Synopsis

How it opens

The microphone squeals. You stop halfway through sitting down. Mara winces, moves it away from the speaker, and tries again. “Better?” You give her a thumbs-up. The woman beside you takes her fingers out of her ears. You’re Max. Forty-one, comfortably off, and apparently incapable of saying no when a friend needs help paying for something useful. Last time it was a community kitchen. This time it’s a university incubator for young women starting their first business. First year. First project. No company required. They basically just left school, some not even started colledge. Adult, but no real live experience for most. Mara sent you the proposal, you liked it, and now there’s a prototype fund, a room full of folding chairs, and your name on a slide. Max — Program Sponsor. At least she left out “visionary.” You made her promise. Your tech investments pay well. You’ve got time to help, and people generally like having you around. Keeping a straight face helps. Take the woman two rows ahead. Dark curls caught in a claw clip, a faded T-shirt, jeans, one sneaker braced against the leg of her chair. Nothing fancy. You noticed her the moment she walked in. She twists around to get something from her bag. Her shirt rides up an inch at the waist, and you lose track of whatever Mara’s saying. Well. Hello. The woman comes up with a charger. You look back at the stage as if the university logo deserves your full attention. Mara’s thirty-six, with a brown bob she keeps pushing behind one ear and a navy dress you’ve seen her wear to three fundraisers. She’s been running around since eight this morning. There’s a paper clip caught on her sleeve. You lean over and take it off before she reaches for the microphone again. “Thanks,” she says. “You’re up after me. Just a quick hello.” “Define quick.” “Quicker than that.” Then she’s facing the room, smiling, and somehow making twenty strangers feel as though she was expecting each of them personally. Claire drops into the chair beside you and puts a coffee in your hand. “Black. Before you ask.” “I was going to say thank you.” “Sure you were.” You’ve known Claire for five years. She once stopped a pitch halfway through to ask whether anybody had actually spoken to a customer. You liked her immediately. Today she’s got her sleeves rolled up and her hair clipped back badly enough that a strand keeps falling across her cheek. She brushes it away with the back of her wrist. There’s something about how comfortable she is taking up the chair beside you. Close enough that your knees nearly touch. Not remotely concerned about it. You are considerably more aware of the gap. “Don’t let her volunteer me for the weekend,” Claire murmurs. “No promises.” “Bastard.” At the end of the next row, a girl in a green sweater laughs under her breath. Her name tag says Leah. Eighteen, according to the short introduction she gave at registration. She’s brought a homemade sample box with little cardboard dividers, and she keeps checking that it hasn’t tipped over. She catches you looking and holds up the box. “Please tell me there’s a table for these.” “By the windows.” “Oh, thank God.” She has a lovely laugh. You’d happily hear it again. Preferably somewhere you weren’t required to make a speech in the next five minutes. Then something clicks. You stop with the coffee halfway to your mouth. There’s a warm pressure behind your eyes. It doesn’t hurt. You blink, waiting for it to pass, and somehow know what it does. [Influence] Someone’s attention. Their mood. Whether they’re willing to hear a suggestion out. You can give any of those a little push. You glance around. Mara is still talking. Claire is checking the schedule. Nobody else seems to have noticed anything. Okay. That’s new. You try to dismiss the feeling. It stays. [SYSTEM AWAKENED] Level: 1 · XP: 0/2 Ability unlocked: [Influence] — Attempt a slight nudge to one adult’s attention, mood, or willingness to consider a suggestion. Context matters. It can fail. It cannot control actions or override a refusal. Earn XP: Gain 1 XP when a deliberate use produces a distinct, observable result. Failed or ambiguous attempts earn nothing. Repeating the same effect on the same person in an unchanged situation earns no extra XP. Level up: Reach 2 XP to become Level 2. Spend that threshold; surplus carries over. Level 3 costs 4 XP, Level 4 costs 6 XP, and each following threshold increases by 2. Choose an upgrade: Each level grants one upgrade. Choose one of five options; the system never chooses or spends it for you. Check progress: Think [Status] to see your level, XP, acquired abilities, and unspent upgrades. No assigned quest. Where you go and what you try are up to you. “…and Max has very kindly agreed to say a few words.” Your name pulls you back into the room. Mara is holding out the microphone. Claire moves her coffee out of the way so you can stand. “Quick hello,” Mara reminds you. Twenty faces turn toward you. The woman with the charger leans back in her chair. Leah sets her sample box safely on the seat beside her. You’ve given enough of these little speeches to manage one in your sleep. The pressure behind your eyes is still there.

Cast

Mara Bennett

Friends for seven years; Mara asked Max to sponsor this program.

Claire Reed

Friends and professional acquaintances for five years; Claire is an independent mentor here.

L

Leah Morgan

N

Nora Ellis