The table fell silent.
Five translucent system screens hovered in the air, softly glowing.
The girls stared.
Nyxian blinked first. Zee leaned forward, squinting. Bunny tilted her head in confusion.
Llandra read.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Her brows knit together.
"…Jax," she said at last. "What is this?"
Jax looked up sharply. "What?"
She gestured at her screen. "These… iPoints. Stat redistribution. Skill unlocks."
His heart sank.
"That wasn't supposed to happen."
All eyes snapped to him.
Llandra turned fully toward him. "But this came from your system."
"I know," he said quickly. "I'm sorry. This isn't what I intended."
His voice cracked with frustration.
"I wanted party-linked survivability. Limited immortality in combat. Something to keep the party I was trying to join safe."
Nyxian studied him.
He looked… disappointed.
Not excited.
Not smug.
Just upset that it had gone wrong.
Before anyone could respond, Nyxian stood.
She crossed the space between them in two steps, cupped Jax's face—
—and kissed him.
Openly.
Boldly.
In front of everyone.
Including Brannic and Merriweather.
The system chimed.
iPOINTS GAINED
Kiss: +1
Kiss with tongue: +2
First kiss as a new party member: +5
First public affection (friends present): +5
First public affection (strangers present): +5
TOTAL iPOINTS GAINED: 18
TOTAL iPOINTS: 18
LEVEL UNLOCKED
Stat Points Available: 1
Nyxian broke the kiss slowly, smirking as she returned to her seat, deliberately licking her lips.
Brannic coughed loudly.
"…Right," he muttered. "That's my cue."
He stood, clapped Jax on the shoulder. "We'll meet tomorrow. Contracts, details. Pleasure doin' business with you."
Merriweather giggled, already halfway to the door. "Congratulations~!"
They left quickly.
Llandra stared at her screen again.
"…Did we all just receive stat points?"
Zee nodded, eyes wide. "I—I think so."
Bunny wasn't looking at her screen at all.
She was looking at Jax.
At Nyxian.
Her ears twitched.
Then she stood up, crossed the table, and kissed him too.
Soft.
But unmistakable.
The system chimed again.
iPOINTS GAINED
Kiss: +1
Kiss with tongue: +2
First kiss as a new party member: +5
First public affection (friends present): +5
First public affection (strangers present): +5
TOTAL iPOINTS GAINED: 18
TOTAL iPOINTS: 36
LEVEL UNLOCKED
Stat Points Available: 3
NEW SKILL SLOT AVAILABLE
Llandra inhaled sharply.
She pulled up her status screen.
Llandra – Party Status
Strength: 16
Speed: 22
Agility: 20
Accuracy: 28
Perception: 24
Endurance: 21
Intelligence: 23
Mana Control: 20
Luck: 10
Charisma: 14
Beauty: 28
She scrolled.
Stat redistribution available.
Without hesitation, she selected Accuracy.
ADD 3 POINTS
Yes.
Confirm.
Accuracy → 31
"Oh my Gods," Llandra whispered.
She looked up.
Then she smiled.
"The more intimate and close we get to him, the stronger we get. And the points stack for each of us."
The rest of the evening blurred into laughter, drinks, and discovery. The waitstaff warned them—more than once—to behave themselves.
They did not listen very well.
When they finally stepped out into the night, Bunny stretched happily.
"We should register as a new party," she said. "We're not the Frightful Four anymore."
They pondered.
Nyxian grinned. "Jax and his fiancées."
Down the street, a drunken patron laughed. "There go the Vixens! All over that lucky bastard."
Llandra, tipsy but composed, lifted her chin.
"We own it. We register tomorrow as Jax and the Vixens."
Jax conceded, "I can just be a Vixen."
The girls laughed at his apparent joke.
Bunny answered. "You can't be a Vixen."
At the hotel stairwell, Jax stopped.
Nyxian frowned. "Why are you stopping?"
"We're engaged," Zee added softly. "We go where you go."
Bunny smiled knowingly. "You said in your land, couples live together before they are married. We don't want to break more of your traditions."
"Oh, it's not exactly a tradition," Jax started, panicking. "In my… land - we just did things differently. I'm not wanting to make you guys uncomfortable."
Nyxian tilted her head. "Are you saying you don't want us to come up to your room and stay the night?"
"Yes—no—I mean—"
"Great," Nyxian said brightly. "It's settled."
She grabbed his hand. Zee's hand followed. Bunny and Llandra closed in.
Jax in a last bit attempt to make them reconsider, "Um, is this a good idea. I might snore. And I toss and turn a lot. And I sleep in the buff."
"Great! We will dress to match you then," Nyxian replied.
They stepped into the magical elevator together and Jax was thinking to himself how this would even work.
Llandra smiled serenely. "With his room, perhaps we'll sleep well tonight."
Nyxian smirked. "In his room, with Jax? I hope we don't."
The doors closed.