Fallout: Kanto - A Pokemon CYOA

Fallout: Kanto - A Pokemon CYOA is a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure topic run by HanOfTheNekos in 2015.

Prologue:
''The world was once blue and green. Since time immemorial, the planet revolved among the stars. Shining with its vibrant aura, it stood out ahead of all other celestial bodies. And so, as time bore on, the world gave way to that most curious of phenomena: life.''

''Enriched by the very nature of the cosmos, the world had abundant resources for life to play its hand at creation. Small organisms appeared at first. Time went on and the organisms grew. Variety began to be abundant as the forces of evolution blossomed out of control. Before long, the planet was fully populated. Thousands of species blessed its surface. Now the world was not only beautiful. It was also a home.''

''Though the creatures on the planet all followed very unique paths of development, one species stood out among the rest. Where some species developed power, this one developed intelligence, engineering, industry... Before long, this one took its place as the master of all other species. And as master, they were not held back. Technology developed further, attempts to control others developed further, and morality fell by the wayside.''

''The development of this species reached a critical point and a great calamity occurred. Fueled by greed and thirst for power, the species destroyed itself and crippled the planet in the process. Natural lands were scarred. Many other organisms died out. For the last of the great species that doomed itself, it was probably assumed that all life would be gone.''

But they were wrong.

''The more hardy of creatures survived. The powerful animals once under the thrall of the master species were now their own... but order had been thrown into chaos. Just as they had believed, the law of the land truly became that of rule by power. So the remaining living things fell into place. Or, in many cases, they were killed. Life managed to cling on. But now, the world was grey and brown.''

Let's begin with the most important questions:
1. What type of Pokemon are you?


 * A. Sneasel


 * B. Randomized choice

2. What is your gender/sex?


 * A. Female


 * B. Male

Introduction:
You yawn as you stretch your limbs above your head. Taking care not to wake your siblings, you climb off of the soft area where you sleep... the bed, as mother calls it. You carefully take step after step to reach the stairs without making too much noise. You are the eldest of your family. You have made this morning journey many times before.

As you descend into the lower level of the house, you take care to avoid the steps that creak. For your entire life, you have lived in this building. You know it better than the back of your hand. This makes it easy to find the best path to where you can take care of morning business. This involves not alerting the Nidorino downstairs to your presence. Brome is his name, and for better or worse, he takes care of your family. He provides protection to the den your mother set up in this old building. What she gives him in return for acting as bodyguard, you and your siblings can only speculate.

After carefully sneaking around the ground floor, you arrive at your destination. A curious chair-like object sits attached to the wall. It is covered in a thick layer of grime, but is white underneath. Brome always says it used to be usable, but lack of water rendered it useless. Instead, the larger area with the strange metal object hanging above was used.

After finishing up, you leave the room. Almost immediately, the sound of a hurried conversation cues you to be quiet. You sneak around a corner in the house and get close enough to hear your mother speaking with Brome.

"This is the fifth time this year woman... are you trying to make things difficult for us?" Gruff, rude... typical Brome.

"Please, it's not like it's my intention!" Your mother pleads with him. Unsure of what they may be talking about, you try to sneak back up the stairs. However, you only get halfway before you hear Brome call for you.

"We were just discussing something important." He says to you. You never liked when Brome spoke to you. "Your mother ah... well, let's just say you have another sibling on the way."

You glance at your mother. She is looking elsewhere, refusing to meet your gaze. She is an older Sneasel... life in the world has dulled her fur to be more matted and gray. A lifetime of harsh experience shows in her eyes. But for now, she does not meet your gaze.

"Isn't that a good thing?" you ask, keeping your eyes on your mother.

"Good? Hell kid, food ain't easy to come by." You wince as Brome's voice picks up in volume. "It's tough enough taking care of all you runts, let alone another five every year."

Finally, you see a change in your mother... a solitary tear runs out of her eye.

"Mother... what does this mean?"

Finally, she turns to speak to you. "I'm afraid... son, it's time for you to leave."

Leave? But to where? There are only a handful of spots on the windows in the house where one can even see outside. As far as what is even further out there... who knows?

Brome cleared his throat. "You'll need to clear out in an hour. Go say your farewells."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">You cannot believe how Brome could be so cruel. Even more, you cannot believe how your mother just lets him call the shots. Even so, you know better than to argue with Brome.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Upstairs, your siblings are all waking up. You give hugs to all of them, telling them to be strong in your absence. You retrieve a potion from the box near the wall... your secret stash that has been here as long as you can remember. Finally you head back downstairs.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Your mother is crying as she bids you farewell. Brome hands you a small pack to wear on your back.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Included in this is a small bag of berries," Brome says, "Make them last. Food is scarce out there in the wasteland. You say your final farewells and Brome escorts you to the door.

