Sounds Good Ch. 03

Elation and exuberance are great; but when you go in the opposite direction, you get depression. After a while, you grow accustomed to a certain cycle of ups and downs - and that's even worse.

Think of a roller-coaster: as you approach the highest point - the peak - you know what's coming next. The long drop, that sick feeling in your stomach as you plunge downwards.

The odd thing is, when you're all the way down, at the bottom of the well, you aren't thinking that you'll soon be back on the way up, or that things will get better. Instead, you think further ahead - after a brief moment on top of the world, you'll be dropping like a stone again, into the black depths of depression.

No, I'm not suicidal. Far from it. But that's not to say that I don't have a little bit of understanding for those that feel that way.

Mom can always tell when I start to get down. She can see it in my face, or hear it in my voice.

That's when she performs a mini-intervention. She'll make me watch a movie with her: Shawshank Redemption, The Usual Suspects, or Lord of the Rings (sometimes all 3 films). She knows, from experience, that beautiful, well-crafted art cheers me up.

But I was having more trouble than usual.

Because beautiful, well-crafted art was causing my sadness.

The Apartment was just a game. But it was well done, compared to many flawed or shoddy games in the same vein. Snogg's art was superior. Patience had a good feel for believable dialogue. And the voice actresses were excellent.

All that did, though, was remind me that I'd never caressed a breast, or ... licked a pussy. I'd certainly never had my cock sucked.

And in all likelihood, I never would.

The beauty of The Apartment, and the skill behind it, were inspirational. But to be so poignantly reminded that I'd never enjoy the intimate connection that Tristan could have with his roommates ... that was hard to take.

Which came first? Did women want to have sex with men that they found attractive? Or were they attracted to men they wanted to have sex with?

I'd begun to classify the girls in the game.

Heather was the once-damaged girl, whose friends supported her. Nalani was the high-maintenance romantic. Both had been dealt a shitty hand in life, and were working to overcome it.

Why I had chosen to pursue those two first?

Laura was the party girl, boisterous and fun. Michelle was everybody's confidante, the den-mother, in a way. As for Ronnie, I still wasn't sure. The mystery girl? The recluse?

In real life, would any of them spare me a second look? I probably needed more than two looks anyway. Four? Five?

- "Lord of the Rings." said Mom. "Extended edition."

- "You don't have to -"

- "I'll make the popcorn."

***

Mike responded to my audio review first.

Awesome review, Dan - even if it probably means more work for me. I never liked the tile either. Neither did Patience - she's already a few arguments with Snog about it.

Keep up the good wprk!

Wait. She?

I re-read Mike's email several times. Missing letters, a missing word ... typical Mike. But was that extra 's' a typo? Or was Patience ... female?

Did it matter?

Patience responded to my critique later that same day.

Hey Cyrano

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I really liked what you had to say.

Snogg and I have had a running battle about the title from Day One. That's in addition to our disagreements about the opening screen, and the music. Mike agrees with me (I think), but he doesn't want to come between us, so he keeps quiet, for the most part.

Your comment was especially effective because you've been so generous in your praise of Snogg's renders - he thinks you're great.

I was also pleased that you recognized the absence of a predictable pattern in the girls' sexual behavior. Last thing I wanted was a repetitive formula: get to 200 points - handjob. 300 points - blowjob, and so on.

I'm so very glad that you approve. I tried hard to make the girls different.

Keep up the critiques - we've all benefited from your observations.

All the best,

Patience

There was absolutely nothing different about this message. Patience had already sent me four or five emails which were virtually the same.

Except ... was Patience a girl?

I was curious. I mean, she wrote well, both in terms of grammar and spelling, but also in the sense of crafting a good story. She seemed like a nice person, too: her emails were always polite and considerate.

Did it make a difference if she was female? It did, I suppose - and it didn't.

I sent Mike an email:

Hey Mike

Hope things are going well for you, with the coding, and with Angie.

Just curious: is Patience a girl?

***

I'd seen all of Nalani's content - for this version of the game, at least. It was time to try another girl's path.

