Wilson's Cafe

You're name is ''Wilson Wong''. You are a twenty-two year old university student working as a part-time barista at your neighbourhood cafe, //Caffè Artigiano//. You serve a few frequent customers, usually of the older sort. They can be a bit essentric, but are usually nice enough. You like the fact that you have regulars. You like coffee, and thus feel passion and pride in your work. You are typically tired. Unusually tired. It comes across in your voice and demenour. No amount of coffee can fix it. You usually drive to work, but the Tesla has been in the shop for the past two days. Today is ''Saturday''. You have work early in the morning. You usually get out of bed around 5:30AM, but today your alarm didn't go off. As you open your eyes, you feel unusually rested. It's not very often you get enough sleep. "Hmm I feel pretty good today" You roll over to open your phone. At the top reads 6AM. "Crap. I'm going to be late for work brother." You look into your closet, past the IZONE albums, for a decent outfit to put together. "Can't be looking too shabby for my customers" You can't decide between ''black jeans and a teddy coat'', or ''black jeans and a hoodie''... [[ Wear the black jeans and teddy coat]] [[ Wear the black jeans and hoodie]] (set: $teddy to false) (set: $hoodie to false) (set: $breakfast to false) (set: $caffine to false) (set: $advil to false) (set: $gross to false)

''You decide to have a little breakfast before you go. '' "Hmm. What's in the fridge." You see that your fridge is completely stuffed full of fresh baked goods, each with a plastic wrap with the words ''Sun Fresh'' written across the front. The golden crusts of a dozen pineapple buns glimmer right in front of your eyes. "Nothing to eat so far. Boy am I starving!" You look around the kitchen and spot a mushy, entirely (bg:#864f19)[brown banana] on the kitchen counter. "Bingo." You grip the (bg:#864f19)[banana] tightly. Opening one end, you procede to squeeze the contents of the banana, like a tube of toothpaste, into your mouth. ''This is how you like to eat bananas. '' "Yummers." You feel nourished. You look at the time, it is 6:15 "Crap. Better hurry up" [[Wait around a little]] [[Wear your Dr. Martens and leave 6868 Adera St]] (set: $breakfast to true)

''You decide to wear black jeans and a teddy coat. '' "Probably chilly today. Better to wear something warm." Your sister barges into your room. (bg:orange)["Wilson. We just made thirty sales today but they won't ship anything out. I think we are going to get shadow banned" ] "Dude, that sucks" (bg:orange)["I know right... Wait, why are you wearing that jacket. I told you to stop wearing it."] "I just want to... brother" (bg:orange)["Okay fine."] Your sister leaves. You question why they think it is okay to barge into your room unannounced. "Whatever." You check your phone again. The time is 6:10AM. You need to be at work in 20 minutes. If you rush out the door you can probably make it to the cafe in time. "Shoot, I should leave soo-" Just then, your stomach growls loudly. You feel the hollow feeling of hunger. [[Breakfast]] [[Wear your Dr. Martens and leave 6868 Adera St]] (set: $teddy to true)

''You decide to wear black jeans and a hoodie. '' "Probably warm today. Better to wear something light" Your sister barges into your room. (bg:orange)["Wilson. We just made thirty sales today but they won't ship anything out. I think we are going to get shadow banned" ] "Dude, that sucks" (bg:orange)["I know right... Wait, why are you wearing that hoodie. I told you to stop wearing it."] "I just want to... brother" (bg:orange)["Okay fine."] Your sister leaves. You question why they think it is okay to barge into your room unannounced. "Whatever." You check your phone again. The time is 6:10AM. You need to be at work in 20 minutes. If you rush out the door you can probably make it to the cafe in time. "Shoot, I should leave soo-" Just then, your stomach growls loudly. You feel the hollow feeling of hunger. [[Breakfast]] [[Wear your Dr. Martens and leave 6868 Adera St]] (set: $hoodie to true)

