Unlocking comfort

"I'd be open to a different method." Ben understood the importance of staying open-minded. It seemed his motivational speaking wasn't at the requisite level yet.

Beluga squinted at him. "I'd sure f*cking hope so...That's not what you say in the first minute of a date. Once you're at that stage, it's all about building comfort with the female."

"Comfort?" Ben asked.

"It's what it sounds like," Beluga replied. "You have to make the female feel comfortable with you. Other terms for that are getting to know each other or building a connection. How comfortable she is determines how she views your relationship. Comfort is necessary for a female to trust you, go somewhere private with you, and develop a romantic relationship. Attraction and comfort are both necessary, but for the most part mutually exclusive…"

He continued, "If you have comfort, but no attraction, that's how you get trapped in the notorious friend zone..." His voice became solemn at the end as if speaking Voldemort's name. "If you have attraction, but no comfort, the interaction will also burn out and not go anywhere. Most females won't be willing to escalate physically with you if they don't feel they can trust you. Of course, there's one important exception…"

The faces of Beluga and Antonio became serious. They sat in silence for several moments, as if in reverence for some great being. Then, at the same time, they whispered, "The legendary sluts…"

…

Beluga exhaled, regaining his composure. "Sluts don't need comfort. It's even a turn-off for them. They only want someone attractive. Since you can skip the toughest stage of comfort with them, they're the easiest targets for sex, but nothing more."

Antonio added, "Another way to look at it is they're only good for sex. You can't have a relationship with a slut, cause they lack the self-control to stay loyal..."

Beluga nodded. "As far as sluts go, that's the gist. Oh, there is one additional thing, a special type of slut, a tier above, the evolved form of the sluts…"

Ben and Beluga exchanged glances. Their eyes shone like they were speaking of heroes or gods. Then, in unison, they muttered the glorious title, "The mythical drunk sluts…"

Recovering from his excited breathing, Beluga swallowed. "Drunk sluts even cut down the necessary attraction. Sometimes, you only need to be in their vicinity and they'll do all the work. Man…that's the life." Beluga stared into the distance, into some dream-like space, a beautiful world without war and full of sluts.

He didn't wake up until Ben waved a hand in front of his face.

Ben said, "I get it. You guys like sluts...Let's get back on topic. How do you build comfort?"

Beluga answered. "The simplest way is to ask questions. You can also tell her about you, but most people are more interested in talking about themselves. Ask about the normal stuff: hobbies, music, movies, interests, family, travel, etc. There are advanced techniques but start with those basics. Keep in mind that in a typical situation, comfort takes much more time to build than attraction. It can take anywhere from several hours to a few dates to build a decent level of trust."

Ben nodded in understanding. At that moment, he received a system alert.

[User has unlocked Favorability sub-system: Comfort]

Ben squeezed his fists in excitement. He was moving in the right direction! He was grateful to Beluga and Antonio, "Thanks guys. I understand. I'd like to try again." The three of them left Starbucks and went outside.

After searching for a while, Ben found a beautiful and interesting target. There was a girl sitting alone on a beach towel in an isolated area on the grass, drawing something in a sketchbook. Her blonde hair shined in the sun. It hung over her shoulders above a bikini top.

Although it was a warm day, it was approaching October and she was showing a lot of skin. There was a juxtaposition between the liberal outfit and her solitary demeanor, evident from her segregating herself in a remote area. That revealed an unusual personality. More importantly, it revealed large breasts...

'Big tits blonde!' Ben was too distracted to notice the personality thing. He wasn't a multi-tasker.

He took a little while to think of an ideal opener. His instincts told him that a standard opener wouldn't be too effective. Since the girl isolated herself, she probably wouldn't like if someone bothered her. So unless he said something intriguing, there was a good chance the opener wouldn't stick...

Hearing the bestial roar of a passing motorcycle, Ben had an idea!

He approached the girl with slow, steady steps, as if he was approaching a great master to become his disciple, or making a request of a legendary smith.

The girl looked up from her sketchbook when she noticed a shadow appearing above her. Her big blue eyes gazed up at Ben, uncertain what this solemn looking stranger wanted.

Ben stared at her with sincere eyes. With his most respectful tone, he used his opener. "Can you draw me as a dragon?"