As he played cello to the upbeat rhythm of a forgotten pop song following Charlie’s lead, Ethan had to admit he was having fun.
Charlie turned out to be even better company than he had expected.
He was funny in a casual way, had a biting sarcasm, and was pretty relaxed once he stopped mourning for a doomed relationship.
He understood motives.
He understood desire.
He understood the gap between what people said they wanted and what they actually wanted, because he’d spent his life being honest about the gap in himself.
Well, mostly.
He was also surprisingly insightful, even though he was shit at actually putting those insights to use.
Ethan suspected that it was about growing with Evelyn Harper, who was a dangerous, manipulative woman that destroyed others just for fun.
He wasn’t an expert, but even he could pin Evelyn as a textbook narcissist with antisocial personality disorder.
Charlie probably did his best to keep her mother happy, but soon realized the impossibility of it, and chose alcohol and sex as an outlet from an early age to distract himself.
Then, thinking, he realized Leonard showed a lot of similar issues as well, only he was far less fun.
Maybe he should take easy on the poor guy after Penny finally dumps him.
He didn’t want to do that just because he wanted Penny for himself.
No, even in the show, Penny and Leonard only built a relationship together by sacrificing the best parts of their personalities.
But, as one of the girls leaned against him while dancing, her tiny bikini straining further under the strain, he stopped thinking about the various personality defects of other men and started enjoying the moment.
Charlie didn’t seem to be jealous of it, because he had three girls leaning against his piano, listening to him.
Meanwhile, two girls were dancing together, though one of them had hands exploring the other too gently for it to be just for fun.
Another closeted bisexual, he decided.
Fun.
He chuckled, the cello between his legs, girls dancing, enjoying the Pacific breeze carrying the salt-and-sunscreen smell.
“How can you play rock on that thing?” the blonde girl asked as she leaned further.
Ethan recognized the question was just a way to kill time, rather than being honest.
“With a lot of rosin and anger,” he answered teasingly.
“What’s rosin?”
“Tree sap that makes the bow grip the strings.
Without it, the bow just slides and you get a sound like a cat in a washing machine.”
“That’s … funny,” she said, giggling playfully.
“I’m a funny guy,” he said, sighing.
They were fun, but that was the extent of it.
They weren’t interested in real talk, and while he could try to see if there would be anything interesting, he didn’t want to ruin Charlie’s mood, who clearly appreciated the airhead attitude more.
Ethan took Charlie’s lead.
After stealing the guy’s girlfriend, taking his money in gambling, and drinking his booze, that was the least he could to.
“Let’s see if you can play while distracted,” the blonde said as she moved behind him, and he felt her breasts press against his neck.
More importantly, she freed his shaft and started playing with it; the cello providing excellent cover.
Ethan played and was played at the same time.
It was fun…
He also noted that he received no reward.
No matter.
He enjoyed it regardless.
It wasn’t as if he was lacking in rewards.
&&&
The party came to an end after three hours.
A big part of it was Charlie, who managed to sweet-talk two of his three listeners upstairs with ease, and the third one only retreated because she was engaged…
The sexy blonde called for surrender once they disappeared into the kitchen for half an hour, and he showed what truly meant to let loose, though she made sure to give her number for future rendezvous.
Technically, there were the other two, still on the deck, kissing heavily, but since the poor bisexual girl finally managed to convince her crush for a ‘playful’ makeout session, he decided to give them some time.
Then, his thoughts froze.
She was wearing what she always wore, something that, in principle, should be casual and relaxing, making her look like sex on legs because she picked them two sizes too small.
“Oh!” she said as she entered the kitchen, speaking with the particular brightness that was her trademark.
“Did I miss a party!”
“Most of it,” he said.
“Do you want a margarita?”
“I would love it,” she said as she crossed the room, her alluring steps contrasting with her innocent expression.
“Too bad the dancing is over, I love dancing,” she said as she jumped up and down slightly, which made her assets dance, her voice perfectly smooth and naive.
Too perfect.
Which was why he turned on the TV, and opened a music channel with a nice bass.
“Here, we have the music,” he said.
“Perfect,” she said cheerfully as she started dancing immediately, her naivety feeling more like a prop.
