Art of Love: Pick Up [2]
〘Date: 2/7 - Thursday〙
〘Time: 12:40 PM〙
〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Trinity Valley University〙
Paris and I sat at a table at the outdoor food court, enjoying a nice conversation and lunch together, the two of us sharing a few laughs and stories with one another. In the background, the sound of chatter amongst the peers and the water flowing in the fountain filled the air, adding a lively backdrop to our mini hang out.
"Well, who knew the quiet kid has actual dreams outside of marketing? Here I thought you'd be this unnamed cool guy blending in with the masses," Paris chuckled softly, leaning against the table, her cheek resting against the palm of her hand as she maintained eye contact with me.
I chuckled softly, running my fingers through my hair to get a few strands from my face. "Well...there's nothing wrong with blending in right? I mean, I'm sure part of you wants some type of normalcy right?"
〔You've piqued Paris's interest...〕
Paris rose an eyebrow at my statement, her gaze growing more curious. She began twirling a strand of her hair around her finger, her eyes lingering upon me for moments longer. "You're a very interesting guy. I mean...you come to a university known for Talent, Charisma, and Ambition, and yet...you desire to be...basic."
I glanced around the food court, my gaze wandering upon all of my peers with a faint smile. "Well...I guess it's because I know where too much greatness can lead to. What potential dangers a lineage can bring."
"It's not that...I don't want to be great. I just want to be great and safe. Being a celebrity isn't everything people think it is, my mom is one of the world's greatest actresses right now after all," I finished, glancing over at Paris once again with a soft smile.
〔Empathy EXP +40〕
Paris could see the hidden wisdom in my eyes, a story she couldn't unveil but knew it was a tragic one. She sat up straight in her seat, placing her hands upon her lap. "Y'know...people call you a Failure on the campus because of my ex. I don't think it's right, I mean you have the highest grades out of everyone here.."
"I completely understand how it feels to want some peace and normalcy. I'm always being held to such high standards and expectations, y'know," Paris continued, an awkward yet playful giggle escaping her lips.
"No, I completely get it. It's like life has you in a headlock. Once you make it far enough, fame will either make you or use you and make you move how machines do," I said, turning my gaze back toward the other students. "But, at the same time...people with fame can use their influence, their Charisma to do a lot of good."
Paris couldn't take her eyes off me, a soft smile playing on her lips as she listened to me speak. "You speak so wisely... it's almost like poetry..~"
〔Paris's Attraction to you has increased...〕
I glanced over at Paris, letting out a soft chuckle and sat back in my seat. "I'm part Hawaiian, and I have a very spiritual aunt who speaks very wisely. I picked up on her habits I guess.."
"The more I learn about you, the more I'm starting to see why that bonehead Matt likes you so much," Paris giggled softly, her hands gentle playing with her own hair with comfortability.
The two of us continued talking with one another, enjoying picking at each other's minds for a while ranging from topics like her favorite poets and authors while she asked me more about the acting field. Through our curiosities, we discovered we had more in common than we realized.
As we talked, we heard a group of men laughing, looking up from our conversation and toward the group, both of us noticing it was Tony and his lackeys. I glanced over at Paris, noticing she had a look of pure disgust on her face as she stared at Tony.
One of Tony's friends pointed at our table, mumbling something in his ear with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Tony stopped walking and lowered his phone, following his friend's finger and noticed me and Paris sitting at a table together, a smug smirk forming on his face.
Paris noticed Tony and his friends approaching our table, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Oh my gosh... of course he's coming over here."
"Well, well, well, look at what we have here. A pleasant surprise, my beautiful ex and a Failure," Tony chuckled softly, pulling out a chair to sit with us at our table. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."
I watched as Tony took my bag of chips and proceeded to eat them in front of my face, his arrogant smirk causing my blood pressure to slightly raise. I didn't let my emotions get the better of me, only letting out a slow, deeply annoyed exhale.
"What do you want, Tony? Can't you see I'm trying to talk to my friend? Don't you have anything else better to do like rehearsing or flaunting your wealth on Worldspace?" Paris asked, her tone highly annoyed at the fact Tony's very presence ruined our mood.
"What? I can't come say what's up to a couple friends now? In fact, I'm glad this is happening," Tony said, setting the bag of chips down and wiped his hands off using the sleeve of my jacket. "Check it. You use this loner for his work, help me out and I help you with... y'know..."
Paris scoffed at Tony, rolling her eyes at his offer and shook her head. "You're disgusting...Is that all guys like you think about? A quick trip between a girl's legs?"
"Aye, it doesn't have to be like that, I'm just saying," Tony said, trying to play it cool, but Paris saw straight through his pretty boy facade.
〔Phroa: The audacity of this guy! Someone needs to teach him some manners!〕
I glanced at my jacket sleeve, noticing the smears of grease Tony left behind, ruining the light green design upon my jacket. I narrowed my gaze to look at Tony, my golden eyes faintly beginning to glow due to my growing anger. 'Yeah...I agree...'
"So, what are you two talking about?" Tony asked, trying his hardest to integrate himself into our conversation.
"What do you want, Tony? You're disturbing our peace and I would appreciate if you and your friends leave us alone," Paris said, leaning back in her seat and placed a hand on her arm, as if to comfort herself.
"C'mon, I'm just a little curious. There's no way someone like you would even speak to this failure of a man without wanting something from him," Tony said, his gaze focusing on Paris like a viper ready to coil around its prey.
I stared at Tony with a stoic gaze, my anger hidden behind my calm expression. After so many insults, I knew I had to speak up. "She said to leave us alone.."
Tony turned his gaze toward me, letting out a disingenuous chuckle and reached over to ruffle my hair. "Aww, look at the good guard dog trying to bark tough, but the actual successful people are talking."
Paris scoffed at his comment, pushing his hand away from my head and began to fix my hair. "Ugh, just get out of here, you prick!"
Tony chuckled softly, standing up from his seat then pushed his seat in aggressively, causing the table to hit against our midsection. "Whatever, let's roll boys."
Gently, I moved Paris's hand from my head, slowly standing from my seat, giving Tony a cold, collected stare. "Before you go, thinking you have the high road...I just want to say something. You're pathetic, picking on those you deem lesser, flaunting your wealth and status with arrogance, demeaning women..."
"I think I know why you're jealous of me, you're jealous of the fact that if I actually tried, I could take your position in the rankings in a heartbeat. Your acting career is worthless in the long run, when after all your fame fades, you'll be nothing more than a memory," I finished, using my words instead of my fists despite my body screaming to cave his face in.
〔Charisma EXP +60〕
〔Paris's Attraction to you has increased.〕
Tony's heart skipped a beat, a surge of anger causing his body to heat up, but quickly, he masked his anger behind his usual smirk. He chuckled softly, turning away from me. "What a heartfelt speech. I bet Mommy taught you all about theatrics, but at the end of the day you're still below me."
I watched as Tony and his lackeys walked away, sitting back down in my seat with a heavy exhale, looking at my hands and noticed them trembling with bottled up anger. Suddenly, I felt a gentle touch on my cheek, the touch immediately grabbing my attention.
Paris smiled at me, moving her hand from my cheek to fix one last messed up strand of hair. "I appreciate what you did for me...and I respect you for using your words. You really tanked his ego..~"
"All I did was tell him the truth he didn't want to hear, someone had to say something to that jerk," I said, letting out a soft exhale, my heart rate gradually leveling and becoming steady.
"Well, either way, I really appreciate it. Thank you for that...most people wouldn't have really done what you did," Paris said, her tone tinged with gratitude and warmth.
Soon, the bell rang for the next set of classes to begin, everyone around us gathering their belongings and heading toward their next destination. Paris and I began to collect our things, getting ready to head to our English class.
"C'mon, let's walk together," Paris invited, picking up her bag and trash from the table and waited for me to join her.
Without a second thought, I gathered my belongings, joining Paris upon our trip to our class together. I could tell after the event with Tony, Paris and I began to grow even closer, especially with a new shared dislike, our disdain for Tony.
Though he did sour our mood for a moment, we continued pushing forward, not allowing one person to ruin our entire day. As we walked to our next class, we continued to talk with one another, making small talk and continuing to fully break the ice between us.
〔Bond with Paris increased.〕
〘Date: 2/7 - Thursday〙
〘Time: 1:15 PM〙
〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Trinity Valley University〙
I sat on the top row of the classroom, twirling a pen around my fingers as I listened to the professor teach his lesson. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open, the professor's monotone voice a source of boredom and drainage.
Around the classroom, rarely anyone paid attention to the professor, and despite that, he continued to teach his lesson. As I scanned the classroom, I noticed Matt on the bottom row with his head down on his desk, not even hiding the fact he was flat out asleep.
〔Phroa: No shot this guy actually cares about his job! I mean, look at him, no one is paying attention, Mr. Boredom!〕
I chuckled softly at Phroa, looking down at my phone as she leaned outside of her small, decorative window, a bored emoticon playing above her head. 'Chill out...we only have 50 minutes left of class..'
〔Phroa: That's 50 more minutes of pure torture...put me up there, this class would be over in less than five.〕
〔Phroa: ...Seconds.〕
'Cap and you know it. No way you're getting everyone here to process all of this information in five seconds,' I retorted mentally, silently laughing at Phroa's blissful confidence.
〔Phroa: It's just a metaphor, Socrates.〕
While having a mental chat with Phroa, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder and turned over to see Paris, wanting my attention. I could see the curiosity in her eyes as she leaned over, wanting to see what was on my phone.
"Whatcha looking at..?~" She whispered, playfully leaning over enough to get past the border of my privacy screen protector.
Phroa squeaked, panicking and stood up quickly, glancing around and didn't know if she should hide or improvise. Without a second thought, she took on a very flirty pose, making a heart with her hands and smiled cutely.
〔Phroa: Hi, Master!~ It is currently 1:23 PM!~ Would you like to play a minigame to pass the time?〕
Never in my life have I ever felt a deep embarrassment within, my embarrassment slowly turning into shame as I watched the tomfoolery Phroa pulled off on my screen. I glanced at Paris, expecting a massive tank in Attraction for me, but to my surprise, she seemed interested.
"Hey, I used to play a game like that called Oath of a Prince..! I would always make a nice Light Element Lord with Excalibur, and every time—" Paris began, stopping herself as she noticed she had began rambling and glanced at me out of embarrassment.
I couldn't deny the relief I had from her nonjudgment, but I also couldn't deny my growing intrigue about her experience with dating simulators. "You've played dating simulators..?"
"Well..." Paris whispered, silently giggling out of embarrassment and averted her gaze toward the professor. "I used to play them a lot back in high school... I actually used to be a huge nerd for anime and books before becoming a Queen Bee by force..~"
"Wow, a Queen Bee with some fine taste in honey. What would it take to be a worker bee," I said jokingly, letting out a soft chuckle and gently poked her side.
Paris's side jolted, causing her body to jump and cause a silent ruckus with out desks. She quickly covered her mouth, muffling her squeak and sunk down into her seat. I quickly laid my head down, praying to my own father to give me enough strength to not burst into laughter.
〔Charisma/Flirtation EXP +100〕
〔Charisma Level UP!!! 1 ↠ 2〕
〔New Award Unlocked: Charisma EXP Gain +10%〕
The upbeat victory tune playing from my phone only added to the comedy of the situation, the struggle to hold back my laughter becoming increasingly intense. Paris closed her eyes as well, her silent laughter coming through her nose.
Paris peeked over at me, playfully shoving me feigning annoyance. "Don't do that..! I'm ticklish!"
I sat up in my seat and fixed my hair, letting out a shaky breath, managing to control my laughter. I sat back in my seat, looking over at Paris with a smile. "How was I supposed to know? I didn't expect you to jump like that."
Paris giggled softly, sitting up in her seat and glanced down at the professor, noticing he was done with his lesson. "Looks like he's finished... Finally, his agitating voice is over..."
I chuckled softly at Paris, noticing a few students getting up to leave the class early since his lesson was over. I turned my head to look at Paris, a mischievous twinkle flashing in my eyes. "You wanna leave as well? Maybe we can hang out somewhere."
Paris was immediately onboard with the idea of leaving this specific class early, sitting up and gathering her things. "I thought you'd never ask, I need some fresh air."
