Taking pictures

“Wow, you’re pretty good at this.” I tell Maria.

“Thanks, you were tense so I hope this massage will help you relax.

Ever since I received one from Matt I’ve been waiting for more, except this one feels a lot more relaxing, maybe because it’s Maria’s and it’s completely normal for her to massage me.
I hear and feel my muscles crack under her strong fingers as she moves her hands down from my shoulders onto my back. Grabbing at seemingly random place but always being a good sensation.

I also feel more relaxed knowing that Brad left with Jessica half an hour ago to go to lunch so I won’t have to bother with him. I received a message from Jessica apologizing again, but at this point I don’t care about apologies, I just want Brad to leave me alone.

The temptation to use the app on him and punish him as grown quite strong but I keep telling myself I’m a good person, and I feel like I won’t be able to if I use magic to take **** on my bully.

Once Maria is done, she gives me a normal hug and we go back to work.

(Rita’s POV)

Come on Rita, you need to be brave. What is wrong about letting June take the photos for you?
You just have to stand there, you shouldn’t be ashamed of your body.
I do hours of exercise everyday, but I still don’t feel very good when I look in the mirror, it’s been better since I received Body Confidence I but I know I still have some way to go.
I open the app and look at my profile.

Name: Rita
Surname : Torres
Gender: Female
Age : 22
Level 11 (6 / 30 xp)
Class: Cosplayer
Perks : Makeup I, Photogenic II, Modelling I, Flirty I, Cosplay II, Pokerface I, Parasocial Affection II, Body Confidence I
Perk Points : 4

I have 4 perk points so I could buy a perk with it, I’ll already get Modelling II as a reward, so I should think of something else.

Cosplay III is interesting but costs 5 perk points so it’s out of the question.

The perk that seems the best though is Clothes Normalizer.

Clothes Normalizer I (2 perks) : Your clothes won’t be considered weird for your location if they also covered the expected amount of your body.

Clothes Normalizer II (2 perks) : Your clothes won’t be considered weird for your location.

I guess I’ll take the first level, I won’t need the second one since I will never put on a skimpy cosplay.

You bought the Clothes Normalizer I perk for 2 points.

As soon as I buy the perk, I feel better about being seen in cosplay in front of June. With this perk she shouldn’t think I’m weird for wearing it.

“June, I’m ready, you can come in.” I say from my bedroom.

“Okay Rita, I’m coming in.” June says as she opens the door.

She sees me and I expect a shocked face but she just acts like that’s my everyday clothes.

“So you want an expert to take a few pictures for your Stargram, you choose right, I’m the best photographer I know!”

“Do you know any photographers?” I ask suspicious.

“Apart from me, Nope!” She says with a big smile.

She then asks me how much I’m comfortable with, and I explain that I haven’t shown my face yet. She agrees to keep it hidden, but suggest strongly that I should start showing it once I’m more comfortable.

“By the way, why did you ask me for pictures? Not that I mind, but it seems you were doing alright by yourself.” She asks while adjusting my costume.

I can’t tell her this was a quest from a magical app.

“I guess I wanted some help, and since you know I cosplay, I thought you wouldn’t mind. Plus some angles are impossible to get without a photographer.”

“I see, well I’m glad you thought of me then. Does that mean you’ll ask for help with your future cosplays as well?”

I didn’t think about that, but if she doesn’t mind, I guess I would like the help.

“Sure, when you have some free time.”

She nods, and finish fiddling with my clothes.

“Alright, let’s take one to check the lighting first.”

I wasn’t expecting it to be that hard.

When I did it by myself, I simply took a few pictures in front of the mirror and selected one to post. But June is more exigeant than that, making me pose, sometimes embarrassingly. Taking pictures from weird angles but she seemed to enjoy herself, so I let her do what she wanted.

When June finally stops, satisfied, she comes to sit next to me on my bed, and shows me the best pictures she got.

I’ll be honest, they’re way better than anything I ever took. They both show my body better, and put emphasis on the character, the poses look like the game, even if some angles seems made to emphasize my cleavage.

“Those are incredible…” I let out.

“You really think so? I think we’re pretty limited by your room’s lighting, you should get a few lights to improve the photoshoot. Or I guess we could also take the pictures outside as well.”

I guess we could. N-No what am I even thinking! My perk may make it look normal but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be embarrassed if people saw me like that.

“I-I don’t know…”

She smiles at me.

“That’s okay Rita, we won’t do it if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks June, I appreciate it.” I say back and she hugs me.

“If you don’t mind, I think those two are the best.” She says while showing me very daring pictures for me.

“They’re a little…” I try to say.

“Do as you want Rita, but I strongly believe those two are the best.” She tells me and I feel pressured.

She did help me with the pictures, the less I could do was trust her judgement. I nod and post them.

(John’s POV)

As I get home, I check the app.

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

Rita bought the Clothes Normalizer I perk for 2 points.

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

Name: Maria
Surname : Finocci
Gender: Female
Age : 27
Level 10 (14 / 30 xp)
Class: Yoga Mom
Perks : Training Efficiency II, Cooking I, Motherly II, Flexible I, Coach I, Beauty I, Casual Affection I, Massage I
Perk Points : 5

Massage I: Make people more relaxed during massages. (Hidden : Compulsion to give massages to people)

Name: Rita
Surname : Torres
Gender: Female
Age : 22
Level 11 (6 / 30 xp)
Class: Cosplayer
Perks : Makeup I, Photogenic II, Modelling II, Flirty I, Cosplay II, Pokerface I, Parasocial Affection II, Body Confidence I, Clothes Normalizer I
Perk Points : 2

Modelling II: Clothes adapt to fit your body better. (Hidden: Medium compulsion dress in skimpy clothes)

Clothes Normalizer I (2 perks) : Your clothes won’t be considered weird for your location if they also covered the expected amount of your body. (Hidden: Reduced shame when wearing unsuitable clothes)

The modelling perk upgrade simply improves the effect, but the new perk she bought is really interesting and I already know what quest to give her to use it.

Rita will receive the following quest :

• Go to school in cosplay
• Visit the library in cosplay
• Buy a new cosplay

Warning, Multi-step quest might be too complex for target current level, success isn’t guaranteed but will grant more xp. Continue ? Yes / No

I press yes, I believe she bought the perk for that exact reason so I’ll help giving her the small boost she needs.

Select a reward from the three choices:

• Cosplay III perk
• Choose someone and they will cosplay for a day
• Clothes Normalizer II perk

I take the Cosplay III perk, simply because it must be what Rita would want the most.

Since I have some free time today, I’ll play a game on my computer. It’s cool to be home early for once, tomorrow I’ll have to visit more apartments with Sandra, so I want to relax.

Author's Note : Here is my last daily chapter update. Hope you enjoyed the ride.
I'll try to update it during the weekends when I have some free time, but that's pretty much it for the fast updates.

I think I'll take the time to update the perk list too, because it's severely outdated now. So I might do that tomorrow if I have some time.

My plans when I started was to write until I started my new job as I had a lot of free time and an idea I really liked. It evolved a lot in the last month and I'm really happy I inspired others to write their own branch, I read every chapter even if I don't take the time to comment each time.
I also want to thank everyone for writing comments, they motivated me a lot every day, and they also helped improve my writing a lot.

Thanks for reading!