The party

The living room is spacious, with a big tv attached to one wall, while the opposite side has a big couch and a low table made of wood.
Since the couch isn’t big enough for everyone, there’s also a few chairs put around the table, I take a seat and so does Matt, leaving a space on the couch for Alex next to his girlfriend.

“Now that everyone’s here, I’ll bring the beers.” He says as he leaves the room.
I look at the two girls awkwardly as I wait for Alex to return, but Kayla seems to want to start a conversation.

“So, I know about John, but Alex doesn’t talk too much about you Matt, what do you do for a living?” She asks as an introductory question.
But Matt seems to hesitate before answering what I thought was a pretty simple answer.

“I-I’m in IT, I fix computers remotely.” He says, and I notice his cheeks warming up.
He’s still pretty shy, I thought his perks would help but maybe I’m mistaken.

“I see, are your clients individuals or other companies?” Kayla asks seeming interested.

“Other companies, they have a number to call anytime there’s an issue with computer.” He answers, before closing his legs together abruptly.
Right, didn’t he get a perk that does something when he’s the center of attention? I try to say something, but Alex comes back with big pack of beers that he puts next to the table.

“Who’s thirsty? I just got them out of the fridge!”

Sandra puts her hand up.

“Me!” She says like excited at the idea of drinking.

She gets hers first, but we all end up with a beer in hand. I look at it with sadness, this is the only drink I can afford tonight if I want to get back to the road. So I decide to not open it yet.
Alex takes a seat in the couch next to Kayla, and slide an arm behind her back comfortably. She seems to like it, and her body lays slightly on his.

“Right, I wanted to ask what brings you to the city Sandra?” I say as I look directly at the woman sipping on her can.

“What, you didn’t want to see me?” She asks faking a sad face before smiling back.

“Actually, I’ll be here for a while. I found a new job in the city, and I’m looking for a place to live right now.” She explains, before getting interrupted by her brother.

“Yeah, or maybe you just want to avoid paying rent by living here.” He says with a teasing grin.

“Don’t say that to your sister Alex, even for a joke.” Kayla reprimends him gently and he nods.

“What job did you find?” Matt asks to keep the conversation going.

“Well, it’s kind of what I already did back home. I’m a mechanic and I spend my days fixing cars.”

“And modifying them illegally!” Alex adds. His smile disappearing as he notices Kayla’s glare.

“Are you looking for a fight little bro? It’s been years and I was never caught!” She says playfully.

“I don’t think getting caught is the important part.” I comment, and she laughs in return.

“I guess it isn’t. Anyway, I’ve been crashing my bro’s place for a few days now, and he already looks like he had enough of me.” She grins as she looks at Alex who’s sighing.

It’s refreshing to see him getting teased for once, it’s been so long since I last saw Sandra that I forgot where his personality came from.

“We’ve spent days looking for a good place now and we still haven’t found anything affordable.” Kayla explains, and I nod understandingly.

“We are roommates because we wouldn’t be able to afford an apartment each so I understand the issue.” Matt says.

I remember that when Alex was with us, I only need a part-time job to afford my part of the rent, and that was great to continue my studies, but since he left I got my full time job and it’s still pretty hard to get by.
Since the conversation seems to have settled, I open my can of beer to take my first sip.

“What about you Kayla? What do you do for a living?” Matt asks, and I notice that as time passes he seems more comfortable.

“Ah, I work as an HR manager in a big tech company. It pays well, but it’s a lot of paperwork.”

I look around again, yep this seems like a pretty costly apartment.
Alex seems to chime in as well.

“Guys, some of you already know, but I’m getting a promotion! I’m becoming the advertising manager starting next week.”

We all congratulate him and he seems satisfied by the attention.

“So it’s official now?” I ask.

“Yep, I signed and everything.” He says as he stands up.

“Okay everyone, how about a boardgame tonight? I’d say we play a drinking game, but someone here has to drive tonight.” He says while looking at me.

---

(Kayla’s POV)

So those two are my Alex’s friends? They look kind of plain, Matt has a pretty face and an okay job, but John looks very average.
Alex brings back a big box which I recognize instantly. Does he want us to fight all night?

