Chapter Five Hundred and Sixty — Social Skills
Chapter Five Hundred and Sixty — Social Skills "Are you going to level up those other two skills?" Desiree asked.We were done with lunch, so now it was time for drinks. Mostly it was more hot cocoa. Real hot chocolate, made by warming up dark chocolate and mixing it with some milk and then sprinkling a bit of nutmeg on top. All it was missing was some whipped cream and it would be perfect.It was actually getting a smidge colder out. Not actually cold. We weren't that high up and I was pretty sure we were on the same latitude as a literal desert, so it wasn't a chilly place, but it was still... not that hot out anymore. A few clouds had rolled in, and it was the last day of the old year, so we were smack in the middle of winter."I don't know," I said, answering her question. "Should I? I've upgraded two skills. Isn't that a lot?"Desiree gave me a rather flat look. "Captain Bunch," she said."We're friends," I said. "You hardly need to call me by my title.""I'm invoking it as emphasis of my mild displeasure," Desiree said with a tilt of her head. "Does it not come through? I thought that your translation was nearly perfect.""Oh," I said. "I guess it does. I just didn't catch it. Sorry, go on!""Yes, well, as I was saying, Captain Bunch, you seem very reluctant to grow more powerful, by level or by practice. This is well and good if your intent is to live a simple and pastoral life, but those who seek out simplicity rarely find themselves captaining an exploratory mission out on the frontier."I pouted, but it wasn't like she was wrong. "Yeah, I guess. Okay. Mister Menu, can I see my stats again, please?"
Name
Broccoli Bunch
Race
Bun (Riftwalker)
First Class
Cinnamon Bun Bun
First Class Level
18
Second Class
Wonderlander
Second Class Level
7
Age
16
Health
165
Stamina
185
Mana
170
Resilience
80
Flexibility
95
Magic
40
Skills
Rank
Cinnamon Bun Bun Skills
Cleaning
S — 32%
Way of the Mystic Bun
C — 100%
Gardening
D — 59%
Adorable
D — 100%
Chivalry
D — 48%
Wonderlander Skills
Mad Millinery
D — 100%
Proportion Distortion
C — 45%
Social Butterfly
D — 100%
Snoozing
D — 100%
General Skills
Insight
C — 100%
Makeshift Weapon Proficiency
C — 100%
Archeology
D — 100%
Friendmaking
B — 02%
Hugging Proficiency
C — 100%
Captaining
B — 00%
Cinnamon Bun Bun Skill Points
5
Wonderlander Skill Points
7
General Skill Points
2
Seeing my General Skill Points sitting at two instead of six was painful. I'd worked hard for those! We'd cleared entire dungeons of Evil Roots just for a few points like that. It hurt a smidge to see them gone.At the same time... being able to feel the Beaver more clearly was nice, and Friendmaking was already at 2%!It wouldn't be long before it was maxed out. Not that that should be any reason to be a lazy bun and give up on the hard work of making even more friends!Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel."Alright," I said. "Let's do a Wonderlander skill next, right Mister Menu? Can you put a point into Social Butterfly, please?"Congratulations! Social Butterfly is now Rank C!Social ButterflyRank C — 00%The ability to flit from conversation to conversation and make the best of any social situation. By expanding some magical energy, you can summon magical wings to dazzle and flit about with greater ease.I blinked. "Huh?"That didn't make sense! A social butterfly wasn't an actual kind of butterfly, it was a metaphor for someone that was good at being social!"Is something the matter?" Desiree asked rather rhetorically. She sat up in her seat, tails swishing nervously."Social Butterfly says that it gives me wings," I said."Wings? Truly?" Desiree asked. She shifted to the side and looked past me, or at my back."I haven't summoned them yet.""Why not?""Um," I said. "I don't know? I feel like Amaryllis would be upset with me if I used a skill like that without testing it first? Maybe we should go back to the Beaver and test it there? Besides, if they're able to make me fly, I'll want to talk with Bastion and Caprica!"They had pretty wings and would know how they work!"Does the text elucidate any other details of the skill's function?" Desiree asked.I shook my head. "No, that's the only new part, I think. The rest sounds like what I remember."Desiree reached up and pinched her chin in thought. "Well, I would certainly be inclined to unfurl my new wings immediately, but I'm hardly known as a bastion of longstanding patience. Waiting until a more appropriate time is a respectable enough choice, I suppose.""Thanks," I replied. "It's only a short walk back, and we were heading that way anyway, right?""As soon as you get that last skill ranked up, yes," Desiree replied.I pouted harder."Fine," I said. I wasn't sure why I was so reluctant to spend my upgrade points. Maybe it was like spending money. I'd grown up without much of it, so I was always afraid that if I spent it all, I wouldn't get any more, and that usually meant keeping as much of it on hand as possible. "Mister Menu? Can... ah, can we do one last skill level up?"The stat screen stood there... agreeably."Thanks! Okay, last one for today. And it's Hugging Proficiency."Congratulations! Hugging Proficiency is now Rank C!Hugging ProficiencyRank C — 00%The ability to hug. Your proficiency and instincts for hugging have improved! Hug harder, hug better. Your hugs now allow you to share your magical energy with others, warming their minds and souls."Oh! This one's going to be very fun to test," I said. "C'mere, Mister Menu!"I hopped up, wrapping my arms around the menu, and I was pretty sure I succeeded in giving him a bit of a hug, then he popped away.Aww, was he shy? Maybe I shouldn't have