label chapterOne:
    scene black with Dissolve(1)
    stop music fadeout 3
    play ambient 'audio/effects/beachLoop.ogg' fadein 3 volume 0.2
    pause 2.5

    "Sometimes things don’t work out the way they were supposed to."

    "I thought that I was going to get a fresh start after moving here."

    "Finally experience what it’s like to be a teenager. Hang out with friends, do stupid shit and get in trouble for it, and so much more."

    "But what I wanted the most out of all of this was to finally start my own life."

    "I wanted to finish school, go wherever the fuck I felt like, and just never look back on the shitstain that was my childhood."

    "But now, for some reason, I know that’s never going to happen."

    pause .5

    "It’s a shame too."

    window hide
    window auto

    scene beachGVH with Dissolve(1)
    play music 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/ost/Neutral Ambience 1.ogg' fadein 3 volume 1.0

    "The stars are beautiful out tonight. Glittering diamonds across a canvas of midnight blue, the moon shining high above."

    "The ocean hangs beneath it all, separated from me by a couple feet of damp sand."
    
    "The waves consume the horizon far as I can see, seaspray and shadow blending together into nothingness."
    
    "The tide comes in close enough to tickle my tennis shoes with speckles of salty foam."
    
    "I’ve been staring out at the water for... Fuck, who knows how long."
    
    "The air’s cool, but the glowing bonfire beside me drives it off. It feels like it’s just me and the fire."

    "But we’re not alone."

    pause .5

    show naserGVH neutral at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.15
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    show reedGVH neutral at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    show rosaGVH neutral at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.35
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    show trishGVH neutral at idle_breath_subtle, flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.55
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    show naomiGVH neutral at idle_breath_subtle, flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.65
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    show stellaGVH neutral at idle_breath_subtle, flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.78
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    show sageGVH neutral at idle_breath_subtle, flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.9 
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    
    with Dissolve(1)

    "There’s others hanging around the fire with me, their bodies illuminated by the shifting firelight."
    
    "Eight in total, four on either side of me, ringed about the pit." 
    
    "They’re there, but it’s like encountering something underwater."
    
    "They’re blurry, hard to make out, and though they’re speaking to one another everything sounds muffled." 
    
    "I can hear the murmur of the water against the sand as it rushes in and recedes, I can hear the crackling stir of firewood shifting in the rocks near me."
    
    "Just not them. I gave up trying to listen some time ago."

    window hide
    window auto

    scene beachGVH with Dissolve(1)

    show anon neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xalign 0.2
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    unknown "{cps=*0.5}What do you think?{/cps}"

    show anon neutral at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    show fangGVH neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xalign 0.8
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    with Dissolve(1)    

    "The first voice besides my own rocks my world, cutting through the quiet of the beachside twilight like a knife. I twist my head to look in the direction it came from."

    "The figure that’s been standing at my right side is looking me dead in the eyes."

    "Something about them is less smudged. Clearer, more corporeal. Clearest most of all are their eyes. They hold the same shine as the fire in front of us all."

    unknown "{cps=*0.5}You’re part of this too.{/cps}"

    show fangGVH at flip:
        linear 1 xalign 0.6
    pause 1

    show fangGVH

    "They come a step closer to me, and their arms raise to present me something. I take it off their hands."

    "It’s a book. Hardcover."

    scene AnonYB with Dissolve(0.5)

    "{i}Goodbye Volcano High{/i} greets me, the first of the three words scribbled on in black sharpie. The End, punctuated by a heart."  

    scene beachGVH 

    show anon neutral:
        yalign 0.1 xalign 0.2

    show fangGVH neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xalign 0.8 
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "They rest a hand upon my right forearm, and give me a soft squeeze."

    unknown "{cps=*0.5}It’s your decision.{/cps}" 
    
    unknown "{cps=*0.5}What’s it gonna be, Anon?{/cps}"

    "They know my name. But I don’t know theirs."

    "Who are you?"

    "I try to say the words, but nothing comes out."
    
    "The rest of the world may as well not exist anymore."

    scene fEyes with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    "The book in my hands, the others by the fire, the beach and the ocean and the night. It’s all secondary as I look into their eyes."

    unknown "{cps=*0.5}Anon?{/cps}"

    "The more I look into those amber pools, the more a word starts to surface in my head."

    "A word that crawls slowly from my lips."

    A "...F–" 

    scene black with vpunch
    stop ambient
    stop music
    play sound 'audio/effects/slapstickPunch.ogg' 

    A "--UCK!"

    play ambient 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/effects/DrivingCar.ogg' fadein 4
    pause .5
    
    "The cry escapes me as my world is rocked violently underneath me."

    scene ADdriving with Dissolve(1)

    "My eyes shoot open, and I’m blinded by the sheer brightness of the sunlight violently assaulting my corneas with all the intensity of a hate crime."
    
    "When the hell did it get so bright out?"

    "The metaphorical assault is joined by a literal one as knuckles rap against the side of my head. I wince, leaning away from the contact."

    ad "Language, you better knock that shit off by the time we get there. You need to make a good impression."

    A "Sorry, Dad."

    "I mumble as I bring my hands up to my face."
    
    "One scratches the side of my noggin that he just lovetapped with the flat of his hand, while the other rubs between my eyes, trying to clear out the crusties impairing my vision."

    "The wonderful haze of sleep, so rudely interrupted by whatever the hell that was, quickly gives away entirely as I start to recollect my current situation."
    
    "I’m sitting in the passenger seat of my Dad’s Ford Bronto, and have been for at least a couple hours now."
    
    "Passed out as I was, I was spared the monotony of the bulk of our most recent trip to my home for the next eight or so months of my life."
    
    "Not without cost. I’m uncomfortably warm, a bit sweaty, and my windpipe is the kind of hoarse that you can only get from snoring sitting up."
    
    "In other words, I feel as bad as I look."

    "My backpack’s jammed between my legs. Glancing over my shoulder, I see the backseat, laid flat to be conjoined with the trunk, is filled with totes and the odd duffel bag or two."
    
    "A McDino’s paper bag filled with wrappers is awkwardly jammed against the center console behind the driver seat."
    
    "A styrofoam cup with the same logo, smelling of rancid minimum wage black coffee, is taking up a cupholder between us."

    pause .5

    "Dad’s seething about something. Hard to tell what these days."
    
    "His bushy brows are furrowed, and that thin, wispy thing he calls a mustache is twisted with his lips in a sneer."
    
    "A scraggly goat-tee joins the fit to certify his boomersaurus credentials. Mom claims he used to have long hair, but now he’s as bald as me, his bare scalp blemished with a handful of liver spots."

    ad "That pothole probably knocked me clear out of alignment. God, the roads here suck."

    A "So that’s what knocked me awake."

    ad "Was about to wake you up regardless. We’re almost there."

    "He waves a hand towards the windshield, pointing out at the city in the distance."

    "We’re on a bridge over the sea right now, moving steadily with the flow of traffic."
    
    "A collection of suburbia and business sectors is jutting up right down the middle of the skyline, growing larger and more dominant as we creep ever nearer."

    pause .5

    "{b}{size=+10}{i}WELCOME TO \n      CALDERA BAY!{/i}{/size}{/b}"

    pause .5

    "The huge, bold letters are filled with a collage of bright, colorful images and drawings, styled in the facsimile of a ‘50s greeting card."
    
    "The view’s beautiful, but it’s not the first time I’ve seen it before. When it was determined this was to be the spot of my exile, my parents and I took a trip down to scope out the area."
    
    "We did so a second time to get a feel for the apartment they had chosen me to move into."

    "Those two times hadn’t phased me much. They just felt like little vacations, in a way. But now, the sight of Caldera’s sprawl filled me with a weird sort of dread."
    
    "This time I was staying."
    
    "This time, it’s for real." 

    pause .5

    "Something else that probably wasn’t helping with that uneasiness was how weirdly quiet the car ride currently was."
    
    "I only just noticed the fact the radio was off, leaving nothing but the muted sounds of traffic and the wind, the engine humming and our breathing." 

    A "Why aren’t we listening to any music?"

    ad "See for yourself."

    "Dad leans forward and twist the volume knob on the radio from mute to fifteen."

    "The droning crackle of static moaned high and leveled out, ugly and grating to the ears."
    
    "There were little chops of tangible sound mixed within the blur, the feminine voice of a Saurius XM radio jockey fighting for life amidst the chaos."

    stop ambient
    play sound 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/effects/radioFailing.ogg'

    with hpunch

    "{i}######--FEST–######--AMP BABIES–########--IFTY-THOUSAND ON TH–"

    stop sound fadeout 0.5

    play ambient 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/effects/DrivingCar.ogg' fadein 3

    "Dad groans, lurching over and snapping the knob back to zero. The static flatlines to silence, something I now had a newfound appreciation for."

