Truth or Dare

[ Spend 250 rings | None | 1000b ]

PAYTON: Yay! I’m so glad you could make it. The party is this way.

Payton opens a sliding glass door and leads you out to the back patio.

PAYTON: Hey, everyone! I brought… err, our friend who wasn’t here before, but now she is!

ADDISON: That was a weird thing to say…

NISHAN: Payton didn’t have any choice. We’ve been playing Truth or Dare, and Sakura dared Payton not to use anyone’s real names. If she messes up, she’ll get tossed in the pool.

SAKURA: Heh… only a matter of time.

ADDISON: Okay, that all makes sense… I think… so where is Julian? I thought he was supposed to be here.

PAYTON: Remember how I told you he’d been getting all hypercompetitive?

Payton points across the lawn. On the other side of the pool, Julian and Wes are doing push-ups side by side.

WES: Forty-eight, forty-nine, FIFTY… heh, I told you I could keep up!

ADDISON: So… um, I’m not sure you guys are strictly following the rules of Truth or Dare.

PAYTON: Just go with it. The point is to have a good time. Plus, I still plan on figuring out the backstory between Sakur--Err, I mean, Gamerella and Sir Nerdsalot. And speaking of, now’s my chance! Gamerella, I pick you. Truth or Dare?

SAKURA: ...me? I choose Dare!

PAYTON: Oh… are you sure you didn’t want to pick Truth?

SAKURA: The objective of Truth or Dare is to endure less humiliation than everyone else playing. No way am I spilling anything gossip-worthy.

PAYTON: ...well, in that case, I dare you to, um… I actually didn’t think this far ahead.

Julian pulls a small plastic bag out of his pocket.

JULIAN: I know! Have her lick this snail!

ADDISON: ...Julian, you just happened to have a snail in your pocket?

JULIAN: Psshh… like I’d really come to a game of Truth or Dare unprepared.

SAKURA: Whatever. Just gimme that.

Sakura snatches the snail from Julian, pops it into her mouth, and then spits out the empty shell onto the patio.

SAKURA: There… satisfied?

PAYTON: Sakura, I… I don’t believe it!

SAKURA: ...actually, I believe that was you saying my real NAME. Dunk her, fellas!

Julian, Wes, and Nishan lift up Payton and chuck her into the pool. She splashes back up to the surface, sputtering.

PAYTON: Glug!

SAKURA: So predictable… and now it’s my turn to issue a Truth or Dare challenge. I pick… Addison!

[ Addison | 8h | 10000c ]

SAKURA: So Addison, are you ready? What will it be? Truth or Dare?

ADDISON: I pick just making out!

WES: ...okay, I’ll admit it. I didn’t see THAT one coming.

SAKURA: Well, that wasn’t what I asked, but I can allow it.

Sakura indicates Autumn, Julian, Mia, and Wes.

SAKURA: Go ahead. You can kiss whichever one you’d like.

ADDISON: Mia.

MIA: ...really? Well, I guess if you have to kiss someone, you couldn’t possibly do any better than moi.

You step over to Mia, put your arms around her waist, and draw her into a passionate kiss.

MIA: Wow… that was very, um…

ADDISON: ...hot?

MIA: I was going to say ‘cute’. Maybe ‘has potential’...

Mia leans in and kisses you again. You feel your knees go weak and wobble beneath you.

MIA: See? Now THAT was hot.

NISHAN: Whoa… is Addison blushing?

AUTUMN: Enough gawking, guys! It’s time for someone else to go.

The night of Truth or Dare continues… Some of your friends miss the point of the game entirely…

NISHAN: I pick Truth! A full grown T-Rex had teeth that were over 10 inches long!

MIA: Nishan, that’s not how the game works!

Some of your friends play the game overzealously…

WES: Okay, Julian, you dared me to eat a jalapeno. Now I dare you to drink this whole bottle of hot sauce!

JULIAN: Just one? How about THREE bottles?

And some of your friends play with a secret agenda…

PAYTON: Okay, Gamerella… Truth or Dare? But really answer Truth this time! Please!

SAKURA: ...Dare!

PAYTON: Ugh… fine, why don’t you sneak into the neighbors’ yard and bring me the flag from the top of their flagpole?

Sakura strolls into the neighbors’ yard and shimmies up their flagpole. She slides down again, waving their flag triumphantly.

SAKURA: Easy as taking Candy Crush from a baby!

Julian and Wes rush over.

WES: Hold up! We request the floor. Julian has just issued a Priority Dare!

[ Julian, Wes | 12h | 12000c ]

ADDISON: Okay, guys, so what’s this crazy Priority Dare you keep talking about?

JULIAN: I dared Wes to streak around the block!

WES: And then I COUNTER-dared Julian to streak around the… burp, block…

Julian and Wes both grimace with discomfort.

ADDISON: Uh, you guys look a little green. What have you been doing?

JULIAN: Three rounds ago, Wes dared me to eat sixteen jalapenos and a basket of atomic chicken wings!

WES: And right after that, Julian dared me to drink three bottles of hot sauce and a garlic Frosted Flakes smoothie!

MIA: Ew! That’s grrrross!