been pushing his boundaries so much?"What skill was that?" Desiree asked. "I believe you listed them, but I've likely forgotten. Forgive me.""Oh, this one is Hugging Proficiency. Now rank C! I think I can give people mana now?""Truly? That's an interesting ability. There's a skill from my home country that is frequently used by single-tailed apprentice magi and their ilk that allows them to donate magical energy to others. It's seen as a fair trade for an apprentice to serve as a battery to feed the growth of a superior mage while being allowed to learn from them.""That's neat. Though I'd be worried about exploitation or something.""Hmm, yes, I suppose it is a worry," she replied. "Imagine someone like our erstwhile Amaryllis, only with two or three lesser mages feeding her more mana. Already, she is a harbinger of havoc and devastation. With others feeding her ambitions, she may well be able to send forth destruction sufficient to rival someone with three or more tails."I considered it, but then shrugged. Amaryllis would never use me that way, right? Besides, if she came to me asking for more hugs, even magical ones, I'd be hard-pressed to refuse."Ah, should we test it?" I asked."If we're returning to the ship already, we might as well make some time to test both this and your other new acquisition at the same time," Desiree said. "Ah, and didn't you want to pick up a few goods on the way?""Oh, shoot, you're right," I said.I hopped to my feet, used a smidge of Cleaning magic on myself and then the table and such to leave it even nicer than we'd come, then I squared away the bill with the nice waitress who'd served us.That all done, Desiree and I headed out.I ended up asking some locals along the way for some advice. Mostly about what the usual New Years meals were, and where we could find some to-go. I wasn't sure how the rest of the crew celebrated, but in my time on Dirt I'd come to realize that just about every culture celebrated things with at least some commonalities.Good food and good company was never something that people complained about, and my crew supplied one of those two already!We ended up stopping by a small grocer for some fresh produce, a restaurant for a few cooked, warm meals, and then a bakery for a few loaves of fresh, still over-warm bread that smelled so good I was hard pressed not to drool.Soon enough, we were within sight of the Beaver Cleaver, and as soon as I saw it, I could feel my new and improved Captaining skill snapping into place.
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Chapter Five Hundred and Sixty-One — Some Wings for a Miss
Chapter Five Hundred and Sixty-One — Some Wings for a Miss "Amaryllis!" I cheered. She was leaning on the ship's railing, not far from where the access stairs had been rolled up to the Beaver. "We're back!" I waved my one free arm up and over my head. The other was preoccupied with holding onto the food and stuff we'd bought."I can see that," Amaryllis called down. "Good to see you've managed to make it back intact. The others have all returned.""Uh-huh, I can tell," I said with a grin as I started up the steps two at a time, outclimbing Desiree, who followed at a more sedate pace. I quickly reached Amaryllis. "Were you waiting for me?"Amaryllis crossed her arms. "No," she lied. "I just had a sense that you were up to something foolish when it took you so long to return."I grinned. "A sense? Is it something like my Captaining skill? Since you're not the captain, maybe... First Mating?""First... Broccoli, you idiot," Amaryllis sputtered. She was a little red in the cheeks, especially as I giggled.I set my things down onto the deck, then raised my arms up in an optimal hugging position. Amaryllis kept her arms crossed."C'mon! Hugs? Please? You'll like it! Promise?"She huffed, and it was a very strange huff, a sort of 'okay, yeah, I will like it, but you won't hear it from me' sort of huff. Then she took a small step forward and allowed me to glomp her up into a tight-tight hold.Magic welled up, a soothing warmth carried by Hugging Proficiency's guidance, and I had no reason to stop it.Amaryllis gasped as my mana jumped from me to her. I wasn't sure what it felt like on her end, but on mine it was like wrapping us up in a warm blanket. A very fuzzy one, that smelled a bit like woodsmoke."Broccoli?" she asked. "What is this?""I upgraded!" I cheered. "Hugging Proficiency was one of the skills I ranked up. It lets me share mana now. That was... ten out of a hundred and seventy of my mana pool."Amaryllis shivered, then when I opened my arms a little to see if she still wanted hugs, she carefully stepped out of my hug, though she didn't go very far. "That was... interesting. Rather intimate.""Intimate?" I asked. "In like, a married couple way or close friends kind of way?" That could be bad.She shook her head. "Nothing like that, quash any perverted thoughts you might have between your four ears. It's more that... hmm, how can I put this... I have a rather acute sensitivity to magic, something which comes with my magic-focused class and skills. It gives me a keen sense for mana.""What insight have you gleaned from your arcane senses?" Desiree asked as she approached.Amaryllis nodded to her in greeting. "Nothing untoward. Just an impression of... Broccoli. You mana itself is very clean and pure. It ... lightened my burdens?" she trailed off."Ah! Well, I hope it's usable, still?" I asked."Probably, yes. If anything, other than the form-factor of the transfer, this may be a strong multiplier for some of us. More mana at my disposal may well mean that I'll be able to unleash greater spellwork more often. Hmm." She eyed me the way