up, I hear Mrs. Pearson typing away, presumably adding information to my file. "I will keep that in mind. I will be spending some time trying to find records of your identity, and we can get you properly set up."
"I'd say try the records of Ball High School, or the ISD, but I was told both might be underwater. I lived on Galveston island, but I don't remember my address, or even if it was a house, an apartment or some other situation. Maybe some of the elementary schools, or even hospitals or dentists might have something."
"Galveston island is condemned now. Only authorized personnel and the US Navy are allowed onto what's left of it."
Your Gamer's Mind skill has increased by 1
I wince at the finality of that revelation. DING, another Gamer's Mind level gained. Maybe revealing it all helped too because I gained a couple stress points.
Mrs. Pearson continues. "Any detail, no matter how small, might be useful."
"I think my middle name is Clarence? Yeah that feels pretty correct; I remember feelings of embarrassed teasing about it. I remember that I am part German, Scandinavian, Native American and Hispanic. Um, I played video games a lot? Like a whole lot. It's kinda sucky that this house doesn't have any consoles. I can remember the minute details of hundreds of games and characters, but can't even remember my own birthday. That doesn't make any sense to me."
"I agree that it doesn't make any sense. That's why it is important to get you looked at as soon as possible. Given the upcoming New Year's holiday, the earliest I was able to schedule a doctor visit for you is Monday the 4th. I expect some follow up later in the week."
"What kind of follow up?" Come on, mention it so I can shoot it down. "They already X-rayed me at the camp and didn't find anything."
"Whatever the doctor recommends, more X-rays or screenings. You do want to get better don't you?"
She doesn't rise to the bait, time to play the crazy card, there's precedent already. "Sure, but I don't want to get cooped up in some noisy machine where I’ll feel trapped like I was when stuck in the dark sinkhole. I'm having a hard enough time not freaking out in the shower cause it reminds me of the weather and water I nearly drowned in." I hope she gets the hint now. Too many rumors on PHO that MRIs can identify Parahumans. Not taking that risk, if I try to tell someone again it will be on my terms.
"Alright, just one step at a time. Are there any other needs, issues, or questions you have?"
"If you're sending me to a doctor, how about an eye doctor? I lost my glasses during the event, been without any since then. Can barely see anything past 40 feet. Also how do we get money? Can I get a part-time job or something? When do we get to learn to drive? School starts in a couple weeks right? Any way to take side classes for other skills before then or during?"
"It's good to see that you're thinking ahead. Opportunities for part-time job placement can occur after you're 16. As well as learning to drive, but that's more on the guardian family than CPS. Most kids only find the time for learning to drive after they have aged out and have turned 18."
"I don't know my birthdate, for all I know I could be turning 16 on January 1st."
"Well, let's allow a few weeks of investigation to try and find out first. I think we have covered a lot today, I still need to meet with Rachel and Janet before heading to the courthouse to check with Julia."
****
My one on one with my caseworker comes to an end. Upstairs, the computer is occupied again so I'm delayed from my other goal. I end up back downstairs to pretend to watch TV on the couch. Instead, in free camera mode again, I listen in on Rachel and Janet's sessions with Mrs. Pearson. It's a total breach of privacy but curiosity gets the better of me. I still need to relationship bumps with Janet and the other kids to finish that quest. Any insight might help. I'm also trying to get my camera positioned well enough to read the serial number off the router in the office, and add it to my notes. I keep my voices channel volume up so I could hear if someone comes up and speaks to me, and scry the Beckett's bedroom. There's another computer in there, so I add it to my list. I don't see any other PC's in the house after a thorough scry search. After close to two hours of eavesdropping, several new notices appear.
For exhaustively testing and training your senses, you have gained 1 PER.
Would you like to use this gain to remove the permanent status effect 'Nearsighted' instead? Y/N
You have gained a level! You are now level 5.
Your Gamer's Mind skill has increased by 1
Your Gamer's Interface skill has increased by 1
Your Gamer's Body skill has increased by 1
Holy crap, I was just talking about asking for an eye doctor and now this possibility gets thrown at me? It would have been a hell of a lot more useful a couple hours ago. Could this work for any status effect? I never got prompts to remove my injury based ones when I gained STR and AGI. Would that work for spent points or just trained ones? I have no idea how I might explain this away if they send me to an eye doctor now, but hell yes I want to see again.
