CH 285: Catchin’ Up
It took another day for Claire to be able to walk, but she managed. Every muscle in her body was sore, however. So merely sitting up caused her pain. But she was visited by all of her lovers and the members of Restol. It made sitting around for a couple more days bearable. However, she could feel herself becoming incredibly pent up. To the point where no one was safe from her lecherous eyes. She couldn’t even stop herself from gazing at her mothers, despite the guilt that gave her.
She needed some relief soon, or else she would go mad.
Thankfully, with some painkillers, she was free to move around on the fourth day awake. Ursa supported her as she walked around the farmhouse, then out on the street, too. She was by Claire’s side every waking moment. It was quite cute. It was just the break Claire needed from all the fighting and dark thoughts she’d experienced over the last month.
Jasmine did seem cold at first, but her personality warmed with each visit. Claire could tell she was forcing a smile that first day she visited her in Claire’s room. But by the third day, it warmed up tremendously. Jasmine didn’t want to answer any questions about the skill or why she went cold; she told Claire it was a class secret. Nor would she answer any questions about Victoria. That was very clear.
All in all, Claire was happy to be home. She could see the three lovers who stayed and hear about all the fun they’d gotten up to. Jessie had been staying with Daphne and Lyn so much that even their mothers were starting to ask questions. Helping Daphne in her forge only worked for the first couple of weeks, and didn’t explain all the overnight stays. That just reminded Claire of her Goddess’s intentions with Restol.
Soon enough, they’d all be given her gift.
That was both an enticing and embarrassing thought. She’d have to fully explain her gift and her powers, alongside her Goddess’s. The fantasy of it seemed perfect, but she knew there’d be road bumps. Especially with the parents. There was a possibility they would gloss over the whole thing, but Claire knew better. It would take some convincing.
But, on the other hand, tasting Lyn’s new food was an excellent distraction. The girl had been honing her cooking in the last month. Claire could immediately tell something was different about the food, but the taste was addictive. The secret ingredient didn’t surprise Claire, but it did give her an idea when she watched Lyn bake.
“How daunting was it to hear you needed to drink my seed?” Claire asked her out of the blue.
Lyn paused and thought for a moment. The idea of turning that down right now seemed preposterous, but she remembered how she felt pre-gift. “Very. It does not sound or look very appealing at first. In all honesty, it made me queasy to think about it until it was in my hands. Why?”
“Wouldn’t this be a better way to distribute it?” Claire gestured to the cookies she was mixing. “Eating a cookie or another dessert probably sounds far more appealing, right?”
“It does,” Lyn giggled. She remembered more about her thoughts those couple of days. “Though, once we had our hands on it… I almost drank it all.”
“Yeah, but there’s that initial barrier.” Claire smiled and uncrossed her legs. Her pent-up lust was really getting to her. Talking about this didn’t help. “Would make amazing offerings to Her, too.”
“Yeah they would.” Lyn tilted her head. She hadn’t thought about any of this. She was too focused on the taste and feeling she got by indulging in her own cooking. “I should have been offering them…”
“You can always start,” Claire bit her lip. She could see Lyn’s arousal growing against her apron. Claire gulped and refocused on speaking. “I’m sure She’d love it.”
“Who wouldn’t?” Daphne walked into the room, followed by Jessie. She leaned in and kissed Lyn’s cheek. Then Jessie did the same. “Sorry, we’re all sweaty.”
“Don’t be,” Lyn bit her lip. She’d long since gotten used to the smell of the forge, but had acquired a taste for their sweaty smell. “Cookies are almost done.”
Jessie sat beside Claire, while Daphne got them water. “Your armor is almost done too.”
“Armor?” Claire tilted her head.
“Ah, right,” Jessie slapped her forehead. “Fuck.”
“Gods, ruining the surprise…” Lyn shook her head.
“It’s okay, I guess now’s a good time anyway.” Daphne giggled. She placed a stack of cups down and a pitcher of water. “Thought it was time you upgraded from the leather armor. The steel is a bit heavier, but more than worth the protection.”
“Thank you,” Claire mumbled. She truly wasn’t expecting a new suit of armor. She was just about to ask about repairing her leather armor given its damage. “I-I don’t know what to say, and I’ll pay you when I can…”
Daphne looked confused. “What do you mean? Pay me? Why?”