    A "Geez."

    ad "It’s been like that for nearly an hour now. I’m surprised it didn’t wake you up when it started happening."

    ad "GPS crapped out around the same time, too. Between the box and the alignment, I’ll be surprised if I make it out of this Dodger hellhole by the end of today."
    
    ad "Yep, just been me, quiet and your snoring for a good while now."

    "The implication in his words was clear. I glance away from him, off to the passenger window."
    
    "The ocean visible outside of it is rapidly giving way to the coastline. Bodies of every shape and every shade of the rainbow can be seen around the sand."

    A "Sorry. Just didn’t sleep too well last night."

    ad "Doesn’t matter, what would even talk about to begin with?"

    "That makes me frown. I don’t give him an answer, and he doesn’t seem eager to pursue conversation in spite of it."

    "Silence remains our mutual companion as Dad curves our car onto one of the offramps from the bay’s bridge, merging us into city traffic."
    
    "Despite all the stereotypes I’ve heard online about commutes in places this end of Pangea, we’re moving at decent speed."
    
    "Not exactly fast by any measure, but slow enough to let me take in the scenery of my new stomping ground."

    "Even though we’re still in one of the main arteries of the city, I catch expanses of red-brick buildings mixed with more modern architecture, townhouses and apartments vying for space alongside entertainment and commercial districts."
    
    "Not exactly too dissimilar to my hometown, just more colorful, vibrant and sunny. What really makes it stand out are the people."

    "Up until these past few months, I could probably count on my hand the amount of Saurians I’ve met before."
    
    "It’s not that our kind and theirs don’t get along–that’s a subject covered in just about every history class I’ve ever had before."
    
    "No, it’s just that Rockbottom was situated up near the northern tip of the continent. Cold and chilly as could be year round, something they don’t really deal with well. I’m used to seeing nothing but other humans around me."

    "And now, I think me and Dad may very well be the only humans in the whole city."

    "The sidewalks and venues we ride past are cramped with colorfully scaled figures, feathers and crests and claws and everything you could think of aplenty."
    
    "Raptors and Hadrosaurs mingled with Ceratopsids and Sauropods, grinning and laughing and living like they all weren’t as different from one-another as they were different to me."
    
    "A large shadow glances over the car, and I lean my head against the glass to try and catch a sight of what it could be." 
    
    scene pterofly with Dissolve(0.5)
    "At first, I thought it was a low flying plane of some kind, only to realize those were wings."
    
    "Too big to be a bird, had to be a Pterosaur."

    ad "They can even fly."

    pause 0.5

    scene ADdriving with Dissolve(0.5)

    "Dad huffs the words out, and I glance over towards him. His eyes are fixed on the road ahead, but they’ve narrowed slightly. He must’ve seen the Ptero too."

    ad "Stronger than humans, faster than humans, tougher than humans. God gave them all the gifts, huh?"

    ad "Used to have technology in our favor, until we gave them that too. Now we’re just second class by comparison."

    "He finally looks over at me, if only for a brief moment."
    
    "There’s irritation in his gaze–irritation over the car, irritation over my new neighbors, irritation over this whole situation."
    
    "But there’s also the faintest hint of what almost looks like concern, a softening of the harshness of his face."

    ad "You need to be careful here, Anon."

    "He sighs before I can respond, tilting his head to look back at the road."
    
    "He works his jaw for a moment before he continues, abruptly changing topics."

    ad "We should be at this new school in a couple minutes." 
    
    ad "I’ll be meeting with your landlord afterwards to get the rest of your stuff moved in. Your apartment should be good to go by the time you’re out of class."

    pause 1.0

    ad "Then you’re on your own."

    "I’ve felt like I’ve been on my own for a long time now."

    ad "You’d think that, ungrateful as you are."

    "I scowl, looking back at the window once more."
    
    "We’re starting to peel away from the heart of the city, moving swiftly down the road. I can start to see the ocean again, growing closer and closer."

    "We don’t speak for the remainder of the car ride, brief as it is. Before long, Dad steers us off the main road, and onto a smaller two-lane that’s surrounded by lush foliage." 
    
    "The palms and other brightly-leaved trees eventually peel away, revealing the center of the rest of my High School career."

    pause .5

    "{cps=*0.2}{b}{size=+10}{i}VOLCANO HIGH{/i}{/size}{/b}{/cps}"

    pause .5

    play music 'audio/effects/teenageCrowdMurmurLoop.ogg' fadein 3

    scene VolcanoH with Dissolve(0.5)

    "A large, marbled-colored T-shaped building. Planters of vibrantly colored bricks surrounded the entrance, filled with equally vibrant plants, and even more vibrantly-scaled students."

    "Away from the main building rested three more. A large gymnasium complex off in the distance, a library far closer to the main building, and a third whose function I couldn’t quite make out."
    
    stop ambient fadeout 4

    "The road led away from the main hall and towards a parking lot before the library, which my Dad curved into, finally bringing the Bronto to a halt after hours on the road."

    stop music fadeout 3
    play ambient 'audio/effects/outdoorLoop.ogg' fadein 4
    scene ADdriving with Dissolve(0.5)

    "We were the only souls present, besides a handful of feathery Saurians hanging out by a pair of cars. A few of them were staring at us, and I could see them talking to one-another. Gawking at the monkeys, no doubt."
    
    "A growing sense of nausea hints at the bottom of my gut, as I realize this might be the start of the first day rumor mill I’m no doubt going to be immersed in."

    "Wordlessly I reach for the handle of my door and try to open it–only for the handle to uselessly swing out to no effect, the door not budging an inch."

    "I glance over at my Dad, a silent question for him to unlock the door. He looks back at me."

    ad "We need to talk."

    pause .5

    "So we’re doing this. Goddamnit, haven’t we been through this routine enough?"

    A "Classes are gonna start soon, Dad. I thought you didn’t want me to be late?"

    ad "We can spare a minute or two."

    pause .5

    ad "...Besides, this is probably the last chance we’re gonna get to speak face-to-face for–Well, for awhile."

    A "I’m sure you and Mom are thrilled about that."

    ad "Don’t be a smartass, Anon, I know you probably don’t care, but your Mother and I moved heaven and Earth to make this little second chance of yours a reality. Nothing about this was easy."

    A "Except the part where you get rid of me."

    "He opens his mouth. I look him dead in the eyes as I speak first."

    A "After all, easier to get me away from home than having to keep dealing with my screw-ups, right?"

    ad "Yes, and it was {i}your{/i} fault."

    ad "What those kids did wasn’t right, by any means, but you and you alone posted that shit online, son. You’ve got no one to blame but yourself!"

    "The bite in those words knocks the wind out of my sails. My expression shifts from something defiant to something... Weaker." 

    pause .5
    
    "Dad takes a deep breath through his nose, working his mouth for a moment as he looks away from me. He stares off at the library."

    ad "...None of this is easy, son, like or not, this is the best fresh start you’re getting. The best second chance–and the last one, too."

    "I can hear him clearing his throat."

    ad "Look, we’ve... Been through this whole trainwreck a half-dozen times before. Just listen to me one last time, I’m not fighting you on it." 
    
    ad "The circumstances aren’t ideal, far from it, and I take no pleasure in shipping off my boy some featherback shithole halfway across the continent."

    ad "But... Maybe this’ll do you good. Maybe – Maybe the independence will help you figure yourself out."
    
    ad "Maybe we coddled you too much, or... I don’t know anymore, son."

    "Dad rests a hand against the steering wheel again, squeezing it slightly as he tried to think."
    
    "I couldn’t find words to say. My mouth felt dry."

    pause .5

    ad "--You remember the deal of this whole arrangement, yeah?"

    "I nod slowly."

    A "College or military."

    ad "College or military, I only want one of those things for you, Anon. I’ve read some good things about this place."
    
    ad "You coasted along on bare minimum back home, but maybe if you apply yourself here, you might be able to make it."

    "He looks me in the eyes again."

    ad "That’s what I want you to do, more than anything, Anon. Make it. Make the most of this."
    
    ad "It’s not a punishment, son, it’s... It’s an opportunity. Reinvent yourself, get a better view on things. Hell, just make some friends."

    "In a school full of Meteor Dodgers? Not fucking likely."

    "My silence is my answer to him. As he waits for me to speak, he glances down at the clock."
    
    "Just a couple minutes until classes start now. I’ll be lucky to make it to the building before the bell rings."

    ad "We’re outta time."

    "Dad lean over to unlock the car. The Bronto audibly clicks as the doors unlock."

    "He raises the hand nearest to me, seeming to shift a little closer, before he hesitates."
    
    "At the end of it all, he just lets out a breath and rests that hand on my shoulder, giving me a firm squeeze."

    ad "Goodbye, son. Good luck. Text us later to let us know you made it to your apartment."

    A "Bye Dad."
    
    scene black with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    "I waste no time with the reply, just like I waste no time with opening the door and swinging myself onto my feet."
    
