//You're going to be late. Again. You missed the omnibus and |run>[have to get there on foot.](click-append: ?run)[=
You blink and you're already at the storage room in the back. "How many times have I given you 'one more chance'? Enough of this bullshit from you." She looms over you, fifty feet tall even as she climbs a stepladder to reach the top shelf, mid-inventory check. "I don't want to see you here again. Get out." You (t8n-depart:"blur")+(t8n-arrive:"fade-up")+(t8n-time:3s)[[wake up->Day 1]] as you walk out the door, before seeing any of the actual storefront. At least you won't be dealing with any customers.//"Ugh." You sit up in bed. You haven't worked at the groser's in months now, but you still get stress dreams about it when a deadline is coming up. Your videos have been able to keep you afloat without having to keep a demeaning retail job during the day. It's tight, but you make it work.
Today's deadline is your trip out to the Churlnoble Exclusion Zone. You've been [[leaving clues|dropping hints]] to your loyal followers for a while now that you've been planning on doing a short series of videos covering what's out there. It's a long ride to get there, and you scheduled your ticket so you would get there before nightfall, so you have to get ready quickly.{=
(set: $temp to 0)
(click-replace: "Your videos ")[Your videos--and your in-video sponsorship ads, and your supporters on Patrello, and the one-off donations during your livestreams, and whatever other sources you can scrounge up--]
(click-replace: "long")[suns'-leg long]
(click-append: "get ready quickly")[.<br><br>You have to go [[wash up]], [[get dressed]], and actually make sure you've [[packed|pack]] everything since you spent the night posting online instead](display: "set variables")A Trip to Churlnoble
[[Begin|Opening Dream Sequence]]
[[Credits]](link-reveal: "made by baz")[(open-url: "https://monads.online/@toroidal")]
(link-undo:"Return")(prepend: ?sidebar)[(print: (passage:)'s name)]{
(set: $temp to 0)
(set: $hygiene to 0)
(set: $inventory to (a:))
}(icon) Display Name @handle - 7h
(meme image "I've been dropping hints that I'm doing videos on the exclusion zone" "I think I wanna do some videos about the exclusion zone")
(click-undo: ?passage)Fat piss, a quick rain, clean your teeth, towel-dry and finecomb your hair. The water's cold today, domelord still hasn't had someone come in to replenish the temperature-ward. Hopefully that'll be done by the time you're back.
(display: "prepping"){=
(click-append: "time you're back")[--but knowing him, you'll have to call again to remind him]
(set: $hygiene to $hygiene + 2)You dress, choosing something comfortable enough for the ride. |notclean)[You probably should've washed yourself up before dressing... Whatever. ]Relatively clean te-shirt, a set of matching sweatpants and sweatshirt on top; the omni probably won't be heated. This'll work.
(display: "prepping"){=
(if: (count: (history:), "wash up") is 0)(show: ?notclean){(if: $inventory is 0)[(set: $inventory to (a: "cell phone"))]
}You throw together a few sets of clothes, an extra pair of socks and underwear (just in case), travel bath-items, laptop, charger, spare harddisk, and your camera. You bought some shelf-stable foods ahead of time, and as you head to the kitchen you pass by your meds(if: $inventory does not contain "taroh cards")[ and [[cards|taroh cards]]]. You grab an armful of the various bone-dry goods and shove them in the bag on top of everything. It just barely fits, and while the size is unweildy it isn't too heavy on your shoulder. Good to go.
(display: "prepping"){
(set: $invbag to (a: "a set of clothes", "another set of clothes", "a third set of clothes", "extra socks", "extra underwear", "travel soaps", "travel toothscrub", "laptop", "laptop charger", "spare harddisk", "camera", "dry crackers", "sweet crackers", "bitter crackers", "puff-ris crackers", "mufflon jerky", "poult jerky", "hard cheese", "stinky hard cheese"))
(if: any of $invbag is not in $inventory)[(set: $inventory to $inventory + $invbag)]
}(click-append: "your camera.")[ It's not the most powerful thing, but it works for your audience. You've promised them with enough Patrello subscriptions you'll be able to afford a shiny new 6K one.
]{
}(if: $inventory does not contain "one day's medicine")[(click-append: "meds")[(set: $inventory to $inventory + (a: "one day's medicine", "another day's medicine", "a third day's medicine")) (oh, don't forget those!)]]You grab your bag and head out.
{=
(set: $temp to 0)(set: $temp to $temp + 1)(if: (count: (history:), "wash up") is 0 and not ((passage:)'s name is "wash up"))[[[Wash up|wash up]]
](if: (count: (history:), "get dressed") is 0 and not ((passage:)'s name is "get dressed"))[[[Get dressed|get dressed]]
](if: (count: (history:), "pack") is 0 and not ((passage:)'s name is "pack"))[[[Finish packing|pack]]
](if: $temp > 2)[[[Head to the omni station]]]They're a simple pack of taroh cards. You're not actually very good with them--or any form of magic, really. They were a gift from a friend. They figured that, if nothing else, the art was (link-reveal:"pretty")[. It is, to be fair. Very elaborate fineline illustrations adorn each of 80 cards].
(link-reveal-goto: "Take the cards", "pack")[(set: $inventory to $inventory + (a: "taroh cards"))]
(link-undo: "Leave the cards")