Day 1: Morning
<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">As you step outside, the sun almost blinds you. Your eyes adjust, and you take in the sights around you. There are a number of buildings like the one you just stepped out of. Not too many, but enough to provide shelter for a number of other families. There are also a lot of ruins where it looks like there were buildings, but that is just conjecture from you. There is even a very large building in the distance that looks like something you saw a picture of once. There are a few strange structures around... overall, it looks like a really poor version of the towns from some of those picture books back in your house. There is even a very large building in the distance that looks like something you saw a picture of once.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Your home... you turn around, but the door is already closed. You are cut off from the life you knew. And now... now there is an open world for you to explore. There is not much color in the environment. If you were to call it anything, you would say brown. Maybe grey. Even the nearby coast that you can see in the distance is bordered by murky grey water.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">You are on your own now. The only question is... what first?

Where do you explore first?

 * <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">A) Check out some of the still standing buildings in town


 * <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:HelveticaNeue,HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">B) Explore some of the ruined buildings in town


 * <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">C) Visit the largest building in town 


 * <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:HelveticaNeue,HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">D) Explore the wooded areas to the west of town


 * <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:HelveticaNeue,HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">E) Visit the coastline

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Your first thought upon leaving your house is that you need to find somewhere else to live. There were a few other houses around town... but they were likely to have the same problem as your own. None of these abodes were particularly large, so rather than be turned away, you thought you'd look for something a bit... larger.
 * <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">F) Head north - the only practical exit from town that you can see

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Of course, there was one really large building in town... most of the others were small or destroyed. This one definitely showed some damage, but it still stood. Compared to the size of your house, this place looked like it could hold ten families. At the very least, you could ask and be turned away.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">The short walk to the building was rather uneventful. Occasionally, you would catch sight of some other living creatures. One even passed by you... a Raticate. However, he passed right by without meeting your eye. So it was not an event to run into another living Pokemon out here, you figured. Friendliness seemed optional though.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Before long, you arrived at the large building. A big sign in front bore some writing... most of it destroyed. Your limited reading ability managed to identify the word "lab" as one of the remaining legible things on the sign. Your mother always expressed the importance of reading as a skill. You picked up most of what she taught on it. She always said it might save your life some day. All you ever saw of it was her using the skill to entertain herself with the picture books in the house.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">As you approached the front door, you noticed a Pokemon standing right beside it. It was a Cubone... a curious bipedal creature that had a large skull around its head... or part of its head... you could not tell. The Cubone raised its head to acknowledge you. When your eyes met, you realized it was a girl. A few more steps towards her, and she spoke.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"You better not be here looking for trouble." Her eyes narrowed. "Because I've had it up to here with today, and I would  gladly<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"> welcome an excuse." She finished her introduction by cracking her knuckles. She was tense, and you could see it. She made sure you heard it. Hell, you could almost smell it.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"I'm uh... not looking for trouble." You raise your hands in protest. "Trouble is not close to what I'm looking for... I think... I hope?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">The Cubone stared you down for another few seconds. Then, she tossed her head back and laughed out loud.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"You're not used to running into other Pokemon, are you?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Well, no..." you respond. "This is actually my first day out of my house-"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"No kidding!" She continued to laugh. You felt your cheeks redden in embarrassment. "Well, your fur certainly looks clean enough to fill the part. Listen..." Her chuckles died away, but she continued to speak with a smile. "You sure you want to be outside? The wasteland is  not<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"> forgiving to newbies like yourself."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">You were reminded of the events that happened a little earlier. "I... got kicked out."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Really?" She looked at you incredulously. "What'd you do? Kill someone? Steal things?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Kill... no!" You were flabbergasted by her assertions. "I didn't do anything! My mother was going to have another baby and-"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Another? How many does she have?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">You started to count out on your clawed fingers. "Uh... well. Let's see, there's me, then two sisters, then a brother, then another sister..."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Man, your mother's really a floozy isn't she?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Again, you were flabbergasted by her assertions. "What are you trying to say?" You challenged her. She saw your annoyance and welcomed it.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"I'm saying she's got a knack for entertaining guys." You felt your face grow hot with anger. "Hey, I just call them like I see them. Where do you think all your brothers and sisters came from anyway? Do you even know who your father is?" ====<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">You had thought about it on occasion but...