    "I shut the passenger side behind me, and I start to walk."

    scene LibParking with Dissolve(0.5)

    show anon neutral with Dissolve(0.5):
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.6
    pause 0.5

    show anon with Dissolve(0.5):
        xzoom -1.0

    "As I hear the engine grumble to life and the faint creeping of rubber on asphalt, I glance over my shoulder to watch my Dad’s car vanish down the road we had come from, further and further until the trees at the edge of campus consume it."
    
    "That anxiety in my gut flares with renewed anger as I realize, for the first time, I actually am on my own now."

    "My eyes linger on the road for a moment longer, before I close them and take in a long, deep breath."

    show anon:
        easeout 1 xcenter 0.4

    "I take one step forward. My feet feel like they’re made of lead."

    show anon:
        easeout 1 xcenter 0.2

    "As I take another, I open my eyes. The campus of Volcano High greets me, welcoming me. Or challenging me. Probably a bit of both."

    "Fuck it." 

    "Here we go."

    show anon:
        easein 5 xcenter 0.2 -1.0
    
    hide anon with Dissolve (0.5)

    pause 0.5    

    scene black with Dissolve (0.5)

    "A spark of motivation begins to warm up in my chest. This could be a new start afterall. If I just play my cards right, Rockbottom will probably be a distant memory by the end of the week."
    
    "Baby steps first. Just gotta keep walking forward."

    pause .5

    scene VolcanoF with Dissolve(1)

    show anon neutral:
        yalign 0.1 xalign 0.2
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I leave the library parking lot behind, passing by the pair of cars where the raptor pack had been leering before."
    
    "They must’ve left at some point during my Dad’s last speech towards me. Fine by me–the less interaction I have to deal with, the better."

    "I walk along a path of white pavement, stretching across the verdant green grass of the campus, bridging the library and the stony planters surrounding the entrance of the main building."

    "I quickly begin to realize just how warm it is here."

    pause 0.5

    "No, fuck that, it’s {i}hot{/i}."

    "Up north as it is, Rockbottom was fairly chilly most of the year. It could get a bit balmy during the summer, but the temperature here is something else entirely." 
    
    "I can already feel the hint of sweat on my brow. My shirt-jacket, light as it is, is already beginning to feel uncomfortable."

    "This is going to be an adjustment."

    "Compounding that discomfort is the fact that my hopes of making it to my first class unnoticed are quickly dashed." 
    
    "There’s still a small cluster of bodies still mingling outside of the main doorway, leaning against railings and sitting on the planters as they converse with one-another."
    
    "Scales, tails, feathers and frills. It’s never not going to bug me just how varied Saurians can be."

    "And as I draw closer, one by one, they begin to notice me."

    "Some are more discreet with their glances, but a pair of triceratops are full-on staring holes in the back of my head as I walk past them."

    "I catch a few mutters of “human” as I scale the stairway, having no desire to figure out what exactly they’re saying."
    
    "I brace a shoulder against one of the front doors. It’s heavy and sturdy, taking a bit of force to budge open. Finally, it jerks free with a wide swing–"

    pause 0.5
    stop ambient fadeout 4
    scene black with Dissolve(1)

    "And my eyes promptly bulge at what awaits me."

    pause 0.5
    play ambient 'audio/effects/teenageCrowdFarLoop.ogg' fadein 4
    scene WelcomeVH with Dissolve (2)
    pause 0.5

    "The main hallway is crammed full of students."
    
    "Compared to outside, few are idle, the rainbow of bodies moving in every direction as people filter towards their first classes of the day."
    scene vhHallway 

    show anon neutral:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.3
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    pause .5

    show rv stonappy behind anon with Dissolve(0.5):
        xalign -1.0 yalign 0.1 xzoom -1.0
        easein_cubic 0.75 xalign -0.2
    play sound 'audio/effects/whoosh.ogg' # CC0

    show anon fear:
        xalign 0.6 yalign 0.1
        easein 0.5 xzoom -1
    show rv stonappy:
        easein 0.5 xalign -0.2
    with MoveTransition(0.5, time_warp=_ease_in_time_warp)
    show anon fear flip:
        xzoom 1

    "I only realize I’m standing in the doorway like a moron when someone bumps into my back. Flinching, I look over my shoulder."

    pause 0.5

    show anon neutral flip behind rv with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I’m met with a pair of bright blue eyes and violet bangs, crowned with a pair of white horns."
    
    "A muzzle of slate gray scales, a thick jacket that looks a little similar to what I’d wear."

    unknown "You gonna go in, dude...?"

    "Her speech is slow. It almost sounds like she’s spaced out."
    
    "I swear I can catch the faintest hint of a skunky smell on her that would probably explain it, but the alarms in my head are slowly beginning to whir to life, and I don’t have time, nor a want, to look into this random stoner."

    A "{cps=*1.0}Yeahsuresorry.{/cps}"

    show anon:
        easeout 0.5 xalign 2.0
    pause .5
    
    scene black with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I shuffle forward." 
    
    "I catch a glimpse of her cocking a brow at me as I swing my eyes ahead and just start walking down the hall."

    "Stonersaurus might’ve been the first person to notice me in the building, but she wasn’t the last."
    
    pause 0.5
    scene vhHallway with Dissolve(1)

    show anon neutral at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xalign 0.3
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    "The sirens are quickly reaching a DEFCON volume as several packs of people slow their pace or outright pause to gawk at me."
    
    "The volume of the hallway chatter was overwhelming and completely random, but a singular theme slowly but surely begins to emerge in the crowd."

    stop ambient fadeout 3

    pause .5

    play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 3

    show anon neutral at idle_breath_subtle:
        easein 2 xalign 0.5

    pause .5
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    show dimmer_darker behind anon with Dissolve(1)

    show crowdA at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter -2.0
        easein 2 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    unknown "Holy shit, is that a human?"

    show crowdA at idle_breath_subtle:
        easeout 2 xalign -2.0

    show crowdB at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter -2.0
        easein 2 xcenter 0.2

    unknown "He looks so... plain."

    show crowdB at idle_breath_subtle:
        easeout 2 xalign -2.0
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    show crowdC at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter -2.0
        easein 2 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    unknown "Dude needs some fashion pointers, for real."

    show crowdC at idle_breath_subtle:
        easeout 2 xalign -2.0
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    show crowdD at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter -2.0
        easein 2 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    unknown "Are all humans bald like that? I swear I’ve–"

    show crowdD at idle_breath_subtle:
        easeout 2 xalign -2.0
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    show crowdE at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter -2.0
        easein 2 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    unknown "He kinda looks like a modeling doll."

    show crowdE at idle_breath_subtle:
        easeout 2 xalign -2.0
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    show crowdF at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter -2.0
        easein 2 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    unknown "That our new mascot or something?"

    show crowdF at idle_breath_subtle:
        easeout 2 xalign -2.0
    pause 1.0
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    "I keep my eyes down, avoiding contact as I try to increase my pace."
    
    "I can feel spaghetti bubbling up in my pockets, we’re about to experience a full-on pasta spillage at this reach."
    
    show crowdH behind anon:
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
        yalign 0.1 xcenter -2.0
        easein 3 xcenter 0.3
    pause 1.0

    "The mental sirens erupt into a wail as a particularly bold raptor lurches out from the crowd, grabbing my hand with a claw."

    "I’m shocked by a number of things. The brazen act itself, of course. The texture of the Saurian’s scales, oddly cool against my palm."
    
    "But most of all WHAT THE FUCK WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING ME–"

    hide dimmer_darker with hpunch
    
    show anon ohshit:
        easeout_quart 1 xalign 0.5
        easein_cubic 0.2 xalign 0.45
        ease_cubic 0.75 xalign 0.5
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    unknown "Wo-ho-hoooo! Human skin’s weeeiird!"

    show anon fear:
        yalign 0.1 xalign 0.5
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    show anon concerned at idle_breath_subtle:
        yalign 0.1 xalign 0.5
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    pause .5

    show crowdH:
        easeout 2 xalign -2.0
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    pause 1
    with Dissolve (1)

    "I jerk my hand free and pick up the pace, doing my best to control my breathing."
    
    "Christ this is awful, I knew there was going to be some level of novelty to this arrangement but this reaction is off the fucking charts."

    unknown "Yo, new guy, come back!"

    unknown "Let me grab a selfie with you dude!"

    play sound 'audio/effects/cameraMult.ogg' volume 0.3

    "The voices are joined by an undercurrent of smartphone cameras clicking off."
    
    "Dazed, I round the nearest corner and do everything in my power not to break into a sprint."

    stop ambient fadeout 2

    "Don’t sperg out. Do not sperg out, Anon. You just fucking got here and you’re making a scene chill the fuck–"

    show anon:
        easein 1 xalign 0.8
    pause .5

    unknown "Mr. Mous?" #Sereno

    "A masculine voice calls out my last name. I can feel my heart doing calisthenics in my chest, how the hell do these freaks already know my name?!"
    