''For some reason, you decide to wait around a little.'' Maybe you thought you'd have some stomach troubles after eating that banana, or maybe you thought you'd wanted to freshen up a bit after eating your meal. Regardless, you wait. "..." "..." "......." You wait around. You decide to check the time. "Brother..." It is now 9PM at night. You missed work. Your (bg:orange)[sister] comes downstairs and sees you. (bg:orange)["Wilson? What did you do all day? I literally did not see you leave the house. I thought you had work today?"] "Dude. I don't know what happened. I just felt like I had to wait a little bit before I left the house." (bg:orange)["Huh... That's super weird. Anyways, we made one hundred and eighty-five more sales since this morning"] "That's, like, super good Val..." As you continue to be spoken at by your sister, your mind wanders. You start thinking about the events of the day... You woke up. You ate breakfast. ... You waited for 15 hours. //A day well spent// you think to yourself. You check your phone. Your (bg:(hsl:90,0.8039,0.5,0.35))[manager] has left you a voice message. (bg:(hsl:90,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Wilson, I am very dissapointed with you. You were supposed to be here. A-And you just weren't. What happened? We don't need flakers like you working here.] You sigh. "I guess it's back to Valorant..." //''The End.''//

''You slip into your Dr. Martens.'' Slip isn't really the right word. More like, tightly squeeze into your Dr. Martens. "Now, I feel ready." You leave through the front door of your house. As you leave, you lock the door behind you. It's a little breezy out. Maybe a little colder than usual. "Man, I hope what I'm wearing will be enough" You procede to walk down your drive way. You see the stump of the rotten tree that fell onto your new Mercedes. "God should fear me..." Uhh.. Yeah Wilson. You continue to walk towards the cafe. You see the sun begin to shine through a parting in the clouds. You look at the different trees, observing the moss and insects which cling tightly to it's bark. You feel a general mindfullness. You feel appreciative of all of nature's glory. Though the complexity of modern life might weigh on your shoulders, those small moments where you lose yourslef to the beauty of the world bring you a deep sense of wonder and bliss. You close your eyes for a moment and breathe a deep volume of air... ... [[Breathe...]]

''You crash into a lamp post.'' You falls ass first into the ground. Your nose is bleeding profusely and you can't decide whether to hold your ass or your nose. Both are in immense pain. "Aahhh... Fuff... Fuck... brother..." You lie in the fetal position. You wonder if God is mocking you. Maybe you shouldn't have muttered that thing about God earlier. You hear a (bg:(hsl:270,0.8039,0.5,0.35))[stranger] approaching. (bg:(hsl:270,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Buddy, you alright? That was quite the accident you had there. Here, grab my hand"] You grab his hand. He lifts you off the ground. You stumble as you find your footing. "Thanks kind stranger" (bg:(hsl:270,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Heh, no worries kid."] The way he said that pisses you off. //That's my line// you think to yourself. You feel an immense rage wash over you, compounded by the pain you feel in your nose and ass. [[Punch him]] [[Don't punch him]]

''You decide to punch him.'' The stranger doesn't expect to be punched after helping you up. In fact, the stranger didn't expect anything. All he wanted to do was to help you. He didn't deserve what you did to him... The stranger grew up in a troubled household. His parents were abusive, taking out the anger they had for each other onto him. He never felt loved or secure. The contant beatings and verbal harrassment he endured left him with a deep sense of worthlessness. As he grew older, he tried to fill the void left by his troubled childhood by seeking the love and attention of others. He always seemed to choose the wrong people, the worst people, to wean affection from. He made himself target of harrassement just to feel an ounce of attention. But like all the others, they acted like he never existed. Not even worthy of being attacked. Not even worthy of existence... Devastated and alone, He fell into a deep depression and struggled to find meaning and purpose in life. He drank heavily, did drugs, anything to forget the pain of the childhood. As the stranger ran out of money, he decided to change his life. Even if no one acknowledged him, he would acknowledge himself. He quit heroin. He quit drinking. He became a better man. Despite the pain of withdrawl, he perservered. It took him three years to fully quit. As he left his house this ''Saturday'' morning, he felt unusually good. Like a weight had been taken off his shoulders. He felt, for the very first time in his life, like he was free of all burden and pain. Nothing in the past could hurt him anymore. He sees a stranger crash into a lamp post halfway through his walk. Familiar with pain, he could not bear to see another feel the way that he did. As he helps you up, he feels a sharp and sudden searing pain in his nose, jaw, and cheek. He feels pain again. As he falls to the ground, he experiences a feeling of bliss. It was the feeling of death You watch the stranger fall. He hits his head hard on the curb. His body tumbles a bit before finally resting in the middle of the road. The all new ''2023 BMW X7 M60i xDrive'' runs over the strangers head, making a peak 553 lb-ft of torque at 1800 RPM. And then he explodes. You feel a pulsating pain from your head and ass. "Oh brother, that hurts. No cap." [[//Walks away.// |Walk away]]