Wow, that is just awesome, to be able to see clearly. No more -1 status effect from Nearsighted, so it's like I gained a whole point anyway. A mere -1 though seems vastly under representative of the actual effect of only seeing blurs past 40 feet or so. Will this help extend my scrying? Definitely, not my actual camera radius, but certainly the range at which I can see. I was wondering if wearing glasses would fix my scry vision, but had my doubts. Now it doesn't matter. Hmm, will further gains in PER end up giving me super-senses?
The PER gain grants me 50 XP, which gains me another level, and bumps Gamer's Mind, Interface and Body up once again. Done with eavesdropping and with the computer free, I overlay my windows near the keyboard where my furious explorative gesturing would be less noticeable.
You have earned a new Perk slot. To view your Perks and Flaws say "Perks."
"Perks" Holy crap, I completely forgot to pay attention to those.
Perks are useful abilities that are gained every 5th level. They can also be gained under rare circumstances due to luck and in game events.
Flaws can also be gained due to luck and in game events but are generally undesired. (That's why they are flaws, but apparently they are part of what makes humans human.)
You currently have 3 flaws and 3 perks.
Current Flaws:
Selective Amnesia:
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
We had to make more room in your brain for...stuff, so we got rid of some useless data. Don't worry it's nothing you won't miss...much. Besides if you can't remember it, it wasn't important...probably.
A Bit of a Troll:
Ah... this one is not entirely my fault. But it helps with compatibility, for...reasons. Hey, sometimes you just can't help yourself, amiright?
Unnatural Curiosity:
You just can't pass a barrel or crate without checking it for loot. Seriously, for good or bad, you can't always resist the urge to pry or investigate something that might prove to be an interesting experience or information.
Current Perks:
Gaia's Blessing:
You have access to a Mana pool. Mana can be used to power a variety of 'magical' skills and abilities.
Gaia's Attunement:
You have the ability to acquire affinities with various elements. With enough affinity you can attune yourself to the element to call on it for aid.
Light Sleeper:
You only need 5 hours of rest per night instead of 8, to fully restore your fatigue bar and maximize your restful regeneration. Hey, that's three more hours of FUN! stuff to do per day!
You have one Free Perk slot available.
Fuck me. That's why I can't remember shit? My power, who without a doubt really is a troll, compatibility reasons my ass, gave me amnesia to cram…stuff into my head? This is deliberate, real motivated action driven by some kind of intelligence, isn't it? The fuck? Powers are…what exactly? Guiding all us Parahumans around for some nefarious purpose? To what end? What was that other part of your job you are not doing? This makes no sense! And out of all the who or whatever the fuck you are; are you saying I got stuck with the equivalent of 'That Guy' and 'The Munchkin' rolled into one?
Well? Answer me you troll!
Your Parahuman Lore skill has increased by 1
Fuck you.
Hmm, why should I be so angry? I have Enhanced Calm. Oh well, no idea what to choose though, and may need to think on it some more. I also have 12 unallocated stat points. Yet, one quest said not to use them on physical stats, so I won't for those. Should I spend them now on non-physical stats, or later?
It's all stuff to figure out tonight when I'm pretending to sleep. Right now I have barely used Observe today, and am running out of new things, even mundane objects to practice on. The level gain has given me a good bump to my mana, 800 MP max now. I still want to try and figure out how to gain specialties for Observe, and was close to trying to do that at the start of level 7, if it was even possible to gain specialties for it that is.
For now, I'm going to take a crack at hacking the computer, since no one is paying particular attention to me at the moment. The Beckett's like to stay in their room/apartment thing unless something is required of them. Yes it was definitely more like an apartment than a bedroom as my prior scrying has observed. They have their own bedroom, bathroom, private living/office type space, and a storage room which contains some cribs.
It takes a short amount of time to create an admin account for myself on the computer. My computer skills definitely go up as a result. Now I just install stuff I want to use, and fuck around with file permissions. I still don't have fully unblocked direct web access; that may have been controlled by the router, although a free VPN client bypasses that easily. More articles show me I can type in a local IP to get to the router access page. I verify that but am blocked by its login. More research gives a few strategies to try, but a lot require physical access to the router to reset it. I'll have to wait to do that. I've gotten far enough. The lounge is getting crowded and I don't want anyone looking over my shoulder.