    "Before I can get any further, the sound of shoes reporting against the polished tile floor clacks behind me."      

    show sereno neutral behind anon:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.5
        matrixcolor TintMatrix("#000000")
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    show anon ohshit:
        easeout_quart 1 xalign 0.8
        easein_cubic 0.2 xalign 0.75
        ease_cubic 0.75 xalign 0.8
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    pause 1
    
    "A firm hand rests on my shoulder, stopping me, and my eyes widen as I notice the fingers of said hand are tipped with claws."

    unknown "Anon!" 

    stop music 

    show anon shocked with hpunch:
        xcenter 0.8
    play sound 'audio/effects/slapStickPunch.ogg'

    pause .5

    show anon neutral:
        xalign 0.9
        easein 1 xalign 1.2
    
    show sereno:
        easeout 1 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    pause .5

    "I jerk around, pulling myself free from the claw of my most recent assailant–"

    show anon at flip
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    show sereno neutral:
        matrixcolor None
    with Dissolve (1)

    pause 0.5

    "What greets me is definitely not a student. The Saurian’s a predator, judging from how sharp the teeth in his confused smile are."

    show sereno concerned
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    "Seemingly caught off guard by my reaction, and more likely my general sense of panic, the older man raises his claws in a calming gesture."

    play music 'audio/OST/Venetian Values.ogg' fadein 3 volume 0.5

    unknown "Woah, hey! Easy, everything’s alright. You doing okay, Mr. Mous? You look pretty spooked."

    "His flat voice betrays his age, though there is a hint of concern that tinges it. Swallowing, I give him a shaky nod."

    show anon sad at flip
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    A "Y-Yeah, I’m fine, just got a little, uh... overwhelmed back there."

    show anon neutral 
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    show sereno neutral at flip
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    "I nudge my chin in the direction behind him, and he looks over his shoulder. A handful of students are nosily peering over at us."

    show sereno angry
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    "A glare sent their way by the faculty member–at least that’s what I assume him to be–causes them to turn away and start to walk off."

    show sereno neutral at deflip
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    pause .5

    unknown "I’m beginning to see why."

    show sereno concerned
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    unknown "Seems like you had quite the reception. I’m sorry for that, Anon."
    
    unknown "I don’t think it was malicious on their part, they were probably just curious about you. We don’t get too many Humans in our area, admittedly."

    "Too fucking curious, they were treating me like I was a zoo animal."

    show sereno neutral
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    unknown "What was that?"

    show anon ohshit 
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    A "Nothing, sir."

    pause .5
    show anon neutral 
    with Dissolve (0.25)
    
    A "Anyways, you seem to know who I am. You are...?"

    unknown "Apologies, I should’ve started with that. I’m Principal Sereno, head of faculty here at Volcano High."

    ps "Due to the unique nature of your transfer, I wanted to meet you personally and guide you through the first steps. Something your parents found appreciative."

    "That catches me off-guard. Mom and Dad never put in that kind of effort, low bar as it really was, back at Rockbottom. I almost feel a flicker of appreciation. Almost."

    "It quickly curdles though. I can’t help but shake the notion of what the real undercurrent of this decision was."
    
    "Dad probably spoke to this guy hoping to minimize my chances of fucking up my first impression."

    "Likewise, it only now occurs to me that this guy was looking for me. Shit."

    A "Ah... Well, uhm, nice to meet you, sir. I wasn’t aware I was supposed to come see you, or I would’ve, uh, gotten here sooner."

    "And not let my Dad hold me in the car for one last sermon."

    ps "No worries! I was waiting at the front door to receive you, but I got dragged off to attend to another matter."
    
    ps "If not for that, we probably would’ve spared you that whole rigmarole you just went through."

    show sereno happy
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    "He laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck."

    ps "Sorry about that, again."

    A "It’s fine, probably would’ve just happened at lunch anyways. Might as well get it out of the way now."

    "Hopefully... God, I don’t want to go through that again."

    ps "A fine way of looking at it."

    show sereno neutral
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    "He gave a nod of approval and a slight smile, before he jerked a hand over his shoulder, pointing in the opposite direction."

    show sereno at flip
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    ps "If you’ll follow me to my office, we’ve got a good bit to cover."
    
    ps "Nothing too complicated, just getting some basic paperwork sorted while I tell you about our wonderful campus."
    
    show sereno happy at deflip
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    ps "We’ll have you attending homeroom in a jiffy. Sound good?"

    "I quietly nod to him as he turns about and begins to walk, and I follow after him."

    show sereno neutral at flip:
        linear 7.0 xcenter -2.0
    show anon:
        linear 7.0 xcenter -2.0
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    scene black with Dissolve(0.5)

    pause 0.5

    scene vhHallway 

    show sereno neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
    show anon neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.6
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "The hall’s growing increasingly quiet by this point, such that I can begin to audibly hear our footsteps echoing around."
    
    "Soft murmurs of conversation trickle through as we pass by closed classroom doors, and the odd shade of a tardy student darts about a juncture at the far end of the corridor."

    $ renpy.music.set_volume(0, 0, 'music')
    play ambient 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/effects/MicrophoneFail.ogg' fadein 3 volume 0.4
    with hpunch
    show sereno angry at flip 
    show anon ohshit at flip
    with Dissolve(0.3)

    "All the sudden, that quiet is immediately stolen from us. A loud, discordant mess of a noise blares out across the halls, loud as could."

    "I snap my eyes up towards the nearest source of the noise, and I’m met with a brown polymer cube resting against the seam of the pale brick wall and the panels of the ceiling, a mesh covering over the front."

    "The onslaught of sound is equal parts a bell ring and what almost sounds like a doppler radar going haywire. What the fuck?"

    "Sereno slowed his stride a little in front of me." 

    stop ambient fadeout 2
    $ renpy.music.set_volume(1, 3, 'music')

    "As the cacophony finally dies down, I can hear the end of a frustrated grumble leaving him. He raises a claw to rub along the bridge of his snout."

    ps "Unbelievable! That’s the fourth time this has happened already..."

    show anon neutral at flip
    with Dissolve (0.25)

    "I can’t help but raise an eyebrow."

    A "What the hell is it?"

    pause 0.5

    show sereno at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    pause 0.5

    show anon concerned at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "Shit. The suchomimus glances over his shoulder, giving me a stare that carries the slightest hint of disapproval."

    ps "Language, Mr. Mous."

    show sereno neutral 
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    ps "As for what it is, I’m... Not entirely sure. It’s what pulled me away from meeting you at the doorway, though."

    show sereno at flip
    show anon neutral at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "He began to walk at full speed once more, and I picked up the pace to match him, listening to him as he carried on."

    ps "It’s been happening through the morning. I asked the custodians to take a look at the intercom system for any obvious damage, but they said everything was fine. And yet, it’s still happening."

    ps "We’re having an IT guy coming in later this evening, hopefully we’ll be able to get it sorted."

    "Great, I get to deal with that for the rest of the day."

    scene black with Dissolve (0.5)

    scene vhHallway with Dissolve (0.5)

    show anon neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.7
    
    show sereno neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    "After what felt like ages, the principal finally stops in front of an ornate wooden door. On it is a small, gilded plaque that displays the word “Principal” on it."
    
    "It seemed oddly old fashioned, given the state of the rest of the building."

    show sereno at flip:
        easein 2 xcenter 0
    
    pause .5
    
    scene black with Dissolve (0.5)

    "Sereno turned the knob and swung the heavy door open, its hinges whining softly."

    scene serenoOffice with Dissolve (0.5)

    show sereno neutral:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
    show anon neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.7
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "It revealed a decently sized room, the bulk of it consumed by a large, heavy desk of dark wood, stained with patterns of black."

    "The surface of the desk was consumed with loose papers, a stack of manila folders and random knick knacks of school memorabilia."
    
    "A pair of computer monitors and a mouse and keyboard fought for space amidst the clutter."

    "Shelves lined the sides of the room and behind him, filed with books and files upon more books and files."
    
    "Large, bulky plaques of wood and metal hung near the ceiling. Decades-old trophies from victories of the “Volcano High Razor Wings.” Must be the school’s sports team."

    "He slumped into a large, padded office chair on the other side of the desk."
    
    "He gestured to a pair of equally large, worn leather chairs on my side of the table."

    ps "Please take a seat while I go look for your file."

    hide sereno with Dissolve(0.5)
    pause 0.5

    "I oblige, sitting down in one of the leather chairs."

    show anon at flip:
        easein_cubic 1 xcenter 0.8
        easein_back 1 yalign -0.15

    pause 1.5

    "God, were these things designed with elephants in mind? The cushions are practically swallowing me whole; anything close to comfortable is a far-fetched thought."

    show sereno neutral:
        yalign -0.1 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    "I can hear the dusty shitter of a computer tower hidden near his feet humming to life as he shakes his mouth, the glare of the two monitors faintly visible against his outfit."