''You decide not to punch him.'' The (bg:(hsl:270,0.8039,0.5,0.35))[stranger] asks again if you are okay. "Y-yeah. I'll be fine" You sigh a deep sigh. The pain still pulses from your nose and ass. You look at the stranger again. He looks like he wants to give you something. (bg:(hsl:270,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["That looks painful. I know pain when I see it."] //Stranger looks inside his man purse// (bg:(hsl:270,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Here, this should help"] You receive one advil. One. "Uhh. you got any water" (bg:(hsl:270,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Nope, see ya!" ] You keep it in your pocket. For some reason, you can't take pills without water. "That really hurt ong, no cap, fr fr brother." [[//Walks away.// |Walk away]] (set: $advil to true)

''You walk away. '' As you approach Arbutus Greenway, you see bicyclists zoom past you. You curse under your breathe "Damn cyclists. Won't share the damn road" You forget you are on a bicycle-pedestrian walkway. You walk towards the cafe. It is a long stretch of road. You look at your watch. (if:(history: where its name contains "Breakfast")'s length is 1)[''You will be late to work at your current pace. Eating breakfast slowed you down.''] (if:(history: where its name contains "Breakfast")'s length is 0)[''Not eating breakfast means you left on time.''] (if:(history: where its name contains "Breakfast")'s length is 1)[[Jog to work]](if:(history: where its name contains "Breakfast")'s length is 0)[[Arrive on time]]

''You decide to jog to work. '' You haven't done cardio in a long time, but it isn't too bad. You are getting hot and sweaty. (if:(history: where its name contains "Wear the black jeans and teddy coat")'s length is 1)["Man this jacket is getting uncomfortable..."] (if:(history: where its name contains "Wear the black jeans and teddy coat")'s length is 1)[[Arrive at work without jacket]] (if:(history: where its name contains "Wear the black jeans and hoodie")'s length is 1)["It's a little hot, but not too bad..."] (if:(history: where its name contains "Wear the black jeans and hoodie ")'s length is 1)[[Arrive at work with hoodie]]

''You arrive on time, but without your teddy coat'' [[Arrive on time]] (set: $teddy to false)

''You arrive on time. You still have your hoodie on. '' [[Arrive on time]]

''You accept the old man's request.'' I don't know why you wouldn't. You work there. "What kind of coffee do you want mister?" (bg:(hsl:60,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Whatever toots your horn kiddo."] The way he said that really pisses you off. //You make a cup of espresso// "Here you go mister" As he approaches the counter... [[You throw it in his face]] [[You don't throw it in his face]]

''You decline.'' You don't know why you declined, it is your job. Maybe you just hate old people. "I don't really feel like it brother" "I ain't your brother, kiddo" You feel a burning rage in your chest and face. //This guy just used my favourite word...// You feel as if you have been wronged... [[Punch the old man]] [[Do not punch the old man]]

''You throw the coffee in his face'' He screams a blood curdling scream. You have never heard a more terrifying sound in your whole life. You hear how he is in absolute agony. It pains you to see an old man in such pain. What did he do to deserve this? But... You feel a wetness in your pants. You feel shame, for you have pissed yourself. Upon further examination, you realise it was not urine in your pants, but ejaculate. ... The shame you once felt has suddenly turned to pride. You genuinely smile for the first time in 15 years. It feels as if a weight has been taken off your shoulders. You are no longer tired. As you bask in the glory of your acomplishment, you are shaken back into reality. You are surrounded by shouting police officers. They have guns pointed at my chest and head. They are yelling commands at you, but you do not care. "Looks like you're in for a world of hurtin'" You procede to get shot 24 times. You die ''//The End//''

''You serve the old man his coffee.'' Like a normal person. (bg:(hsl:300,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Thanks sonny boy! You make pretty good coffee for an Asian boy. You know... my wife is Filipino.] You resist rolling your eyes. "T-That's nice. Have a good day sir." (bg:(hsl:300,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["And to you kiddo."] The old man leaves. ... It's still early in the morning. You look at your watch (which you got on my mom's birthday). "Ice on my wrist tells me 7:15AM." There aren't too many customers that come by around this time. [[Wait for your next customer]] [[Make yourself an espresso]]

