[Note: This chapter goes on yet another set of paths, different from the ones presented in the previous one]
This wasn't the first nor would be the last time you'd have to watch your friends' backpacks. Despite Arianna being a fearsome, strict but mostly fair Principal, she wasn't able to completely end bullying and similar issues at school, which ran rampant and most other teaching staff seemed to have given up at some point, with just notable few exceptions, such as Lulu and Coach Amber. So, it was pretty much instinctual that if you were going to be away from your stuff for whatever reason, you'd entrust it to a friend because it could very easily get stolen or messed with. Even someone like you, who didn't exactly have many enemies, a perk from not standing out too much (to your knowledge at least).
You pulled your phone out to browse for memes, since you didn't have anything better to do. You had social media, yes, but you weren't very big into them, and mostly just used them to see more memes and talk to your friends. Although Ariadne made things significantly awkward by blabbing about your Facebook account to your mother, which ended up with adding not just her, but Sheila and your aunts Betty and Karen. Due to that, you were very careful about whatever you posted there, but that wasn't overly difficult since you seldom posted very personal stuff like photos. You felt watched, though. And in no small part due to the fact that one of the people that also ended up adding you was Arianna herself, since she's your cousin, though you fear her more than anyone else you know.
Time flew, and so far, it was a harmless, uneventful wait, but... how long was it to last?
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[Paths]
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1) Suddenly, you felt someone tap your arm, which startled you a little and immediately looked to your left. Before you, was a nervous-looking Veronica, who had also gotten startled by your startling. You couldn't help but chuckle at the silliness of that, easing the mood, or hoping so.
"Hey" You greeted her as casually as you could, though on the inside you were as nervous as her.
Last time she came to talk to you, she had basically come to confess and ask you out, but it was based on a misunderstanding that you tried to clear up. However, once she realized, she got way too embarrassed and ran off, with you unable to give an answer. You wanted to apologize, but it became evident she was avoiding you and you stopped trying to contact her, trying to respect her wishes. Needless to say, it was weird to see her once again, but you guessed she wanted to clear things up, or something.
"H-Hi" She said, looking away "I... I'm sorry for avoiding you all this time... After that misunderstanding, I just didn't feel like I could look at you in the eye anymore"
"It's alright" You said, trying to comfort her.
"No, it's not... I avoided you like the plague without giving any explanations" She continued "But at least, I've had enough time to... to think. You know... about things..."
Your heart began to beat faster, it was pretty clear what she meant, and honestly, you didn't expect this topic to be revisited, and realized that you weren't prepared for it either. She was a really pretty girl, even if she couldn't match the sheer size of Jen's or Lillian's assets.
"I understand that I got some things wrong, and made some incorrect assumptions" She blushed as she said that
"But now, after giving it some though... I still want to ask you out, Blaise"
Your eyes widened. That was the boldest thing you heard anyone say with such a timid tone, her eyes were now staring into yours, which made you flinch a little. You had to make a decision... would you accept and be Veronica's boyfriend, even knowing her 'issues'? That'd mean relinquishing any possible chances you had with Jen... but on the other hand, that wasn't guaranteed either, and you were even worried that you'd be forever friendzoned, so, maybe it was futile. In any case, you needed to give an answer... Plus, your friends could come back any time.
2) "Hello" You heard Lulu greet you as she walked by, but she stopped and walked towards you as you greeted her back. You two had some small talk, and as you'd expect, she asked what you were doing at the moment and you told her you were watching your friends' backpacks while they went to do something (politely omitting what it exactly was).
"It's still a couple of minutes before classes start, but I'm running a little late myself, I forgot to pick up some supplies for my first class... would you mind getting them for me? I think you know where my office is" She said, the latter part in a softer, flirtier tone that made you instantly blush.
"O-Of course... but what about my friends' backpacks?"
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on them" She cheerfully replied "I know that you guys need to protect your stuff, and it sucks that we can't even have basic safety like that... Arianna does try, but it takes more than just one person to fix things on this scale" She sighed, her mood now more serious, but she also sounded kinder and understanding.
With that, you nodded and headed for her office after she explained exactly what she needed you to grab.
"By the way... if Arianna does catch you and tries to punish you, just give me a call" She said with a wink as you blushed again and began heading for her office...