“For the armor,” Claire tilted her head.
Daphne blinked. “It’s a gift, Claire. You don’t pay for gifts.”
Claire opened her mouth to respond, but stopped. She knew it was very unlike Daphne not to get proper payment for her labor. Part of her wanted to argue about a payment, but the other part knew it’d be rude. She nodded her head, “Thank you.”
“Good,” Daphne smiled at her. “I was not going to accept any payment. Especially after what you’ve given us.”
Claire glanced at Lyn, who was smiling warmly at her too. “Right. I won’t lie. I’d forgotten about that with all the things from the past month…”
“That’s okay. I heard how busy you all were.” Daphne giggled for a moment before her smile slowly dropped. “I have to ask, though. Is Jazz okay?”
“She is.” Claire nodded and glanced toward Jasmine’s room. “I’m not sure why, but one of her skills has caused her to become emotionally cold. One she didn’t tell us about.”
“It was her Lethality skill, right?” Daphne let out a deep sigh. Claire nodded and let her continue. “Do you remember how Jasmine was when she returned?”
Claire shook her head. “Lily explained it to me. I was… distracted at the time.”
“Right,” Daphne paused and thought about the events just prior to Jasmine’s return. “Well, she was much worse back then. Her revenge for our mother made her rely quite heavily on that skill. It honestly scared me. For a long time, I thought some monster took the form of my sister. She didn’t act like the Jasmine I knew. She barely reacted, barely argued, and barely even acknowledged my existence…”
Lyn walked behind Daphne and wrapped her arms around her. She rested her head against her girlfriend’s. “I remember that. Said some skinwalker or changeling had taken over her.”
“Lasted a year.” Daphne stared into her cup. “I remember questioning if I’d die in the middle of the night… Or if she’d just up and disappear… But she’s already smiling again. Which didn’t happen until, well, she started taking your training seriously.”
“Here I thought we’d have a nice lunch and catch up with Claire,” Jessie shook her head with a smile.
“Shut up,” Lyn rolled her eyes. “This is serious, sis.”
“I know, I know.” Jessie nodded. “Just trying to lighten the mood. We should be celebrating Claire’s return.”
“Can’t really celebrate with her in this state, though.” Lyn shook her head. “Or Jasmine, too. Let them rest and recover before we celebrate.”
“I guess,” Jessie sighed. “But like, I was really curious about that Lamia lady…”
Claire’s eyes widened. She’d completely forgotten about how they might react to Samira. “Oh fuck.” She muttered. “Is Samira okay?”
“Yeah, she’s in the church right now.” Daphne rested a hand on Claire’s. “She’s safe. We’re just not sure how the older women will react to her yet.”
“Right,” Claire shook her head. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten all about hiding Samira. “Glad she’s okay.” “Mhmm, we heard a bit about her.” Jessie’s smile dropped a bit.
“Ah, Claire.” Jasmine appeared at the kitchen entryway. Her eyes seemed to have just a bit more life in them since the last time she’d seen Jasmine. “I heard you were walking. No Ursa?”
Claire shook her head. “She’s helping Lily with something.”
“Ah,” Jasmine walked toward the table. She gauged the reaction of all four women, then sighed. “Guessing Lily and Daph talked to you about me?”
Claire glanced at Daphne, who nodded. “They did. They’re worried about you.”
“I know.” Jasmine sat in Claire’s lap and leaned into her. “Let me know if this hurts…”
“Like I’d admit that and make you get up,” Claire whispered to her. Jasmine’s laugh didn’t feel forced; it felt like the laugh Claire was used to.
“True, but, seriously.” Jasmine glanced at her sister. She gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m okay. Even if I wanted to ignore it all, this one won’t let me.” She playfully poked Claire’s chest with her elbow, and Claire couldn’t help but groan in pain. “She even got the Goddess in on it.”
“Right, you get drunk now.” Jessie giggled. “Samira said it was quite funny.”
Jasmine glared at the older carpenter, who shut up quickly. “Indeed. And she has yet to turn it off.”
