Chapter 21 - Twenty-One: A Busy Evening
We had only been sat and talking for a short while, we hadn't even been visited by the waiter when someone unexpected came to our table.
"Hey, I hope I'm not interrupting or anything."
"Oh Jules, of course, not. What did you want?" Lillia asked her.
"I've just got off my shift and I saw you all sat here, I just wondered if you'd mind if I came and joined you?"
"Please do." Invited Lillia.
Jules took the empty seat next to Lillia and joined our group, just in time to see the waitress. After that the four us of sat there talking away until our food arrived. After we had eaten the waitress came and cleared our table.
"Would you like anything else?" She asked.
"No thank you. We're off after this." Lillia told the waitress.
"Oh, you're all leaving so early?" asked Jules.
"Yeah, we're taking Theo on his first quest in a couple of days and he gained three levels today, so we were thinking of taking him back to my place to go through how he spends his skill points. It's a lot quieter there and easier to think." Lillia explained to Jules.
"Oh, if you're doing that perhaps I can help? I have no experience in the field like you two, but I've spent many years helping adventures at the desk make these sorts of decisions. I'm sure I could be of some help."
"Thanks Jules." I answered. "That would be really helpful don't you think Lillia?"
Lillia quickly exchanged a glance with Altria before she answered.
"S-sure, if you don't mind Jules? We might be some time and I don't want to keep you up late if you have to be on the desk first thing in the morning."
"Yeah I don't mind at all. I'd be happy to help and I'm on the afternoon shift tomorrow."
"Then please do come along."
After that, the four of us left the guild hall and headed to posh part of town and Lillia's apartment. After briefly stopping at the building entrance to say good evening to Alfred the four of us climbed into the elevator and headed up to the top floor. There was the slightest hint of tension in the atmosphere with the four of us crammed into the lift. I put it down to what the real reason behind Lillia inviting me back to her apartment again was. They probably weren't wanting to wait until after we had gone through my skill points to get to it.
The four of us left the lift and headed down the hall to Lillia's apartment. We all waited at the door while Lillia unlocked.
"Come on in all of you and make yourselves at home."
We all did as she suggested and sat in her living room. The next couple of hours were spent discussing the finer points of how to spend my skill points. There was a lot of discussion over the best way to spend them and the future skills I could gain by using them. We spent all thirty points I had gained over the day. I ended up gaining a few powerful sword strikes and a defensive move. The strikes consisted of a heavy blow, an attack that could hit multiple enemies at once and a ranged attack that used mana to create a wind strike. The defensive move took twenty percent of the opponents attack even if I didn't block it completely. Overall, I was quite pleased with what I'd got from the experience.
As we were finishing up, Lillia dropped the odd hint here and there that we were at the end of the task. Jules picked up on this.
"Well if we're finished, should we walk back to the guild house Theo?" Jules asked.
"Err, sure." I agreed.
"Actually, I thought you might as well use the spare room tonight Theo. I can ask Alfred to escort you back to the guild house if you don't want to walk alone." Suggested Lillia.
"No that's alright… You don't think I know what's going on here?" Jules asked, her tone completely different now.
"Sorry?" Asked Lillia surprised at the question.
"I overheard you and Altria talking the other day. I know what you've been up with Theo."
"Up to, we haven't…"
"It's okay, your secret is safe with me. The truth is I was hoping to have a moment with Theo alone, but it looks like you two are going to monopolise his time. If you are all off on this quest in a day or so then I won't have another chance for a while. What I'm trying to say is I'd like to join in."
All three of the girls' glances turned on me. I was going have to say something.
"I mean, it's fine with me. The more the merrier right?" I mean it was more than fine with me.
I could see that Altria was fine with it, like she was with most things, but Lillia's ears drooped a little at my response. I think she was hoping for less competition.
"Great. You won't regret it." Jules said in a now seductive voice.
"I suppose it can't be helped." Lillia replied a little weakly.
Jules seeing that her suggestion had been accepted, didn't waste any time in acting. She had been sitting next to me on the sofa. She leant over and started kissing me. I was a bit taken back by this side of her personality, but I didn't mind it.
"Hey, at least wait your turn!" Lillia complained.
"Surely it is my turn?" Jules answered her, stopping kissing me for the moment.
She did have a point.
"Err…" Lillia mumbled. "Maybe, I guess. Can we at least move this to the bedroom? I'd rather not have to have the sofa cleaned."
"Then lead the way." Jules replied.
Lillia headed to her room and the three of us followed her. Jules took me by the hand and led me there. On the way I quickly opened my skill tree. I had the feeling I would need the reduction in mana cost an upgrade would give me. I had eight points left over from my first level up that I hadn't used this evening. It would be enough to raise my three custom skills and I would have to wait to see what else I could gain when I had more points.
That's what I thought, But I was happily surprised when I saw the upgrade cost had dropped to one point. Probably because I had levelled three times without doing so. I quickly upgraded and the messages appeared confirming the upgrades. "Special heal" range increased to 5 meters cost reduced 2 points per second. "Appraisal" difficulty" increased by 20 percent. "Disarm" range increased 2 meters. Happy that I still had the five points to gain an extra skill I didn't check what was available. I didn't have the time, because as we made it to the bed Jules caught me unawares as I had the tree open and pushed me down onto the bed. I quickly closed it as she climbed onto me.
"What are we supposed to while we wait?" Lillia asked a little impatiently.
"Err can you occupy yourselves for a moment?" I asked.
"Huh." Lillia groaned.
"Altria?"
She got my drift right away.
"Oh, naughty girl, no panties." Altira announced as she discovered Lillia's secret.
"Oh unnh.. Altria this again." Lillia still complaining.
I decided I'd speed things up for them a little and used disarm twice, both them had their clothes thrown into the room with a poof.
"What the?" Lillia asked confused at her sudden nakedness.
Altria carried on unflustered pulling her down on the bed with her next to me.
"That's an interesting skill." Jules told me as she climbed on the bed after me. "Got any more like that?"
"I'll let you find that out."
I rolled Jules onto her back.
"So, you can be assertive…"
"When I need to."
I undid the buttons at the top of her pencil skirt and slid it down her legs. Then climbed up and kissed her while slipping my hand into her pants and activating "special heal." Jules moaned and arched her back.
"I wasn't expecting that." Jules said already breathing heavily.
I undid the buttons on her blouse and slid it off her.
"You aren't going to use that skill?" She asked me.
"Well, it's our first time and I wanted to enjoy this first."
"Really?" She asked as she sat up and hurriedly began undoing my trousers. "Don't take too long, I want you inside me, before they join in."
I slid off my trousers and threw off my shirt, Jules in the meantime had taken her bra off and was now waiting for me completely naked on the bed.