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You kept on watching memes and saving some to share later, when, suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of weakness took you over, feeling as if your very vital force was being sapped by something unnatural. Your limbs went numb and began to feel cold, and worst of all, you then began to feel as if you were being crumpled, like tinfoil being crushed into a ball. It was incredibly painful and you got dizzy, your vision getting blurry as well, the last thing you could notice was that the floor seemed to be getting closer, as if you were falling down, yet, it didn't feel the same. Unable to even formulate a proper thought, you simply got knocked out cold right there and then...
3) Unknown to you, someone had been lurking in the shadows, observing you, seeing that you were alone. Having waited for the right time to strike, when no other students were close enough to see or hear anything, your mysterious assailant brandished a weird, futuristic-looking gun-like device that she aimed at you and pulled the trigger, hitting you square in the chest and rapidly shrinking you down, which knocked you out in the process.
[Note: The initial shrunken size can range between 2 inches to 1/10th of an inch, though you could have that change later, via some specific condition or because the 'shrinker' felt like changing your size. As you guys know, I prefer the smaller end of the spectrum but you're free to choose what you're most comfortable with]
4) You woke up after an unknown amount of time had passed, you felt as if a truck had run you over, and your head ached badly. It took you a couple of minutes to regain enough composure to stand up without faceplanting right back to the floor, and as your vision recovered, you noticed that the space around you was way more ample than it had been at your school, although the floor felt like it was the same. Then, you felt a series of great earthquakes that made you struggle to maintain your footing, you didn't know it yet, but you were in for a hell of a ride...
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[Choice Notes]: On choice 3, the initial idea is that someone rather malicious (basically Emily or Toxic Lily) did the shrinking, though I guess you could spin it to make it either a prank, which would fit the likes of Zuemy and Lillian. It could also be further spun into something a girl with a crush did. Veronica has her own path already, but if you want to have a more yandere-sque version of her, you could go for it.
Similarly, a somewhat deranged/desperate Jen could be a viable culprit. Or Yamile. I personally can't see Cindy doing this in bad faith, but she could fit with the prank approach. It could also be someone like Jessica Pilgrim, acting as a 'hitman', paid by someone else who'd want him shrunken. Or well, you could use another character I haven't mentioned, or create a new one and just give them some kind of motive.
As for choice 4, this is obviously set up towards an unaware kind of route, but again, if you've got a better idea, you can go for it. My personal assumption is that the first thing Blaise would have to deal with is Lillian and Jen coming back.
This wasn't the first nor would be the last time you'd have to watch your friends' backpacks. Despite Arianna being a fearsome, strict but mostly fair Principal, she wasn't able to completely end bullying and similar issues at school, which ran rampant and most other teaching staff seemed to have given up at some point, with just notable few exceptions, such as Lulu and Coach Amber. So, it was pretty much instinctual that if you were going to be away from your stuff for whatever reason, you'd entrust it to a friend because it could very easily get stolen or messed with. Even someone like you, who didn't exactly have many enemies, a perk from not standing out too much (to your knowledge at least).
You pulled your phone out to browse for memes, since you didn't have anything better to do. You had social media, yes, but you weren't very big into them, and mostly just used them to see more memes and talk to your friends. Although Ariadne made things significantly awkward by blabbing about your Facebook account to your mother, which ended up with adding not just her, but Sheila and your aunts Betty and Karen. Due to that, you were very careful about whatever you posted there, but that wasn't overly difficult since you seldom posted very personal stuff like photos. You felt watched, though. And in no small part due to the fact that one of the people that also ended up adding you was Arianna herself, since she's your cousin, though you fear her more than anyone else you know.
Time flew, and so far, it was a harmless, uneventful wait, but... how long was it to last?
----------
[Paths]
----------
1) Suddenly, you felt someone tap your arm, which startled you a little and immediately looked to your left. Before you, was a nervous-looking Veronica, who had also gotten startled by your startling. You couldn't help but chuckle at the silliness of that, easing the mood, or hoping so.
"Hey" You greeted her as casually as you could, though on the inside you were as nervous as her.
Last time she came to talk to you, she had basically come to confess and ask you out, but it was based on a misunderstanding that you tried to clear up. However, once she realized, she got way too embarrassed and ran off, with you unable to give an answer. You wanted to apologize, but it became evident she was avoiding you and you stopped trying to contact her, trying to respect her wishes. Needless to say, it was weird to see her once again, but you guessed she wanted to clear things up, or something.
"H-Hi" She said, looking away "I... I'm sorry for avoiding you all this time... After that misunderstanding, I just didn't feel like I could look at you in the eye anymore"
"It's alright" You said, trying to comfort her.