    "As Sereno tries to work with his desktop, I keep glancing around the room. It’s kind of boring, admittedly. Musty and old, but after the sensory overload I just experienced? It’s kind of refreshing."

    "That, and the room’s surprisingly chilly thanks to the air conditioning. I could’ve kissed him just for that."

    show sereno angry
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I’m drawn back to reality as Sereno lets out a low sigh. The kind of sigh Dad always made when he was forced to tangle with a problem his tech illiteracy only exacerbated."

    ps "Today just keeps throwing curveballs..."

    "He gives the mouse a little frustrated jerk, before he leans back in his seat."

    show sereno neutral
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    ps "Seems our whole system is having a bit of a rough patch. I can’t access your files, or, well–anything, really. Let me try something real quick..."

    "As he leans back in, I decide to pull my phone out and take a glance at the time. What confronts me immediately has me puzzled."
    
    "My cell service is at a grand total of zero bars, and what’s stranger still, small flickers of visual distortion keep ghosting across my lock screen."

    A "My phone’s messed up too."

    ps "--What’s that?"

    "Shifting his gaze away from his monitors. I raise my phone towards Principal Sereno, and his brow furrows."
    
    "The Principal reaches into his pocket and withdraws his own PaleApple brick, and the huff that escapes him is all I need to know that he’s experiencing it too."

    ps "Weird..."

    A "Yeah, on the drive in, my Dad’s radio was messing up too, kept playing static. Think there might be a cell tower down or something?"

    "A stupid question, one that I already realize the answer to. He speaks it before I can."

    ps "Maybe? That wouldn’t explain the intercom though."

    "Doesn’t explain the visual distortion either."

    "I see the suchomimus shaking his head with a grumble."

    ps "It doesn’t matter, nothing we can do. Hopefully, it’ll sort itself out in a few minutes. We can discuss something while we wait either way."
    
    show sereno:
        easein_cubic 1 yalign 0.1
    pause .5
    hide sereno with Dissolve(0.5)

    "The Principal stands up and walks past the desk and me in kind, moving towards the door to his office and closing it."

    show sereno neutral:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
        easein_back 1 yalign -0.1
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    "The silence of the room becomes all the more deafening, punctuated only by his voice as he moves back towards his chair."

    ps "May as well go ahead and address the elephant in the room."
    
    ps "As you probably already know, we’ve been made aware of the circumstances involving your transfer here to our facility."

    stop music
    pause 2.0

    "{cps=*0.6}{b}{i}W h a t ?{/cps}"

    play music 'audio/OST/sadist.ogg' fadein 3

    "No, I did in fact not fucking know that."

    show anon neutral flip at idle_breath_subtle:
        xzoom -1.0

    "My body immediately cramps up, and I can feel my chest tightening. It feels like an anvil is pressing on my lungs."

    "So every single teacher in this school already knows? Raptor Christ, no. Anything but that."

    "My breathing hitches a bit, and my face was probably an open book, because Sereno immediately raises his hand in a placating gesture."

    ps "Don’t fret, young man. We know that the circumstances of your transfer were... nothing short of complicated. But I’m here to tell you that we are keen to keep this matter private."
    
    ps "No one will hear a word about this from one of our teachers. You can rest easy."

    "Rest easy?! How the fuck am I supposed to rest easy when all of my teachers know what happened?!"

    show anon concerned flip at idle_breath_subtle:
        xzoom -1.0
        linear 1 xcenter 0.83 
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    "I sink back into my seat with a defeated look."

    "Sighing once more, Sereno folds his claws on top of his desk. The looks he gives me is equal parts comforting and serious."

    ps "Let’s go back to the beginning. I was under the assumption this had already been made clear to you."

    ps "Due to the unique nature of your academic transfer, the board of your hometown was compelled to exchange information regarding your academic history with us."
    
    ps "Part of this information was the circumstances that led to your decision in the first place."

    show sereno concerned
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    pause .25
    show sereno:
        easein_cubic 1 xcenter 0.3
    pause 1

    "He raised one of his hands towards me, leaning in a little closer. He spoke a little more slowly now, emphasis on each and every word."

    ps "Anon, please believe me when I say that we want to help you make it through this year. All of us are here to support you, not sabotage your social life."
    
    ps "I understand that you might feel less comfortable in this completely new environment, with people that aren’t your own species."

    show sereno neutral
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "He pauses, letting me digest the words before he continues."

    ps "However, our staff will make sure that none of this will follow you here. Our lips are sealed, Anon. And if you ever need to talk to someone about this, my door is always open for you."

    "Despite his reassurance, I can’t help but feel a sting in my chest. This is not at all what I signed up for."

    stop music fadeout 3

    show anon neutral:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.8
    pause 1
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I can’t force myself to mask the discomfort on my face, but I swallow and nod towards him."

    show sereno:
        easeout 1 xcenter 0.2
    
    "This seems to be enough for him, because he nods back towards me, before leaning back in his chair once more."

    show sereno happy 
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    ps "With that settled, I can move on to covering some of the programs and benefits we can offer you during your stay with us for your senior year. Sound good?"

    "I quietly nod a second time."

    show sereno neutral behind anon
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    pause 0.5
    play ambient 'audio/effects/heartbeat.ogg' fadein 4
    show dimmer_darker behind anon with Dissolve(1)
    pause 0.5

    "Sereno proceeds to break out into what could only be described as a lengthy, well-rehearsed tirade. He covers a bit of everything–the history of the school, his own time spent within its faculty, their accolades and graduation rates."
    
    "He soon shifts on to the programs provided to students here, and it doesn’t escape me that he heavily emphasizes financial aid and lunch assistance options that are available to me."

    "Guess the staff know I’m a broke Skinnie, too. Figures."

    "The Principal’s definitely saying a lot, and I really should be interested, but I’m just checked out. My mind keeps wandering back to that black bolt of anxiety firmly wedged in my chest: {b}{i}They know.{/b}{/i}"

    "Sure, it’s just the teachers right now, but all it takes is one old man to have some loose lips one morning without realizing, and suddenly every single student in this shithole is going to be laughing at me."

    "I’m compromised. Cover blown, cornered. I–{nw=1}"

    stop ambient fadeout 5
    hide dimmer_darker with Dissolve(1)
    
    ps "Mr. Mous, did you get all of that?"

    "–really should have been paying attention. Shit."

    "Clearing my throat, I best give him a firm nod and lies through my teeth."

    A "Absolutely, sir, I’ll be sure to look into them."

    "He hums, giving me a stare, before he glances back at his monitors. He quickly shakes his head."

    ps "Good. Unfortunately, it looks like our system still isn’t responding, and we’ve about run out of time. I don’t want you to miss your first class of the semester after all."

    A "But, what about the paperwork...?"

    ps "Can’t really give it to you if I don’t got it printed off, can I? Should’ve prepared for that ahead of time."

    "Shaking his head again, he continues."

    ps "Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get these documents sorted for you. In the mean time, go ahead and get moving. I believe you’ve got Roberts, right?"

    "That name sounds familiar."
    
    show anon:
        easein_cubic 1 yalign 0.1
    
    show sereno happy:
        easein_cubic 1 yalign 0.1
        easein 2 xcenter 0.5
    with Dissolve(0.25)
    pause 1

    "I nod towards him, moving to stand as he does the same. He plants a claw on my shoulder as he ushers me towards the door."

    ps "Lucky for you! She’s a great mentor, be sure to listen to her. Her class is Room 045. This floor, head down the hall to the right, you’ll see it eventually."

    ps "I’m sure you’re gonna do just fine, Anon. Have a great day. I or someone else will contact you about those papers later today, alright? See you then."

    show anon neutral:
        xzoom 1.0
        easeout 3 xcenter 2.0 
    with Dissolve (0.25)
    pause 1.0

    scene vhHallway with Dissolve(0.5)

    show anon neutral:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I mumble something akin to a response before leaving. He doesn’t stop me to confirm what I said, shutting the door behind me."

    "The urge to fake being sick just so I can go home is ever present, but I shut it up immediately. There’s no way in hell my parents would allow that. So I do the only thing that’s left for me to do."

    scene black with Dissolve(0.5)

    "Armed with Sereno’s directions, the homeroom really wasn’t that hard to find."

    "After a minute or two of slow strolling down the halls, buying myself as much time as possible before I’d have to go through the dreaded introductions all over again, I eventually find my way to a thick, light-tinted wood door."

    "A small, black plastic slide with the white numbers 0-4-5 rests in a metal holder on the front of the door."

