The Chimera Summoner – ch 22 (part two)- a normal, excellent first-impression

I followed her gaze and realized with horror that my cock was swelling and beginning to tent my pants. Even as I gasped, the bulge twitched and grew quite noticeably.

“Oh my!” Atalanta clucked in surprise.

“I'm sorry!” I squeaked desperately, covering myself with my hands.

“It's perfectly natural.” Carmine said, diverting her gaze tactfully as I adjusted myself. “It's a common reaction to overhealing, especially when you're leaving a stressful situation. Don't think nothin’ of it, sweetheart.”

I squirmed, but she kept holding me in her lap, her high level strength such that she may not even have noticed my struggle.

I looked around, embarrassed, but found that we were in a private room. Carmine must've whisked me further inside the tent when she first caught me.

My Familiars pushed their way into the little room. Carmine was evidently aware that they were attached to me, unconcerned with treating me in their presence.

The warm glow of health kept swirling around me like a furnace that rejuvenated rather than burned.

“Is she alright?!” Asked Lucy again. She seemed genuinely upset.

“I'm fine!” I squeaked. I cursed my voice for sounding so pathetic in front of my hero.

“She's gonna be right as rain in just one second, cutie pie.” Said Carmine easily. She was obviously very used to calming concerned onlookers.

“She's so hard!” Lucy protested. “I didn't realize that could be dangerous for humans! I need to do a better job taking care of her–”

“It's not dangerous at all, for a healthy young girl like this.” Said Carmine calmly. “Her body is just a little confused with all she's been through. I'm sure you're taking very good care of her.”

Young girl! I couldn't help the affront showing on my face. She was barely five years older than me!

Atalanta caught my reaction instantly,"of course I mean woman. Woman?"

I nodded.

"Perfectly healthy woman like this." She corrected herself.

Fuck. Of course she's nice as fuck. You're the asshole, here.

Lucy nodded, crossing her arms under her tits, and bounced anxiously. The image did NOT help my boner. I really needed to get her something other than shorts and a tank top to wear. She looked like an improbably busty athleisure model.

“Perhaps you should stop, dear.” Lorna placed a chilly spectral hand on Lucy's shoulder, arresting her movement.

“Huh?” Lucy looked bewildered.

“Eir is trying to calm down.” Lorna clarified. “And you're very bouncy. You know how she likes that.”

“Lornaaaaaa!” I wailed.

Lorna looked confused. “I'm sure it's also because of your longtime idolization of professor Carmine.”

Her tone suggested that she was trying to save me some face.

I wanted to melt into a puddle and sink into the floor. I mentally scrolled through a list of schools I could transfer to. Maybe I'd just disappear into the woods.

“Not many people our age are fans of a healer?!” Atalanta remarked, sounding mildly curious and distinctly flattered.

“Eir wanted to be a healer.” Lorna explained.

“Did you!” Atalanta asked approvingly. “Well, Fate has a funny way with these things. I wanted to be a Tank, if you can keep a secret.”

Oh. My. Fuck. A year ago I would have literally done a murder for a juicy piece of Carmine trivia like that.

"OH." I squealed. Really... Really loudly.

Normally. Smoothly.  Making a great impression on this very cool person, Eir. Nice work.

“She’s still doing a great deal of healing for our party.” Lorna continued.

I winced. My single, limited healing skill was nothing compared to a dedicated healer.

“Are you?!” Carmine gushed, warmly, “Well then, why aren't you in my healers seminar?!”

“Isn't that for second years?” I asked. I had looked at the course. But had chickened out of begging the school to let me register.

Carmine fluttered a hand dismissively. “It's my class, Principal Maule lets me do what I like with it. I will register you and you can start this Thursday. I just need your student ID. Gosh! What's your name, sweetheart?! I'm all discombobulated today!"

“I'm not exactly a–” I started to explain.

“Excellent.” Said Lorna, cutting me off. “She appreciates your generosity.”

“Oh, it's nothing!” Carmine laughed. Her movement jostled me against her chest even more.

“My healing has a weird side effect!” I blurted.

I wanted nothing more than to learn from my hero. But the idea of further embarrassing myself in front of her, and an entire class of upperclassmen, made my skin crawl. I'd rather get it out of the way now, and accept my rejection in private.