"No, it's not... I avoided you like the plague without giving any explanations" She continued "But at least, I've had enough time to... to think. You know... about things..."
Your heart began to beat faster, it was pretty clear what she meant, and honestly, you didn't expect this topic to be revisited, and realized that you weren't prepared for it either. She was a really pretty girl, even if she couldn't match the sheer size of Jen's or Lillian's assets.
"I understand that I got some things wrong, and made some incorrect assumptions" She blushed as she said that
"But now, after giving it some though... I still want to ask you out, Blaise"
Your eyes widened. That was the boldest thing you heard anyone say with such a timid tone, her eyes were now staring into yours, which made you flinch a little. You had to make a decision... would you accept and be Veronica's boyfriend, even knowing her 'issues'? That'd mean relinquishing any possible chances you had with Jen... but on the other hand, that wasn't guaranteed either, and you were even worried that you'd be forever friendzoned, so, maybe it was futile. In any case, you needed to give an answer... Plus, your friends could come back any time.
2) "Hello" You heard Lulu greet you as she walked by, but she stopped and walked towards you as you greeted her back. You two had some small talk, and as you'd expect, she asked what you were doing at the moment and you told her you were watching your friends' backpacks while they went to do something (politely omitting what it exactly was).
"It's still a couple of minutes before classes start, but I'm running a little late myself, I forgot to pick up some supplies for my first class... would you mind getting them for me? I think you know where my office is" She said, the latter part in a softer, flirtier tone that made you instantly blush.
"O-Of course... but what about my friends' backpacks?"
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on them" She cheerfully replied "I know that you guys need to protect your stuff, and it sucks that we can't even have basic safety like that... Arianna does try, but it takes more than just one person to fix things on this scale" She sighed, her mood now more serious, but she also sounded kinder and understanding.
With that, you nodded and headed for her office after she explained exactly what she needed you to grab.
"By the way... if Arianna does catch you and tries to punish you, just give me a call" She said with a wink as you blushed again and began heading for her office...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------
You kept on watching memes and saving some to share later, when, suddenly, an overwhelming feeling of weakness took you over, feeling as if your very vital force was being sapped by something unnatural. Your limbs went numb and began to feel cold, and worst of all, you then began to feel as if you were being crumpled, like tinfoil being crushed into a ball. It was incredibly painful and you got dizzy, your vision getting blurry as well, the last thing you could notice was that the floor seemed to be getting closer, as if you were falling down, yet, it didn't feel the same. Unable to even formulate a proper thought, you simply got knocked out cold right there and then...
3) Unknown to you, someone had been lurking in the shadows, observing you, seeing that you were alone. Having waited for the right time to strike, when no other students were close enough to see or hear anything, your mysterious assailant brandished a weird, futuristic-looking gun-like device that she aimed at you and pulled the trigger, hitting you square in the chest and rapidly shrinking you down, which knocked you out in the process.
[Note: The initial shrunken size can range between 2 inches to 1/10th of an inch, though you could have that change later, via some specific condition or because the 'shrinker' felt like changing your size. As you guys know, I prefer the smaller end of the spectrum but you're free to choose what you're most comfortable with]
4) You woke up after an unknown amount of time had passed, you felt as if a truck had run you over, and your head ached badly. It took you a couple of minutes to regain enough composure to stand up without faceplanting right back to the floor, and as your vision recovered, you noticed that the space around you was way more ample than it had been at your school, although the floor felt like it was the same. Then, you felt a series of great earthquakes that made you struggle to maintain your footing, you didn't know it yet, but you were in for a hell of a ride...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------
[Choice Notes]: On choice 3, the initial idea is that someone rather malicious (basically Emily or Toxic Lily) did the shrinking, though I guess you could spin it to make it either a prank, which would fit the likes of Zuemy and Lillian. It could also be further spun into something a girl with a crush did. Veronica has her own path already, but if you want to have a more yandere-sque version of her, you could go for it.
Similarly, a somewhat deranged/desperate Jen could be a viable culprit. Or Yamile. I personally can't see Cindy doing this in bad faith, but she could fit with the prank approach. It could also be someone like Jessica Pilgrim, acting as a 'hitman', paid by someone else who'd want him shrunken. Or well, you could use another character I haven't mentioned, or create a new one and just give them some kind of motive.
As for choice 4, this is obviously set up towards an unaware kind of route, but again, if you've got a better idea, you can go for it. My personal assumption is that the first thing Blaise would have to deal with is Lillian and Jen coming back.
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May 12, 2023
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