“Guys, here it is! Monopoly Deluxe!” He says as he puts the box on the table, and as I look around, nobody seems particularly happy to play, Matt even checks the time on his phone.

“Don’t you have any other game?” Sandra asks, and while I often disagree with her, we finally are on agreement for once.

Alex seems disappointed however, understandably since I’ve never won against him, he tries to argue but everyone bullies him into putting the game back and bringing in a better one.
He comes back with a smaller box, that I recognize as the social game we played with my friends once. He opens the box and shows us the cards inside.

It’s a pretty simple deduction game where you need to defuse a bomb before it explodes by removing people’s cards. Studying peoples expression and finding out who’s telling the truth and who’s hiding it.

During the first game, I end up as a bomb defuser, I spend the first few rounds counting the cards and checking everyone’s face. And I see that Sandra is very bad at it, she’s clearly playing as a terrorist and as she explains how the defuse cables are definitely not in her hands she trips on her words and absolutely everyone can read her.
Matt has to chose who’s card to remove and he points to Sandra, rightly defusing a cable in the process.
It’s then Sandra’s turn, and she removes one of my cards. I then get to chose a last one before the round ends and I look at everyone’s face.
John has a neutral expression as he says he doesn’t have a card to remove, while Alex has a big grin and tells me he has the bomb and I should really avoid removing his card.
Someone might think he’s bluffing, but I can see that he’s baiting, I’m pretty sure he’s not lying and wants me to lose. So I remove a card of Matt instead, who said he doesn’t have any important card.

“That was the bomb.” He says putting the card on the table. Okay, he’s better at this than I thought and I already lost a game.

---

(John’s POV)

We play some more, and I’ll admit I’m very bad at those games. I don’t think I’m too bad at lying and bluffing, but I just can’t seem to read others. Every game, I end up surprised when I see people’s roles, never getting it right except for Sandra that can’t seem to keep a straight face for more than a few seconds.
I also have to play against Matt which is very good at board games. I thought a game where you have to bluff would fluster him, but it’s like he’s a different person when playing.
Kayla and Alex both seems to be okay players as well. Better than me, but they still get tricked often, and Matt often calls their bluff.
At some point, everyone has grabbed a second beer except me. And we decide to take a break.
Alex and his sister grab a pack of cigarette under Kayla’s disapproving eyes.

“I’m trying to make him stop smoking, but it feels like all my efforts are for nothing now that Sandra arrived.”

I nod, I remember how we smoked for the first time because he thought her sister looked cool. When I came home, my mom punished me so hard I never touched a cigarette again.

“I don’t think you can make him stop if he doesn’t want to.” I tell her.

“I know, I know… But I care about his health.” She says thoughtful.

I look at Matt, but he’s not in his chair anymore. I check my phone and notice a notification from the app.

Matt completed an advanced quest. [+7 xp] [+7 bonus xp]

Leveled up!

Name: Matt
Surname : Weaver
Gender: Male
Age : 23
Level 9 (11 / 20 xp)
Class: Housewife
Perks : Cleaning II, Unrestricted Access, Sweet Voice I, Cooking I, Small Talk II, Beauty I, Charisma I, Empathy I
Perk Points : 2

Empathy I : Easier to understand other people’s emotions. (Hidden: Your emotions are slightly affected by those around you)

Matt is very close to his 10th level, which means I’ll be able to give him his second class pretty soon.

Author’s Note: I messed up the xp count, John’s should have leveled up last chapter, but I’m handling it now.

Quest Master : John
Surname : Moore
Gender: Male
Age : 25
Level 15 (17 / 40 xp)
Class : Multi-classer
Perks : Quest Designer II, Recommended Reward II, Class Designer, Public Unawareness, Target Perk Tree, Character Editor I, Target Unawareness, Additional Slot I
Perk Points : 5

With this, I have a lot of points to use, but with Kayla in front of me I decide to close the app for now.

“So… Is Sandra not too much of a bother?” I ask her and she sighs.

