[SYNOPSIS: It's going to be a big night; Player's about to hold the BIGGEST slumber party he's ever had at his house! And what's a slumber party without a good old-fashioned round of truth or dare? Needless to say, things are about to get wild...]

[LOCATION: The Playson household]

TW: SrQueso is in this one

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"Now, Player. Just to clarify one more time, are you two ABSOLUTELY sure you'll be able to keep everything under control while we're gone?"

"You've got nothing to worry about, Dad," the red bean assured him. "If someone makes a mess, I'll just get Dum to clean it up."

"HEY!"

"Ha! Just messin' with you, sis. Maybe...As long as you're not the one who made it."

"Hm. Reasonable enough, I guess..."

"And remember; if you wanna order pizza, that's comin' outta YOUR pocket," Mum reminded both of them. "If your dad's takin' his card with us to Bertolini's, we won't be able to pay for your Italian food back at the house too, y'know."

"Noted," Player agreed. "And again, don't worry. I've got it aaall  under control."

"Well if you can keep the house from caving in on itself with all the company you're gonna be having, I'll consider that keepin' your word," Alan decided. "...Alright hon', let's hop in the car. The penne pomodoro's calling my name."

"Oop. Speaking of cars, looks like your first guest is here."

The purple crewmate pointed out the bright neon yellow coupe pulling up along the side of the road and slowing to a halt. Out of the driver's seat emerged none other than Veteran, and the load of tupperware and bags he carried in his hands assured Player and Dum that NO ONE would be going hungry.

"Welp, we don't wanna cramp your style, kids. Have fun, and make sure to keep everything going smooth!"

"We will Dad, bye!" Player called out as Alan and Mum disappeared into their own car and backed out of the driveway...They were pulling around the corner mere seconds later, and the next thing the now three  beans on the front porch knew, they were gone.

"What's up, party people?" Veteran greeted the two. "Hopefully the mood, am I right?"

"What's in the containers?" Dum inquired.

"Ohh, only the BEST party foods I could find and/or make. Pizza rolls, dino nuggies, tater tots, you name it."

"You got the Doritos?" Player asked.

"Pfsh.  Do I have the Doritos...That's like askin' me if I forgot everything that happened last Tuesday."

"That's a yes, then."

"Hey Dum, watch out," Veteran chuckled. "Your knight in captain's armor is coming up the sidewalk."

Veteran was right. Up the walkway and onto the front porch strolled the white bean, already dressed in his pajamas and carrying a massive bowl of chocolate pudding.

"Made it!" Captain announced. "How are my three favorite crewmates in the world doing tonight?"

"It's great! 'Specially now that you're here, Cappy," Dum grinned, leaning in to nuzzle his visor. "There's plenty of space for all the food on the counter. You can stick that inside!"

"Thanks, Dum! You fellas are gonna LOVE this stuff. It's got a secret ingredient in it that you'll NEVER be able to guess...!"

"Never, huh," Veteran asked.

"Nope. Never...Um, by any chance, is anyone in our lobby allergic to peanuts?"

"It's peanut butter, isn't it?"

"DANG IT, how'd you guess!?"

"I don't think so," Player shrugged. "But if you're worried, maybe you can put a label on it that says it has peanuts in it...and also milk, probably, so none for me."

"I wouldn't speak so soon," the white crewmate assured him. "There's ANOTHER secret ingredient in that pudding. It's lactose free milk!"

"Really?"

"Yep! And it's...also not a secret anymore!"

"Welp, I'm glad we can all be open and nuanced with each other about what we put in our food," Veteran remarked. "...Now the only secret I'd like to know the answer to is how THEY'RE all here."

Two other vehicles, a sleek black CUV and a bright yellow coupe, could now be seen pulling up along the side of the road behind Veteran's. Each of them had a "RENTAL" placard positioned above the front license plate. The yellow car parked neatly behind Veteran's, but the black one swerved ever so slightly as it tried to avoid the sidewalk, and everyone could hear the bickering from within.

"Just keep your hands steady, you're almost there!"

"This feels ludicrous. Driving on the RIGHT side of the road...How did you ever get used to driving on the left back home!?"

"Hey, it takes practice, TheGentleman; you ain't gonna do perfect the first time, it's the way it is with everything."

"But then how is MrEgg not having any trouble!?!"

"I'm pretty sure Ria's the one driving."

"Oh..."