Laura and Michelle had diametrically opposed schedules. I could gradually make progress with both of them while I worked to accumulate more money. Truth be told, I wasn't entirely sure which girl to concentrate on. I liked them both.

Michelle was 5'7" or so, with caramel-coloured skin and black hair. She must have been going to the salon stylist daily: in some illustrations she had straight hair, but in others she had tight curls.

Her facial features were striking, too, but I also liked her voice: it was warm, and a little deeper than the other girls. She had a throaty sort of chuckle which I found very appealing.

Laura was a little shorter, but her black hair was longer - halfway down her back, at least. She had creamy skin, dark eyes, and ... well, just about every picture of Laura emphasized her rather large ... bosom.

I thought that she had a very pretty face, and an exceptional smile. Still, it was hard to ignore her most obvious features.

I liked her voice, too - especially when she said her own name. La-ow-ra.

The two girls were very different. Michelle liked to stay in, and watch old movies. Laura loved to go out. Michelle generally spoke softly; Laura could often be heard from across the apartment.

I was having a conversation with Michelle, who asked me if I could run to the grocery store to pick up a few items.

- Milk. Butter. Eggs. Michelle was slightly bent over, looking into the fridge, enumerating the items we needed. Her back was to me, so that I could examine her form (and especially her shapely backside) at my leisure.

That's when I heard Laura's voice in my headphones, as if she was shouting from the other side of the apartment.

- Tell him we need cream for the coffee, too!

I had to smile. I could see why Mike had told me that the voice actresses enjoyed recording their lines. They must have had fun with a few of their scenes.

In the next illustration, Michelle had turned around, and was looking directly at me.

- Were you checking me out, Tristan? she asked (without my name, of course). Or just my ass?

- I'm only human, Michelle. was the best option for my reply.

Laura also asked me to go the store - but only for her.

- We're having an engagement party for one of the girls at work. I forgot to pick up a bottle of wine. Would you mind ... getting one for me? Then she worked that wonderful smile on me. It seemed to suggest that if I did her this favour, that we'd be friends for life.

Little did she know ... I'd have done it just to hear her say Thank you.

I got her a medium-priced bottle of wine (about $25). Laura thanked me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

- You're a sweetheart! she said. Then she handed me $20.

I had the option to tell her that the wine had cost more than that.

Not likely. Five dollars - versus a kiss on the cheek and her lovely Thank you? I was well ahead on that deal.

The next day, I was surprised when Laura came to find me in the afternoon.

- My friend Katrina was really pleased with the wine. She's had it before. And guess what else she knew: it sells for $25.

- Oh?

- Oh, my ass. Why didn't you tell me it cost more than I gave you?

I had some interesting choices:

It was only five dollars

It was on sale. I got it for 20

For you, Laura ... anything

I've always been pretty bad at math

I liked the last option best. So did Laura. She laughed.

- The hell you have!

Then she leaned forward, to tuck a $5 bill in my shirt pocket. She leaned further, so that her lips were next to my ear.

You're an even bigger sweetheart than I thought. she whispered.

I made a note to commend Patience (again) for her writing, and the voice actresses for their work. Here I was, trying to seduce (and, to be crude - seduce and fuck) these girls, and the game made me feel like a decent guy while I did it!

That may not seem like a big deal to you, but there are other games out there, where the player gets into the girl's pants by deception, or even by outright blackmail. Then there are the mind control games, or the magical powers ...

Maybe I'm a bit of a romantic (says the guy playing porn games ...), but I prefer the older type of stories, where the knight errant does valiant deeds to earn the esteem of the lady fair. Slaying dragons, rescuing her from leering villains - instead of being the leering villain.

Chivalry doesn't have to be dead. Maybe my Mom was right, and I was 'an old soul', as she sometimes called me.

But there was something about this game that struck a chord with me.

The girls were well-developed characters, each one with a personal history, and some idiosyncratic behaviour and personality traits.