someone who was a little peckish might eye a cake and I wasn't sure if I liked that."I got other skills too!" I said.Amaryllis placed her talons on her hips. "Oh?" she asked.I bobbed my head with a quick nod. "I upgraded a bunch of them! Captaining, Social Butterfly, Hugging Proficiency, of course, and Friendmaking!"One of her eyebrows perked up at that. "Quite the list. And some of those were at least at the rank where the next level up would give you a decent amount of power.""Uh-huh," I agreed. "Captaining now gives me a much stronger sense of the Beaver and my crew. Location, emotions, health — even the health of the Beaver! That board they're working on is like a phantom pain. Now that I'm here... Desiree feels like more crew than someone like Bastion does? But Caprica is also more crew-er than Desiree, but less than the Scallywags and way less than the harpy crew.""I suppose that the skill may be taking into account-to some degree-how much those people see themselves as part of the crew and ship," Amaryllis said.I nodded. Awen felt as close to the Beaver as Amaryllis. Closer, even. Clive, interestingly, was a bit less than Steve and Gordon and the Scallywags. Maybe because he'd been on a bunch of ships before, and unless he retired after being part of the Beaver's crew, it was possible that he didn't see it as a more permanent home.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Or it could be something else. I decided not to dive too deeply in the potential reasons why the crew felt more or less loyal or part of the ship. That way led to doubting my friends, and that wasn't something that I wanted on the Beaver at all."I got some other things too," I said. "From Friendmaking and Social Butterfly.""Oh?" Amaryllis asked. "Go on, then. Anything useful?"I nodded. "I can see more information about people when I ask them to be my friend."Amaryllis nodded, then stared expectantly at me.I stared back."What?" I finally asked."Well, ask me," she said."But I thought we were already best friends?"The blush was back, but stronger this time. "You... idiot. It's for science. And stop saying such... foolish things out loud. Some thoughts are best kept within that cavernous head of yours," Amaryllis said while Desiree hid her mouth behind her hand and giggled up a storm next to her."Okay!" I said. "Well, as long as you know that you're one of my very best friends, then it's okay! Would you like to be my friend?"Amaryllis AlbatrossDesired Quality: Someone capable to rule by her side.Dream: To make her family and nation proud of her.Insecurities: Worried that others may judge her for not doing enough. Worried that she's doing too much. Worried that others will surpass her while she is out adventuring. Worried that the adventure might end. Worried that her friends don't know her. Worried about learning how to get to know her friends."Aww!" I said. Amaryllis tried to stop me from giving her a hug, but my Hugging Proficiency level was higher than her (nonexistent) Hug Dodging skill and so she completely failed to stop me from giving her the nicest, tightest squeeze I could. Hugging Amaryllis was nice. Her feathers were soft."Get off me, you oaf.""Nope! Not until we have a long, long sit-down, and a chat, and we all get to share stories about ourselves, and you'll know everything about us, and we'll know all of your deepest, darkest secrets.""That sounds like torture. You're describing torture, Broccoli," Amaryllis said.I laughed. "Friendship is the best kind of torture," I said. "It's like exercise, but without the sweat and muscle aches, and more fun.""You are a very strange creature, Captain Bunch," Desiree said with a swish of her tails."What did your other skills give you?" Amaryllis asked."Oh, I got wings," I said.She stared blankly at me. "Wings.""Mhm! Look!" I concentrated real hard, and then felt my mana drain. At the same time, I could vaguely catch sight of a glow forming behind me. I turned, spinning in a little circle to better see the pair of butterfly wings that had sprouted on my back. They were about as large as my torso, with faint blue lines glowing through their form, but mostly they were ghostly and glowing."You have no idea the amount of envy you'd inspire in a less self-assured harpy," Amaryllis said. "And this is from a General skill?""One of my Wonderlander skills," I corrected."That's even better," she said, her voice sounding just slightly envious. "You'll have a lot more skill points to spend on it."I nodded, then I tried to take off... Instead, my wings flapped rather lazily, as if working against a lot of resistance, and all I managed to do was shove myself forwards and back a little.I imagined I'd get about the same result if I taped two large pieces of cardboard onto my arms and flapped those as hard as I could."I'll be writing about this, if you don't mind," Amaryllis said. "My sisters and parents would love to hear about this. There may be others with the Social Butterfly skill who haven't yet levelled it to such a degree.""Are wings so valuable to you?" Desiree asked. "Already, you are blessed with two of them.""Obviously," Amaryllis said. "We are a proud, winged species... and yet our flight is mostly reserved to gliding about. The sylph, our long-time rivals, have similar wings and seem to delight in flitting about uselessly.""I'm not even sure I can manage flitting yet," I said."Well, speak with Bastion, or better yet, Caprica. Perhaps they'll deign to assist you," Amaryllis said. "A bun with wings... What's next, Broccoli, a scorpion's tail?""If I put a marshmallow on the end, I could use that for hugging!""Idiot."
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