It was only moments later when MrEgg and Ria stepped out of the yellow coupe, followed by TheGentleman and MrCheese emerging from their own rental car as well. Player was...surprised at their arrival, to say the least. When he was talking with the two pairs during one of their last games, he'd played off their "invitation" to his slumber party as a joke. And at the time, he thought they were in  on said joke!

...But now it looked like the joke was on him.

"Wait, wait," he stammered as they approached. "So all four  of you came all the way over here from ENGLAND just for this?

"Wow...Mad props," Veteran nodded.

"Well to be fair, TheGentleman paid most of the expense," MrEgg admitted. "Oh, and Ria's family pitched in as well! Since we've taken the opportunity to come and pay them a visit as well."

"Not to say you and MrCheese didn't contribute anything, though," TheGentleman reminded him. "You two pooled enough together to convert our currency, cover all of the petrol costs, and ALSO get us all into that massage clinic in the airport after we landed! That was VERY much appreciated, I must say."

"Well, you know what I say," MrCheese shrugged. "A massage a day keeps the panic away, the stress at bay, and the two of us...um...happy! Yeah."

"...Since when  exactly do you say that??"

"Since three seconds ago, heh heh."

"Of course...Erm, well now! Mr. Player, Ms. Dum, may we all come in?"

"Erm...yeah! I...I guess so. The more the merrier, right?" the red crewmate shrugged, opening the front door and leading the parade of crewmates inside to put their dishes down.

"You didn't think we were actually gonna show up, didja Player?" MrCheese jeered. "Welp, if it helps at all, we brought some cool snacks for the shindig."

"Yes, indeed we did," TheGentleman confirmed, holding up his two tupperware cases before placing them next to Captain's chocolate pudding. "I don't suppose you've ever tried Toad-in-the-Hole before, have you?"

"I'm skeptical..." Veteran admitted.

"Oh, don't be fooled by the name; I assure you the dish contains no toads, but rather copious amounts of sausage and onion gravy."

"I'm no longer skeptical."

"Ha! That's the Veteran I know!"

"Yeah, and I  know that I better keep an eye on how much o' my baked mac 'n' cheese goes on his plate, heh heh," MrCheese smirked. "There's gotta be enough to go around, right?"

"Oh, don't worry MrCheese. There's plenty of variety to pick from already."

"Just be careful not to yolk  yourself on anything, Veteran," MrEgg grinned as he put out his plate of devilled eggs.

"Kinda  stretching in with that one...?" Player critiqued the marigold crewmate.

"What? Am I not cracking  the jokes as well as I once was?"

"NOW we're talkin'."

"You know, I don't recall ever seeing the guest list for this little get-together, Player," Captain remarked. "How many more beans do we need to add to the pot?"

"Well, given that the two pairs from overseas came and surprised us, that really expands my original-"

"Duuuuudes, did somebody say 'pot'? Sounds like this party's right up my alleyway."

"...List," Player finished, all attention in the room now turning to the next invite entering the house. "Uh, glad you could make it, Stoner!"

"Glad I could make it too, bromigo," the green crewmate nodded. "Speakin' of pot, to get this party goin' I brought some-"

"Stoner, tell me you didn't."

"What, man? You don't wanna taste my homemade super tender pot roast  that I slow-cooked for nine hours?"

"Oh...phew. Nah, I'll try that. Thought you were gonna take this in a different direction."

"Don't forget to dig into my brownies too, fellas. Just, uhh...not the pre-cut ones all the way on the right. Those are designated for me."

"Nevermind..."

"Okay, so no one eat Stoner's pre-cut brownies," Ria noted. "Got that, everyone?"

Everyone unanimously agreed.

"Welp, I think that's everyone accounted for!" Dum announced. "Alright fellas, let's get this party start-!"

Knock knock knock

"...Someone else??"

"Lemme go see who it is," Player decided, making his way to the door...He half expected Rose and BDay to be there given that he'd invited them, but the latter had said something about having to attend some sort of important meeting that night and they they couldn't make it. Maybe it'd been cancelled?

"Hello?"

All it took was one peek through the peephole to see that it wasn't  the pale pink and baby blue-clad couple there at the door, but rather someone else that Player had NOT expected to come.

"もしもし? 選手くん? 住所はここでいいですか?"

"What...Ninja? I thought he rejected my invitation-OH. wait...crap,  I forgot. I had no idea what he was saying and didn't want to be rude..."