''You leap across the counter and punch the old man in the gut.'' He grabs his stomach and falls down onto the laminate floor. "Don't mess with me..." An (bg:(hsl:300,0.8039,0.5,0.35))[early morning jogger] sees your violent actions from outside the cafe window and calls the police. (bg:(hsl:300,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Help! There is a young black ma- I mean- Asian male attacking an old white man!"] "N-No. No stop!" You yell, but to no avail. She has long since ran away. ''Ten minutes pass'' The police has arrived. Your gut punch had ruptured the old man's stomach, liver, and lungs. It had also broken his spinal column. Before you are taken to jail, you say... "I'm about to put you in a world of hurt..." The police shoot you. You die. ''//The End.//''

''You decide not to punch the old man. '' As you calm yourslef down, you realise what you have done. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. It's like some outside force is controlling me, brother." (bg:(hsl:300,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["I understand sonny boy. I was like that too when I was a wee young whipper snapper."] There is something about this man's word choice that makes you question your sanity. "Anyways, what do you want to drink." (bg:(hsl:300,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Whatever toots your horn kiddo."] The way he said that really pisses you off. //You make a cup of espresso// "Here you go mister" As he approaches the counter... [[You throw it in his face]] [[You don't throw it in his face]]

''You arrive at //Caffè Artigiano//. '' The smell of coffee hits your nose. You usually open the cafe. It's a lot of work... "Let's see..." (if:$teddy is true)[''You hang up your teddy coat.''] You put on the cafe's playlist. You hit play on the CD machine. You begin to hear some familiar music play... You turn on dish washer and the oven. It rumbles a low, rhymthic tone. You rinse the drip coffee karaffe. You bring out the tables and chairs for outdoor seating. You set up front patio You count the money in the register "... Hundred fifty... Hundred seventy... Hundred ninety..." You sort the coffee beans. Usually deliveries come on saturday. As you do your chores. time passes... "A job well done, brother," you say to youself. You see your first customer walk in. An (bg:(hsl:60,0.8039,0.5,0.35))[old feller] with a cane and a long beard. He looks like he's eighty-something years old. (bg:(hsl:60,0.8039,0.5,0.35))["Why hello there sonny boy! Fancy making me a cup o' joe for the morning?"] [[Accept]] [[Decline]]

(if:(history: where its name contains "Make yourself an espresso")'s length is 0)[''You wait for your next customer.'' ](if:(history: where its name contains "Make yourself an espresso")'s length is 1)[''You attend to your next customer.'' ] One of your regulars enter the cafe. He's an (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)[old fella from Hong Kong]. You feel a connection since you are also fella with some vague link with Hong Kong. (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Medium coffee."] "The usual huh?" (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Yeeeep. The usual."] He adds a little cream to his coffee at the self service station. It seems like another usual morning. Suddenly, he turns towards me and asks an odd question... (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Hey Wilson..."] "Yeah, what's up?" (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["It's pretty chilly today, you wear something warm?"] (if:$teddy is true)["Yeah, I got my teddy coat in the back."](if:$teddy is false)["Nah. Not wearing anything too warm today." ] (if:(history: where its name contains "Arrive to work without jacket")'s length is 1)["Actually... I ditched my jacket on the way to work today. Got too hot. I hope it's still there when I walk home."] (if:$teddy is true)[(text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Oh... nevermind"]](if:$teddy is false)[(text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Oh... Actually, I have something for you... I've been meaning to give this to you for a while now. There's going to be a big drop in temperature later in the day. You... You should take this."]] (if:$teddy is false)[You look at the jacket he presents to you. It has streaks of some off-white stain. Even from the twelve-foot distance, you smell a rank, musty smell.] (if:$teddy is false)["Uh, that's... very nice of you."] (if:$teddy is false)[(text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Oh... It's no biggie. Just wear it for me. Please?"]] (if:$teddy is true)[[Wait for another customer]] (if:$teddy is false)[[Wear the jacket]] (if:$teddy is false)[[Don't wear the jacket]]

''You make yourself an espresso.'' God, you love espresso. "Man, I love espresso brother" You don't know quite who you're talking to... As you sip on your coffee, you notice a familiar face enter the cafe. [[Attend to customer |Wait for your next customer]] (set: $caffine to true)

''You wait for another customer'' You see another familiar face walk through the door. It is (bg:red)[Jordan Wu]. He is wearing his distinct Taiga fleece while carring a backpack. "Jordan? What are you doing here?" (bg:red)["Yo. I need to study. Can I get a cappacino?"