    "Here we go."

    scene homeroomHag with Dissolve(0.5)

    show anon neutral:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.1
    with Dissolve (0.5)
    
    unknown "--Who's next?"

    show roberts neutrangry at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.5
    with Dissolve (0.5)
    pause 1.0

    show roberts at deflip
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    "Those are the words I hear as I slowly swing the door open. I guess I was hoping I might be able to sneak into the classroom without being noticed."
    
    "A stupid thought. Every scaly snout and pair of diamond eyes in the classroom swings my way immediately."

    pause .5

    play music 'audio/OST/middle_of_nowhere.ogg' fadein 3

    "The room itself is what I’d expect from your average modern classroom. A rectangle with walls half painted khaki and teal green, divided down the middle."
    
    "A simple wooden teacher’s desk at the front, with three rows of desks adjacent from it, stretching back to the far wall."
    
    "Posters, some of them motivational, some of them informational, all of them educational, line the walls and the huge whiteboard at the front of the room."

    "Every seat is filled with a Saurian of some variety–save one, the very last seat in the middle row. All of my fellow students are eyeing me with confusion, curiosity or disinterest."

    "Standing across from me, right in the middle of the classroom is a tall figure wearing a long-sleeved, white-cuffed and collared black dress."
     
    "That snout and those claws make me assume she’s a carnivore; her scales are lavender, with dark patches of violet around her golden eyes."
    
    "Her white hair’s done up in a bob past a pair of stubby horns on her brow, and there’s a golden crest along the middle of her snout."

    "She must be Roberts. She looks too mature not to be a teacher."

    msr "Hold that thought."

    "Her voice confirming that she was the one who I had accidentally interrupted. There’s a professional neutrality in her voice and masking her face."

    "She waves at me to come closer."

    show anon:
        easeout 2 xcenter 0.3

    show roberts at flip:
        easein 2 xcenter 0.6
    with Dissolve(0.25)
    pause 1.0
    
    "Nodding quietly, I shut the classroom door behind me as I awkwardly shuffle over towards her."
    
    "I do my best to ignore the rest of the students gawking at me, difficult as that is. Ms. Roberts’ own stare is no less piercing."
    
    show anon sad
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I find myself staring at the floor instead of making eye contact with either of the two options."

    msr "Class, this is Anon Mous."

    msr "Mr. Mous is a transfer student from up north, who has chosen to spend his Senior year with us here in Caldera Bay."
    
    msr "Everything I spoke about earlier–the challenges that you’ll be facing this year? This is especially true for him."
    
    msr "Mr. Mous is in an environment he isn’t familiar with, surrounded by strangers."
    
    msr "I’m sure you can only imagine the kind of pressure that might put you under, which is why I hope you will all do your best to help Anon feel welcome and safe here on campus."

    show roberts at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "I’m glad you were finally able to make it, Anon. I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost."

    "Nothing in the way she said that was accusatory in any way, I know, but there’s something about her expression that makes me feel nervous. I grimace apologetically."

    show anon neutral
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    A "Sorry, ma’am. Mr. Sereno was–{nw=1}"

    msr "I’m well aware of your meeting with the Principal, I’m sure our Principal has left you well informed on the many opportunities and advantages afforded to you here at Volcano High, yes?"

    "I {i}really{/i} should’ve paid attention to him, shit."

    A "Sure."

    msr "Good."

    msr "We were discussing plans for the future when you arrived, Anon. College, careers and other such aspirations."
    
    show roberts at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "Reed here had just finished sharing his own plans."

    show anon:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.2
    show roberts:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.5
    pause .5
    show reedGVH neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.9
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "She gestures to a raptor towards the far end of the classroom, the only empty desk right behind him."
    
    "He screamed the color pink, for lack of a better word. His scales were varying shades of pink, striped with lighter patterns, a darker shade around his muzzle."
    
    "His hair and what looked like the feathers of his long tail, curled near the base of the desk, were likewise pink. His eyes were a striking purple though."

    Re "S’up."

    hide reedGVH with Dissolve(0.5)
    pause 0.5
    show roberts neutrangry at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.5
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    show roberts at flip:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.6
    show anon:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.3
    pause 1

    "He gives a little wave with a claw to me. I return the gesture before looking back to Roberts as she looks back to me."

    msr "Let’s continue that topic."

    msr "I think it’ll serve as a good icebreaker for you, Anon. Tell the class what you plan to do once you graduate, and I’ll give you some feedback on it."

    stop music

    pause 1.0

    "{b}{i}{cps=*0.6}F u c k.{/cps}"

    play music 'audio/OST/intercept.ogg' fadein 3
    show anon concerned at idle_breath_subtle
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I can practically feel sweat beginning to bead at my brow."
    
    "I know I was going to be put into some kind of a spotlight initially, but having to share my future plans with these people leaves me feeling uncomfortable."

    show anon neutral at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.1)
    
    "Then again, my Dad’s ultimatum is still there. Maybe that’ll suffice."

    A "Well..."
    
    "I start jamming my hands in my coat pockets to hide their nervous fidgeting."

    A "Part of me moving up here was that I’m supposed to try and go to college. If that doesn’t pan out, then I’m gonna enlist in the, uh... The Military, I guess."

    msr "{i}Hum."

    msr "Having a back-up plan in case your original goal falls through is smart."

    show roberts at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    msr "In this case, you’ve chosen an option that is always going to be available to you outside of some bizarre circumstance."

    msr "While armed service is far from ideal for many people, it can still provide you with skills, discipline and support that you can use to reorient your life in a worst case scenario."

    pause 0.5

    "She pauses, eyes narrowing a little."

    show roberts at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "And, do tell, what exactly do you intend to go to college for?"

    "Of course she’d press for details."
    
    show anon sad
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I frown slightly, falling silent. Part of me hopes that she’ll sense my hesitation and give me an easy break, but her gaze on me doesn't falter."

    "I glance away from her and out to the class."

    "Some of the students have lost interest, stealing glances at their phones or other things."
    
    "I catch a glimpse of a monochrome thing with wings in the back of the class sketching something on a notebook."
    
    "Meanwhile, the others are still watching me with rapt attention. The pink one the teacher had referred to as Reed was among them, and a lilac-scaled woman with a crest across from him was staring over at me with wide, green eyes."
    
    "She seemed positively fascinated by me. Eugh."

    "Roberts clears her throat to get my attention and prompt me to speak. I grit my teeth, feeling ready to implode."
    
    "I search my head for some kind of answer, anything, even an absolute bullshit one."

    "But all I come up with is..."

    show anon shrug
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    A "...I don't know."

    pause 1.0
    stop music fadeout 3
    show roberts annoyed at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "You don’t know?"

    show anon neutral
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "She repeats the words to me, and all I can do is nod. A long hum escapes her."

    msr "Well, you have eight months to figure it out, at least. Let’s hope something here inspires you."

    pause 0.5

    show roberts neutrangry at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "She shifts her attention away from me, and to the rest of her students."

    msr "Does anyone have anything they’d wish to ask Anon before we continue?"

    "A hand immediately shoots up. It’s the green-eyed starer from before."

    hide roberts with Dissolve(0.5)

    show anon:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.2
    pause 1

    show naomiGVH neutral at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.8
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    "I get a better look at her as I glance in her direction. She’s a herbivore of some kind, or I think so at least."
    
    "There’s a long crest emerging from the back of her dark blonde hair, an orange stripe running down the front of it and the rest of her face."
    
    "She’s wearing a short sleeve dress shirt with a pink bow, and a pair of pink-accented glasses."

    "God, what a {i}geek{/i}."

    show naomiGVH smile at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg' fadein 3

    unknown "Hi there! It’s nice to meet you!"

    "She chirps out as she lowers her hand, gesturing to herself with it."

    unknown "I’m Naomi, she-her."

    "Christ, a Tumblrsaurus too."

    show naomiGVH surprised at flip
    with Dissolve (0.3)

    N "What was that?"

    A "Ah, sorry, nice to meet you too. Uhm, what did you wanna know...?"

    show naomiGVH smile at flip
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    "Smiling, she folds her hands on the desk before her."

    N "What’s it like where you’re from? I’ve always heard humans tend to live in Northern Pangea, and, well–I’ve never been there before!"

    pause 0.5

    show reedGVH neutral at flip:
        xcenter 0.7
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    Re "I’ve always heard it’s like, super cold."

    show naomiGVH neutral at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    show reedGVH thinking at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    Re "Like, winter-all-the-time and worse cold."

    show anon shrug
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    A "Yeah, it’s... Pretty chilly up there usually. Kind of mild this time of year, but it snows during the winter."

    show anon neutral
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    show reedGVH neutral at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    Re "Wild. I think I’d literally turn into an ice cube."

    N "Not exactly."

    "She glances between me and him."

    show naomiGVH thinking at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    N "But, you’re not too far off. Saurian biology really doesn’t do too well in extremes of that nature, save for a small handful of really hardy subspecies."