So Player opened the door and greeted him. The purple crewmate bowed lightly, wiped his feet on the welcome mat and then came inside to put the two plates he had with him at the end of the makeshift buffet area with the rest of the food.

"Oooh, what have you there, Ninja?" MrEgg inquired, drawn to the curious dishes with a sparkle in his visor. "Dumplings and...pancakes of some kind?"

"どら焼き. パンケーキのようなものだが、あんこが詰まっている. サツマイモの砂糖漬けが好きな人にはたまらない."

"Kinda like how someone wouldn't expect cheese to go in a cake? Heh heh," MrCheese compared.

"Is that everyone now?" Dum asked her brother.

"Uh...yeah, I'm pretty sure it is."

"Alright-y, then!" Captain hollered. "All in favor of getting this party started, say aye!"

"AYE!!!"

"Then the vote masses! So Player, how do you say we get things goin'?"

"Well, we..."

The red crewmate trailed off.

"Come on, Player. Is this like the first real  party you've ever had at your place?" MrCheese asked him. "Don't tell me you thought it was just gonna start itself."

"Well...um...I kinda did? We've got the food, we've got the friends...Is there something you had in mind you'd like to start off with?"

MrCheese opened his mouth to reply, but the moment he did the orange bean suddenly went blank in the face.

"...I take that as a no."

"Well, if nobody else has any ideas," Captain spoke up. "...How about we kick things off with a good old-fashioned round of truth or dare?"

"Ooh, that's not a bad idea!" MrEgg agreed.

"Guess it's better than just hangin' around in the living room talking," Veteran shrugged. "Player, Dum, you guys game?"

The red and pink-clad siblings looked to one another for further approval...and both gave the same response: shrug and nod in agreement.

"Hmmm...I don't know, Captain," TheGentleman replied. "Can't that game get rather tense and unpredictable?"

"It's either that or spin the bottle."

"Settled then, let us play truth or dare!"

So with the first activity decided, everyone gathered around and formed a circle on the living room floor. There was just BARELY enough space for everyone, so some of the crewmembers sat on or around the furniture, but they made it work.

"Alright, let's get the rules outta the way," Captain announced. "We work clockwise, you can't change your mind, and if you turn down a dare, you're out! All those in agreement, say aye!"

"AYE!!!"

"ええと、違うの?"

The single naysayer was drowned out by the overwhelming landslide.

"Then the vote masses! Alright...Since you're the host of this little get-together, Player, why don't you go on and ask your neighbor to the left the first question?"

The red crewmate looked over, already well aware that he was seated next to his sister on the left. He'd start things off light and easy.

"Alright, then...Truth or dare, sis?"

"Dare!"

"Okay. Uhhh...I dare you to...steal Captain's hat and do the Orange Justice!"

"Pfft. That's tame," MrCheese scoffed.

"I beg to differ!" Captain exclaimed. "Dum, as much as I love you baby, this pristine white hat can be a bit susceptible to smudges. Not that I'm saying your hands are dirty or anything, but I like to make sure it's always in tip-top-"

SWIPE

"...Shape."

Before anyone even realized it, Dum was in the center of the living room, wearing her boyfriend's cap...and making the entire room CRINGE as she did the dance as best as possible...which wasn't very good. Which only made them cringe even more.

"You thought this was TAME, MrCheese!?" Veteran groaned. This is just round one and I already  need some eye bleach!"

"Calm down guys, it was the first thing I thought of!" Player told them.

"Phew...Glad that's out of the way," the pink crewmate huffed as she finished the dance, taking the cap off her head and putting it back atop its rightful owner. "If you're worried about smudges, I could probably clean it up for you, Cappy."

"Eh, don't worry too much about it, honey. Doubt you'd have wanted to be out on the first round!" Captain assured her, taking it back off to examine it. "Doesn't look like much was done, anyways."

"Okay. So it's my turn to ask Veteran now, right?"

"You got it!"

"Great...Truth or dare, Veteran?"

"Truth."

"Really?" Player asked him. "You like doing crazy stuff, I thought you'd have picked dare."

"Not if it meant me giving into the cringe."

"...Understandable."

"Alright. So Veteran...Imagine this. One food gets to stay, but the other has to disappear forever off the face of the earth...Which one do you pick to keep? Hamburgers or hot dogs?"

"Hamburgers or hot dogs...and the other is gone forever..."

Veteran let out a long huff as he dwelled on the matter.

