"Grocery Shopping" by Deirdra Kiai

The story headline is "An Adventure in Social Anxiety".

The story creation year is 2009.

Section 1 - General Junk

Include Default Messages by David Fisher.

Table of custom library messages (continued)
Message Id Message Text
LibMsg <empty line> "Your mind goes completely blank. Focus, Henrietta, focus![/n]"
LibMsg <undo forbidden> "If only it really were that easy to fix your mistakes.[/n]"
LibMsg <unknown object> "You can't see any such thing. God, Henrietta, you sure can be dense sometimes.[/n]"
LibMsg <unknown verb> "Oh, don't be silly, Henrietta. You know you can't do that.[/n]"
LibMsg <verb cannot have inanimate object> "You can only do that to something animate, you silly girl.[/n]"
LibMsg <examine undescribed things> "It's just a [main object]. Big deal.[/n]"
LibMsg <report player touching self> "Ha. Very funny. Yeah, right.[/n]"
LibMsg <report player touching other people> "Ha. Very funny. Yeah, right.[/n]"
LibMsg <squeezing people> "Ha. Very funny. Yeah, right.[/n]"
LibMsg <block kissing> "Ha. Very funny. Yeah, right.[/n]"
LibMsg <block saying sorry> "It's not your fault, Henrietta. Or maybe it is. Who knows?[/n]"
LibMsg <block swearing obscenely> "You quietly curse under your breath, then look around and wonder whether anyone heard you.[/n]"
LibMsg <block swearing mildly> "You quietly curse under your breath, then look around and wonder whether anyone heard you.[/n]"
LibMsg <block attacking> "Yeah, right. You wouldn't dare attack anyone.[/n]"
LibMsg <block burning> "Set the supermarket on fire? Ha! You wouldn't even try.[/n]"
LibMsg <block answering> "There is no reply. See, Henrietta? Nobody likes you. Of course, maybe if you actually spoke at an audible level instead of mumbling nervously, someone might have heard you.[/n]"
LibMsg <block asking> "There is no reply. See, Henrietta? Nobody likes you. Of course, maybe if you actually spoke at an audible level instead of mumbling nervously, someone might have heard you.[/n]"
LibMsg <block telling> "This provokes no reaction. See, Henrietta? Nobody likes you. Of course, maybe if you actually spoke at an audible level instead of mumbling nervously, someone might have heard you.[/n]"
LibMsg <block singing> "You? Sing? Goodness, but what if someone actually heard your awful voice? Sometimes I wonder about you, Henrietta.[/n]"
LibMsg <telling yourself> "Just look at you, talking to yourself as if someone's narrating your life. God, no wonder no one likes you.[/n]"
LibMsg <block thinking> "Damn it! Think, Henrietta, think![/n]"
LibMsg <block sleeping> "Yes, I know you want nothing more than to go home and curl up in bed. You can do that after you finish grocery shopping.[/n]"
LibMsg <block waking up> "If this were a bad dream, it would be pretty much just like it is now, except you'd probably be naked or something. Go figure.[/n]"
LibMsg <report player waiting> "You stand transfixed on the spot, fidgeting and trembling like the pathetic coward you are.[/n]"

Use the serial comma, undo prevention, and no scoring.

Going by name is an action applying to one thing.
Carry out going by name: say ""; move the player to the noun.
Understand "go to [any room]" and "enter [any room]" as going by name.

Understand "collect [something]" as taking.
Understand "pay for [something]" and "pay [something]" as buying.

A person can be out of line, in line, or at the front. The player is out of line.

Every turn when the player is in line, say "The line slowly inches closer. You nervously follow suit." Instead of going by name when the player is in line, say "You're not about to lose your place in line. Remember the last time that happened, Henrietta? All those people kept glaring at you, and you had to go all the way to the back again."

Every turn when the player is at the front, say "The young man keeps on smiling, waiting intently for you to pay for your groceries." Instead of going by name when the player is at the front, say "Not now! You need to pay for your groceries!"

Instead of examining the player, say "Oh, Henrietta. Why did you have to wear that tacky maroon sweater today? Couldn't you have put on something a little more inconspicuous, so you could at least blend in with the crowd? And your hair's a complete mess, too. Oh well, at least you didn't forget your glasses this time."

