Right, well, now's as good a time as any isn't it?
"Not really," you say. You keep your eyes fixed on the edge of the desk in front of you; it's easier than looking at her right now. Besides, she might see the nervousness and uncertainty lurking at the edges of your decision and you don't want to have to revisit this. A wry smile plays on your lips, "I've been thinking about a change lately, funnily enough."
Oh fuck it. You screw up your courage and look up. "I want to focus on becoming a published author, and staying here would make it too easy to give up on that."
She doesn't laugh at you, although her eyebrows are raised. Surprise, skepticism, who knows, but she recovers quickly. "That's really great," she encourages. "I'm disappointed, obviously, but I understand what it's like to chase a dream." A pause, she nods. "We'll sort out your payout, then. Obviously make sure you hand over any work that we need to know about."
You nod. That was more painless than you thought it'd be, to be honest.
"So, an author. Anything I could read?" she continues, much to your surprise.
[ ][SHARE] "Totally. You like Star Trek, right?"
You promise to give her some links to your Star Trek fanfics; that's how you bonded in your first week after all. You caution her that's not what you plan on publishing, though, you'd be publishing original stories.
[ ][SHARE] "Not yet."
You definitely want to give your stuff a bit more polish before you start handing it around to acquaintances. Friends are one thing, this is something else.
You smile and make for the door before she can think of anything else to ask. If you hurry, you might even be able to get to the university and register for your course in person before they close.
---
You're glad you chose the course at your local university, it's only 15 minutes from your place so it'll be really easy to go back and forth. You could even hide in the library if you need to get away from distractions or something.
You're waiting at the counter while the registrar enters in your details when someone beside you says, "Oh, you're taking the writing course? Cool. I am, too."
You turn and see a...
[ ][GENDER] Man.
[ ][GENDER] Woman.
They're…
[ ][QUALITY] Really attractive.
Maybe this could be more than just classmates.
[ ][QUALITY] Friendly-looking.
It's a shame you don't lean that way. But hey, maybe you guys could partner up in the class.
[ ][QUALITY] Nerdy as all get out.
Do you think they'd recognise you if you told them about your fics? Maybe this could be a weird networking opportunity.
"Awesome," you reply, "Maybe we'll see each other in class once it starts." The registrar returns and cuts off further conversation. You give your future classmate a quick smile as you head off.
Big day, you think to yourself as you walk back to your car. Your payout of 50 Income will come in handy, too. There's a lot you're going to have to get started on, but that's probably enough for the day. Still, you should at least roughly plan what you'll do tomorrow since you don't have to go into work anymore.
Pick Two
[ ][TOMORROW] Job hunt.
[ ][TOMORROW] Research other revenue streams like Patreon.
[ ][TOMORROW] Write.
[ ][TOMORROW] Worldbuilding.
[ ][TOMORROW] Proclaim your intentions online.