Carmine however took on a look of great interest.

“Well, I must see this! What sort of side effect, honey?” She asked, “You can sit up now, by the way.”

I realized in horror that she'd released me. I didn't know how long I'd been voluntarily cuddling against her. I shot upright.

“Her healing feels so, so good!” Lucy volunteered. “I mean SOOOOOOOOO good.”

Carmine laughed. “Well that's hardly unusual! I mean that's better than hurting, right?”

She nodded encouragingly.

I shook my head. I was shrinking inside.

“What's wrong, honey? Aren’t you feeling better?” Carmine asked, concern painting her beautiful features.

I panicked and bolted.

~~~~~~~~~

Back at the dorm, Jennie and I laid in bed whispering as I caught her up on the dramatic incident with professor Carmine.

“So in short, I met my hero, got a personal invite to the healing seminar impossible for freshmen to get into, and then made a huge ass of myself, probably mortally offending Atalanta Carmine. Have I mentioned she’s my hero?” I finished sullenly.

Jennie nodded, wide eyed.

We were cozied up together, sitting on my bed, whispering to one another. The dorms provided so little room between bunks, that this was the only way to have an even moderately private conversation.

“Oh!” I grunted, “Have I mentioned that I got a BONER when she healed me? So long story short, I am gonna transfer schools.”

Jennie patted my forehead awkwardly in our cramped conditions.

“I'm sure she’s seen worse dongs?” Jennie offered.

I glared. “First off, never call my girl a DONG again. That's gross. And I didn't SHOW it to her, it was just sort of … obvious.”

“But so like, are you in the class or not?” Jennie pressed.

“I don't think so!?” I said, “She probably changed her mind when I ran out on her like a loon.”

I buried my face in my pillow.

“Well, ask!” Jennie slapped my ass, hard enough to make me yelp and kick at her. My rogue easily swayed out of the way.

“Why does it matter to you, anyway?!” I demanded.

Jennie snorted, nearly dislodging her round glasses. “Because I'm the one you're healing, dum dum. Try to think with your brain, not your dong, for a change.”

“STOP SAYING DONGGGGG!” I begged.

The green haired girl on our left looked over from her book.

“Fuck off, Tayla.” Jennie said sharply.

Tayla fucked off back into her book, cheeks ablaze. Almost literally. She had an internal glow, like a firefly, that gradually grew as she realized it was happening and blushed harder, making her glow brighter.

Jennie and I spent another few minutes chatting about the most explicitly sexual things we could think of, to torment Tayla who got redder and redder and brighter and brighter with each increasingly exotic subject, until our neighbors started to complain about the glare, causing Tayla to yelp and dive under her covers with her book, dimming her glow.

Huh... She's her own reading light. Must be nice.

But we were both tired and soon Jennie clambered up to her own bunk.

I tapped on the frame and in a second, Jennie poked her head down, fluffy pink sleep-mask pulled from one eye to look askance at me.

Even with something serious on my mind, the tough, snarky rogue in a ridiculous mask brought a little smile to my face.

Then it faded.

“Listen…if I ever–” I started. “Is there any chance you feel like I manipulated you with the … side effects of my heal…?”

“No.” Jennie said firmly. “I knew what it was, and I still asked for healing over and over. Besides, you warned me very clearly, and I consented. That's how it works.  We are good.”

She slapped the mask back in place and vanished.

Only to reappear.

“It's not like I'm walking around thinking about it. And in our couple of … intimate encounters, your Skills weren't involved.”

She hesitated.

“Unless you count Lucy. In which case, yes you used magic to seduce me. Damned girl. She so…!”

I nodded fervently. She was SO.

I'd dismissed her and Lorna simply because I couldn't NOT be aroused around them in bed, and with the dorm offering little privacy, I didn't want to risk another debacle.

“Just wait.” Said Jennie. “We’ll figure this out. I'm going to sleep. I'm fucking tired.”

She rolled over and left me to my thoughts.

Minutes later I realized she'd said ‘we’ll figure it out, not ‘you’ll figure it out’.

The next few days, all anyone wanted to talk about was the leaderboard.