"Ough...Ghee, that's a tough one. They're both super great for any occasion. But if one has to go, then I'm gonna have to go with..."

"Yeah?"

"Ugh, it pains me to make this choice, but...I guess hot dogs are out. Burgers just kinda...feel a little bigger, y'know? And you know what's actually in them more often than not."

"Like...yeah, man. You guys get what he's sayin'?" Stoner asked. "Lemme tell ya. Last time I noshed on a convenience store hot dog, it, like...totally killed my insides. And my vibe."

"I'm going to be frank with you, Veteran" MrEgg chimed in, a cheeky grin on his face. "I think you made the correct choice. Not to be a wiener, but the cheaper brands have some of the wurst  by-products in their ingredient lists!"

"...You're really enjoying this, aren't you Eggy?" Ria smirked.

"Oh, believe me, love. I've been working on my material a lot lately. I bet at this point I could supplement my income with some stand up!"

"Can't wait till we get to you then, MrEgg," Player remarked.

"Alrighty, Captain. You're up," Veteran told the white crewmate beside him. "Truth or dare? What's it gonna be?"

"Truth!"

"...How long did it ACTUALLY take you to finish flight school? Because I did the math based on your age, and...Sorry, but that claim's bogus. Last I checked, they don't enroll 9-year-olds."

"Oh, those first seven years were homeschooled! I learned everything I needed to know in a helpful little educational program called 'Flight Simulator!"

"I say. At the mere age of nine??" TheGentleman remarked.

"Yep! And it only took me another seven years of official flight school to get my license!"

"But as I've asked once before," MrEgg spoke up. "Isn't flight school meant to be just a 6 month program?"

"And as I've said once before, not for me."

"Uh...well...guess that answers my question at least," Veteran shrugged.

"Okay TheGentleman, you're up!" Captain announced. "Truth or dare? Take your pick!"

"Hmm...You know, it just so happens that I'm feeling unexplainably bold this evening," the charcoal bean replied. "I'm willing to take a dare!"

"Wow. Subverting expectations tonight, are we sir?" MrEgg responded.

"I may be sophisticated, but I do  like to keep people guessing sometimes."

"Welp, let's see if you live up to that claim," the white crewmate told him. "...I dare you to take off both of your top hats and replace them with a baseball cap for the rest of the night! Like one of us filthy street commoners!"

"...What? "

"Ohhhh, good luck getting him to do THAT one, Captain," MrCheese snickered. "He barely even wants to take 'em off to sleep half the time, heh heh."

"But...but I could never. They're a symbol of who I am! Do you expect me to simply throw that away!?!"

"Aw, come on man, just for tonight until we hit the hay," Veteran urged him. "Come on, join the middle class!"

"Yeah, be one of us!" Dum added. "One of us! One of us!"

Dum's chant started a chain reaction amongst the rest of the crew, and it was only a matter of seconds until they were all standing up chanting for the upper classman to join them. Sweat beaded along TheGentleman's brow, and he tried to back away...only to find Player and Ninja behind him, joined in the chanting mass like zombies.

...The red bean in question held one of his father's old baseball caps in his hand, offering it to the charcoal figure, and STILL chanting.

At that point, he had begun to crack. He didn't want to give up his pride...but what pride would he have if he lost his mind?

"Alright, FINE, FINE!  JUST MAKE IT STOP!!!"

He pulled his treasured hats off his head, plucked the brim of the cap out of Player's hands and grimaced as though it would infect him, then begrudgingly, ashamedly, placed the dirty, worn, stained cap atop his distinguished head.

...And in an instant, the chanting quelled into silence.

"...See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Captain asked him. "Congratulations, TheGentleman. You are officially a middle class citizen!"

"Now you can grill burgers out on the lawn you cut yourself, just like the rest of us," Veteran jeered.

"You cut your own lawns!?"

"Um, duh. What do you think we have lawnmowers for? Not all of us can afford a landscaper like you, y'know."

"That must be exhausting, pushing some heavy load of metal around a yard by hand..."

"Welcome to our world," Player snickered.

"Hmph..." TheGentleman huffed, leaving for a moment to hang his twin hats up by the front door; if they weren't on his head where he could keep them in check, then he at least wanted them somewhere safe from the...oncoming shenanigans. "Well in any event, I do believe it's your turn, beanie boy. Truth or dare? What's your pick?"

"Oh, you know I'm goin' with dare, baby. Heh heh."