At least I can get to PHO now. Why did they have that site blocked? I spend some time browsing it trying to raise Parahuman Lore, but get nowhere. I must have exhausted all the useful info that actually exists on that site.
****
I hear a car pulling into the driveway. That's either Mr. Beckett returning from work, or maybe Mrs. Pearson returning with Julia. A quick scry confirms the latter and I log off and go downstairs.
"Observe" I whisper.
Name: Julia Mendez
Level: ??
Alias: None
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Ethnicity: Hispanic, Spanish, ??
Class: Foster Kid / Delinquent
Faction: None
STR: 13 (??) ??
AGI: ?? (??) ??
CON: ?? (??) ??
INT: ?? (??) ??
PER: ?? (??) ??
WIS: ?? (??) ??
CHA: ?? (??) ??
LUC: ?? (??) ??
Allure: 5.5
Armor: ??
Speed: ??
Attack: ??
Dodge: ??
Summary Description:
A teenager and fellow survivor from an Endbringer attack. She has lost her sister, her parents and her home. Forced into the state foster care system, she has only endured more grief, hardship, and legal problems. This has resulted in a significant distrust of authority and a strong desire for self-reliant independence. Despite this, she is experiencing great difficulty in adjusting to recent events and the changes in her life. That same mistrust and stubbornness makes it hard for her to seek help.
Her left lower leg was badly burned. It is scarred and bandaged. The nail of her first toe right foot is broken. Her left cheek is scarred and stitched.
Currently Feeling: Depressed, Reckless, Traumatized, Nervous, Angry, Very Stressed, Fatigued, and Hungry.
Known Status Effects:
Mental: Depression, Adjustment Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress, Aqua-phobia, Extremely Stressed
Physical: Burned, Bruised x3, Lacerations x4, Fatigued, Hungry
Still can't see her level. She is still above all the kids here. Thomas was the highest at level 10. The others range from 6 to 9. Mrs. Beckett is level 9 and Mrs. Pearson is level 8. Mr. Beckett still shows as ?? to Observe. Even with my recent gain to level 5, I'm still the lowest. I still don't know how I am supposed to help her other than encourage her to do the counseling stuff. Her issues are similar to everyone here, but on a worse scale.
"Hey" I say as she gets into the living room.
"Hey"
I go with something safe. "Hungry? I think it's spaghetti night. Rachel or Janet are helping, I had to last night. I know you got in late, so hope the leftovers are okay.
"Yeah, it’s alright, I’m famished, I'm gonna go wash up."
And she turns and goes into the downstairs bathroom, leaving me standing there like an idiot.
'Simon, go set the table." Mrs. Beckett says before I could make my escape.
I grunt in response, and went about the task. I'm nearly finished when the lights go out. I turn my flashlight theme on so I can finish. Janet complains about the microwave turning off, but keeps tending the boiling spaghetti since it's on a gas stove. The entire house isn't dark, a light is shining down from the stairwell and someone turns the living room light on without a problem.
"One of you didn't use a hair dryer did you? This house is old, wiring can't take it." Mrs. Beckett shouts as she disappears into the attached garage. The lights come back on a moment later about the time Mr. Beckett got home.
"Breaker tripped" Mrs. Beckett announces to her husband.
"Which one?"
"Kitchen and Bathroom"
"I keep telling them the house isn't up to current codes but they won't pay for fixing it."
"Are you an electrician, Mr. Beckett?" I ask, I actually already knew the answer. It said so in his Observe report. I should do this more often just so I won't forget and make people wonder why I know things. Julia comes out of the bathroom just as I asked.
Everyone gathers to the kitchen to eat, Mr. Beckett goes on a bit of a spiel about his job which leads to a rant about old wiring in houses. Julia even seems interested, asks about what causes breakers to trip, and he starts talking about overloads and short-circuits before the conversation turns to other topics.
I look back to Julia as the current conversation enters a lull. "I'd ask how you are doing, but I can imagine, and it might seem weird. Rachel told me a bit last night. What happened to you was total bullshit…"
"Language Simon" Mrs. Beckett interrupts. I roll my eyes.
"..Well I hope Mrs. Pearson did right by you." I finished.