I snickered lightly at her eagerness to leave the class, gathering my things as well then stood up from my seat. Once we were ready, the two of us began to descend the steps and left the class with the others.
Paris stretched as she began walking down the halls with me, letting out a hum of satisfaction from her joints popping. "Mmm!~ Finally, freedom from boredom!~ High grades are not worth the mental stress!"
I chuckled softly from her playful complaints, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow. "You must really dislike his class huh?"
"Ugh, don't get me started. I love the English subject, books, poetry, scripture, but if the teacher is boring—" Paris began, holding a thumbs down in front of her. "The class is automatically a total bust. Five booms for another piece of my soul missing."
I couldn't help but to laugh, never hearing anyone of her status speak in the way she does. "Booms? Ahh, I see you're also doom scrolling every chance you get?"
Paris giggled lightly, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "Of course, I have to occupy myself somehow when I'm not facing high expectations. Duh~"
"Alright, relax," I laughed softly, rolling my eyes at her from her sarcasm.
Paris laughed along with me, the two of us making our way toward the courtyard to hang out for a moment longer. She seemed to enjoy my company, her smile never leaving her face once since we've started talking.
As we walked alongside one another, the two of us found ourselves at the courtyard once again, both of us agreeing to take a break from walking at one of the tables. Setting out things down, the two of us let out a soft exhale, our bodies glad to take a break from a long travel.
〔Phroa: Psst! Hey, Master!〕
I glanced down at my phone, noticing Phroa wanted my attention. She was pointing to a window that looked like something from a gacha game, the bold pink and gold letters and numbers blinking with neon borders.
〔Succession Rate UP!!! 72% ↠ 89%〕
〔Phroa: After spending enough time with her, her Affection for you began to increase, boosting your succession by a lot! Hurry, ask her on a date!〕
My eyes flashed with determination as I gave Phroa a subtle nod. I turned my attention back to Paris, clearing my throat lightly. "Hey, I know this is out of the blue, but are you free later? I want to take you to World of Literacy and show you an author I know dearly."
Paris smiled at me, her eyes shimmering with curiosity and bubbling excitement. She quickly picked up her phone, checking her schedule to see if she was free. "Okay, we can do it!~ It'll have to be after five because that's when my practice ends. If you want, you can show up to my practice at three~"
〔Phroa: Double score!~ Heh, the power of the Level 1 Luck Stat!〕
'Luck? Yeah, okay,' I retorted mentally, brushing past Phroa's comment.
"Yeah, I'll definitely show up. It'll be nice to finally see you up close in action," I said, my tone smooth and savory like honey.
〔Charisma/Flirtation EXP +65〕
Paris giggled lightly at my tone, feeling her stomach growing butterflies within. "A smooth talker now that you've buttered me up..?~ It's gonna take more than Charisma to fully get me..~"
I watched as she began to stand up, my eyes gleaming with excitement, my blood pumping with the premise of my first chase. "Oh, I know that dearly, don't worry. And also, I'll do more than try to impress you on our date..."
"You better..~ Bye, Ryder~" Paris hummed, making her exit toward the sports area of the campus, her hips swaying with every step of her confident stride.
〔Bond with Paris increased greatly!〕
〔Initiation: Art of Love - Pick Up!〕
〔New Main Objective: Go on a date with Paris.〕
〔Task: Raise Paris's Attraction Meter to 100%.〕
〔Reward: Credi +5000, Art of Love EXP +500〕
Phroa giggled happily from my successful attempt at asking Paris out, dancing happily within her digital window with golden sparkles around her. I couldn't help but to chuckle lightly, a sense of pride swelling up within me from my first steps out of my comfort zone.
〔Phroa: Alright! Now that we have our date, let's go somewhere private so I can get you all ready!〕
I nodded, gathering my things and stood up from my seat. I began to head toward the parking lot, Phroa talking my ear off about her eagerness for the future date. I couldn't lie, I had a mixture of excitement and nervousness inside since this was my first date in a long time.
Despite the nervousness, I looked forward to spending more time with Paris and learning to build a deeper understanding of my Art of Love for the future.