AUTUMN: Julian, sweetie… maybe you two should take a break?

JULIAN: Autumn is right, Wes. There’s no reason this should escalate any further.

WES: ...no reason at all.

Julian and Wes glare at each other and then sprint off down the street, leaving a trail of clothes behind them.

ADDISON: No way that could end badly.

The group watches the two guys in underwear race around the corner and out of view.

PAYTON: Aww… I feel kinda bad for Julian and Wes. They’re both looking kind of ill.

AUTUMN: Nice abs though!

SAKURA: Um, Payton, WHO did you say you felt bad for?

PAYTON: Julian and We-- Oh no! I meant Jocktagon and Wesperado!

SAKURA: Nice try.

The group grabs Payton and chucks her into the pool.

PAYTON: Glug!

Payton climbs out of the pool and pulls you aside.

PAYTON: Psst… hey, Addison!

ADDISON: Payton, are you sure you want to be using my real name like that? If Sakura hears you, you’ll get tossed into the pool again.

PAYTON: Which is WHY I’m whispering. Now come with!

Payton pulls you inside the house. She dries off while she talks.

PAYTON: This game of Truth or Dare is almost over, and Sakura has chosen Dare every single time I’ve challenged her. At this rate, we’ll never get her to tell us about her backstory with Nishan.

ADDISON: Have you considered daring her to… Do something impossible?

PAYTON: But every dare so far has been to do something impossible. She just does it anyway. The only thing she won’t do is tell me what I want to know… Which just gave me a great idea! I’ll dare her to answer my question! Then she’d have to tell us what we want to know! Let’s go corner Nishan and Sakura.

[ Payton, Nishan, Sakura | 16h | 250b, 50r ]

You follow Payton out onto the patio and over to the rest of the group playing Truth or Dare.

NISHAN: I pick Truth! Unless it gets eaten or injured, the Immortal Jellyfish could actually live forever.

MIA: Nishan, you’re STILL doing it wrong.

PAYTON: Besides, it’s my turn, and I challenge Gamerella.

SAKURA: Heh… no surprise there.

PAYTON: Truth or Dare?

SAKURA: Dare, obviously!

PAYTON: Then I DARE you to answer this question: how did you and Sir Nerdsalot first meet?

SAKURA: ...well played. Well played indeed.

Sakura sits down next to Nishan.

SAKURA: The story is… I had laptop trouble right before an important LoL tournament, and I heard around school that Nishan was the guy to see for help. Finding him required venturing into his gadget-strewn nerd cave, but once we started talking… we totally got along!

NISHAN: We liked all the same shows, the same movies…

SAKURA: It was only later I’d learned that he’d written the virus that caused all my computer trouble in the first place.

NISHAN: Allegedly… I allegedly wrote the virus…

SAKURA: Then I punched him, and long story short, we became really close friends. Which is mostly because his brains and my reflexes are optimally suited to form a human resistance in the event of an alien invasion… and also because he gets my jokes.

AUTUMN: ...Sakura makes jokes?

ADDISON: Aww… that was a really sweet story!

PAYTON: And see? Saying something mushy doesn’t make you lose Truth or Dare.

SAKURA: I guess not.

Julian and Wes run back up wearing nothing but their skivvies. They collapse, moaning and clutching their stomachs.

SAKURA: Although it’d be tough to lose worse than those two.

JULIAN: Uhh… I don’t feel so good… you win, Wes…

WES: Uhh… no way… I already let you win when we were still half a block away…

SAKURA: I rest my case.

Later that night, Payton is hugging her guests goodbye as they get ready to leave.

PAYTON: Take care, people who came to my party!

ADDISON: Still not using people’s names?

PAYTON: The party may be winding down, but it’s not quite over yet. Plus, I still need to tell Gamerella that she definitely DID win Truth or Dare.

SAKURA: Your unconditional surrender is accepted!

Payton hugs Sakura and Nishan.

SAKURA: So Payton, this game of Truth or Dare was really just to ask about my friendship with Nishan?

PAYTON: Yeah… I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to pry or be mean. I just wanted to get to know you better! And I would’ve just asked, but sometimes you can be a little, um, you know…

SAKURA: Aggressive? Intimidating? Domineering?

PAYTON: ...all of the above. What I’m trying to say is, I just wanted to get to know you better, so that we could be better friends, Sakura.

SAKURA: I understand. And the truth is, I also find your company… tolerable. I wouldn’t be opposed to spending more time together.

PAYTON: ...really?

Sakura puts her arm around Payton’s shoulder and squeezes her tightly.

SAKURA: Yep!

ADDISON: Awww…

SAKURA: However, there is one small matter to take care of first, the matter of WHAT you just called me.

PAYTON: Huh? I called you Sakur--oh… oh right.

Payton trudges over to the pool and jumps in.

PAYTON: Glug!

As Payton breaks the surface of the water, everybody else leaps in after her, splashing and laughing.

PAYTON: Hey, what are you guys doing?

ADDISON: Sakura didn’t want you getting wet all by yourself, so she dared everyone to jump in the pool after you! Then I pointed out ‘everyone’ included her too, so we all got in.

SAKURA: ...well played. Well played indeed.