Chapter 8: Fourteen Beers at Chili’s

Okay. Damage control. Let’s take point. View what’s damaged, what can be done, and how?

 

First, mom. Okay, uh, she looks conflicted. Mostly likely joy because, ‘Hey! My daughter finally has a friend.' Which...hopefully isn’t true cause that hurts. Also, she might be worried about how she might just be using me. Uh, tertiary problem? She doesn’t know about my…sexual preference.

 

I mean, having the Birds and the Bees talk was horrific enough. So much so, she just let me browse the internet and decided to do control what happened afterwards. Her emotion on this is…indiscernible… Okay. Deal with…later? Maybe.

 

Second, coworkers. Don’t know what mom thinks, but some of her coworkers have obvious disgust in their eyes. I know mom’s pushed enough at work already, and this might be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Social death for her.

 

Luckily, all thirteen, plus my mom, seem to be having some business lunch. Hopefully, none of them decided to bargain with the New York streets and drive here. Their glasses are filled with a golden-brown liquid with a foamy top. The smell is the obvious clue on what they’re doing.

 

Just a side note, it’s only, like, 11 AM? Why are they drinking? You know what… That’s not my problem. In fact, it might help me. Maybe I can use their addled state to…Suggest some things to them.

 

My vocal cords fill with warmth, stronger than before. And…there’s like a pulsing to it? The level-up did something more to the power than I can figure out. As I mull over the words I want to say, the pulsing changes its frequency. Hmm. Interesting.

 

“Auri?” My mom calls out, breaking me from my discordant reverie. Her voice is much softer, much warmer. The familiarity in it calms the deepest of my fears. Okay. First point is lowering in priority.

 

“Sorry, mom. I, uh, I guess I have some explaining to do?” I try and shrug, mirroring the words she usually uses to admonish me, if she ever did. All she does in response is stare at me, with a sort of tired glare seeping through.

 

Her coworkers begin whispering amongst themselves. Hmm, time to switch gears.

 

“Mom, I know we need to talk, but this is a personal situation. So—” I enunciate, staring daggers into mom’s coworkers “—we should discuss this at home and without interruption.”

 

[ Congratulations! By reason of social convention, you have unlocked the skill: “Intimidating Stare – Lv. 1” ]

 

[ Intimidating Stare – Lv. 1: Allows the user to gain the upper hand in conversation with a piercing stare. Submission of the target is more successful under the stare, but has the chance of rising anger in the target. ]

 

“…Okay, Auri,” she finally acquiesces, turning back to her coworkers. I walk to the front desk, but stop and peek around the corner to watch my mom. Obviously, I can’t hear her over the chatter of several nuclear families, but from what little I can read on her lips, she gives them some sort of apology and to forget the entire thing. Or something of that nature. Maybe…

 

Though, from the looks her coworkers… No. Work associates give each other, I know for a fact that they have a new over-the-water cooler conversation topic to chatter about—a conversation that will rarely ever include my mom herself.

 

Though, I wish I could do more to help her. I—I… I need more power. I need to find a way to level up these skills and become more powerful. It seems successfully romancing Clara leveled up some skills, but what else?

 

Hmm, I need to think on this.

 

———————————————————————————————————————

 

My eyes burn the text into my mind, much like the phone’s light burns into my eyes with the dim light of the dying bulb in my room. Clara had sent me a text thanking me for the wonderful day, and she was hoping if we could hang out more often. Maybe even at school.

You are reading story Of Lilies and Lust at novel35.com

 

I replied sure, but only if she was sure it wasn’t going to tank her popularity at school or something. She texted saying it’d be fine. :)

 

That dammed smile. Who the hell ends a text like that?

 

My phone buzzes as I receive another message. One not from Clara, not from mom, but the only other person I can even call a friend. Even if I met them online…

 

It’s a person, probably, with the tag RiseFromTheAshes. They said they made it when they were eight and never really got around to changing it. They were texting me, uh…

 

RiseFromTheAshes: Hey! What’s up? I felt like checking up on you today. Everything okay?

 

Hmm. They felt like checking up on me? Either really nice or a major red flag. Fortunately, I’m red-green colorblind!

 

…wait. Can I fix that with Body Modification? Maybe. I should see if the library has any medical books. Try the school library, too, while I’m at it. Perhaps even discover other things…

 

I message them back saying I’m fine. Hit send and…pause.

 

Maybe I can ask them for help? Their online status says they’re playing some game or another everyday, almost on schedule.

 

Me: Actually, maybe you can help

RiseFromTheAshes: With what?

Me: I have this RPG game, but I can’t figure out how to level the skills

RiseFromTheAshes: Look up a guide? Maybe? What’s the name?

Me: Uh. I can’t pronounce it. Can’t take a picture either. What are some ways people normally level up skills in game.

Me: games*

RiseFromTheAshes: Normal ways are just using a skill a ton. Sometimes levelling up the character works to. Some JRPGs I’ve seen use events to give and level up skills. Like Earthbound.

Me: Thanlks. I’ll keep that in mind.

Me: Thanks* Damn it.

 

Huh. Repetitive use might work. Body Manipulation…might be easy. Still would want to glance at those medical books, though. Ugh, gives me anxiety just thinking about it. But, the more social skills—Confident Swagger, Intimidating Glare, Minor Hypnotic Suggestion—will take more work. A lot more…socializing.

 

I guess I’m hanging out with Clara more often.

 

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