Cutscene: Heated Words

Greg rose from his school desk almost in sync with the rest of his class as the bell rang to dismiss them for the day, grabbing his blue backpack from where he had dropped it unceremoniously by his side. The rest of the class were already talking, their voices adding to the gestalt of all the other students as they began to pour into the hallway.

Today was… nice. Nothing much was different, really, apart from he and Emma sharing glances at each other during lunch and sitting next to each other in the one class they shared today. Even class seemed to move much smoother, work he would have struggled with at least a little easily making sense to him. His Geometry teacher had him come to the board twice, both times to solve problems that he was pretty sure Greg didn't know how to do.

Why? The guy was a dick, that's why.

At least, Greg liked to think that. It may also have been because Greg kept drawing attention to himself by playing with his pencil in a very obvious way, i.e., tossing it up in the air and catching it again.

In all fairness, he was doing it to grind a skill but it wasn't like he could tell the teacher that (+ 2 to Throwing Weapons).

Dick or not, the teacher had been helpful. Answering the questions correctly had netted him an extra point to his INT, which made that whole class instantly more enjoyable. The fact that the teacher actually complimented him for studying was just the cherry on top.

Greg had been noticing little things like that, ways in which he was sure his stats were affecting his time at school. For instance, his bag was full of homework, homework that he had completed in between classes, some of it that he would normally have asked Sparky for help with, like Geometry. Math homework that would have taken him forever to complete on his own, he was completing in five minutes tops, answering almost as fast as he could write. It was insane how much grinding INT was apparently paying off.

Still, he wasn't exactly sure how INT correlated to the real world when it came to actually being smart. After all, he didn't think he felt smarter but how did one feel smarter, anyway? Frowning, Greg pushed thoughts of vague concepts like that out of his mind, deciding to focus his attention on what he was going to do for the rest of the day. All in all, he really wasn't sure.

He didn't even consider going over to Sparky's house to train, well aware that his friend's mom was most likely home. Simply grinding his stats at home didn't seem very exciting right now, either.

But…

Greg tilted his head as he recalled some of the ideas he had come up with at Sparky's house the other day, watching a marathon of the two Fate series. Maybe I can try and make some new skills. Can't hurt to try again, right? He nodded to himself slowly.

It was more than just a faint feeling of motivation that had him ready to try again. From what he knew, INT governed his amount of mana and as of now, his INT was over three times as high as it had ever been. At this point, he probably had more mana (Od? Prana?) than Shirou did and that guy could make stuff out of magic. If Shirou damn near killed himself for his powers, I can't give up either. Wish I had an Archer, though. White hair is so frickin' cool.

Nerdy thoughts running through his head, Greg made his way out of the door and into the crowded hallways when a figure bumped into him as he exited, jostling him out of the way in the rush to leave.

"Out of the fucking way," a voice grumbled, harsh tones immediately familiar to Greg's ears. The rushing figure tried to move past Greg without even turning aside to look at him, not bothering to so much as acknowledge his presence.

"Hey there, Sophie!"

The figure in question froze mid-step. She didn't turn around, the only sign that she heard his voice being the clenching of her fists at her sides and her still form. After a moment of hesitation, she kept on moving, her head not turning an inch to acknowledge his existence as she stepped through the crowd. Several people standing in the halls parted, Sophia's urgent pace and squared shoulders a warning in and of themselves to avoid pissing her off.

Greg jogged after her, his backpack hanging off his shoulder as he slid past the other students by their lockers or those simply standing and talking. "Hey Sophie, hol-"

He stopped mid-word, the girl in question whirling around to face him. The rage in her eyes was only slightly more obvious than usual, her teeth gritted as she hissed out the words, "The fuck do you want?"

"Just wanted to ask you something, yeesh," Greg replied, a smile on his face. "It doesn't hurt to be nice."

She huffed, her arms folded over her chest as her glower grew slightly less murderous. "What?"

Greg rubbed a non-existent beard, leaning backwards against a wall. "If I'm not wrong," he began, affecting a cultured accent as he continued stroking his hairless chin, "upon conclusion of our duel, the two of us came to an arrangement. An arrangement, of which you're well aware, in which we decided on the favor owed to my person."