“Ah, sorry,” Claire mumbled. She still felt guilty for last time. Jasmine did seem quite sincere in her effort to open up. She hastily undid the punishment. “I turned it off.”
“Good.” Jasmine took a deep breath. “Can you imagine resisting Lyn’s cooking for almost a week?”
“I’m sorry, Jazz,” Claire mumbled. She got another jab in her chest. This time a lot lighter, to the point it was barely noticeable.
“Next time, just ask.” Jasmine leaned back. “I don’t mind it every once in a while… It’s the springing it on me that pissed me off.”
“I kinda wanna see her drunk though,” Daphne smiled at her sister. “That sounds hilarious.”
“Shut up, Daph.”
“Make me.”
“I will.” Jasmine leaned forward.
There was a moment of intenseness before Daphne broke out into a laugh. “I’m glad you’re okay. Had me scared you were like last time.”
Jasmine patted her sister on the head and gave her a warm smile. “Last time was out of revenge and anger. I’m learning to deal with that stuff better…”
“Oh good,” Jessie leaned back. “Now we can celebrate.”
“True,” Jasmine smiled at her. “Well, once Claire is better. I imagine she is quite pent up.”
“You can say that again,” Claire whispered to her.
“But first,” Jasmine wiggled her butt against Claire’s lap. “How many times did you level up from that fight? I leveled up twice.”
“Twice?! In one fight?” Daphne nearly slammed the table. “I guess we do have that experience skill…”
“Me too.” Claire glanced at her Stats sheet. “What about the others?”
“Everyone, but Lily leveled up twice.” Jasmine stopped to think for a moment. “Right, I need to talk to Lily too. Probably a longer one than this one, but she’s been avoiding me.”
There was a brief pause as they thought about how to respond. But Lyn’s timer went off before anyone could say anything.
“That can come after the cookies,” Lyn smiled at her. “I can’t wait to see your reaction.”
Claire:
Level: 18
HP: 25/35
Mana: 17/17
Exp: 25
Divine Resistance II: Resist the influence and strain of the divine. You are able to better channel your Goddess’s magic and essence. Resistance to other gods’ magic added to your aura.
Champion’s Determination: Overcome the odds to strike down the wicked. When facing stronger opponents within your aura, gain strength equal to half the difference between you and your opponent.
Stats:
Strength: 27 (+5) (+1)
Magic: 1
Dexterity: 19(+5) (+1)
Resistance: 25(+5)
Constitution: 15 (+3)
Wisdom: 19 (+5)(+1)
Charisma: 16(+5) (+1)
Divinity: 19 (+3)
Defense: 33 (+5) (+1)
Jasmine:
Level: 21
HP: 26/26
Mana: 18/18
Exp: 85
Warmth of the Bestowed: Your lover weakens your ailments. Weakens the negative effects of skills when near the Bestowed.
Oral Fixation II: Your fixation is your strength. Any consumable, whether consumed by the user, ally, or a poison/reagent used on an enemy, has its potency enhanced. Enhance currently at 1.5x
Stats:
Strength: 18
Magic: 1
Dexterity: 25
Resistance: 14
Constitution: 7
Wisdom: 9
Charisma: 15
Divinity: 0
Defense: 17 (+5)
Lily
Level: 17
HP: 19/19
Mana: 26/26
Exp: 70
Mad Science: Instability in potions is tripled. Unstable and hazardous potions are more potent. 3x effectiveness
Stats:
Strength: 6
Magic: 18
Dexterity: 5
Resistance: 18
Constitution: 6
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 24
Divinity: 6
Defense: 13 (+5)
Ursa:
Level: 18
HP: 35/30
Mana: 19/14
Exp: 15
Collarbound Rage II: Follow your Lover’s command. Following a direct command buffs the user’s attack. Currently 1.25x. Bonus Passive: Gain a health and mana buff when wearing a collar gifted by the Bestowed. +5 to both Mana and HP
Aspect of Silver: Rava imbues you with Her divine metal. Your wolf attacks are imbued with the spiritual power of silver.
Stats:
Strength: 27
Magic: 1
Dexterity: 20
Resistance: 5
Constitution: 20
Wisdom: 3
Charisma: 3
Divinity: 0
Defense: 23 (+5)