Here is how the card “A house is not a home” led this scene to be of a bad-to-worse outcome for Bill:

He wanted his old life back, where Ash is his girlfriend, Jay is his buddy, and nobody is about to blow up a train. He so desperately wanted to recapture what they have lost, that he was willing to give a secret he had. The secret that the boss expects one of them to be a rat. That their loyalty is being tested. He only stops short of revealing the full truth to Ash—that he’s the rat, the cop, the potential reason for this madness of a job in the first place. Between the lines, Bill was hoping that it will help Ash to shake free of the Boss’s control. That the Boss’s mistrust will allow Ash to think about stepping away from it.

If only Bill could get through to her, he could figure out how they could get away together. This plays directly into their shared need, as well—The need to get away and start over.

But this scene has to be bad for him, as determined randomly ahead of time. That means that Ash does not bite. Hearing that the boss suspects someone to be disloyal, she now wants to see this job through even more. Prove her loyalty, her usefulness. After all, both Ash and Jay want that promotion, want to step up and get ahead in the organization.

Usually when I write, I start at the beginning of a scene and end where it ends. This time, however, I wrote the last part first. Bill nearly crashing the car, fumbling with his phone, and having to decide whether he wants to call it in, end his cover, or keep it up and figure out a different way. It’s a classic cliffhanger, and I knew I wanted to end the scene there.

Then I just had to figure out how to tie it all together, and I think it came out very well. The card just made Bill nostalgic, desperate, and blinded him into making a crucial mistake. How could Ash ever trust him now?

Let’s look at the dice after Bill gives his freshly earned black one to someone else. I think Jay is getting this one, because, to Bill, he seems too excited about this crazy job of blowing up a train.

• Bill: White 0, Black 0
• Ash: White 1, Black 1
• Jay: White 1, Black 1

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Finally, let’s tease the next card for Ash, which will have a good scene (white die):

The card I drew is one we have seen before: #45 Hug the Crocodile. This was Jay’s card that caused him to work with Ash together instead of seeing her as a rival. I think it’s clear right away that both Ash and Jay will work together on whatever this scene is going to be about.

Since we’ve seen this card before, I will also draw a second card to add more spice to this scene. The exercises of this card will determine the next scene, while I also keep in mind the things established from the first time I drew the other card. And I got:

#04 Not My Job

A cartoon of the Queen serving on a royal guard and a butler, who a re lounging in fancy highchairs.

“Give your hero new responsibilities, including a chance to prove themselves.”

Well, even this card plays well with the repeated “Hug the Crocodile” card, at least at first glance. We will see next time how this all shakes out, of course.