"Right, then. I dare you to...speak terribly about cheese."

"...What?"

"Talk about cheese like it's the worst thing that has ever graced this earth. That it's awful, disgusting, repulsive!"

"Uhh...oh, ghee...y-you're serious?"

"If I had to give up my precious tokens of higher status, I'm certain you can do something a bit less  objectively awful."

A perturbed hiss escaped the orange bean's clenched teeth.

"This is gonna come back to haunt me in my nightmares later..." he winced, taking his signature wedge off his head and pointing at it accusingly. "Uhh...Cheese, you...you suck. And...y-you're ugly, with all the holes in you. Like some mouse crawled around in you and ate through 'em, which is super gross, and I no one can ever lose any weight when you're lurkin' around the fridge, and...Can I be done now, TheGentleman?"

"I think that's enough to satisfy."

"Oh thank goodness! I didn't mean any of it, cheese, it was all just an act, I promise! I'll never insult you again..."

"Well, uh...can't say that reaction is a surprise," Player shrugged.

"Phew...A'ight, that's over with. Time to pass the torch of torture onto you, MrEgg," the darker orange crewmate decided. "What's it gonna be, truth or dare?"

"I think I'm going to stick with truth for this one."

"Heh. I'll probably do the same if we go around again," MrCheese huffed. "Okay. Is there a way to prepare eggs that you would NEVER, EVER eat? Like, it's just too gross?"

"Hmmmm...As a matter of fact, there is," MrEgg told him. "I discovered it during one of my long web searches for good egg recipes...It's called 'balut.' It's when you take an egg that's...gracious, I don't know if I can say it aloud...Just look it up, old chap."

"Looking it up," MrCheese remarked as he pulled out his phone and tapped in the word. "A'ight, here we go...Oh. Oh, ew, that's gross! And...cruel, kinda!"

"Don't ever tell BDay about it."

"Will do!"

"What exactly is it, MrCheese?" TheGentleman asked.

"It's...uh...pass it on quietly."

He whispered it to him, and the charcoal bean passed it on the other way around the circle until it finally reached Ria.

"Oh, jeez. That really IS gross and cruel," the lime crewmate confirmed. "...I hope whatever I do this round won't be."

"Ah yes, that's right! It's your turn, love!" MrEgg acknoeledged. "Alright then. Truth or dare?"

"Eh...Might as well try a dare. Just don't make me do anything SUPER weird, okay?"

"Aww, that's no fun," Veteran sighed.

"Now now Veteran, we will return to greater theatrics soon enough," the marigold bean assured him. "Hmm, let me think...Alright, love. I dare you to take a random book off one of the shelves on Player's TV stand and start reading it aloud."

"Uh...read a book? That's it??"

"Oh no, my dear," MrEgg smirked. "The fun part is that you must purposefully mispronounce EVERY word you read."

"Ohhhh," the lime crewmate nodded. "NOW we're getting somewhere. Let's see what we've got!"

Ria went over to one of the shelves and pulled out a random book, not bothering to even read its title as she opened the cover and turned to the first page of the first chapter. She cleared her throat, stifling a bit of a snicker in it, then began.

"Chaptor Oon: Da Durr en Da Grund...Da deem waygun truck wint noo fardur oon teh purrie, und Poo stooped da hersies."

"Oh my God..."

She was only one sentence in, and already the entire house had ERUPTED with laughter unlike any she'd ever heard.

"Should I keep going?"

"I...*wheeze*...I already can't take it!" Dum huffed out between laughs.

"No, no no no, keep going love!" MrEgg encouraged her. "J-just one more line, at least, this is great!"

"Alright...When da wagun...hweels stooped tarning, Jacques drooped doon en da shed bed-ween dem."

Now the raucous cackling had softened; not because it wasn't as funny anymore, but rather that many of them were beginning to laugh so hard they couldn't produce noise, their fits reduced to collapsing to the floor and tears leaking from the corners of their visors as they gasped for air every few seconds...The only one who DIDN'T appear to be laughing much was Ninja, who seemed more confused by the situation than amused. Of course, it probably made his second language harder to understand, so maybe that was why.

"I...I think that's good...!" Player hacked, almost choking on his own throat as he tried to quell the spasms in his chest. "We, we're all...WOW. That was a LOT better than I expected it to be!"