“She’s tiring… She doesn’t clean up behind her, she’s always loud, and she doesn’t understand what privacy means.” She answers in frustration.

Yep, that’s Sandra we’re talking about, I don’t know if I should be happy she didn’t change much though.

“By the way since we didn’t talk about it earlier… You’re a librarian right?” She asks.

“Y-yes.”

“Is it a good job?”

“If you’re asking about the pay, no. But I like it there, it’s often peaceful, and I get along with my colleague.”

She nods in understanding.

“I see… Well I’d hate to see Alex’s friend in trouble, so if you’re ever in need of a job, come to me and I’ll see what I can do. It might not be your domain, but I think people adapt quickly.”

“Thanks, I’ll remember that.” I say grateful for the proposition. I don’t know if it is genuine, but I’m happy nonetheless.

I can’t really get a good read on Kayla, I know she’s the jealous type, but right now she looks gentle and proper. And she really seems to want the best for Alex, and the people around her.

“Hey John? Can we talk for a minute?” Alex asks as he comes back.

I nod, and we end up in his guestroom.

“So, what do you think about Kayla?”

“She’s kind, you choose a nice girl.”

“Well she’s mine! You don’t have the right to be interested in her!” I can smell the **** coming from him.

“You’re the one who asked! Is that all you wanted?”
He laughs and he gets serious again.

“First, thanks for bringing Matt, I’m sure you must have insisted and I’m glad I could see him again. You should have told me he lost weight though.”
Right I did convince him to come, but not in a very conventional way.

“Second, what do you think of Sandra?”

I look at him, wondering what he means but he waits for me to answer.

“I don’t know? I guess I’m surprised she decided to move here-” But he cuts me off.

“Do you think you could help her with apartment visits next week? She doesn’t has her own car, and they’re pretty much all over the city.”

“So you need me to drive her around?”

“Yes, and to make sure she doesn’t get scammed. She can be pretty… irresponsible.”

“Sure, I guess I could do that, but that’s pretty ironic for a car mechanic to not have a car. Didn’t she have one a while back?”

“She sure did, she totalled it a month ago. She wants to get a new one after settling for a while.” He explains.

“Well, as long as it’s after my work hours I don’t mind. She can just send me a text and I’ll pick her up.”
He smiles warmly.

“Thanks, I really appreciate the help. Also, maybe you should go home soon, Matt looks like he needs some rest.” He says as he opens the door, and I see Matt struggling to walk straight as he leaves the bathroom.

---

I’m laying in bed, very tired. I want to go to sleep but I think about the hug I received from Sandra just before leaving the party.

She was very drunk, and she pressed her breasts strongly against my chest as she whispered good night in my ear.
I remember her hand clumsily petting my hair while I kept her right.
Just thinking about it again, I get a boner, and I decide there’s only one way to get rid of it. I jerk off thinking about the slightly older woman hugging me and kissing me. And it doesn’t take a long time to make me satisfied.

As I clean myself, I feel like I hear a sound coming from the hallway, but since I’m very tired I don’t leave my room to investigate. Instead laying down and falling asleep comfortably.

---

I wake up with a slight headache and notice it’s still very early and I have some time before going to work. Seeing his state yesterday night, I don’t think Matt will wake up anytime soon.

I grab my phone and think about the app again, it became a habit to check it as I wake up, and even though I haven’t given any quest since yesterday, I’m still sad to have no notification from it.

I check my profile again and remember I have an empty slot. I also have 5 perk points I could use as well.
I think there’s pretty much only a few options for me:

• I can add Cotton, which might not be the best investment depending on how frequently she comes to the library.
• I could also add Sandra, now that she is in town, I guess she’s also a good target.
• I could buy a second empty slot and add both Brad and Jessica, it feels like it might be slightly overkill and they don’t come very often either.
• I could also add Alex or Kayla I guess, but I don’t really see what to do with either of them.

I hesitate as I think about my options.

---

Author’s Note: I hope you liked the party. I think now is the best time to add a 4th target (and maybe even a 5th).