Tricky. [IWriteWithATalon]

John wanted to get something to eat before he left, but it wouldn't be particularly easy… if his mother saw him getting food from the kitchen she would probably wonder why, since he never did it. The last thing he really wanted to do was explain to his own mother why he had no allowance money but a fresh copy of what essentially amounted to softcore porn. But this weird Gamer thing hadn't given him any stealth abilities or magic, so he didn't really want to risk trying to sneak food out either. For now, he thought, it might be best to rely on old fashioned skills.

"Mom, do we have anything easy to take with me to school?" John asked, walking into the kitchen without attempting to disguise his intentions. "I checked the menu yesterday and they're serving some weird kind of goulash today… I'd like to have something in case I don't like it.

"Sure, sweetie, there's granola bars and jerky in the cupboard over there."

"Thanks," John said, waving one last time to his mother before he started to head for the door. As he went a few pop-ups started to appear in front of him, but he mentally dismissed them for the moment since he could already hear the bus outside.

John rushed through the yard and out into the street, and just in time - he could already see the bus driver's hand reaching for the door lever as he strolled out of the fence. John gave him a curt nod as thanks for waiting and then quickly made his way toward the back of the bus, finding an empty seat and throwing himself into it. While the wheels started turning again and the bus slowly creaked into motion, John started to check out his multiple pop-ups.

Achievement Unlocked! "I Cannot Not Tell A Lie!" ~~ Tell a lie as the first thing you say to someone else. Way to start your day!
+10 EXP
+1 CHA

Achievement Unlocked! "Blood is Thinner Than Water!" ~~ Deceive a family member over something mundane. It's the little things in life!
+10 EXP
+1 CHA
+10% Chance to successfully deceive family members

Skill Unlocked: Deception ~~ Convey a falsehood, either through words, actions, or simply by leaving out part of the truth. The target is more likely to believe you when using this skill. More effective with higher relationship scores, with more believable lies, and with a greater level than the target. - Cost: Passive

"Holy shit," John thought as he stared at the pop-ups in front of him, "so much for old-fashioned. There might be a skill for everything!"

John spent the entire ride trying to wrap his head around the idea that he might actually have stumbled across something incredibly useful. If any of the things he was reading worked as well as the interface said they did, he might be capable of becoming something really amazing. And if doing something as easy as telling a little white lie could unlock new skills, what else could this Gamer power do?

John was giddy at first, trying to imagine what would happen. He already had proof that this was real - which was good, because if he was just hallucinating big interface screens he would've been severely disappointed - and it seemed like the sky was the limit for what he could possibly accomplish. Could he raise his HP pool until bullets didn't scratch it? Could he raise up his physical stats until bullets weren't even a threat? Could he make himself the smartest, wisest student - or, hell, the wisest and smartest scientist?

It wasn't until the bus was arriving at school that John started thinking about the future in a more imminent sense. Yeah, a little lie had unlocked a skill… but it was a skill about lying and deceiving others. Which didn't always have to be a bad thing, but what if he unlocked skills that encouraged him to cheat, steal, and hurt? If he unlocked abilities like that and relied on them, it could definitely make him into something he didn't want to be. Besides, who knew if this game had some kind of alignment score, or a personality meter? The Gamer powers that affected everyone else… could they affect him, too?

John made a mental note to do a bit more research on the powers that he unlocked as they went, to experiment with them, but most of all to be careful about his actions. Anything he did now could have a long-lasting impact that might change who he was at his core. He needed to think everything-

Achievement Unlocked! "The Butterfly Effect!" ~~ Realize that everything you do has consequences, for you and everyone else around you.
+10 EXP
+1 WIS

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."