She shrugged. "Don't know yet, it's not over. Lawyer thinks I should take the deal, get it over with, though he says there is a lot in my favor, it will take a lot of time; interfere with school and all kinds of other crap."
"Thomas, why can't you eat at the table?" Mrs. Beckett asks as he gets up taking his plate.
"Never did when I lived with my mom, don't see why I should now. My show's on anyway."
"I wanna watch," Cody added.
Turns out dinner conversation is not very productive given constant cross talk and interruption.
"We went to the mall yesterday." Rachel remarks to Julia.
"I want to go to the mall again. We haven't done anything today." Joanna pipes up, talking over each other.
"A lot of you have counseling tomorrow." Mrs. Beckett responds.
"That's not going to take all day is it? I agree with Joanna, we should go again sometime soon; Julia never got a chance so it would only be fair." I state as Joanna smiles at me. Besides, I still want to get back to that arcade to see if I can gain any more skill cheats.
The Becketts' start asking about school preparation stuff from the kids that were already here when we arrived and then about school supplies for the rest of us. I give up my attempts at more private conversation with Julia, and just shovel food in my mouth, mumbling one syllable responses to the Beckett's probing. Julia seems to be doing the same. As kids start peeling off I try to get up myself.
"Simon, you're doing dishes tonight."
"What, again? I did them last night. Are you still trying to punish me for Monday?"
"This will be the last night before I post a new chore schedule for everyone tomorrow."
"Fu—" I stop at her renewed glare. Not that I gave a crap about her opinion on language, I just didn't need more excuses for her to unknowingly take away future grinding time.
"I'll help." Julia says, unexpectedly.
****
"…so yeah, spent the night in jail. They moved me to my own cell on account of my age. God, I didn't sleep at all though. 'Emergency Juvenile Judge' was brought in first thing the next morning. I did stay quiet, fuckers can go to hell. Court appointed defense lawyer though, not like I have any money. I guess he's okay. He got my mom's jewelry released to me, well to CPS. Mrs. Pearson has it in a safe in her office. I could describe most of it and he found it listed under my parents insurance as personal effects. Nothing on the gun though. Apparently it's not registered; some detective testified that it did match models used by the U.S. Air force WWII service pistols, and that it had not been fired recently, or at least had been thoroughly cleaned if it had. The possession charge is still looming over my head."
I listen intently as Julia tells her story. "You know what you want to do?"
"Lawyer says I could get it dealt down to a 1st offense misdemeanor and come off easy. Records would be sealed since I am a minor. Probably get probation and community service. I just don't want to lose it, even if it stays in a box forever. I won't be allowed to have it no matter what, if I get it back, it would be kept under trust till I am 18 or 21. Fighting it could see it taken away and destroyed if I lose."
"Shit that's a bum deal. You tell your lawyer about those coast guard guys?"
"Yeah, but I don't even remember their names. He doubts he would be able to contact them, or that it would help much in any case. Fighting it would drag it out, and they still haven't found my mom or recovered…"
Julia stops again to recover herself. She hasn't actually done much to help with the dishes but I don't care. "Yeah, it's hard to think about. My heart races just hearing the damn faucet water running, taking showers is harder but I force myself. I pretty much freaked out yesterday just because they showed footage of…you know…on the news."
"Rachel told me about that."
"She also tell you she socked Thomas in the face? She seems cool."
"Yeah she told me."
"I hope the counseling helps. I want to give it a try. Maybe I can remember stuff again or at least get over fearing water. I have vague memories of swimming that indicate it was enjoyable. Are you going to be there?"
Julia shrugs. "Have to go to court again tomorrow, but don't know how long that will be. It's my last chance to resolve it before the break for New Years. I don't think the judge is happy cause he was supposed to have this week off."
"Well I hope you're there. Supposed to be some group therapy included, and I barely know anyone else."
"I don't know how I feel about that stuff, and to be honest, you barely know me either. It's only been what, 11 days?"
"Oh, I don't know about that…" Julia quirks an eyebrow at me. "I've been to your house, I helped you pack, even saw your bra and panties when I did."
"God damn it, Simon!"
"Hey, you know I'm joking right? I joke to try and de-stress and there is a lot of that going around. Besides, I know you knocked that looter out and he was bigger than me. I will respect the fury."