Sophia's frown deepened. "Huh?"

"In layman's terms, we had a deal. No more picking on Taylor and you gotta apologize to her." Greg's grinned turned slightly devious. "You gotta mean it too."

Sophia scoffed, scrunching her face up. "Fuck off Veder, I'll get around to it." She made to turn around and leave only for Greg to run back in front of her, still smiling.

"No, no, no, you're not doing that," Greg waggled a finger in front of Sophia's face as he echoed her words back to her, both his grin and his amusement at the way the girl's left eye twitched. "I won. I pick the time you apologize and I pick right now."

"How the fuck do I do that?" Sophia bit back. "Hebert's probably outside by now."

"I don't think so," Greg mused to himself, glancing up as he tried to remember what he knew of Taylor's schedule. "I definitely don't think so."

"Why the fuck not?"

"Today's an A Day so she should be at her locker right now picking up her programming textbook. She always opens and closes her locker like two or three times before she leaves to make sure it's locked right too," Greg replied, grinning as he smacked down Sophia's escape. "You can probably catch her."

"Hold up, weirdo," The dark skinned girl gave him an odd look, staring at him like he was something under her shoe. "How the fuck do you know that?"

Greg blinked, taking a step back until he realized he was already against the wall. "N-n-no reason." Trying to change the topic, he gestured frantically down the hall. "Now, make like a Canadian and go say sorry."

Her disgusted expression vanished, replaced by one of confusion. "Wait, what?"

Greg's shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh. "Just do it, Sophie."

"I told you not to call me that."

"And I won our fight so you can't really talk," Greg replied, chin held high. "Besides. It's literally one syllable off your name. Is that really the hill you wanna die on?" Greg cocked his head to the side. "You gotta learn to pick your battles, princess."

The blond watched as Sophia fumed, the steam almost visible rising from her ears. Fists clenched, she hissed, "I swear to god, you're gonna fucking regret this, Veder."

Greg tilted his head, smiling. "Am I, really?"

"Yeah, even worse than that porcupine you call a haircut."

"Oooh, that really hurt," Greg faux-complained, clutching his chest. Snorting at the impotent look on Sophia's face, he pointed a thumb down the other end of the hall. "Just stick to the deal, Sophie."

Greg ignored her growling as the girl walked in the direction of Taylor's locker ahead of him. In a way, he was doing this to help the dark-skinned track star almost as much as he was doing this to help Taylor. If he learned anything from cartoons and television, people felt better after doing good things and as far as he knew, Sophia Hess counted as people. No matter how livid she was now, Greg was sure Sophia would thank him for forcing her to do this.

He tilted his head as he stared at Sophia's back, her fists still clenched tightly. Eventually.

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o – – o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Greg couldn't help but be impressed. Despite how much he knew Sophia did not want to go through with this, she was actually giving this whole apology thing the old college try.

Well, not exactly. She almost seemed to be forcing herself to stand there, the other girls surrounding her looking confused as she forced them to apologize too, one by one. Oddly, despite the fact that they obviously looked confused about why Sophia was making them do it, they still went ahead with it.

So, she's doing more than I expected but still looks like she doesn't want to be there. Is that the old high school try? Greg blinked, shaking his head. Wordplay is hard sometimes.

"What are we doing?"

Greg flinched at the sudden voice, the figure next to him appearing in his peripheral vision almost out of nowhere. "Sparky, where'd you come from?"

The beanie-wearing teen blinked, eyebrow raised. "I've been here for like twenty seconds. You've been too busy staring at those girls to notice me."

Greg blinked, shrugging as he turned back to face the still-apologizing group of girls. "Sorry."

"So, what are we doing right now?"

Greg stood a few meters away from where Taylor's locker actually was, hiding behind an open classroom door as he tried to listen to the apologies that Sophia was forcing out of her lackeys. When Greg had followed a good distance behind Sophia over to where he knew Taylor's new locker was, the two of them had seen the girl surrounded by several of the girls he knew hung around Emma, the chubby girl Becca seemingly in the lead almost pushing Taylor against her locker.

Sophia seemed to actually be slightly happy as she spotted the gang around the taller girl. Why, exactly?