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Apparently, she felt like she took things a little too far, because she seemed to back off. "Listen, it's whatever. Moral standards are a thing from the past. Anyway, I don't care what you came to this place for, but unless you've got any secret to getting in... you're out of luck. Place is airtight, far as I can tell."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Airtight? So there's no way in?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"That's what I said, bonehead." She chuckled softly at her joke. "No way in, and I've circled the place a few dozen times."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Do they not want to let people in?" You ask. She gives you another look that tells you she does not think highly of your intelligence.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"They? There's nobody in there. The place is deserted. Word is, tons of Pokemon lost their lives in there. Almost nobody would even  want<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"> to go in there."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">You scratch your head. If nobody lived there then there was no reason for you to get in. "So why are you trying to get inside?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Well..." her voice trailed on for a second. "Dead Pokemon happen to be just what I'm looking for." She gave you a wink as she finished her statement. A chill shot through your body at the creepiness of what she said. "Anyway..." she continued, "As I said, unless something comes up, there's no way in. So... see you around I guess. If you find anything out about getting in this place, let me know."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">No big loss for you... and hey, at least you met someone without them ripping your head off. You cannot imagine Brome to be as cordial as this... if you can consider this Cubone to have been cordial.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Well, it was nice meeting you." You say. "I hope you find a way inside... uh... what do I call you?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"I'm Elia." she replies. "And yourself?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"My name is Thanatos." Your reply instigates another round of raucous laughter. You feel yourself getting a little angry again.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"What a ridiculous name! Where did your mom come up with that?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">You blush once more as you recall - "She really likes reading these books that are full of pictures..."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Reading? Hell, your mother must be more impressive than I previously thought. Well, good luck to you with whatever you're looking for, Thanny."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">With that farewell, you turned and headed away from the building. Though the chiding remarks she made still bothered you, you were still a little happy to have met another Pokemon in the wastes.

Where to next?

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">A) Check out some of the still standing buildings in town <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">B) Explore some of the ruined buildings in town <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">C) Explore the wooded areas to the west of town  <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">D) Visit the coastline <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">E) Head north - the only practical exit from town that you can see

Social Links

(1) Elia, female Cubone

Day 1: Midday
<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">After meeting Elia, you decided to explore a bit more. She was right: you  were<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"> really new to this world. Best thing to do was experience what the wastes had to offer. And there was no way you would achieve that by sitting still.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">You picked a direction... away from the lab... and decided to just go that way. While traveling, you spotted the occasional other Pokemon, but they tended to keep away and to themselves. You were alright with that. There was no telling if other Pokemon were friendly or not. Finding out how to deal with aggressive Pokemon... that experience could come later.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">For the most part, the town was pretty monochromatic. The ground was all lifeless dirt. The ruins of various houses all looked like similar piles of rubble. Eventually, you found yourself at the edge of town. An interesting sight lay before you... a forest. Of course, all of the trees were dead. Like the town, it was a very bland sight. Once upon a time, this was surely a forest teeming with life. The close proximity of the trees would have limited travel by larger creatures and provided a great environment for smaller ones. Now, the dead trunks gave the impression of a very crowded graveyard. Nothing lived here now.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Well... the sound of something scuffling revealed to you that there  was<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;"> something alive nearby. You peered around a few trees and caught sight of a Pokemon just a few feet into the forest. You slowly approached. It was digging into the ground, oblivious to your approach.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">It was a Poochyena. She was going mad at the ground, tossing a bunch of dirt behind her. Curious as to her actions, you took one more step. Of course, it was this moment that a twig decided to snap beneath your feet. The Poochyena jumped up and turned to face you. She quickly adopted an aggressive position and bared her teeth.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Remembering how Elia was when you met her, you quickly threw your hands up. "I'm not looking for trouble!" you stated. "I'm just... exploring the town."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Oh really?" she asked. "You expect me to just believe that you were sneaking up behind me for fun?!"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"Uh..." you were stunted for words. "... Yes?"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">In response, she growled and dipped into a pouncing position.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">"I-I swear!" you exclaimed. "I was just curious about what you were doing!"

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Keeping her eyes on you, the Poochyena closed her mouth and rose back up. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm foraging. But if you think for one moment I'm going to believe your story, then you can give up now because I am NOT taking my eyes off you."

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">To show she meant business, the Poochyena walked around the hole she was digging and went right back to it. She kept her eyes on you at first, but as she dug more, she paid less and less attention to your presence. You didn't blame her... you could see the hunger in her eyes.

<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">Here was a hungry Pokemon, foraging for food in a desolate land. You could share with her... you did have some berries, after all. She would probably be a lot more willing to trust you. But it would cost some of your supplies. You could suggest she go elsewhere. Or heck, you could practice fighting... she was distracted again, after all.

What do you do?
<span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">A. Give the Poochyena one of your berries <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">B. Suggest that the Poochyena look in town for food <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">C. Attack the Poochyena using the element of surprise <span style="color:rgb(11,12,14);font-family:'HelveticaNeue',HelveticaNeue,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:18px;">D. Walk away quietly