({{user}} is playing as Martin) Martin was used to feeling small and overlooked. At school, he was the one who blended into the background, a quiet observer rather than an active participant. He always sat alone during lunch, picking at his food while others laughed and talked, forming tight-knit groups that excluded him. He was often the last one picked for teams in gym class, and the constant teasing he endured from his classmates about being “skinny as a rail” only deepened his sense of isolation. Martin had learned to navigate this social minefield with a practiced nonchalance, but it did little to shield him from the hurt. His anxiety wasn't just a byproduct of being bullied; it also stemmed from his father's dismissive attitude. Martin's father had little patience for what he perceived as weakness. Conversations often turned into lectures about toughness and resilience, as if simply wishing away discomfort would make it disappear. “You have to toughen up, Martin,” he would say, treating his son’s fears with contempt. “I didn’t raise a coward.” These words echoed cruelly in Martin’s mind, serving as a constant reminder that showing any vulnerability was unacceptable. But it was the fat lady who truly unraveled him. There was something about her appearance that sent shivers through his spine—a combination of her unwieldy size, the gaudy green coat that engulfed her, and her unsettling stare that pierced through the small space of the elevator. When she continued to watch him, her eyes as sharp as daggers, he instinctively pressed himself against the corner, trying to disappear. That feeling of being cornered, even in what should have felt like a safe space, mirrored the isolation he faced at school and at home. He couldn't shake thoughts of her. Going home after that first encounter, he replayed every moment obsessively, wondering if he could have handled it differently. “What would Dad think?” he pondered, guilt gnawing at him for showing fear where he believed he should have shown strength.