Deserved Rest And Rewards

Like with most students, John didn't need much convincing from his teacher to leave school early. Once he got to his bedroom, he hastily undressed and headed straight to bed. He tried to sleep, but his mind kept thinking back to the day’s strange events. It became obvious to him that his teacher’s earlier advice about him still having a lot to learn was quite true. He hoped that, whatever it was that she was going to give him, it would help on that issue.

Failing to clear his mind, John gave up on sleeping and tried to do at least one mundane thing he could think of. He picked up his cell phone and messaged Caile, “I wish u were home right now.” Not expecting her to answer him right away, he placed the device on top of his desk and went to the bathroom. When he looked in the mirror, he saw the tired state of his face and proceeded to wash it in an effort to at least rouse him.

When he entered his room, he saw a blinking light on his phone signaling he had received a message while he was away. He picked it up and read the reply Caile had sent a few seconds after his first message, “I am sorry, am still at school, u ok? Y are u home so early?” She then sent a second message almost a minute after, “Hey… u there?”

He typed in his reply and hoped to be able to chat with her for at least a while.

John: Yeah, I am fine, I just wanted someone to talk to. I need to clear my mind.
Caile: Aww, and you thought of me? I can always skip the rest of my classes and head home…
John: Nah, it’s fine.
Caile: U sure?
John: Yeah, I am just tired, it’s been a rough day and can’t seem to be able to sleep.
Caile: U didn’t tell me u had a test today.
John: No, it wasn’t a test. It was more like a surprise assignment.
Caile: Oof, I hate those. Did you finish it in time?
John: Yes. I just can’t seem to flush it out of my mind.
Caile: Do you want me to send nudes?
John: Funny.
Caile: Fine, don’t ever say I’ve never offered.
John: Well, believe it or not, talking with you is already helping.
Caile: That’s good, I guess…
John: Sure is. Thanks.
Caile: Then go lie down, we’ll talk more when I get home. And I need you rested so that we can continue where we left off last night.
John: Fuck, not that dungeon, we keep getting our asses kicked in there.
Caile: Ok, we can go someplace else. Now rest, we’ll talk later.
John: Sure. TTYL

John put the phone down just before he laid on his bed. Lucky for him, even though their chat was brief, it really did help him clear his mind enough to be able to fall asleep.

A few hours later, John woke up; he looked at his clock and realized he missed lunch and his mother would soon arrive from work. Feeling rested, he got out of bed and dressed.

As his mind finished leaving its dreamy state, he noticed he had quite a few unread warning messages.

Shared experience procedure complete.

You have gained 150 shared experience from previous events.

Party system is now available.
You may now invite an ally to join you on your party for more effective experience and loot sharing.

Huh, no extra loot from the defeated Bauchans, he thought not really annoyed; the experience and the new party system more than made up for it. I guess I should tidy up some things before Mom gets home.

He picked up his school clothes that he had lazily left on the floor to put them in the laundry hamper. And while he did so, he remembered he had other clothes stored in his inventory that were in dire need of cleaning. He retrieved them together with a few items he got from his quest. He laid on his bed the two sets of leather armor that were too small for him and put three items on top of his desk: a small piece of paper, a silver coin, and a golden key. He inspected each one of them by casting observe.

Eager to try each item, John first picked up and flipped the coin; when it landed, the side that was facing up was engraved with an image of a head. He then noticed the two extra intelligence points on his stat sheet. His choice for the key would be the large antique wooden chest by the foot of his bed that his grandfather had given to him when he was eight years old. After taking its original key from one of his desk’s drawers, he used it to lock the chest and used the pocket key to unlock it. Once he opened it he saw that it was empty and saw the message over it: 0/100. Not quite sure it would work properly, he stored a one-cent coin inside it and locked it; then he cycled through from original setting to pocket setting just in case. After confirming it worked and retrieving the coin, he stored inside the chest some of the items he had no use for at the moment, including the two sets of leather armor he had laid on his bed. He left a container of the fruit salad he had bought from Maria on top of his desk.

Next was the voucher, for this he needed his computer; he turned it on, and while he was waiting, his stomach growled. It was probably complaining since he missed his lunch and he had a delicious source of food so close to it. He decided to try to use the voucher after he ate, so he got up, picked up the container and headed for the kitchen.

He was sitting down and was satiating his hunger when his mother finally arrived.

“John honey, I am home,” she said the moment she passed through the front door. “Are you here?”

“In the kitchen, Mom,” John answered her call.

“Hey, sweetheart, how was your day?” she asked her son.

“Tiring, how was yours?”

“Terrible, I was told to start over on a month old project because a client changed his mind,” she sighed.

“Oh, Mom, I am sorry to hear that,” he said. “Here, let me try to cheer you up.” He stood up and hugged her tightly.

“Wow, that girl must have really done a number on you,” she said while smiling. “I haven’t received such a hug from you in years; you didn’t even shy away from my breasts. These girls really did miss you,“ she said while squeezing her breast.

“Mom!”

