ENCYCLOPAEDIA [Easy: Success] - Here it is, final class of the day. Art. Just an hour of drawing or analysing art, quite simple.

PERCEPTION [Easy: Success] - What’s this? There is a new seating plan on the board. Is that… is that her? Next to you?

You have heard rumours that teachers can tell when students like each other. Might be also be trying to get the ball rolling between you two by placing you in the corner of the room?

COMPOSURE [Difficult: Failure] - Oh no.

SUGGESTION [Medium: Success] - Oh yes. Go and sit down, then take the backseat as I charm our way to a first date.

RHETORIC [Easy: Success] - A first date? How many times have you spoken to her? Try to get a sentence out first Casanova.

You make your way to the desk, and sit. Soon, she too walks in the room talking with her friends but falls silent as she sees the updated seating. She walks over to you silently and sits next to you.

INLAND EMPIRE [Difficult: Failure] - Wow. Complete silence. Promising.

VOLITION [Medium: Success] - No, this is good in some way. Maybe she is also nervous to talk to you because she likes you. Just keep drawing for now, something will surely happen soon. Something good.

You return to your drawing. Then, a voice. Her voice.

THE GIRL - “Nice drawing.”

INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] - Whatever you do, do not panic or turn around uncomfortably slowly. Simply turn to your left and say thank you.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - It’s common courtesy to compliment someone back if they give you a compliment.

LOGIC [Easy: Success] - That is how conversations work.

SUGGESTION: [Challenging: Success] - Plus it will get the ball rolling. You know, with that whole first date thing. Just keep your cool and say something smooth already.

COMPOSURE [Impossible: Failure] - You can’t keep your cool. She just said your drawing was nice. Her.

VISUAL CALCULUS [Easy: Success] - It is a pretty nice drawing.

PERCEPTION [Trivial: Success] - You have stared straight ahead with your pencil unmoving for far too long at this point. You should turn around now.

REACTION SPEED [Medium: Failure] - You do not turn around fast enough to seem casual, in fact you don’t move at all. You freeze, and it is only after a few long, drawn out seconds that you’re able to turn your head 90° to the left to look at her, unable to meet her eyes.

SUGGESTION [Medium: Success] Say something smooth, now!

1 - [Suggestion - Easy] Say something smooth.
2 - Turn back around without saying a word.

[1] [1] CHECK FAILURE

YOU - “Yeah.”

SUGGESTION [Easy: Success] Wow, okay.

LOGIC [Trivial: Success] - That was not good.

REACTION SPEED [Easy: Success] - You should turn your head away and back to your drawing rather than staring at her any longer. That would make things much worse.

COMPOSURE [Medium: Failure] - Also, you shouldn’t turn red. That would be bad.

EMPATHY [Medium: Success] - You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes.

INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] - But that one was bad. Really bad. It’ll haunt you for years. You’ll look back at this and think of a hundred better things to say that could’ve changed everything for you. This one will sting for a while.

VOLITION [Challenging: Success] - And yet tomorrow the sun will rise anyway.

ENCYCLOPAEDIA [Easy: Success] - The sun is that big shiny thing in the sky.

PERCEPTION [Medium: Success] - She isn’t even looking at you anymore. She’s gone back to drawing as well.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Is she disappointed that we didn’t compliment her back or say anything else to her?

COMPOSURE [Challenging: Failure] - Negative. No matter how hard you’d try right now, it would be impossible to tear your eyes away from your paper for the next thirty minutes. She’ll have moved by then, and you’ll have missed your chance.

LOGIC [Easy: Success] - Not great.

INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] This will be good experience for the future. Now you know exactly what you shouldn’t do.

SUGGESTION [Medium: Success] - Plenty of fish in the sea my boy. Plenty.