1.22 – Harvest


    Natalie explored Jordan’s mouth, the kiss—as it always did—having grown to a fevered intensity. Neither pretended they weren’t enjoying each other’s wet, struggling mouths. Jordan’s hands roamed Natalie’s back, dipping to less discreet ces before quickly resetting, as if catching herself. Natalie’s hands stayed on Jordan’s hips, likewise itching to go farther. It was hard to indulge like this and keep restrained.


    But this was just a kiss. A strictly practical one, however much fun. Even if they got caught up in desire—their biological reactions—it couldn’t go further.


    Jordan moaned into her mouth, and the sound washed through Natalie, setting her skin on fire. It was incredible what Jordan’s presence did to Natalie. It had to be because of <em>why </em>they were kissing—the strange nature of everything that had the thrill rushing through her. Because obviously Natalie wasn’t intoxicated by Jordan for <em>that reason. </em>Not romance, of any sort.


    Gasping, Jordan finally pulled back. It was always Jordan that broke the kiss. Honestly, Natalie might rather pass out than separate from Jordan’s mouth.


    Not that it <em>meant</em> anything. Jordan was just a good kisser. Natalie liked basking in the sensation.


    “So,” Jordan finally said, panting. “You’ll need to start picking girls up, soon. Just me isn’t enough. Any ns, there?”


    Like always, it took effort to steady her spinning head and respond normally … to reply in a way that didn’t tantly give away that Jordan’s tongue had turned her brain to mush. It wasn’t fair how amazing Jordan’s mouth was—the way she moved her tongue and lips against Natalie’s own.


    Though, Natalie fought back well enough. The flush on Natalie’s face was matched by Jordan’s.


    Choosing the skirt for her uniform had been a good idea. Natalie was rock-hard, but her tight underwear,bine with the looseness and thick pleats of the skirt, meant nothing showed. Not that Jordan hadn’t felt it, pressed in as close as she was. But at least she couldn’t <em>see </em>it.


    Once she advanced the skill, and it got bigger, though, even the skirt wouldn’t hide it. That was still weird to think about. And … exciting? For some reason? The idea tantalized her. Howrge would it get, down the line? After several advancements? If it started at six inches, she felt like there was good odds it would be a monster pretty fast. And, while tititing, that would be inconvenient. Six inches wasn’t horribly difficult to hide, but eight? Ten? Or bigger, if it grew faster than she thought?


    Problems forter.


    “Dunno,” Natalie said, finally replying to Jordan’s question—on how she’d need to start picking up girls. “It’s gonna be hard, for sure.”


    “Hard? You’re great at flirting.”


    “Eh.” Natalie wasn’t sold on that. She’d done well back home, but then again, she’d been interesting. Muscles, ambition, on track for bing an adventurer—maybe even a delver. Flings hadn’t been hard to find whenpetition had been so weak. Here, Natalie was nothing special. “It’s different here.”


    “From the sounds of orientation,” Jordan said dryly, “it should be easier than back home.”


    Natalie paused, remembering Harper’s insistence that students use condoms. A group of ambitious, stressed students <em>would </em>be going at it like rabbits; maybe that made up for Natalie’s previous reasoning. Maybe it wouldn’t be that hard to find girls who could ‘help’ with Natalie’s ss.


    “I guess,” Natalie said. “Still, I’m going to be busy. That throws a wrench in things.”


    “This is how your ss advances,” she pointed out. “An alternate way, at least. It’s part of your duties. You’ll <em>have</em> to make time for it.”


    Natalie shook her head, bewildered. Not that Jordan wasn’t right—she was—but at how her daily training routine was going to include picking up girls. Weird.


    Not that she wasining. It might not be as straightforward as training with weapons and practicing her skills, but … maybe a more pleasant way to advance in strength. Maybe Natalie should be grateful, even.


    Grateful? Well, she wouldn’t go that far. The strangeness of everything stopped her from being outright pleased. Her bizarre ss had made her future ns so uncertain—and had been no small source of stress.


    “Yeah,” Natalie said. “I know. But anyway, this ought to do it, right?”


    “Thest bit of energy you needed,” Jordan said. “You said you were just a sliver away,st time.”


    Natalie nodded.


    “Well, go ahead,” Jordan said. “Tell me what it changes to.”


    Natalie closed her eyes and focused inward.


    ***


    Carnal Energy: 5


    ***


    The quantity she harvested varied. What exact factors determined the number, Natalie couldn’t know for sure. Passion, to name one. They’d wasted the skill, once, by trying to keep things too chaste, hence why Natalie hadn’t already earned enough to level [Carnal Harvest] up, which they’d been slowly working toward.


    She focused the energy into the skill, funneling it using her [Advance] skill.


    ***


    [Carnal Harvest]: Progression advanced from 1 to 2.


    ***


    ***


    [Carnal Harvest] - PASSIVE. PROGRESSION 2. Extract carnal energy through {fondling} an aroused target. Harvested energy can be expended through [Empower] and [Advance].


    ***


    Natalie opened her eyes. As she’d predicted, advancing the progression had modified the description in the emphasized portion of text from {kissing} to {fondling}.


    “Well?” Jordan asked.


    “It’s, uh. What we guessed.”


    Natalie didn’t need to specify. The two of them had theorized on the skill, and Natalie’s ss in general. Less than they ought to have, though. It was an awkward subject.


    “So, fondling?”


    “Yeah.”


    “Huh,” Jordan said. She was quiet a second, studying Natalie. Then, her lips quirked. “Do you think it matters where?”


    “Where?”


    “Where you fondle,” Jordan pointed out. “There’s a lot of options, you know.”


    “Uh,” Natalie said. Her eyes flicked down to Jordan’s chest …then lower. A lot of options. Yeah. There definitely were. “I guess it’s best to be thorough. So, everywhere?”


    It’d been intended as a joke … kind of. Unfortunately—amazingly?—Jordan nodded in agreement. “Think the cooldown reset with the level-up? Should we go right away?”


    Natalie’s heart had been pounding from their kissing, already, but now its frantic excitement doubled. “I guess that’s possible,” she said, impressed at her voice’s stability.


    As for the truth of what she thought: Natalie had no clue. Maybe the cooldown had reset, maybe it hadn’t. But if saying yes meant she got to …


    She shook her thoughts clear. They were doing this for functional reasons. Natalie couldn’t let herself <em>want </em>this. She’d take pleasure in it for what it was, because she couldn’t help herself, and it was a biological reaction—Jordan got excited too—but she couldn’t forget what was happening.


    But still. She got to … touch Jordan?


    “Well,” Jordan said, hands going to Natalie’s wrists, grabbing and guiding them up. “Get to it, won’t you?”