Sneaking into Dr. Powell's Office

I don't get a great night's sleep. I spend a lot of time in bed tossing and turning while worrying about how things will go when I get up. By morning, I find myself awake a little before my alarm was set to go off. Unable to fall back asleep, I decide to just get up early and use this extra time to calm my nerves. I head downstairs to grab some breakfast, and while Michelle has already left for work, I actually find my mom still eating in the dining room. As soon as I see her, I can tell she's taking her time because she's having conflicting thoughts about leaving the house, and by extension, me.

I sit with her and chat while I eat breakfast. At this point, I've gotten somewhat used to the extra doting nature she's developed, so I'm better able to handle the attention. It takes a bit of clever wording, but eventually, I'm able to convince her to leave for work by telling her that she need to go if she wants to keep providing for me. I don't know how long she'll be able to accept that as a valid reason, but hopefully it will work for the time being. We would all be in a lot of trouble if Mom stopped showing up for work.

Once she's gone, I spend the time alone just relishing in the silence. I do some breathing exercises Mom once taught us to reduce stress (which she had to learn since she was stressed all the time), which honestly do help calm my nerves. Finally, the time arrives. I take a bold step out the door and head for the bus stop. I gave myself a decent amount of time before my meeting with the dean just in case something goes wrong with Powell, so it's still pretty early, but I'm ready to put my plan into action.

As soon as I get off the bus, I head toward my destination. On campus, there's a building that houses all the offices of the instructors in the university. On my way there, I can't help but start to worry. What if Dr. Powell isn't there? What if she's in a meeting with a bunch of other people? What if she catches me and I get in even more trouble? Stop it, Matt. Calm down. Just be careful and everything will be fine. And remember, Dr. Powell's attribute has only gotten stronger since Wednesday. That should make her easier to handle if I get caught.

I get to the building and quickly make my way over to the history department. I do my best to walk through the area without attracting attention. Dr. Powell is considered pretty important among the university's history professors. She obviously has a doctorate degree, but she's also been working here for a decent number of years. She's nowhere near the oldest teacher in the department, but she's certainly earned her position. As such, she has a pretty sizable office located near the end of the hall.

I reach her door and try to listen to see if I can hear her, but there's no noise coming from her room. Just to be sure, I point the remote at the door and press the green button. Nothing. I try a few more times, adjusting my aim slightly to try and cover the whole room. I'm still not getting anything. Shoot! After all that effort, is she really just not here?

Then, I catch some noises coming from down the hall. I close my eyes and focus on it. It sounds like... a coffee machine and the clinking of a mug being set down. That's right, each floor of this building also has a kitchen for the staff to use. I try not to get my hopes up yet, but it's worth at least checking.

I make my way over to the small kitchen and glance inside. Bingo! Dr. Powell is standing in the kitchen, making herself a pot of coffee. Behind her I also see another guy. He also looks like a professor, but I've never seen him before, so I couldn't tell you who he is or what he teaches. Hopefully he won't be an issue, because I'm not wasting anymore time. The longer I stay here is the greater chance of something going wrong. With Dr. Powell in my sights and unaware of my presence, I pull out the remote. I hold my breath as I lock-on to her. Time for the big reveal...

- SELECTED TARGET: SHANNON POWELL -

Attribute Branch Available. Press red button to reveal.

Yes! Words can't describe how happy I am to see that! Who knows if it will even be helpful, but man, it's just nice to see... wait, "Attribute Branch?" What's an attribute branch? That's not the same message that popped up for Mom, was it? I don't think it was. Now I'm confused. Still, it's something, so I guess I should just press the red button and see what it says.

Select Attribute Branch

A - GETTING PHYSICAL

People will begin having a desire to inflict pain on the target, though not to the extent of causing serious, lasting damage. Any actions taken as a result of this desire will be seen as normal to everyone except the target.

B - SHAME ON ME

People will begin having a desire to humiliate the target, especially through verbal insults. Any actions taken as a result of this desire will be seen as normal to everyone except the target.

Okay, there is so much information to unpack here. First of all, is this what I think it is? Is the remote giving me a choice between two different attributes? Because that's what it feels like is happening right now. The word "branch" also implies that these are separate, so I probably only get one chance to select and then the other option is gone forever. At least that's how I interpret it with my limited amount of context. Maybe this is a way for me to have some sort of influence when an identity could be taken in multiple different directions? That's certainly an interesting idea. And I'll take any amount of control over this process that I can get.

Now let's get to the attributes themselves. The first thing I noticed is that both of these attributes don't affect Powell, they actually change everyone around her. It seems like my understanding of just how powerful this remote is keeps getting pushed further and further. But honestly, a change in everyone's perception is just what I need right now. I kind of wish Mom could have gotten something like that, but I guess then I wouldn't have had that incredibly moment with her last night. Maybe another time...

In terms of which attribute to pick, they're definitely similar, but the subtle change in wording seems significant. The first one seems to be setting up Powell to be more of a painslut, while the second is more about being mentally and emotionally degraded. Dr. Powell's initial attribute will make her respond to both, so it's not like choosing one option prevents me from doing the other myself. Rather, this choice seems to just be about how she's treated in general.

With all that in mind, I'm still not sure which one to pick. The second option may be more helpful in my current situation, given that I got in trouble for insulting her in the first place. But on the other hand, I would like to see how people would rough her up with that first option. Although, the idea of everyone talking down to and insulting her makes the second one sounds fun too. Argh! It's a tough choice.

I read over each option a few more times. The title of the first option is written in green text, while the second title is written in red, most likely indicating which button I need to press to select each one. I take a glance at the clock and then at the two people in the kitchen, still going about their own business. I really need to get out of here before something happens. With that in mind, after giving all of that consideration, it's time to decide.