after life

The Fairest
Megan Parigi


before death

So, you grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and your father used to hit you. Big deal. You dealt with it, and you've got it all under control. What were you expecting? Therapy sessions? Group hugs? Not likely.

All you really needed to know, you learned from your mom. She was stupid enough to marry a drunken bastard, so she deserved what she got. Women are always complaining that men have everything easy, that they have all the power. Boo-hoo. That's just the way things are, so women might as well deal with it instead of whining all the time. Men are stupid, too, and you know how to handle them. After all, you've had a lot of practice.

Take the current situation. You bat your eyes, you let a guy take you out to dinner, and in no time at all, you're the one who lands the cushy job, ordering around the other secretaries for a pudgy, sex-starved guy who's not man enough to ever put the moves on you. Your body is a tool and a weapon, and you're not afraid to use it. Of course, you've got vision. Bossing around a group of gossipy women isn't your idea of making it big, though it's certainly a step up from where you had been slumming before. You're always looking for the next prize, and this time, it didn't take long for you to find him.

Jason Schissel is the oh-so-dedicated head of the electronics company where you work, Electrodyne Systems. He works late on most nights, later than most of his employees, so he's obviously not getting anything good at home. He's obviously loaded, and he's pretty easy on the eyes. You arrange to bump into him a few times after hours, and from the way his eyes move over your body when he thinks you're not looking, you know he's not gay. It's time to move in for the kill. At first, you bring him coffee, and then you order dinners for him. Does he need a backrub? No problem. Poor dear, all alone in the office at night! After just a few weeks, he's made you his personal assistant, and he's getting a lot less work done after hours.

Your new job pays well, and you don't really have many responsibilities. Jason takes you along on all his business trips, though he insists that you always travel separately. For over a year, you've gotten to jet all over the world, staying in the best hotels and enjoying the finest restaurants. You're in his system now, and you just need to make this all official. After all, it's not his wife that's making him scandalize all the people in the neighboring hotel rooms.

There's just one problem: Jason says he isn't "ready" yet.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? If you nibble on his ear and run a hand across his chest, he seems like he's getting pretty damn "ready" to you. You know that he's just being weak, feeling guilty about his little wife at home.

"We've been through a lot together."

"Chie wouldn't understand."

"I couldn't hurt her like that."

"I'm all she has."

He really should have gotten over this little moral dilemma a year ago, when he started screwing around with his secretary! You know a good thing when you see it, and in every other way, you have him eating out of your hand. It'll just take a little more effort than you expected, but in the end, he'll be spitting on Chie and begging you to marry him. You know how to play this game, and you know that you always win.

You decide to put on the pressure, taking away some of the favors that you used to give him so freely. You like to hear that hint of a whine in a man's voice. It's almost as good as begging, and it's so much more tasteful. You know that he's starting to crack when he plans a weeklong getaway to a spa and resort up in Napa. He might as well be on his hands and knees, begging for forgiveness. In any case, it's a good start.

Things are going well as you wait at the train station. You're taking the new high-speed train up to San Francisco, where there's an electronics showcase that you attended with Jason last year. This time, the showcase is just a cover for your vacation further north. You've packed some new lingerie and some of those toys that Jason seems to enjoy so much (his wife has obviously bored him out of bed...), and you're just waiting to board.

Then it happens.

Though you've never met her before, you can read it all off of Jason's stunned face: his wife has shown up. As she's calling to him, he stands stock-still and pretends not to hear while he starts barking orders (orders!!!) at you. The coward tells you to act as though the two of you have never met. He demands that you stay away from his wife, Chie. He tells you to go to the resort without him. Then he turns around and gives the stupid girl a big kiss, pretending to be happy and surprised. He obviously doesn't know whom he's dealing with here, and it's time for you to set him straight.

You decide to pull out all the stops. You shoot a smile at the man standing next to Jason's wife, apparently one of their neighbors. You lean forward just a little too far when handing in your ticket. You smile just a little too warmly at the porter when he takes your luggage, and you give him a very friendly pat. You know that Jason's watching; you can almost hear his teeth grinding.

When Chie asks you to trade seats, you make a point of introducing yourself to her. In fact, you're pretty sure that the stupid bitch likes you. As you make your way out to the aisle, you stumble and fall against Jason (oops!), before making your way to Chie's assigned seat. Lucky for you, you're sitting next to another man, right in Jason's view.

It's time to have some fun...


after life

At the beginning of the game, you should be flirting up a storm with the guys sitting nearby. Make sure that Jason notices how trashy you're being. When one of the judges announces the explosion, (safely!) fling yourself out of your seat, scream, cry out to the Heavens, or go nuts, as appropriate. Don't go overboard, as pretty much everyone should be dead within a few moments. When you die, just lie still on the ground with your eyes closed until a judge announces the continuation of the game.

When you wake, you'll feel a strange sense of empowerment. Somehow, your life has been preparing you for this moment. You feel strong, alert, and incredibly alluring. You have the feeling that someone you've never met before will eventually come to explain these changes that you're experiencing. You should probably keep these strange new feelings to yourself until this person comes and helps you make sense of things. You'll probably have to stall Jason for a bit, too. You really don't want him cramping your style, but you won't discard any potential allies so early in the game.

Compulsions:

Flirt shamelessly with the men. Drive your admirers, Jason and otherwise, crazy with jealousy, but don't push them further than is safe.

If any of the men resists your advances, you'll be quite offended. You'll want to see them fail for daring to defy you, though you'll probably do this indirectly.

Similarly, if any of the women oppose you, you'll work to see them fail as well. Chie is on this list from the beginning, but it might be fun to pretend to be her friend at first.

Goals: