223 Defeating your own weakness (1/2)
[Remaining time until activation of Fart Bomb Pheromones: 00:01:24]
[Remaining time until activation of Fart Bomb Pheromones: 00:01:23]
With time ticking down, Ben gulped as he looked at the nightclub waitress, knowing she was his last chance for schlong-saving...
Not having a moment to waste, he didn't even wait for her to finish giggling when he fired his next line, one he'd been working on a while. ”I'm thinking of getting into waitressing myself…can you give me any tips to break into the industry?”
...
It was the same line he used on the bouncer, but this time, it worked!
She laughed! ”Oh, I don't have any tips, sorry.”
[Target's current attraction level: interested(+3)]
'I guess the line's better on girls…' Ben didn't understand humor, but he did understand sexist double standards…
With that, he'd also passed the second hurdle! However…
[Remaining time until activation of Fart Bomb Pheromones: 00:01:16]
Ben narrowed his eyes. 'Running out of time. I need to go direct now, but I'm not sure if I can pass the value test, in that case…'
He smirked. ”No tips? That's unexpected, I got the impression you were the perfect waitress, even if your hair smells like Jagermeister…”
Now, she couldn't hold back from outright guffawing.
[Target's current attraction level: attracted(+4)]
It landed! After Beluga taught him about negs and Ben failed multiple times, he'd been thinking about how to make good ones, and now—he succeeded! It was a perfect neg! A compliment that she was the perfect waitress, and also a joking insult that she got no tips and her hair smelled...
On top of that, it was funny! That made it pass even easier!
Ben couldn't relax though, because the clock was ticking! 'I just need one more line! But it's going to be the riskiest of them all! I have to go direct!'
[Remaining time until activation of Fart Bomb Pheromones: 00:01:08]
Seeing almost half the time gone though, he became more nervous than ever. This wasn't a normal approach where he could shake off failure. The stakes were serious! The consequences frightful!
A thought emerged from somewhere in the back of his mind. 'It's just 3 months of impotence. You were already d*ckless for 18 years... It'll be fine!'
He blinked. 'What the hell was that?!?'
Under heavy pressure, thoughts to escape, to take the easy route, crept up from a place of fear in his subconscious; trying to get him to avoid difficulties; trying to get him to sink into comfort. These were what people referred to as—inner demons…
Instead of pain, they brought soothing calls of peace, of letting go of troubles, of not being responsible for failure.
They promised a cure if he'd only keep drinking poison...
They promised to ease the symptoms if he'd only embrace the disease...
They promised anything he wanted to hear, and their words were sweet, too sweet for anyone to ignore. 'Should I just...take it easy?' Ben's eyes shook. He could be free. It would be so easy. All he had to do—was quit and walk away.