You walk upstairs, shaking your head at what has happened. How could some combination of chemicals you inhaled suddenly give you a deeper insight into the psychology and physiology of others?
You pass a few more people going down the stairs, then catch up with someone interesting. Pam, a cheerleader for the school, has dropped some items on the stairs--looks like shampoo or something--and is now trying to clean up the sticky residue from the cracked bottle. You can see some of her symbols seem to indicate anger or frustration.
Here's a chance to get bonus points with a cute, blonde, stacked cheerleader, you think to yourself. "Hi, Pam. Need help?"
She looks up from her work, smiles, and says, "Oh, yes. Could you go get me some more wet paper towels?"
"Sure!" You dash to a common bathroom and get about a half dozen towels, wet them at a faucet, pull a few more towels to dry the floor with, and head back to Pam.
You help her get most of the gunk up, and she thanks you. You notice that some of her symbols have changed to happier ones, and some new symbols appear briefly, then seem to fade.
"Hey, thank you, uh..." she pauses, not knowing your name.
"John," you supply.
"...John. That was very kind of you."
As you talk, you try to follow the symbols as they fade, and you discover that there is a whole second field of symbols that relate to interactions with others. As you search the new symbols, you find one that seems to be associated with you, and it has a positive kind of tone to it.
You decide to tweak it a little to become more positive.
Suddenly, Pam smiles brightly at you. "Well, the least I can do is invite you to get something to drink, on me. Snack bar?"
You smile back. "Gee, spend more time with a cheerleader? I don't know. It could ruin my reputation as a brainy, science-type guy." You pause for a millisecond. "Okay!"
She laughs and leads you back down the stairs towards the snack bar. |