Felixfalck
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Chicken Out Two: Chapter eleven!
🕑 Added 2023-11-30 00:00:04 +0000 UTCPrevious chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/chicken-out-two-93085474?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Troy was conflicted between feeling joy and fear. He hit another green tile, but didn't want to celebrate too soon. Sure, the first one had been exceptionally kind to him, ridding him of all his health related issues. But he'd also seen it do Harry dirty, stripping him of all that hard earned muscle. If the game was random, Troy could easily expect something less advantageous than his first card. If there was a sentient being behind whatever was happening here, it seemed to be picking favorites. That is, unless it's planning to even out the changes over the course of the game.
Only way to find out for sure would naturally be to press on, which was Troy's plan all along anyway. He picked up a green card and watched as text slowly etched it's way onto the blank surface.
One man's trash is another man's treasure.
Sure, this "trade" might be to someone's displeasure.
Claim what could have been, had you not been born frail.
It might just seem like you've struck the holy grail.
Do you continue or chicken out?
Troy looked quizzically at the card, not understanding what he just read. The other cards had been less ambiguous to the point where he could accurately guess exactly what changes would follow. This on the other hand, was much more cryptic. It said something about a trade, and that common saying about one man's treasure. He was already determined to continue, that much was certain. But he did want to have somewhat of an understanding of what he was getting himself into.
"..Soo? You gonna continue or nah?"
Camila couldn't wait to get on with it. She was less than satisfied with her first card, and felt eager to get something to weigh up for it. Akin to gambling addiction, she didn't even question whether she'd lose out again or not. As long as she kept playing, surely something worthwhile would come along. She could always just dye her hair and grow it back out. At least, that's what her faulty logic led her to believe. Failing to draw the parallel between her own change, and Sabrina's inability to wear anything but what the game had decided for her. Chance would have it that Camila's new hairstyle was more of a permanent solution than she knew.
"Yes, yes. I'm thinking. Just, give me a sec, K?"
"..Whatever."
..one man's trash. Trade.. Someone's displeasure..
The words circled inside Troy's mind as he tried to put the pieces together. And just like when you brute force your way into figuring out a puzzle, trying every piece in every slot, it dawned on him. The game was referring to Harry's previous round! He'd lost his muscles, and Troy now had the chance to "claim them" for himself. A trade if you will. If that was to be the case, continuing would be a no-brainer. Then again, the atmosphere was bound to get awkward after "stealing" Harry's hard earned physique. But he was in this to finish, they couldn't possibly blame him for getting that specific change, when they're all seemingly random..
"I continue!"
The card burst into a flurry of green flames right in Troy's hand. Incidentally, that's where the changes began. His right hand grew ever so slightly, but the effects were more noticeable as they traveled further up his arm. He began filling out his sweater until sat a lot more snug on his much wider frame. Perhaps the biggest change was to his face, or more specifically, his jawline. Almost as though he'd been exercising his jaw for years.
Troy now looked undoubtably like a gym bro, one who preferred to do his workouts at the beach of possible, as his complexion seemed to have darkened ever so slightly.
"Holy shit! What the fuck dude!? DID YOU JUST STEAL MY MUSCLES!?!?!"
"What the shit, dweeb?! Give Harry back his body!"
Of course these simpletons would accuse him of that. Almost like they'd forgotten that they were all dragged into this. If anything, they should be accusing whoever brought the boardgame to begin with, not poor Troy. It was difficult to take any offence at Camila's comment, as he didn't look remotely like the dweeb he used to. If anything, he was probably out of Camila's league now, with her whole hair catastrophe. But who knows what the pecking order might look like at the end of the game?
"I can't help it! It's random, you all know that! Maybe I'm just lucky, I don't know!"
"Well, like ..then you should have chickened out!"
"What?? I'm doing this for YOU, Sabrina. What do you mean I should chicken out? You want to be stuck wearing clothes like that for the rest of your life??"
Sabrina didn't expect Troy to stand up for himself like that. He was usually very quick to roll over and take whatever abuse without much of a fight, he was resilient like that. He'd gladly take the minimal abuse head on and cope with it, rather than stand up and make a scene.
In addition to the surprising out burst from Troy, Sabrina got something to think about. Yes, he was currently in possession of what was likely the muscles of Harry. But he'd also gotten them by chance, as a result of his effort to help her. It was difficult for her to justify hassling him any further, even though she felt like some wrongdoing had been committed, it'd be hard to lash out on the actual culprit, the game.
"Ugh. This is such a pain.. Ya'll don't mind if I get my turn over with, right?"