Instead of exiting, say "You're not leaving until you buy your groceries first."

Section 2 - The Game

When play begins, say "Calm down, Henrietta. It's just a trip to the grocery store. There's no need to panic. Go inside and get what you need, and it'll all be over before you know it."

Extra Valu Supermarket is a room. "It's crowded in here. Damn it, why did you have to come on a Saturday afternoon? Why couldn't you come here on a weekday? Now, everyone's staring at you, scrutinising your every move. It's only a matter of time before they'll see you for the complete social embarrassment you are.[if not visited]

Okay, focus, Henrietta. Don't pay any attention to them. Just get your groceries, already.[end if]"

A crowd of people is here. The crowd of people is undescribed and a person. The description of the crowd of people is "Crowds terrify you, to the point that your whole body shakes and your palms get sweaty. What kind of a normal person gets like this? Seriously?"

A basket of groceries is here. It is undescribed. The description of the groceries is "A two-litre carton of 1% milk, a loaf of whole wheat bread, five boxes of Chez Pierre's Chicken Cordon Bleu, and three toilet paper rolls. This should last you long enough that you won't have to come back to the supermarket for a while. Or so you hope."

After taking the groceries, say "You walk through the aisles and pick up everything you need, all the while walking past people, making enough eye contact that they don't think there's something wrong with you but not so much that they'd stop and engage you in conversation. You've had quite a bit of practice with this. So much, in fact, that you'd have thought you'd be less nervous about it by now.

Okay, Henrietta, you're almost done. Time to head over to the checkout counter."

Instead of dropping the groceries, say "You've done that before. It was absolutely humiliating, and you resolved never to do it again."

Instead of going by name when the player does not have the groceries, say "You're not going anywhere until you collect your groceries."

The Self-Serve Checkout Counter is a room. "It's out of order. Crap. Just what you need right now. Looks like you have no choice but to go to the regular checkout counter after all."

The Regular Checkout Counter is a room. "It's just as crowded in here as it is in the rest of the supermarket. Go figure."

Instead of going by name the Regular Checkout Counter when the player has the groceries:
 if the player has not been in the Self-Serve Checkout Counter, say "Oh, I don't know. The self-serve checkout seems far friendlier, doesn't it, Henrietta?";
 else continue the action.

A lineup of people is here. The lineup of people is undescribed and a person. The description of the lineup of people is "They don't notice you, but if they did, they'd probably find you annoying. Just like everyone else does."

A person called the person in front of you is here. The person in front of you is undescribed.

A person called the young man at the counter is here. The young man is undescribed. The description of the young man is "[if the player is at the front]Tall and dark, with Asian features and impeccably groomed spiky hair. You imagine him to be well-adjusted with a healthy social life. If it weren't for the fact that he was getting paid to do so, he wouldn't be stooping so low as to associate with scum such as yourself.[otherwise]You can vaguely make out a young man at the checkout counter, scanning the groceries of people in front of you.[end if]"

After going by name Regular Checkout Counter: now the player is in line; the lineup ends in four turns from now; say "You take a deep breath and line up at the shortest queue, again being careful not to draw attention to yourself, standing far enough from the person in front of you that you give them a reasonable amount of personal space, yet not too far, lest someone else saw an opportunity to cut in front of you."

At the time when the lineup ends:
 now the player is at the front;
 say "Finally, it's your turn. You place your items on the conveyor belt as a young man scans them into the computer. 'That[apostrophe]ll be $31.92,' he says with a smile. But you know the smile is a fake one; he's just being friendly because it's his job."
 
Instead of buying the groceries when the player does not have the groceries, say "You'll have to collect them first.". Instead of buying the groceries when the player has the groceries and the player is not at the front, say "You'll have to take them to the checkout counter first."

Instead of buying the groceries when the player has the groceries and the player is at the front: say "Carefully, you pull out two twenty dollar bills and hand them to the young man, hoping he doesn't notice that they're slightly damp from your sweaty palms. He takes the bills nonchalantly, gives you your change, and hands you your groceries in a pair of brown paper bags. You pick them up, walk out the exit doors, and head back to the safety and comfort of your own home."; end the game saying "Well now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"