However, he still couldn’t tell, not fully.
She started dancing.
She was good.
Almost too good, a detail he could catch only thanks to Choreography skill, and even then it was not conclusive.
He could see that she was trained, as no one could dance like her by just going to clubs.
Of course, when he said trained, it was merely better than Haley, a couple of years at best, and nothing like Mia’s serious training.
That alone was a surprise, because neither her attitude nor her actions in the shows indicated that.
It was interesting for two reasons.
First, it gave him a reason to reassess his assumptions about whether she was actually as simple as she looked.
More importantly, if she wasn’t, what did exactly imply about his ‘extra’ knowledge.
It wasn’t exactly a contradiction.
Still, it was a warning to him not to take the shows as absolute truth.
Even if everything on the screen were true, critical context might be missing.
However, neither required his urgent attention, so when she danced toward him with her hand extended, he took it, and pulled her against him.
She pressed her body against him immediately, the movement of her hips unmistakable.
For a few of her moves, regardless of their beauty, he frowned slightly … and immediately; she stopped using them, changing her style.
Either she was the greatest dancer working with instincts, or she was playing the Harper brothers.
Still not conclusive, but he decided not to poke it.
After all, he wasn’t sure, and even if it was the case, knowing the show, he assumed it was not malicious.
Charlie might have many faults, but he was immune to gold diggers, or he would have been homeless long before.
And Alan … well, he didn’t have much to begin with.
It wasn’t as if he was unaware of Kandi draining him of all his cash.
The only question that why Kandi was limiting herself to Alan if she was truly smart enough to manipulate them … but then he thought a bit and realized that it wasn’t a bad deal.
She lived in a Malibu beach property, had a lot of free time to go do auditions and lessons secretly if she wished, and Alan was pretty tame in terms of fetishes and stuff, meaning he was easily controllable.
As far as sugar daddy arrangements went, it was a low-risk, medium-reward setup.
Smart.
Assuming, of course, she was as careful as she was arranging those.
He let his hands dance around her sides, but not using his full touch.
It was merely a casual touch, which she accepted, and very subtly avoided it when he let a finger drift ‘accidentally’ towards more dangerous spots.
Another sign of her deliberate action.
Then, Alan walked in merely two minutes later, looking exhausted, only to panic when he saw them together.
“Hi, sweetie,” Kandi said cheerfully.
“Look, we’re dancing.”
“Hi Alan,” Ethan said.
“Yes, look, we’re dancing,” he repeated as he grabbed Kandi’s ass, and she melded against his touch, something she had been avoiding for the last five minutes.
That was the last confirmation he needed to realize that she was indeed playing a character, and doing it so well enough to trick everyone.
How interesting.
“Kandi, you can’t dance with him,” Alan said, panicking, trying to look serious.
“Why not?” she complained.
“I told you I wanted to go to the club, and you said no.
I am bored,” she said, delivering it as a simple, casual statement and not the deliberate bait she created.
“Fine, fine!
Get away from him.
I’ll bring you to dancing,” Alan said.
“Yay,” she said as she dashed away.
[Achievement complete. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Help Kandi as she played with Alan’s jealousy.
Challenge: Easy]
[+2 Attractiveness
1 Random Bronze Skill
1 Random Bronze Reward]
[Bonus achievement complete.
Netori effect in play]
[+2 Endurance
1 Random Bronze Skill
1 Random Bronze Reward]
They watched as Kandi bounced away enthusiastically.
He was almost sad that he received Attractiveness from Kandi, mostly because he was curious what her second strongest attribute was.
He turned his attention to Alan.
“Wow, she’s fun to watch walk away,” he said.
“Stay away from her,” Alan replied, trying to look intimidating, and failing horribly.
He decided to push his buttons, mostly because it was fun.
“Hey, I was away from her.
She’s the one who came and started to rub on me.
Go talk to her, assuming she can remember the start of the conversation when you reach the end.”
“Well … but … this is not over,” Alan said, his declaration quick to die as he retreated.
Two points of stats were worthy of testing his luck.
[Novice Bargaining]
[Common Skill: You have a decent understanding of how to get better deals and how use emotions to your advantage during negotiations.]