    N "It’s why there’s always been such a large population divergence between the north and the south historically, even after our species became socially integrated."

    show naomiGVH smile at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I don’t know what it is about her that makes me feel so uncomfortable."
    
    "She’s being perfectly pleasant to me, friendly even. Maybe it’s not her–it might just be her people in general."

    "I might not ever get used to these guys."

    show anon shrug
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    A "I mean, it’s really warm compared to what I’m used to, but it’s not too bad."

    "The death glare of the sun I experienced just from walking between the parking lot and the front door would beg to differ."

    show anon neutral
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    N "Good old endothermic temperature regulation at its finest!"

    N "There’s actually an entire course I’m going to have to take on you guys once I graduate! I’ve done some preliminary stud–"

    stop music fadeout 3

    msr "In the interest of not turning this into an impromptu biology lesson, let’s put a pin in that for now, Naomi."

    show reedGVH worried behind anon
    show naomiGVH worried behind anon
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    pause 0.5

    show anon:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.6 
    show reedGVH worried:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.8
    show naomiGVH worried:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.9

    pause 1

    show anon at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.6
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    show roberts neutrangry at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "Roberts cut in, immediately snuffing the imminent yap session."

    show naomiGVH nervous at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    N "Right, right! Sorry! Got carried away."

    msr "Anyone else have anything to ask...?"

    "Roberts glances about the room again, but this time, no one else raises their hands."

    msr "Very well. Anon, you’ve got a seat for you at the back. Once again, welcome to Volcano High, and welcome to my class."

    scene homeroomHag with Dissolve(0.5)
    play music 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/ost/ThisClassSucks.ogg' fadein 3

    "I quietly and eagerly nod to the teacher, before I begin to make my way towards the rear of the classroom. I slide past Reed and Naomi as I go."

    "The former gives a nod and a muttered “Yo.” The latter just smiles up at me and gives me another wave as I move past her."

    show anon neutral:
        easein_cubic 2 xcenter 0.2
        easein_back 2 yalign -0.1
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    pause 1.0

    "I slump into my desk, and find that it’s got a nice amount of space to it. Considering how big some of these guys can get, I think furniture being a bit too accommodating is going to be something of a recurring theme around here."
    
    "I slide my backpack off, resting it against one of the desk legs as I look ahead."

    "Roberts had paused long enough to let me sit down, but she’s already speaking once more."

    msr "Now then, we’ve still got plenty of time, let’s keep going. How about{cps=*0.5}...{/cps}"

    "She scans the crowd, before pointing towards the row to the left of me, at a green-scaled Dino wearing some really ratty clothing. Damn, he looks worse than me, somehow."

    msr "Milhouse, you’re up. Plans after graduation."

    "The absolute manlet of a Saurian–dinolet?--begins to reply to the teacher, but frankly I’m not paying attention."
    
    "My eyes are boring a hole in the desktop between my hands as I begin to tune out the rest of the class."

    "It’d be a lie to say I’m interested in what this dork has to say about his future, yeah, but my decision to ignore him is coming more from the fact that Roberts’ little icebreaker has left me feeling... Unsettled."

    "Because I realize now that I really don’t know what I want to do once I graduate."

    "I know I {i}don’t{/i} want to enlist, at the very least. But in terms of actually going to college, I’m just coming up with a blank."

    "I should at least have some idea or hint of what direction I’m wanting to go in. A field, a major, anything. But I don’t. Nothing sounds so appealing or certain in my head that I could say I’m ready to commit at least two years of my life to it."

    "And as the class continues to unfold around me, the conversations of these multicolored weirdos reaching me as absolute white noise, I’m just left to stew in the reality that I feel lost."

    "It’s something I never had to worry about until now. Graduation, college–it all seemed a million years away, this time last year. A problem for older me to deal with."

    "Well, I am older me now. And older me is still a fucking loser, surrounded by scales and claws halfway across the world, away from everyone I’ve ever known, with not a single idea of what to do next."

    pause 0.5

    "...Fuck this, I can’t deal with it right now. This is just the recent portion on the pile of stressors this morning, and I feel ready to explode."

    "I need something to vent my frustrations on. I need a distraction."

    pause 1.0

    "I need to shitpost."

    show anon:
        pause 0.5
        linear 0 xzoom -1.0
        pause 0.5
        linear 0 xzoom 1.0 
        repeat
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I glance around the classroom for a moment, trying to get a feel for whether or not pulling my phone out is a good idea."
    
    "Most of the class is fixated on Roberts and her current subject. Looks like she switched over to analyzing some purple-scaled bitch with long hair across the other side of the room."
    
    "Think I overheard the name Stacy–whatever."

    show anon neutral:
        yalign -0.1 xcenter 0.2 xzoom 1.0
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    "To my immediate right though, I finally see what I’m looking for: another student on a mobile device. It’s the gray thing I saw doodling earlier when I was getting grilled at the front."

    stop music fadeout 3
    scene FangClass with Dissolve(1)
    play music 'audio/OST/That Monochromatic Weirdo.ogg' fadein 3

    "It doesn’t take me long to figure out what kind of Saurian they are, those huge, white-feathered wings curled upon on their back immediately give them away as a pterosaur of some kind."
    
    "If Reed screamed pink, they scream monochromatic. Gray scales with a faint hint of blue, long silver hair, a black crop top and pants, all tattered and torn up."
    
    "Between this one’s fashion and Reed’s loose tank top, the amount of skin you’re allowed to show in this school is starting to feel a bit obscene."

    scene FangEyesClass with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    "The one thing broke the monotony of their color palette was their eyes. Bright orange, positively vibrant when contrasted with the rest of them."

    "Something about them almost feels familiar."

    scene FangClass with Dissolve(0.5)

    "Either way, they’re on their own and haven’t been disturbed, so I’m going to assume Roberts doesn’t give a shit."
    
    "They’re positively engrossed with the screen, clawtips typing away rapidly."

    pause .5

    "...That has to be a woman, right? Doesn’t matter."

    scene homeroomHag with Dissolve(0.5)
    stop music fadeout 3

    show anonphone with easeinbottom
    pause 0.5

    "I look away from the ptero as I jam a hand into my pocket and pull out my own phone. Much to my delight, it appears to be working."
    
    "There’s no immediate loss of signal like back at Sereno’s office, and there certainly isn’t any weird artifacting across the screen this time around."

    "Still wonder what the hell that was about."

    "The moment I pull up my browser, I’m greeted with a sprawl of open tabs, each dedicated to an individual board. It doesn’t take long to hone in on the video games board. Easy pickings for (you)s."

    "My trained eye hones in on a thread debating the upcoming Pachystation Five. Oh, yeah, it’s all coming together."

    "My fingers dance to the tune of my inner muse, finally free to inflict sweet, sweet trollage on some sweaty nerds."
    
    "A masterclass TRVTHNVKE about all the ways in which the Pachystation Five, like its predecessor, already has no games swiftly lies in the palm of my hands."

    "I crush the captcha, and brace myself for the imminent catharsis of momentarily annoying random strangers on the internet."
    
    "I press the little blue post button..."

    pause 0.5

    "..."

    pause 0.5

    "...Any day now."

    pause 0.5

    "My brow furrows as I watch the progress at the bottom of my screen, so rapidly filling in every instance up until now, has slowed to a standstill halfway across the screen."
    
    "And then, suddenly, it snaps to black. “Not connected to the internet.”"

    "The cell’s went down, again, and I can even catch the little flickers from before hinting for milliseconds here and there about my screen."
    
    "What the actual–{nw=0.5}"

    hide anonphone
    
    show roberts neutrangry:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.8

    show anon neutral:
        yalign -0.1 xcenter 0.2

    with hpunch
    play sound 'audio/effects/slapstickPunch.ogg'

    msr "Anon!"

    show anon fear
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    pause 0.5

    show anon ohshit at deflip:
        yalign -0.1 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    "My heart stops as a familiar voice shouts my name. My head snaps up, and on reflex my phone snaps down, muscle memory to quickly hide the contents of my screen kicking into effect."

    show roberts annoyed
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "I don’t know what the policy on phones was in your former homeroom, but in my class, you will give your fellow students the same attention they were gracious enough to give you earlier. Do you understand?"

    show anon neutral:
        yalign -0.1
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    show dimmer_darker behind anon with Dissolve(1)
    play ambient 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/ost/Faceoff.ogg' fadein 2
    "I should just nod and accept the scolding. I was stupid and got caught. Besides, it’s not the end of the world, it’s not like she’s demanding I give my phone to her or anything."

    "Except, this is kind of bullshit."
    