''You decide to wear the jacket'' "Um. Sure, I'll wear it. Thanks for the jacket mister." (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Yes... Yeah... You are welcome, friend..."] ''You wear the jacket'' You feel an odd dampness. The smell increases in intensity. It's almost unbearable. You notice odd spots on the jacket. A closer inspection reveals multiple colonies of white, green, and black mold. You look at the old Hong Kong man. He is in the corner, staring at you. He looks like he is shaking a ketchup bottle under the table. His stare pierces your very soul... [[Take the jacket off|Wait for another customer]] [[Keep the jacket on]] (set: $gross to true)

''You decide to reject his request'' "N-no. I don't really want to. You can keep the jacket actually." (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Oh... Are you sure?"] "Yeah. Thanks for the offer though." (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)["Alright..."] You see the (text-colour:black)+(bg:yellow)[old Hong Kong man] sit at the corner of the cafe. He looks upset. He drinks his coffee quickly and leaves. //That was weird...// You wait around for the next customer... [[Wait a little...|Wait for another customer]]

''You keep the jacket on'' It feels odd. The longer you wear the jacket, the more you feel accustomed to it. The old Hong Kong fella looks like he finished shaking his ketchup bottle. Strange... You don't remember him ordering breakfast. He looks visibly ashamed and leaves soon after. As the hours pass, you notice that customers walk in, sniff, and leave soon after. It is a mystery why they do so. "Looks like business isn't doing so well." Though the hours pass slowly, work eventually ends. You look outside and see people walking around in large coats, burying their arms and faces into their core to protect themselves from the frozen winds. "I guess that old guy was right. It did get cold." As you leave, you feel the harsh, powerful winds hit your face. It almost burns. You can feel the cold sap the heat away from your eyes and ears almost immediately. But somehow your core is warm. The jacket keeps you warm. As you walk home, you notice the rest of your body feels warmer. Even the parts unprotected by the jacket. Your legs feel oddly warm and comfortable. You ignore the oddity of the sensation, appreciating the warmth you feel at the moment. ''You continue to walk, yet you continue to feel warmer. '' You feel the same warmth spread to your hands. You finally look down at your hands. ''Your hands have holes in them. Colonies of mold and parasites eating away at your flesh. You see that a maggot has reached bone.'' "Damn. That's pretty gnarly brother." You attempt to remove the jacket, but cannot. The zipper teeth have been fused shut with your liquified skin. The warmth you once felt begets to pain. You fall to your knees. You feel the pulsing of slime mold on your face. You feel the maggorts squirming in your eyes. You fall onto the pavement of Arbutus Greenway. There is no one in sight. You melt into the ground. Your final moments of consciousness are spent in immense pain. The mold, bacteria, and parasites ate and left no crumbs. Periodt. //''The End''// (if: $hoodie is true)[[Unless...]]

Though your body dissolves into a puddle of meat juice, your hoodie remains. Even when the stranger's jacket rapidly molds and rots away, your hoodie remains In the freezing cold, with no witnesses, a white apparition appears above where your hoodie lies. It looks like you. You feel consciousnes return to you. You look at your body. It is entirely translucent, only glowing faintly of a white light. You return home in an instant. After napping for two hours (long day at work), you get on your computer. You enter the discord call. You immediately launch and stream Rocket League. "..." "You're about to regret messing with me, chump," you mutter to youself. All is normal. Your (bg:orange)[sister] barges into your room again. (bg:orange)["Hey Wils- What the fuck. Why are you literally a ghost"] "Yeah, it's a long story" (bg:orange)["Whatever I don't care. Like, my manager at work just won't give me more shifts-"] As she continues to speak at you, your mind wanders... You think to yourself... //Another day as usual...// //''The End''//