"Yeah, yeah, forget what I said before," Veteran told them, waving a hand dismissively before clearing his own throat. "Eh heh...Ohh, man. That brand o' humor is on par with some of the best bad lip reading videos out there."

"I'm glad everyone was thoroughly amused," Ria replied, giggling a bit herself as she tucked the book back into its slot on the shelf. "Phew...Alright, so I guess it's time for me to ask Stoner what he wants to do, right?"

"Yeah, dudette," the darker green bean nodded. "Let's see whatcha got."

"Oh no, Stoner. We're about to see what YOU'VE got," Ria taunted him slightly. "...Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I had a feeling you'd go that route...Okay. I dare you to go upstairs, open a window and holler your favorite vine quote for all the neighborhood to hear."

"Ooooh, hoo-hoo, I like where this is going!" Dum chuckled. "Which window's the highest one in the house? It's gotta be perfect for Stoner."

"The one in the upstairs bathroom, I think," Player guessed. "I'll open it; the rest of you guys follow me!"

Upon request, the horde of crewmates followed Player up the stairs, Stoner trailing just behind the red bean in anticipation. When they made it to the designated room, Player opened the door, stepped inside and opened up the window just to the right of the sink before gesturing for Stoner to step forward and follow through with Ria's dare.

"All yours, man."

"Heh heh...If you insist."

With a confident strut, the green bean made his way to the window, stuck his head through it and took in a deep breath, then finally...

"MARY!! IS THAT A POLICE!?! I'M CALLING THE WEED!!!"

He was barely done when the entire upper floor began to shake with the sheer volume of laughter that immediately followed.

"420, WHATCHU SMOKIN'?!?"

"This is the best slumber party I've ever been to...!" Captain wheezed.

"Ain't it, though!?" MrCheese concurred. "Ha, ghee...Boy, and right after Ria's botched book reading, my sides are gonna be split for a week!"

"Think they're hurtin' already?" Stoner chortled as he stuck his head back in from the window. "Heh heh...wait'll you see what I've got in store for Ninja, bro!"

"何? "

"Ohhh, he's in for it, man," Player huffed. "Knowing Stoner, who KNOWS what he's got cooked up for either pick?"

Ninja grew tense as he followed the crowd back down the stairs...He hadn't exactly agreed to this game, but given how the vote went he knew he didn't have much of a choice. Besides, he wasn't about to sit out and observe while everyone else had fun; he was done  being an outcast.

私はもっとひどいことを経験してきた,  he reminded himself.  安全にプレーして、さっさと終わらせるんだ。それがどれだけ悪いことなのか?

"Ho-kay, Ninja my guy," Stoner smirked as the two sat back down. The purple crewmate could detect everyone's eyes all over him. "...Truth or dare?"

"Eh..." he mused, reverting to English. "...I pick truth."

It was definitely the safer option; no risk of embarrassing himself in front of everyone like the horticulture hippie  just did.

"Tell me, Ninja...Just how many pumpkin spice lattes did you order from Moonbean Coffee between Halloween and Christmas last year?"

"何が-!?"

Player's eyes widened. A pit of dread carved itself into Dum's gut. And all the while, Ninja nearly fell backwards where he sat upon hearing the question he thought he'd NEVER be asked.

"誰がそんなことを言ったんだ!?!"

"Heh, no one. You think I don't hit that place up, my guy? Lemme tell ya somethin'; I went there almost EEEEEVERYDAY 'tween 6 an 8 in the evening, and I saw you there with one o' those eight times outta ten. And here you are tryna act like you've got a superior pallet. Psh. Face the music, man. You're just. Like. Us."

"Wait, you mean those frilly fall coffees that white girls like to drink?" Veteran asked.

"Hey, I like 'em too, ding dong!" MrCheese defended.

"I prefer a nice chai latte myself," TheGentleman chimed in. "Are the two similar at all?"

"Hey, you're a commoner now!" Dum teased. "You're supposed to like coffee with cream and sugar from the office break room!"

"I work in an OFFICE BUILDING  now!?!"

"Order, my dudes. Order in the hall of truth or dare," Stoner spoke up again. "...Just answer the question, Ninja. Unless you're just too...chicken."

Ninja seethed at such a suggestion, clenching his teeth to keep the long string of insults boiling in his throat locked away. He looked at Stoner with all the loving kindness of a Gashedokuro as he hissed his answer.

"...Tu-wenty-three."

"Wow," Captain remarked. "That's a lotta lattes!"