Julia just glared at me intently for a moment before relaxing. "You better."
"Your foot better? I observed you not using your crutches anymore."
Less serious conversation follows, it seems I scored a few more relationship points. Observe now indicates she is also feeling 'hopeful'. So I hope that means my gamble or persuasion attempt or whatever worked. It's getting close to the stupid 'go to your rooms' time.
I convince Max and Thomas to play cards again, cheat, and win some money back, not as much as I hoped. You can only do so much when dealt shitty hands. I get the 'Card and Board Games' skill prompt again. Do I really need it if I can cheat with my camera? I minimized it unanswered, so I can decide later.
Your Observe skill has increased by 1
I observe as much crap as I can to use mana. I stop though when I hit exactly level 7 Observe, because tomorrow, I want to count the number of Observes I do and try to restrict what I observe in the hope of getting specialties of some kind. This is going to suck though because I'll waste a lot of mana tonight. I'll gain more from sleeping than can be held according to my max. I should have been making more judicious use of it throughout the day, but got sidetracked with too many other pursuits. I definitely need to find a way to do things more efficiently.
DING! Okay, those sound effects are getting annoying, I should turn them off.
Find the shortest path to the cheese!
Figure out how to train and grind more efficiently. Part 1: Train 5 different skills simultaneously. Part 2: Train 3 or more stats simultaneously.
Time Limit: None
Success: 500 XP for part 1, 300 XP for part 2
Bonus Condition: +50 XP for each simultaneous skill trained above 5.
Bonus Condition: +100 XP for each stat simultaneously trained above 3.
Failure: The cheese gets impatient or gets eaten by the trolls.
Huh? Getting impatient? That is Grade-A Munchkin behavior right there. Guess I should pick a damn perk tomorrow too.
Simon's Character Sheet:
Name: Simon Clarence Anderson
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Race: Parahuman
Class: Foster Kid / Petty Thief
Faction: None
Money: $195.77
Title: Vermin Stomper
Level: 5 (17.73%)
XP: 1745
Primary Attributes
STR: 6 (-0.70) 5.30
AGI: 5 (-1.10) 3.90
CON: 9 (-0.30) 8.70
INT: 16 (-1.40) 14.60
PER: 10 (0.00) 10.00
WIS: 18 (-1.40) 16.60
CHA: 10 (-0.60) 9.40
LUC: 9 (0.00) 9.00
Unspent Points: 12
Secondary Attributes
Health Pool: 163/163
Stamina Pool: 150/150
Mana Pool: 651/800
Stress Pool: 89/340
Attack: 6.00
Speed: 2.66
Dodge: 8.43
Armor: 0.20
Carry: 53.00
Allure: 2.50
Skills
Max Slots: 31
Free Skill Slots: 6
Artistry: 5 (0.00%)
Athletics: 1 (54.45%)
Basic Academics: 8 (29.78%)
Computers: 6 (0.00%)
Crafting (Stone & Pottery): 5 (8.65%)
Create Mana Golem: 1 (0.00%)
Disable Device: 3 (0.00%)
Disease Resistance: 4 (0.86%)
Drug & Poison Resistance: 2 (32.13%)
Empathy: 2 (74.24%)
Firearms: 1 (0.00%)
Gamer's Body: 7 (96.45%)
Gamer's Interface: 14 (73.64%)
Gamer's Mind: 12 (0.03%)
Language-English: MAX (0.00%)
Meditation: 3 (69.96%)
Null Resistance: 3 (13.69%)
Observe: 7 (0.00%)
Parahuman Lore: 4 (47.79%)
Programming: 2 (67.45%)
Psychology: 2 (12.54%)
Speech: 3 (38.75%)
Strategy: 1 (0.00%)
Vehicle Operations: 3 (0.00%)
Video Games: 25 (87.68%)
Unspent Skill Points: 8
Perks
Free Perk Slots: 1
Gaia's Blessing: Mana Pool and Mana Skill access
Gaia's Attunement: Elemental Affinity access
Light Sleeper: Need only 5 hours to get fully rested
Flaws
Selective Amnesia: We had to make room for stuff in your head
A Bit of a Troll: Sometimes you just can't help yourself
Unnatural Curiosity: Can't always resist the urge to find stuff out