The way to win their hearts was simple: be honest, and do nice things for them. Maybe a feminist would be unhappy with that type of scenario. But it sounded a thousand times better to me than deceiving a girl so that you could take her to bed.

I got some of those ideas into my next audio critique.

***

Mike responded to my email (before I'd sent my audio review)

Hey Dan

Things are good. Busy.

Listen - plaese don't ask Patience about her gender. Yes, she's female, but you didn't hear it from me, ok? She doesn't want people - specially players - t kow.

T kow? Ah - to know. Mike's unintentional shorthand. I sent him a quick reply, to reassure him that I wasn't going to spill the beans. He must've been worried: he'd called me Dan, instead of Cyrano.

I went back to the game.

It was simply too difficult to choose between Michelle and Laura. Both of them were at the 'Intrigued' stage. I resolved to let the Fates decide. If I got the opportunity to ask one of them out, I would take it.

It happened two game days later. Laura was out with friends, Heather was at swimming practice, Ronnie was working (as always), and Nalani was at night school.

Michelle was in the living room. I clicked on her.

- Oh - you're home? she said. I thought I was all alone. I was going to watch 'Cool Hand Luke'. Want to watch it with me?

- I'll make the popcorn. That was my best option, by far.

Snogg provided a nice illustration of the two of us sitting on the sofa, from an angle where you could see Michelle, with the bowl of popcorn between her legs, but you couldn't see my face (so that I could preserve the illusion that Tristan was me).

- Thanks for inviting me. I said.

- Great film, good company. What's not to like?

After a bit, Michelle paused the movie.

I'm a little cold. she said. I'm just going to grab a sweater. Be right back.

She returned with a blanket.

- I didn't know if you were chilly, too. Thought this might work for both of us.

Michelle spread the blanket over the two of us, and then re-started the movie.

The script at the bottom of the screen began to change.

Michelle snuggles a little closer to you.

Michelle adjusts the blanket. When she finishes doing that, you realize that her hand is still on your thigh.

She rests her head on your shoulder. (new illustration by Snogg)

Michelle adjusts the blanket again (even though it really isn't necessary). When she's done, her hand is a little higher up on your thigh.

- Have you seen this film before? she asked.

I chose to respond with Yes, it's awesome.

- I think so, too. I've seen it 5 times.

Michelle's hand seems to be creeping up your thigh.

I was given the option to stretch a bit, and put my arm across the back of the sofa - and around her shoulders, at the same time.

- Mmm ... that's nice. said Michelle. There was a great illustration of Michelle's face, as her head turned to whisper in my ear. Her lips were moist, and parted ... her heavy lidded-eyes half closed ...

Michelle's hand brushes over your package.

What?

She reaches for the zipper on your pants, and deftly pulls it down. She also opens the button, before reaching into your underwear, and taking hold of your swiftly-growing erection.

Wow. Absolutely right about that last part. I was completely hard, imagining Michelle's hand in my pants.

- What do we have here? she said.

- It's not a 'failure to communicate'. I replied.

- You have seen this movie before. she chuckled.

I had the option to turn my head, and kiss her. Michelle continued to stroke my cock, under the blanket, as she inserted her tongue into my mouth.

I'm not wearing a bra. she breathed into my ear.

I slid my hand under her shirt, and found a beautifully-shaped breast. Firm, but soft. Not too small; not too big. A C-, or a B+.

The combination was obviously too much, as I spewed cum all over her hand.

- Mmm ... she said. Quite a climax for this film.

***

The next day (in the game), at lunch, Laura spoke to me in the kitchen.

- Did you enjoy the movie last night?

That was surprising. How did she know? She hadn't been home at the time.

- Michelle told you?

- 'Cool Hand Luke' she said. But I bet that Michelle's hand was warm. This statement was accompanied by an illustration that showed that Laura was - quite clearly - winking at me.

- You're not ...?

I had options here:

Upset

Jealous

Surprised

Disappointed

The third option seemed to stick out a bit. Besides, the expression on Laura's face didn't look at all like the other three.