Greg wasn't sure at first, assuming that the girl just liked to see Taylor being picked on. A few seconds later, he realized that she just didn't want to be the only one to have to apologize, easing her own embarrassment by having all the gathered girls go first. Greg explained this to Sparky quickly, the mixed teen smirking as his friend went on.

You have gained 1 CHA.

Sparky snorted, shaking his head as he said, "Dude, that's fucking hilarious."

"I… don't see how but… okay," Greg shrugged, looking back at the action, "Now, sshh. I'm listening."

Listening was a bit of an exaggeration there. He couldn't exactly hear much with other students still milling around the hallway but paying attention anyway never hurt. Sophia was talking to Taylor now, the bespectacled girl wilting against her locker. It was interesting how, despite her short stature, Sophia Hess could make you feel small. It had never really worked on him because, scary black girl or no, the guys at Winslow had much more threatening bullies to deal with with the Empire and ABB within the same walls.

Still, even though he was pretty sure that Sophia was apologizing, he could tell Taylor was somewhat worried, her face showing that she was clearly unsure of what was happening. And just like that, Sophia was done, the girls around her breaking apart and moving their separate ways, all of them with expressions on their face that clearly showed they were lost as to what exactly had just transpired.

Sophia glanced back at Taylor and she spoke her final words before walking away, the sentences loud enough for Greg to catch in its entirety, "Not gonna mess with you anymore, Hebert. Not worth it."

Taylor stood there alone, back pressed against the locker, her expression morose but guarded as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Greg frowned slightly at the look on her face, not seeing the happiness that he expected. Why isn't she smiling? Sophia just said she'd leave her alone.

She should be happy. Right? Greg wanted to say something, anything, to make her smile. Even a forced smile, an obviously fake one was better than anything else. Smile hard enough and you don't feel like crying anymore.

It was something his mother used to tell him back in elementary school, when what the other kids did and said still got to him. He hadn't had much use for the words in years, the advice pretty much internalized by now, but Taylor looked like she could use it. He had to say something.

Greg took a step forward only for a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from going further. He turned around, facing Sparky with a question on his lips.

The long-haired teen simply shook his head.

"Why?"

Sparky sighed, his fingers splayed over the lower half of his face as if cupping his mouth. "This is not a good look, man. Chatting up another girl when you just went on a date… bad idea."

"I'm not chatting her up," Greg added, his fingers curled into air quotes. "I'm just trying to help her out."

"Sure…"

"I'm not," Greg hissed under his breath.

"Look, I'm not saying you're thinking with your dick," Sparky added, shrugging, "You probably aren't thinking with your dick because Tara… well… she's not ugly, you know," he hedged, wiggling his hand from side to side, "but she's no Barnes, brah. So, I have to assume you want to help 'cause you're a genuine nice guy beta male."

Greg glanced over at his friend, a confused and slightly hurt look on his face. "That's… that's just mean."

"Spoken like a true nice guy beta."

"Okay, hurtful. What did I do to you?" Greg asked, hands raised.

"Made me throw away a perfectly good raincoat, but that's not even the point," Sparky smirked, twirling a strand of hair into a curl. "I just like to break your dreams. It keeps me warm at night."

Greg shot him a determined look. "I'm going and you can't stop me."

Both of Sparky's eyebrows rose so high they disappeared under his beanie."Well, alright, let me know how that goes."

Greg nodded, the sarcasm once again flying over his head. Walking out from behind the classroom door, he made his way over to Taylor's still form, the girl still leaning against her locker. "Hey there, Taylor!"

Her head turned and she gave him an odd look, her brow furrowed. "Greg?"

It's as much an actual question as it is a statement, Taylor seeming legitimately confused by his presence. A smile on his face, Greg doesn't bother to think about it, instead barreling forward with a conversation starter. "So, how ya doing?"

The stare turns from confusion to slight frustration, hands rising from her sides to massage her temples. "Ugh, I can't do this right now, Greg. Could you just… go?"

Greg stumbled slightly at the sudden brush-off, the feeling of slight hurt fading as quickly as he felt it. "Sorry, didn't mean to bug you," he said with a slight chuckle. "Just wanted to… uhh, just see if you're okay."