“What? Don’t you remember?” she asked with a mocking smile. “When you were little you used to use them as pillows. It drove your father crazy with jealousy because you kept saying they were yours.” She then started laughing.

“Mom, please stop,” he was now blushing and turned away from her, trying to pry away from his mind any thoughts about his mother and her wonderfully shaped breasts. Damn, try to think of something else, you idiotic brain.

“Fine, I am just happy that you broke that shyness barrier. At least that’s what your father and I thought it was,” she looked thoughtful and then saw the container of fruit salad on the table. “Hey, what’s that?”

Brenda didn’t wait for John’s reply, she opened one of the kitchen’s drawers and took a spoon from it. John knew he didn’t need to answer her, she was going to taste it anyway; it was something she’d always do when he brought food home and she caught him eating it at the table. It never did bother him; he knew his mom often enjoyed a mid-afternoon snack, and after the second time it happened, he had learned to bring home enough for the both of them. His mother took a spoonful of the salad from the container and tasted it.

“Hmm, that’s delicious,” she turned to a cupboard and took a bowl out from it. “Where did you buy it?”

“I bought it at a new deli on my way home from school,” John lied knowing that it would be better than telling her he had bought it at an inn in Scotland while doing an assignment for his history teacher.

“It’s so sweet, I love it,” Brenda said after another spoonful. “So, since we are already sitting at the table, I’d like to talk for a bit.”

“Sure, Mom, what would you like to talk about?”

She put her hand up probably asking him to wait for her to finish her last spoonful.

“It’s about you and this mysterious new girl,” she answered. “I am hoping you don’t try to do things too quickly with her in the hope of trying to catch up experience-wise with some of your school mates.”

“Mom, please, you don’t need to go there,” John told her, trying to convince her to stop pursuing the subject.

“I know, I know, these days you kids learn about sex very quickly,” she looked at him quite seriously showing him how important the topic was to her. “It’s too late for me to tell you about the birds and the bees. Although, if you need me to, I can always brush up my drawing skills.” She smiled at him, obviously trying to hold her laughter.

“No, Mom. It’s fine, I know almost everything I need to know about the subject,” he dismissed the need for any type of explanation. Humor, yeap, she always throws a bit of it to try to cut the edge off when being serious about something.

“Oh, do you now?” she smiled at him defiantly. “Tell me what you know.”

“Mom, do I have to?”

“John, sweety,” she began as she took his hand in hers, “as far as I know, you’re just starting. You never talked to me about a girl since you broke off your friendship with Amelia, well, with the exception of your teachers. Sure, the internet can teach you a lot about sex, but having the experience goes a long way.”

“What are you saying, Mom?”

“Well, unfortunately, the only help I can give you is by giving you some tips,” she said determined to help her son.

“You don’t need to.”

“Yes, Son, I do; your father should be the one telling you about this. Believe me, he is quite accomplished in that department.”

“Mom, please, I am begging you.”

“Sorry, sweety,” she smiled once more. Even though the subject was not the type of thing he’d like to talk with her about, she knew that it would help her son’s chances improve, so she’d have to press on the matter. “But this is really important. The first thing you should learn is to never be ashamed about it.”

“Ok, Mom,” he conceded. “But please try to not bring what you and Dad do into this.”

“Why not, Son?” Brenda asked. “We learned quite a lot from each other. That’s lesson two, by the way, but first, let me return to lesson one. You shouldn’t be ashamed when it comes to sex, it’s a wonderful thing. Obviously, that doesn’t mean you should brag about it.” She then turned serious again. “If I hear that you bragged to one of your friends, you and I will have some serious talks.”

“Ok, don’t be ashamed but also don’t brag about it,” John summarized. “What else?”

“I believe you won’t be one of those selfish lovers. So, say you want to try something different with a girl, to make her feel good, what do you do?”

“Read about it first?” he miserably tried to guess the answer she wanted to hear.

“Sure, you can read about it to get some tips, but there is a much better source,” she corrected him and waited to see if he’d change his answer. After a few seconds of silence, she continued. “The person you’re with, my son, that’s the best option. Who knows better about a girl than herself? So, ask her to help you do it, ask if what you’re doing is making her feel good. It’s the easiest way to learn, even if you don’t get it right on your first try. As a bonus, if you ask for her help, it will show her how much you trust her and she could even trust to ask for some guidance herself.

“Finally, learn to enjoy it! Believe me, very little dries up a girl faster than her seeing a guy showing signs of disgust while he goes down on her,” Brenda warned her son. “So, if you care about a girl and want to continue to be with her, try to learn to enjoy her so you don’t make any mistakes you’ll regret.”

“That’s it?” John asked her. Not knowing if he should be happy for the end of the lesson or if he wanted to learn more.

“Well, no, there’s much more,” she answered while she stood up. “But you can learn the rest from her.” She chuckled. “Now, I need a bath. You are free to go and see her.” She then left him alone in the kitchen.

That was just awkward. Still, she is probably right. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do with that bit of wisdom at the moment, John thought alone at the kitchen table. To think that this all started because I lied about what occurred between Cynthia and me.