[Novice Dancing]
[Common Skill: You are a good dancer in clubs and other locations, but with no professional experience.]
Bargaining was from Alan, and dancing was from Kandi, which wasn’t a surprise.
He almost thought the Bargaining to be a waste considering how Alan used it exclusively as a mooch, and exclusively through pity.
However, the skill itself came more comprehensively.
He looked at the two who were having fun on the deck, and decided it was fun to join them.
The System gave no rewards … but the girls did their best to compensate.
&&&
“See you around, handsome,” the girls said as he stepped out of the car.
“Thanks for dropping me off, girls,” he said, once again thinking about getting a car for himself.
He decided to handle it tomorrow.
After all, thanks to the bets with Charlie, he was eleven thousand dollars richer, more than enough for a decent second-hand car.
As he arrived at his floor, however, he found Penny at the door, walking back and forth, as if she were trying to gather the courage to knock.
“Can I help you, Penny?” he asked, and she jumped to her feet.
“Well, this is awkward,” she said.
“I disagree.
It’s amusing,” he replied.
“But then, it’s amusing for me, because it’s awkward for you, so it tracks.”
Penny made a face, but she smiled, so he counted that as a win.
“Since you’re already here, come inside so we can talk,” he said.
She nodded.
Once he entered, he dropped his stuff.
“I need advice,” she said.
“Real advice.
Not the ‘you’ll figure it out’ advice that people give when they don’t want to get involved.
I need the kind that might piss me off.”
“I’m honored and concerned.”
“I also brought some clothes to try, because I feel it’s easier to talk while you’re taking pictures of me.” She paused.
“Is it weird?”
“Probably, but if it works, it works.”
“Fair enough.
Also, a warning.
I might cry, and if I do, you’re not allowed to photograph it.”
“Noted.
No crying shots.”
“Unless they’re hot.
If I look hot while crying, that’s editorial.”
He checked the set while she disappeared, only to be surprised when she returned wearing a sexy emerald lace set, complete with stockings.
She looked good enough to eat.
“Leonard and I had a fight this morning.
The talking kind.”
“A talk.” He raised the camera.
“Look left.
Chin down slightly.”
“He wants to define the relationship, with labels and commitment, and future plans.
As he fought, he even slipped the word wedding from his mouth twice.
I mean, who does that?
We didn’t even have sex yet!”
He sighed.
He wasn’t surprised.
Even without his intervention, Leonard would have asked her to marry him while they were having sex just a few weeks into their relationship, so it wasn’t exactly a shocker.
Panic proposing was a rather bad habit.
“And you said?”
“I said I needed time to think.
Which is what I always say, because I’m afraid of making decisions.
It’s why I stayed with my cheating ass boyfriend for years, too afraid to move,” she said, though with a blush.
He listened while she gave some more details, but they were all simple stuff.
He lowered the camera.
“You said you wanted honest advice.”
“I did.”
“And you understand that honest means I might say things that are uncomfortable.”
“Ethan, I’m standing in your apartment in lingerie asking you about my boyfriend, about ten feet away from the spot where I sucked you while he was busy vomiting.”
“Just warning,” he said.
“The problem is insecurity.”
“I know Leonard is insecure—” she started, but he silenced her with a gesture.
“No, you’re both too insecure for each other,” he said.
“He’s afraid that you’ll drop him the moment someone more athletic sweeps you away and consigns him to some kind of dark fate where he dies alone.
You’re insecure about your intelligence and your current lack of success.”
She bit her lip, trying to look confident.
“I am not insecure about—”
“Penny.
I’m not saying you’re stupid.
The opposite.
I think you’re actually smart, but you believe yourself to be intellectually weak, so that you don’t push yourself.
But, being with Leonard will not help you solve it.”
“Why?”
They are the intellectual equivalent of giant wrestlers.
Even if they try to be careful, they will hurt you again and again.”
Penny sighed.
“You have a point.
They try their best, but…”
“Then, there’s the issue that Leonard thinks that, on some level, he deserves you because he’s nice and your old boyfriends were mean assholes.
At the same time, he believes he will never deserve you, because he’s a nerd and you’re a popular cheerleader equivalent.