"I-" She sighs, the action almost shaking her entire body as she leans back against her locker. "I'm fine, Greg. Really, but I'd be a lot better if you left me alone right now."

He blinked at her words, his smile twitching slightly as the feeling of hurt returns in full force. "I thought you'd be happy, you know."

There's silence between the two of them for a moment before Taylor's head slowly turns to face him, her expression almost impossible to decipher. "What?"

"You know," Greg shrugged, his smile returning, "Sophia leaving you alone. The apology and all. That was me. I made her do it."

Taylor blinked, her eyes widening ever so slightly behind her glasses. "How?" is the only thing she says, her voice quiet.

Greg's smile bursts into an open grin. "You know the fight? Last week, with me and Sophia?" There was no doubt that Taylor knew about it. At this point, everyone in the school knew, with the exception of the teachers. Greg had gotten appraising looks all day, although a good portion of those had been from people that might have been Empire so that wasn't really a good thing.

Taylor nodded, her lips twitching as if she almost wanted to smile.

"Sophia bet me that if I won, she'd owe me a favor." Greg laughed slightly, giving the girl a wink. "Three guesses what I picked. First two don't count."

The brunette said nothing, simply staring at him.

"You don't have to thank me, you know," Greg spoke up, his voice playful as he tries to fill the awkward silence Taylor left him with. "Just being a nice guy. Not a Nice Guy, you know, but just a nice guy."

Her eyes narrowed slightly behind her glasses. "Why?" Her voice was still quiet, almost a whisper. If it wasn't for the fact that they were within arm's reach of each other, Greg doubted he would be able to hear.

He blinked, confused by the question. "Whaddya mean, Taylor?"

Taylor turned, glancing behind her, before swiveling back to face Greg. Her lips tightened and turn down into a definite frown. "Why'd you do it?"

Greg's eyes widened, shifting contact away from Taylor's suspicious gaze. "T-t-to help you, I d-don't know…"

"But why?" Taylor's eyes narrowed further. "What are you getting out of this? Is this because you want to go out with me or something? Because that's nothappening."

"No!" Greg exclaimed, eyes wide. "I just wanted to help you out. What's your problem?"

"My problem is that you won't leave me alone," Taylor bit back, still frowning.

Greg's brow creased in confusion, his hands raised in front of his chest. "I just wanted to help you out, Taylor."

"It's a little weird that all of a sudden, you want to help me out," Taylor's lips pursed in contempt as she stared at Greg, "Don't lie to me. Did they put you up to this? Who did it? Sophia? Emma? Madison?"

"I'm not lying and no one put me up to anything," Greg replied, a look of hurt on his face. "I didn't even do this to go out with you so you can relax. I'm already going out with Emma."

The mention of Emma seemed to spark a fire in Taylor, the girl suddenly advancing on Greg. "You're going out with Emma? As if," she scoffed at the idea. "What genius plan did they come up with this time? Get me to go out with you and what? Gonna lead me into a trap or something? Huh?" She angrily poked a slender finger into Greg's chest, pushing him back a little. "Claim we did something and call me a slut? Is that your big plan?"

"Look, Taylor," Greg stepped back, a slight frown on his face as he pushed Taylor's hand away from him. "Nobody has any plans. Nobody's trying to mess with you, least of all me. I already told you, I'm going out with Emma and she didn't put me up to anything." His frown tilted up into a smile and he blushed slightly. "She's actually really nice and I was just trying to help you because I thought we were friends."

Taylor flinched at the word "nice", and again at the word "friends," her eyes narrowing even further as she scowled furiously at Greg. "And I told you, I don't fucking believe you, Greg."

The smile vanished off his face. "You know what, you don't have to. I just did a nice thing for a friend. Maybe you've heard about those. They're people who aren't giant jerks to other people."

Taylor advanced on him again, hands tight at her sides.. "Whatever Emma told you, she's lying. It's all she does. She's obviously using you. I don't know why you can't see that."

"Using me? For what?" Greg snapped.

"I don't know," Taylor scowled, lips pressed tight. "But Emma Barnes is an evil, heartless bitch who doesn't care about anyone but herself and if you think she actually cares about you, you're a bigger idiot than I thought."