- Me? No - Michelle told me that she might have a bit of fun with you. Did you enjoy it? You must have.

- I ...

- Don't worry, Tristan. I'm not the jealous type. As long as you save some of that sweetness for me ...

I was stunned. I must have sat there for a full minute, looking at the words on my computer screen. I'd heard them, too - spoken by Laura (or, by the voice actress playing the part of Laura).

Michelle had told her that she was going to 'have some fun' with me. Laura didn't mind; on the contrary, her only concern seemed to be reminding me not to forget her.

I had come to the conclusion that this game didn't have a harem option. Michelle wasn't going to go out with me if I was dating Heather - or Nalani. But now I got the distinct impression that she wasn't averse to sharing me with Laura.

But ... hadn't Patience assured me that there was no harem feature in this game? I hunted up her email response to one of my audio reviews.

And there it was:

You're right: there is no harem feature. That was part of our intent from the very beginning. The girls are aware, to a certain degree, of your status with the other roommates. They generally won't mess around with you if you're getting serious with one of their friends.

Ah. I'd missed that one word. Generally.

Patience had managed to avoid spoiling the story for me. Clever.

So the girls truly were different. Heather lacked confidence; she was looking for a guy who would treat her right. Nalani was a romantic. But Michelle was only looking for 'a bit of fun'. And Laura was still 'Intrigued', even if her roommate and the guy she was interested in had gotten frisky on the sofa.

When I finally remembered what I'd been doing, and returned to the game, I got another surprise - or, perhaps, confirmation that I'd been thinking along the right lines.

I got the option to ask Laura out on a date.

This was a good point to stop and save.

I put all of these impressions into a lengthy audio critique. I remembered to praise Snogg, of course, but I had more positive comments for Patience. Not only for her dialogue, the story, the interactions with the roommates ... but also for not spoiling the surprise for me.

Now I was wondering even more about the replay value in this game. I knew that Michelle wouldn't 'cut in' on Heather or Nalani. But would Laura?

And what if I changed the roles? What would Laura look like in a bikini, if she was the athlete, at swimming practice?

Yowza.

***

When I reloaded the game, I decided to see how Michelle would respond if I got closer to Laura. I asked Laura out. The options were the usual suspects:

Museum

Cafe

Pub

Restaurant

I doubted that Laura would want to go on a date to the place where she worked. It was also - probably - too soon for the restaurant. Just for laughs, I clicked on the first choice.

- That's a great idea! You know, I always wanted to go there. Let's do it!

I smiled again. Laura was pretty, exuberant, and had massive breasts. Naturally, I'd assumed that she wouldn't be interested in anything remotely intellectual. And here was Patience, smacking me in the face for making such a stupid assumption.

Laura wore black jeans, and a brightly-coloured striped shirt (horizontal stripes). Wow. Her lipstick was just a tad too loud. But that was the only complaint I could find.

Snogg's illustrations of Laura bending over slightly, to read the inscription on a sculpture, was absolutely perfect. The first one showed her frowning in concentration. In the second, her head was turned towards me, and she was grinning, as if to say 'I know you're checking me out.'

Laura had questions - some of which I was able to answer because I'd been to the museum before. But she was curious - not ignorant.

- That was awesome! she said, on our way home.

- I'm glad you enjoyed it.

- Did you enjoy it, too?

- Of course I did.

- As much as last night?

I was spared the need to answer, because my headphones were suddenly filled with the sound of Laura laughing. Loudly. She wasn't shy.

- I'm hungry. she said. Let's get a snack.

Laura led the way to our kitchen. I barely registered the fact that none of our roommates seemed to be at home. That was unusual.

I didn't have to be told (by Patience's script) that I was watching Laura's every move. I'd yet to see a render by Snogg that made her look anything less than absolutely fantastic. She had the body to start a serious pagan religious cult.

- Do you like me, Tristan? she asked.

- How could I not? seemed like the most honest response.

- I like you. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to ... steal you away. I just want to show you that ... I'm interested.