    "Why is she singling me out? The feathered bitch beside me has been using a phone for awhile now, and Roberts hasn’t said a single word."

    pause .5

    hide dimmer_darker with Dissolve(1)

    stop ambient fadeout 2

    show anon angry:
        yalign -0.1
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    A "Why is she allowed to use her phone, then?"

    show roberts impressed 
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    pause .5
    show roberts neutrangry 
    with Dissolve(0.25)
    show roberts:
        linear 1 xcenter 0.5
    pause 1.0
    show roberts neutrangry at flip:
        xcenter 0.5
    with Dissolve(0.25)
    show fangGVH surprised at flip: 
        yalign -0.1 xcenter 0.8
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    "The words, egged on by my frustration over the moment and this day in general, are punctuated by me jerking my thumb in the direction of the pterosaur."

    show anon neutral:
        yalign -0.1
    show fangGVH at flip:
        yalign -0.1
    with Dissolve(0.5)
    
    "I catch her reaction out of the corner of my eye." 

    play music 'audio/OST/Many Such Cases of Being So True.ogg' fadein 3
    show fangGVH shocked at flip:
        yalign -0.1
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    show fangGVH angry at flip:
        yalign -0.1
    with Dissolve(1)
    
    "Blinking, she looks up from her device, eyes wide with confusion, and then anger."
    
    "She jerks her nearest wrist up, flashing me what looks like a tie-dyed bracelet of some kind. Her beak opens to speak, but Roberts gets to me first."

    show roberts at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "What {b}{i}they{/b}{/i} are doing has no bearing on you, and I do not appreciate the implication of your question."

    show roberts neutrangry at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "That doesn’t mean you’re excused though, Fang. Unlike Mr. Mous, you know better. Don’t let me catch you with it out in my class again."

    "Fang? Who the hell names their kid Fang?"

    stop music fadeout 3
    show fangGVH unimpressed at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "Fang huffs, shaking her head as she slides the phone into her backpack."

    F "Doesn’t matter either way. It’s not working."

    unknown "Ugh, mine’s not working either!"

    unknown "Same! Like totally dead."

    play ambient 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/effects/SmallAudienceChatter.ogg' fadein 3

    "Other students chime out similar frustrations over their phones, earning an eye roll from Roberts."

    show roberts annoyed at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "Anyone else care to update us on the–"

    play sound 'mods/Meteor Game/assets/audio/effects/intercom.ogg' volume 2.0
    stop ambient fadeout 3
    pause .5

    show roberts impressed at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    pause .5

    "The teacher is cut off as, suddenly, a new noise peals out over the campus: the intercom’s bell working without interference, delivering a short, loud and ultimately clear buzz."
    
    "An entirely different animal to the audio nonsense that it deafened me with earlier."

    show naomiGVH neutral at flip:
        yalign -0.1 xcenter 0.65
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    N "Seems like the bell’s working again though."

    show roberts neutrangry at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "How fortunate."

    pause 0.5

    msr "We’ll continue this conversation next time we meet. I’d ideally like to get a feel for what each of you intend to do going forward."
    
    msr "For now, you’re dismissed; I wish you all a good first day of your Senior Year."

    hide naomiGVH 
    hide roberts
    hide fangGVH
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "My classmates begin to rise out of their seats, slinging backpacks and bags over their shoulders."

    show anon:
        easein 1 yalign 0.1
    
    pause 0.3

    show fangGVH angry at flip:
        yalign -0.1 xcenter 0.8
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    play music 'audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg' fadein 3
    
    "I begin to do the same, only to catch that pterosaur glaring daggers at me." 

    F "Way to be a narc, dude."

    show fangGVH at flip:
        easein 1 yalign 0.1
    pause 1
    show fangGVH at deflip:
        yalign 0.1
        easeout 2 xcenter 2.0
    with Dissolve(0.25)
    hide fanngGVH with Dissolve(0.5)

    "She snaps at me lowly, side-eyeing me as she stands up and stalks her way out of the classroom."
    
    pause .5

    show naomiGVH shocked:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.8
    with Dissolve (0.8)

    N "Fang!"

    show naomiGVH:
        easeout 1.5 xcenter 2.0

    pause .5

    "Naomi calls out after her, following her out of the classroom."

    show reedGVH worried at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.8
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    Re "..."

    pause 1.0

    show reedGVH at deflip:
        easeout 2 xcenter 2.0
    with Dissolve(0.25)
    
    "Reed peers at me over his shoulder as he stands up, but ultimately turns his back to me and walks off."

    show anon concerned
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I feel the slightest bit of guilt over all of that settle in the pit of my stomach."
    
    "There really wasn’t anything gained by dragging that chick into it. I just made myself look like an ass out of a kneejerk reaction."

    "Smooth, Anon."

    stop music fadeout 3

    show anon neutral:
        linear 2 xcenter 0.8
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    pause 1
    
    show roberts neutrangry at flip:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "A word, Mr. Mous."

    "As I try to follow in the wake of the other students, I’m stopped by Roberts."

    show anon at flip
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "Swallowing, I nod and turn around to face her. The ceratosaurus folds her arms again as she looks at me."

    msr "I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume what happened back there wasn’t done with malicious intent."

    "Her tone is professionally calm as ever, but there’s an undercurrent of seriousness to it now."

    msr "You had no way of knowing regardless, new as you are, but Fang’s chosen pronouns are they-them."
    
    msr "They are nonbinary. Do you know what that means?"

    pause 1

    play music 'audio/OST/i_have_no_clue_what_im_doing.ogg' fadein 3
    
    show anon unimpressed
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    pause .5

    "Oh my fucking God, you have to be kidding me."

    "I’ve always heard that things down south were a lot softer, but this is a joke. I’m getting held up by a teacher over pronouns, on my first day."
    
    "Christ alive, kill me."

    show anon neutral
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    pause .25

    A "Sure."

    show roberts annoyed
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I lie through my teeth. Roberts can either tell I don’t mean it or something in my expression is giving away my disdain, because she narrows her eyes at me."

    msr "I will not demand you to understand the beliefs and choices of your fellow students, Anon, but you will respect them at this school."
    
    msr "It’s a shockingly low bar of respect to achieve, and I expect you to make an effort to meet it. Are we clear?"

    A "Yes, ma’am."

    "Anything to get this over with it."

    show roberts neutrangry
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    msr "Very well. Be on your way."

    show anon at deflip
    with Dissolve(0.25)

    pause 0.5 

    "I turn to go, but I don’t escape without a final remark from the teacher."

    msr "Oh, and Anon? Were I in your shoes, I’d apologize to Fang. It’s the least you can do."

    A "I’ll look into it."

    "I not bother to look back as I B-line for the still-open door"

    stop music fadeout 3

    show anon:
        easeout 2 xcenter 2.0

    pause 1.0

    scene vhHallway with Dissolve(0.5)

    play ambient 'audio/effects/teenageCrowdInteriorLoop.ogg' fadein 3 volume 0.5

    show anon neutral:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.2
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "I need to get away from here."
    
    "Away from this class and away from these people."
    
    "It's not even to lunch yet, and I’m already fumbling my second chance."

    show naomiGVH worried:
        yalign 0.1 xcenter 0.8
    with Dissolve(0.5)

    "Dead head down the hall, I see Naomi hovering near the right wall, glancing down at her phone."

    show naomiGVH surprised at flip
    with Dissolve (0.5)
    
    "She raises her head towards me as she hears my footsteps, and her eyes immediately widen."

    N "Anon!"

    "Nope, not in the mood for another lecture, least of all from this geek."

    show naomiGVH nervous at flip
    with Dissolve (0.5)

    N "Hey! Could we talk for a–{nw=1}"

    show anon:
        easeout 2 xcenter 2.0
    
    pause 1
    stop ambient fadeout 3
    scene black with Dissolve(0.25)

    "I brush past her, purposefully moving faster now."
    
    "I just try to ignore her, pretending like I didn’t notice her as I slip through a crowd of chatting students."

    "I faintly catch a glimpse of her starting after me, but when I look over my shoulder a few seconds later, she’s nowhere to be seen."

    "...Maybe that was the wrong move, too. She seemed fine back in the class."

    "With a frown, I pull open my phone, finding that along with the bell’s clarity, cell service has briefly returned once more."
    
    "Unfortunately, my masterclass of a shitpost is gone, wiped from the dialogue box."

    "My frown morphs into a scowl as I flick away from the imageboard, and pull up a digital copy of my schedule, trying to find the room number for my second period."

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    "I’m starting to think coming here may have been a mistake."

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    "Hi everyone, Vita here. Thanks so much for playing the... \"Alpha\"? I'm not really sure what to call it. Well, it's a mod."

    "This is my first mod, so I’m still not very familiar with RenPY, but at least I think it turned out okay."

    "Art was also my first real foray into serious drawing. Learning to draw by hand is definitely more fun. But I think it’s still pretty obvious when something is my own work versus an asset I’ve borrowed."

    "I’d like to thank Skraag for creating this amazing story and letting me make this mod. I’d also like to thank the folks on Discord who supported me while I was developing it."

    "Anyway, I think that's it. Once again, thanks so much for playing, and I hope see you next time."

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