Chapter 37 - Charge!

Night had fallen, enveloping the rest stop in darkness. Elena, Mari, and Trev returned to the quieter and less crowded item room to explore the vending machines once more. As others retired for the night, it became ever more apparent that everyone considered it unsafe to venture outside after dark. Trev went back to the common vending machine, bringing up the ability rings on the screen and allowing Mari to choose one for herself.

"Do you have any specific ability in mind?" inquired Trev.

Mari pondered for a moment and then replied, "Not really, but I'll know it when I see-... Ah! This one!"

Trev glanced at the screen to see the ring labelled [Charged Shot]. The ability granted the next projectile fired to increase in speed the longer the user held it.

"Sounds perfect for you," smiled Trev, setting down his bag to begin inserting the required fragments.

Once he inserted fifty fragments, a ring box dropped from the machine. Mari eagerly opened it and put on the new ring. The ring was a silver colour with what looked to be a small emerald embedded in the face.

"We'll have to test it out tomorrow. Thank you, Trev. I'm off to bed now. See you both tomorrow," Mari smiled warmly.

"Good night!" Trev and Elena chimed together.

Shortly after, Trev and Elena returned to their room. Elena immediately hopped onto the bed and laid down. With Elena resting, Trev decided to take the first shower. However, midway through, he heard a knock on the door.

"Trev, I need to use the bathroom!" called Elena.

Trev was fully naked and the shower was not concealed from the rest of the bathroom.

"Give me two minutes and I'll be out," he panicked.

"I can't wait two minutes," Urged Elena.

Trev quickly turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around himself, and opened the door. Elena rushed in, urging him to leave, leaving him in the main room with just a towel and without his clothes. Although the room was comfortable in temperature, Trev felt quite uncomfortable with the situation. After Elena was done, she opened the door once more, stuck her head out, announced she was going to take a shower and closed it before Trev could interject with a request for his clothes. Elena must have noticed his clothes neatly piled in the bathroom, but she didn't think to hand them back to him. Trev sighed and sat on a chair in the corner, waiting.

After a few minutes, the intensity of the sound of the shower starting, caught Trev's attention. Elena hadn't fully closed the bathroom door, leaving it unlocked. Trev wondered if he could sneak in and grab his clothes without her seeing, but then quickly shook his head vigorously, there was no way she wouldn't notice. He imagined Elena to be the type that took her blade to the shower with her, but as he observed the room, he noticed it was placed in the corner neatly. It wouldn't be right to invade her privacy uninvited, even if the open door felt like an invitation. He resigned to sitting in the corner for the duration of her shower and began reading about crafting.

His first point of interest was investigating item augments. After a few minutes of reading, he had a good idea of what it meant. It was another common mechanic in action RPG games – the ability to socket, enchant, inscribe, etc., weapons. These mechanics were additional to the item points that were invested into items, which, after two item points invested, required items to upgrade. Beyond this point you basically chose a path for your item, requiring monster parts and raw materials to level them up. This was heavily branched giving each item almost infinite combinations. He looked up the goblin heart he had sold just out of curiosity, and it turned out to be one of the rare drops that could augment items, giving projectile weapons a buff to fire rate. The goblin heart was one of only a few rare drops they had encountered thus far, but they had all been sold to a vendor. They had also taken to leaving most of the uncommon drops and monster parts, as they were too heavy, but they would have to figure out a way to carry them eventually. With these and the fragments, Trev was going to become a packhorse.

"Trev, are you there?" Called Elena from the bathroom, interrupting his train of thought.

The shower was still running, so he wondered what she could want, but Trev stood up and moved closer to the door to reply.

"Yes?" he called from outside the door.

"I'm sorry; I was rude earlier. I was so focused on needing the bathroom that I didn't realise I interrupted your shower. Do you want to finish it now?" she asked, her voice sincere.

Trev considered her offer, appreciating her consideration.

"Nah, I was nearly done anyway. It's fine; I got the important bits cleaned," he replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I don't mind if you hop in with me, if you are worried about that," Elena suggested timidly.

"Uh," he replied, trying to give himself some time to think.

His heart skipped a beat, and a rush of conflicting emotions surged through him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, he assumed she meant after she finished. But the reality hit him; she meant right now. Whilst he definitely wanted to join her in the shower, he was also sure he wouldn't be able to keep his other head under control.

"Are you sure?" Trev stammered, seeking reassurance.

"Yes," she replied, her voice gentle and inviting.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Trev entered the bathroom, still wrapped in the towel. He hesitated, looking away, half-expecting a scolding for intruding, but instead, Elena giggled softly.

"Look at me, silly," she playfully teased.

"Sorry," he mumbled timidly.

Trev looked over to Elena observing her wet fully naked body, she had everything out for him to see. Her amazing boobs, her toned body, her perfect shape and now her pink privates. A fire instantly lit inside him, causing him to almost instantly explode in arousal.

"Happy to see me?" she questioned mischievously.

Trev looked down, underneath his towel a tent had been pitched. He instantly grabbed himself and his clothes and rushed out the bathroom in embarrassment. Why must she tease me so, he asked himself. It was obvious she liked him and possibly even wanted to have sex with him, but deep down he didn't want to make assumptions.

"Aww," she sighed wistfully as he left the room, uncertainty gnawing at his mind like an uninvited guest.

Had he made the wrong decision? The answer was all too evident, though he couldn't bring himself to admit it. Embarrassment took hold of him, compelling him to retreat from the situation. Trev was no stranger to intimacy, yet he had never been the one to make the first move, and that situation had been far too overwhelming for him.

The sound of the shower ceased, prompting Trev to hurriedly dress, seeking solace in the shadows of the corner chair. A few minutes later, Elena emerged from the bathroom, her lithe form concealed by a towel. Silence hung heavily between them like a veil of uncertainty. Trev dared not speak, afraid of the words that might betray his emotions.

With deft movements, Elena dried her hair with a second towel, facing away from Trev, making it hard to gauge her emotions. Upon finishing, she dropped her towel and reached for her clothes. Trev instinctively averted his gaze, attempting to grant her some privacy. But destiny seemed to have its own plans for this intricate dance of emotions.

Before he knew it, a sudden weight settled on his lap, pulling him back to the present. Turning to face the unexpected contact, Trev found Elena's unguarded countenance mere inches away from his own. She sat on his lap, fully naked, her cheeks puffed with disapproval.

"Do you not want me?" Elena asked.