Her last words were like a slap in the face, Greg actually flinching at the insult Taylor threw at him and the vitriol with which she spat out the words. His hands clenched at his sides and he took a step forward, looking Taylor straight in the eye. "You know what? It's funny you can talk about how Emma's such a giant bitch when she's never said a bad word about you to me. You can call her all these names but you never even give me the time of day." His knuckles turned white as he tightened his fists. "I tried to help you last week and you just walk away. Not even a 'Thanks, Greg.' Who does that? Who can't say two simple easy words?"

Taylor pursed her lips.

"A-a-and then… and then… and then I get suspended for trying to help you out and you know who shows up at my house with my homework and an apology?" Greg raised his open hands up to his head, eyes narrowed as he glared at Taylor.

"Not you, Emma. You know who doesn't call me a giant idiot for thinking the best of people? Not you. I just wanted to help you, be your friend, but you know what? You're right!" Greg advanced on her, arms thrown back wide as he stopped just short of invading her personal space. "You're absolutely right! I am a giant idiot… for thinking you deserve my help."

His breathing heavy, Greg stepped back and let his hands fall back to his sides. "And don't worry, you don't have to tell me to leave you alone again."

With a scowl on his face, Greg turned his back to Taylor and began to walk off, ignoring the curious and shocked gazes of several students milling around their own lockers.

You have gained 1 CHA.

"So, brah…"

"Mmhmm?"

"You… uhh, wanna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"...cool."

Spoiler: STATUS Greg Lucas Veder Age: 15 (and three-quarters!) Level 7 Experience 1285/14520 Health 365/365 Mana 165/165 Willpower 156/156 STR 29 SPD 21 VIT 22 INT 22 WIS 9(-80%) CHA 15(+9) (-90%) Stat Points: 6 Perk Points: 0 Cash: $562.57 Traits

Nerd-Geek Hybrid: Your obsession with video gaming, computers, fantasy/sci-fi literature and 80’s/90’s pop culture has left you in the rare middle of two circles; the obsessive fandom-loving geek and the intelligent, knowledge seeking nerd. Sadly, your hobbies have left you with an aversion to physical exertion. (50% bonus to INT gains, -50% penalty to STR, SPD & VIT gains.)

Ambiguous Disorder: Ever since you were a little kid, you’ve always been a little bit off. Impulsive, obsessive, socially obtuse and emotionally needy, you’re a bit of a weirdo. It was easily written off as normal behavior when you were younger but now you’re fifteen. Yet, you still come off as someone over five years younger. Maybe Mom should have had you tested like Dad said? (-80% reduction to overall WIS, 90% reduction to overall CHA.)

Casanova Bloodline: As a Veder man, you have a great smile, natural charm and a confident approach to life that draws the ladies in like a moth to a flame. Your great cheekbones don’t hurt either. It’s how your dad got your mom to go out with him while dating at least three other girls and sleeping with two others, at least that’s what he always told you - even when you didn’t ask - all the time. (+9 CHA)

Perks

Lifegiver (1/10) [Ranked Ability]

Health is more than just not getting sick.

Every time you gain a level, you gain an additional 5 HP for each rank of this perk.

Danger Sense (1/10) [Ranked Skill]

My common sense is tingling.

You gain a sixth sense that allows you to sense the presence of incoming danger.

Not Quite Dead

People die when they are killed… usually.

Survive after your HP sinks below 0 and a harmful status effect is active.

10% Chance to recover with full health when HP drops to 0.

Skills

Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv. MAX

Allows you to live life as if were a game.

Sleeping restores HP, MP, Will and removes most negative status effects.

Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv. MAX

Grants immunity to mental status effects, emotional and mental trauma and severely dangerous emotional states.

Angry Straight Lv 5 (XP: 15%)

Hit like an amateur light-weight using your anger in place of actual, physical muscle.

Damage: 55

Cost: 7 Will

Dash Straight Lv 3 (XP: 65%)

Force equals Mass times Acceleration.

You may suck at physics, but you know that much.

By combining Power Sprint with Angry Straight, you smash your fist into a target while moving at high speed. Damage scales based on distance Power Sprinted. (1.25x Damage Cap)

Damage: 60

Cost: 7 Will + 2 Will for every meter power sprinted

Minor Aerokinesis Lv MAX

All the power of a stiff wind.

