Joe was deep in his reading but he noticed when Elara appeared.
When she glanced at his book, he knew that was his chance. His trembling throat calmed down thanks to 'Perfectly Average', making his voice come out a little bit timid but no where near the disappointment it was going to be.
"Have you read this book before?" Joe said.
Elara's head recoiled gently at Joe's question. She quickly looked away and avoided eye contact.
A window appeared right above her head.
[CHALLENGE]: Break the Ice with Elara
[CHALLENGE DIFFICULTY]: 45
"Shit. She looks away. What do I do now? Calm down. Calm down. She's just shy. The book advises that I should match the target's energy if I'm an amateur. Let's slow down." Joe screamed in his head.
He gulped then collected all his courage to act.
"Oh. I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I just noticed you're looking at my book." Joe smiled warmly. His acting was so good even he couldn't believe it himself.
[PERSUASION RESULT]: 70
[ADDING MODIFIERS]
[+4 for Aura]
[+5 for Persuasion]
[+3 for Cool]
[No Social Cred Bonus]
[FINAL PERSUASION RESULT]: 70 + 4 + 5 + 3 = 82
[CHALLENGE OVERCOME]
Elara quickly shook her two hands in front of her.
"No. It's not like that. You don't need to say sorry. I was just looking at the book."
Then a new window popped up.
[HONEY COIN GAIN]: 45
[TOTAL HONEY COIN]: 235
"Shi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-t…" Joe cursed in his head. "That's four thousand and five hundred dollars. I'm going to be rich if it keeps going like this."
He also noticed the amount of coins he gained was equal to the Challenge Difficulty. Joe understood better what the Game meant before when it said he could gain Honey Coin from social encounters.
Joe flipped the book over and looked at its cover. "Is there something wrong with it?"
"No. Nothing wrong at all. It's just… the content is very unique." Elara said.
When she spoke with Joe, her eyes aimed at the table while her index finger looped around in a circle. She was very shy and timid.
Joe couldn't help but find it cute and endearing.
"My name is Joe. What's yours, Miss?"
"You don't need to call me Miss. I'm just a university student. My name is Elara."
Joe stood up and walked over to her table. Elara instinctively curled up her knees and covered her body with her hands to protect herself.
"What are you…"
Joe reached out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Elara."
"Oh…"
Elara flushed a little then relaxed. She grabbed Joe's hand to shake it.
Her hand was small, soft like butter with a lingering warmth that made Joe burned from the inside. But he kept his cool.
"May I sit down beside you?"
"Of course. As long as you don't do anything…"
"What am I even going to do? You think I'm some kind of stalker or something similar?"
"No. It's not like that. I'm just… Please forget it."
Elara buried her face into her arms. She didn't dare to look at Joe.
"She really is shy." Joe thought.
He then looked at the book Elara placed on the table. It wasn't a book in the library but something she brought with her.
"The Flower Bloomed Yesterday." Joe read aloud the title of the book.
Elara let out a low shriek then she grabbed the book and pulled it into her chest.
"Don't read it out loud!" Elara whispered then looked around to make sure no one heard it.
"Apologies." Joe scratched his head. He didn't know reading out a book name was that taboo for her.
""It's alright. Just… It's just… I don't like to share what I'm reading, that's all."
"Oh, I understand. No worries."
Even Joe knew that was a lie. She protected the book like it was a dirty magazine.
The windows popped up again.
[You notice there is something weird about Elara]
[INSIGHT RESULT]: 59
[ADDING MODIFIERS]
[+12 for Wisdom]
[+6 for Senses]
[FINAL INSIGHT RESULT]: 59 + 12 + 6 = 77
[You can sense that Elara is ashamed of owning the book]
"Oh? I better check that book out later to learn more about her." Joe thought.
Joe drew the attention of the conversation back to his book and held it high.
"So you were saying that this book is very unique?"
Elara popped her head out of her arms and nodded. "It shares a very unique perspective about seduction and love. Unlike those fairy tales that we all read as a child, this book shows what is really behind love."
"What is behind it?"
"Don't you want to discover it for yourself?"
"I don't hate spoilers. I like them in a way. It will help me decide whether I like it or not."
"Well, okay… From what I've read, the book shows us that love isn't something magical or unexplainable.
Love is a desire, a sensation, and a forever lacking of more. The best kind of love isn't something you get easily. It's the kind that you fight for and the kind that fulfills something you always desire in life."
"And what do you desire, Elara?"
Joe couldn't help but curved up his lips.
The hair on Elara's body stood up. She scooted backwards quickly, getting far away from Joe.
[Elara finds you a little bit creepy]
Joe ignored her reaction and acted like he didn't see it. His eyes returned to the pages of the book.
"For me. I always desire freedom. True freedom. A freedom that allows me to go wherever I want at whenever I want without anything to hold me down.
But we can never achieve true freedom. We will always have something to hold us back. It's not a bad thing actually. It gives us a sense of purpose and companionship.
True freedom is very lonely."
[You try to deescalate the situation]
[CHALLENGE DIFFICULTY]: 80
[You have an exceptional monologue]
[PERSUASION RESULT]: 97
[CRITICAL SUCCESS]
[CRITICAL SUCCESS IS NEGATED!]
[PERSUASION RESULT CHANGES TO 89]
[FINAL PERSUASION RESULT]: 89 + 4 (Aura) + 5 (Persuasion) + 3 (Cool) = 101
[CHALLENGE OVERCOME]
[HONEY COIN GAIN]: 80
[TOTAL HONEY COIN]: 315
Elara stopped in place and looked out of the window. She froze for a while, eyes following the dust particles in the rays of sunlight.
"You're right. Freedom can be very lonely."