"Darn straight," Stoner nodded. "Of course, with that out of the way, let me assure you that not bein' all so different from the rest of us ain't necessarily a bad thing. That way, we can all gush to each other about how GOOD all of the food in this house is."

"If-u you keep talking of this, I will forcibu-ly restore your lost honor with a single swipe."

"Ahhh come on, lighten up a bit man. If it makes you feel any better, it's your turn to dish somethin' out against Player. Circle's startin' over after that."

The purple crewmate whipped his head around to face Player...The red bean looked about ready to soil himself, but kept up his face of vigilance.

"Uhh...Yeah, go on ahead Ninja. You deserve a good round after that."

For a fleeting moment, Ninja wondered if Player had tipped him off about their excursion to the coffee shop during the fall...But given how Stoner was about munchies sometimes AND the deal he and Player had proposed, he decided not to get hung up over it; the secret was out, and nobody was being especially  judgmental over it. It was over...

...And now he had a chance to reclaim his lost pride.

"Very well," he decided. "...Truth or dare, Player-san?"

"Hmmm...Y'know, I'm gonna go with truth. I mean, how bad could it be?"

"Alright. Let us see..."

Ninja wanted to make this a good one...not good as in 'traumatic for Player,' but juicy  at the very least after what HE'D just been put through.

"Alright...You and Angel are eh, together still, right?"

"Uh, yeah! We are! In fact, she was invited to the party tonight, but...you know how her dad is sometimes. Didn't want her hangin' out with a bunch of other weirdos he hasn't met."

"Sounds like a stern old chap," MrEgg nodded. "I suppose he deserves some credit, though; it's a crazy world out there, especially nowadays."

"Yes-u...So, imagine you two are, eh...not  together."

"Do I have to imagine that?"

"For de sake of de question," Ninja told him. "If dat were de case-u, den who here do you think you would-u most likely be with instead?"

"Whoa..." the red bean recoiled. "Jeez...You mean here as in I can only pick from the people in this room right now?"

Ninja nodded.

"And not any of our other friends who couldn't make it?"

Another nod.

"Hoooo, boy...That's a tough one. Um...let's see..."

In all honesty, he wasn't all that giddy about coming up with an answer; if Angel caught wind of this, she might take it the wrong way(in which event her father might as well.) Not to mention that the only two gals in the lobby were taken(and he was RELATED to one of them nonetheless,) which meant he'd have to go the same route as TheGentleman and MrCheese had.

MrEgg? Taken...Captain? Also taken...Does it matter whether of not they're taken, even, in the context of the question?  he wondered. I mean, I don't want to start up any dumb drama...Vet? Uh...Ugh, imagine his reaction to that. Same with Ninja, but Ninja's probably a no-go either since half the time he doesn't bother speaking English...

At that point, he was staring out into space, and the violet crewmate asking the question noticed the blank look in his visor.

"Erm...Player-san? You think of an answer yet?"

"...Not gonna lie, Ninja. I don't know if I can give an answer for that one for...a number of reasons," Player finally caved.

"Ah, come on Player. You gotta answer SOMEHOW," Dum told him.

"You sure I can't just do a dare instead?"

"Nope. It's a done deal, dumb-dumb," MrCheese told him. "...Unless."

"Unless?"

"UNLESS Ninja allows it and makes a REEAALLY challenging dare for ya. Can't wait on you to spit somethin' out all night, can we?"

"I guess not," Player shrugged. "Ninja, what say you?"

"You may end up regretting dis..."

"As long as I can get it over with quicker so we can move on!" he urged. "...I'm switching to a dare. If you're game."

"Alright..." the purple bean caved. "...I dare you to eat a massive plate of Chisu-san's baked mac and cheese."

"Ohh, shoot, that stuff's not the lactose free kind either," the orange bean remembered. "You're either in for it or your OUT, Player. Pick your poison."

The red bean knew there was bound to be trouble either way, but in terms of picking the lesser of two evils...

"...Screw it. Hand me a plate, Veteran."

The crowd cheered as Player got up and marched over to the mini buffet set out. The yellow crewmate obliged and fetched a platter and fork from the cabinet, a look of sympathy in his eyes as he watched his companion scoop out a MASSIVE glob of delicious cheesy goodness from the container. It smelled like heaven...

...But there would be hell  to pay later. That, both of them knew all too well.

The red bean grimaced a bit as he dug his fork in, met with a barrage of cheers from the others at that point.

"GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!"

In went the first bite. The crew went wild. Ninja looked satisfied. He swallowed...It was delicious. He took another, and another...DANG, this stuff was good! He knew he'd regret this later, but for now? Eh...

It was better than risking the crew falling apart at all, that was for sure.

"DUDE, you're WOLFIN' that stuff!" Veteran hollered. "Do you even taste it!?"

"You bet your sweet butt I do, Vet."

"So, eh, does dat also answer my truth question?"

"NINJA!"

For the first time that night, Ninja cracked a smile...Maybe this game wasn't all THAT bad, after all.

"Well, that's a full round," Ria acknowledged. "Should we start again or are we keen on doing something else?"

"OOH! I have some of those funny card games up in my room!" Dum exclaimed. "Maybe we can put on some tunes and bust out a couple of those!"

"Funny card games, huh?" MrCheese asked. "Like what, exactly? You got Joking Hazard?"

"Uhh, no, but I do have What do you Meme? and stuff like that."

"Eh, good enough. Egghead and TheCommonman might be better suited to that."

"I beg your pardon, MrCheese!  What on EARTH  did you just refer to me as!?"

"You new name for the night."

"Urgh, I can't wait to reclaim my higher status..."

"Mph...Might as well do it while I'm still in good shape," Player decided, swallowing his last bite of the cheesy delight.

"You...sure you're gonna be good, man?" Veteran asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine...for now. And eventually."

"So, uh...just out of curiosity," the yellow crewmate whispered to him. "What do you think the answer to Ninja's first question would have been?"

The red crewmate sighed.

"...Not gonna lie, Vet. The only SOMEWHAT viable option I had to go with was...ugh...It was you."

"Oh."

"Yep. Didn't have much other choice, since a lot of the others are taken...That's not gonna weird you out too much, is it?"

"Nah. Heck, I'll probably forget you even said that by tomorrow morning...Now come on, let's get into that card game before stuff starts happenin'."

"Right behind ya, dude..."

____________________________________________________________

...

____________________________________________________________

"Hey gang, guess who's baaack~?"

Alan was only somewhat apprehensive as he opened the door, a part of him fearing that the house would be in absolute shambles with so many people staying over...There were various different playing cards strewn across the coffee table and parts of the floor, the dining room trash was overflowing with used paper plates and the smell of old food lingered in the air, but it was nothing that couldn't be cleaned up easily.

Aside from the playing cards, a good number of the crewmates had turned in for the night as well, most of them on the floor either sprawled out and snoring or huddled underneath a spare blanket.

"Well it is a quarter to 11, what do you expect?" Mum shrugged.

"Not exactly someone wedged between the couch cushions upside-down," Alan answered, pointing out Stoner in that exact position. "...With a name like that I just hope he didn't 'share' anything with anyone."

"Oh no, he didn't. Besides some delicious stew, at least," Dum confirmed, popping up into view from in front of the couch. The yellow and purple beans came around the sofa to see that she was still awake(though just barely,) and playing a split-screen round of Minecraft with Vet and Captain.

"Looks like things have died down," her mother nodded. "Everyone have a fun time tonight?"

"Ohhh, you bet," Veteran confirmed. "Hey, you guys can keep whatever's left of the dino nuggies as a token of my appreciation, they're in the fridge."

"Welp, good thing we didn't bring leftovers," Alan chortled...He spied a fourth controller sitting on the floor and the top left corner of the screen idle.

"Where's Player at? Wouldn't he usually be playing with you guys?"

"Oh! Yes, Mr. Player's dad! About that..." Captain replied. "We, uh...started the night off with a good old-fashioned round of truth or dare, and...well...Long story short, things got cheesy."

"Yep, he left for the restroom about half an hour ago," Veteran nodded. "Hasn't been back since."

...Alan and Mum gave each other a knowing, dreading glance.

"Well, I guess you can't expect EVERYTHING to go smoothly," the former sighed. "...Hon', grab the spare Febreeze from under the sink and open all the windows."

"On it."

____________________________________________________________

HEEYYYYYYYY, I'm finally back from the dead!

Yeah, sorry it's been so long; I've been doing A LOT irl lately, mainly focusing on my future, but I'm still sputtering along with this as best I can. It's been a long and winding road, and it's still a long one up ahead, but with God as my witness, I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON THIS BOOK!!!

Phew...Well, better get started on that art dump. See you guys then! :D