Exert the force of your air control over a range of 5 meters. (80 mph)

Cost: 10 mp per second of sustained use

Observe Lv 3 (XP: 65%)

A skill to find out basic information relating to the chosen object.

Cost: 1 MP

Power Sprint Lv 7 (XP: 30%)

Need to get away or get to someplace slightly faster than just regular running? Use this skill.

Increases innate running speed by 5% with every level when active

Cost: 5 Will every ten seconds.

Raging Combo Lv 2 (XP: 55%)

A blistering barrage of belligerent blows built to batter baddies.

By repeatedly using weaker forms of Angry Straight, you pummel your target with raw frustration and anger. (6 Hits)

Damage: 60

Cost: 10 Will

Weapon Charge Lv 1 (XP: 85%)

Boosts weapon damage x 2 for 1 second.

Length of charge increases by 1 second for every level.

Damage multiplier increases by .20 with every level.

Cost: 8 MP Abilities

Acrobatics Lv 1 (XP: 0%)

Parkour!

An ability that enables you to pull off backflips, frontflips and any manner of jumping-based ground-movement technique with greater ease.

Basic Anatomy Lvl 5 (XP: 85%)

Anatomy is to physiology as geography is to history.

Gain a basic understanding of the human body.

Increases [Critical Hit] damage by 10%.

Beginner Combat Lvl 1 (XP: 25%)

I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.

The next level of combat, Beginner Combat is a fusion of fighting and footwork into the ability to learn new styles of combat, fusing them into a novice martial combat capability.

Blunt Force Resistance Lv. 29 (XP: 5%)

Going from punching yourself in the face to actual self-mutilation?

Bold move, Veder. Let's see if it pays off.

Reduce all blunt force damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health.

Breath-Holding Lv 6

Asphyxiation is a terrible way to die.

Increases time able to stay conscious without air by 30 seconds per level.

Bullshitting Lv 3 (XP: 25%)

First, you tell a lie; then you believe it; then you become it.

Increases chances that any lie you tell is successful by 2% with every level.

Cold Resistance Lv 6 (XP: 80%)

The cold never stopped bothering you.

Increases resistance to cold temperature by 1% with every level.

Disarm Lv 3 (XP: 25%)

Take their weapon from their warm, living hands.

Increases chance of disarming the enemy by 2% with every level.

Electricity Resistance Lv 8 (XP: 25%)

Everyone knows electrocution is harmless.

Increases resistance to electrical damage by 1% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health. (8%)

Kissing Lv 5 (XP: 75%)

Looks like practicing on a peach actually paid off.

Parry Lv 4 (XP: 60%)

To deflect an attack is a double-edged sword;

Risking more damage for the chance to inflict the same.

Increases the effectiveness of any attempt to divert or deflect a physical attack by 2% with every level.

Piercing Resistance Lv 8 (XP: 50%)

The thrust or stab is risky because it can kill and yet not stop.

Reduces piercing or stabbing damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health.

Reflexes Lv 5 (XP: 15%)

DODGE!

Increases your innate reaction speed by 10% per level.

Seduction Lv 1

I didn't mean to turn you on… or did I?

Manage to draw the attention of a member of the opposite sex using your innate attraction skills. Increases chance of [Critical Hits] on enemies by .5% every level.

Slashing Resistance Lv 6 (XP: 90%)

The cut will stop but not kill.

Reduces slashing or cutting damage by 0.75% with every level from attacks less than 100% of your health.

Sneaking Lv 1 (XP: 50%)

Ugh… stealth missions suck.

Allows for quieter movement while trying not to be heard.

Stamina Lvl 8 (XP: 15%)

Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.

Increase Will by + 5 with every level.

Taunt Lv 2 (XP: 60%)

"And this! Is when I taunt you!"

Draw the attention of a target through nonsensical, idiotic, but occasionally piercing, verbal attacks. Increases chance of Critical Hits on enemies by 2% with every level.

Thrown Weapons Lv 4 (XP: 75%)

Throwing your sword always works. Except, you know, when it doesn't.

Increases the skill, range and force by which items and weapons can be thrown by 2% with every level.