That kind of contradiction is not easy to solve.”
“That’s kind of accurate,” she said.
“True.
You’re not ready to deal with that implicit entitlement, or the constant bouts of insecurity?
Leonard wouldn’t even be mean about it, but it’ll always be there.”
Penny stood against the backdrop, emerald lace catching the studio light, her arms at her sides, still posing while he took photos.
“God, I’m starting to hate this honesty business.
Why are you so good at reading people?”
“I’m a bartender, a photographer, and a musician.
That’s like being a therapist bitten by a radioactive therapist from Krypton.”
“Hey, I understood those references,” she chuckled.
“Oh, what’s happening to me.”
“Do you want me to go on?” he asked.
She nodded.
“He doesn’t respect your career.
That’s a big deal.”
“Hey, he comes to my showcases.”
“Let me guess.
He comes.
He sits.
He claps.
Says that you’re excellent.”
The silence answered for her.
“Isn’t it unfair to expect more?”
“Depends.
Tell me, did you ever mention anything about trying to get college classes or something like that?”
Her eyes widened.
“I mentioned that I didn’t finish college, and maybe one day I might consider finishing it.
The next day, he came with the brochures for six different community colleges, their application forms, and their advantages and disadvantages.” She looked angry while mentioned that.
He interrupted before she could get worked up.
“Look, I’m not even saying that he’s wrong to do so, or that he is obligated to spend his time researching.
But, the fact that he doesn’t put the time to support your dream while he puts so much time into anything else you do and ask shows just how little he believes in your dream.”
“Maybe I don’t want to be challenged.
Maybe I’m a little touchy about criticism.”
He smiled.
“Oh, you’re definitely touchy about criticism.
I need to time my advice perfectly to keep my face intact,” he said.
She frowned.
“Are you serious?”
“I am, but it’s normal.
Taking criticism is not easy.
Have you ever tried to give Leonard any criticism on his clothes or attitude.”
Penny sighed.
“I see what you mean.” She stood very still in her emerald lingerie, the studio light painting her in warm tones, and she looked like a woman who was watching a familiar room rearrange itself and realizing the new layout made more sense than the old one.
“He’s a good guy.”
“I don’t doubt it.
I have a friend who took his class.
She respects him quite a bit.
However, the question isn’t whether he’s a good guy.
The problem is whether he’s good for you, and whether you’re good for him.”
“Can we shoot?
I need to not think for a minute.”
“Of course.”
She returned to the backdrop, and they worked in silence for a few minutes, the click of the shutter filling the space that words had vacated.
She moved through poses that were more subdued than usual, her energy turned inward, the photographs capturing something more reflective than the typical confidence.
She decided to grab her phone, and sent a message.
[Achievement complete.
Directly trigger Penny and Leonard’s breakup.
Challenge: Hard]
[+10 Attractiveness
1 Random Gold Skill
1 Random Gold Reward]
He picked Attractiveness.
Always a useful choice.
“I am afraid of speaking to him.
He wanted this so much…” she started.
“That’s a pity.
It’s literally the worst basis for a relationship,” he said.
“A relationship requires genuine connection and mutual respect.” He paused.
“I guess a relationship doesn’t need it, but a genuine one does.”
“I don’t want to break his heart.
Again.”
“Are they upstairs?
He and his friends?”
“They are.
What are you thinking?
Are you going to break his heart for me?”
“No, I’m sure he already realized that he’s single again after the message you sent.
I’ll go and console him, and maybe even see if I can teach them how to interact with women.”
“Good luck.
I tried, but it didn’t take,” she said.
He chuckled.
“Either way, it’ll be a fun break.
Feel free to stay …” he started, then paused.
He sent a quick message to Haley, and confirmed that she was nearby, and available.
He asked her to come.
“Actually, I have a better idea.
I called a friend, Haley.
Talk with her, she’s surprisingly insightful when it comes to stuff like this.”
It was a good way to introduce them while also initiating the talk about Haley’s business.
Penny looked down.
“I should change, then?”
“Well, you can stay in those as well; she will enjoy the sight.”
“Bastard,” Penny said as she threw him a pillow, which he dodged while cackling.
“See you in an hour or so,” he said, and departed.