Arnold was determined. His tenacity bled into the next week. On Monday, he dressed in a faded t-shirt and grey joggers, ready to hit the gym. He'd signed up online and had been emailed to come in on Monday to get his ID. He'd paid for his gym membership in order to get the extra perks that came with a paid membership as opposed to a free one. He wasn't going to take less than the best in this new endeavor.It took him less than twenty minutes to jog all the way to the gym. It was merely a few streets over and he had his smart watch on to count his steps while at it. He'd actually just ordered it over the weekend. Part of his resolution to become fit for Lisa.Lisa, Lisa, Lisa.She was ringing in his head night and day. When he closed his eyes. When he opened them. When he laid in bed. As he jogged to the gym that morning.He could almost compare it to how he'd felt in his early days with Vera.He shook his head as he stood in front of the gym now. He would not think about Vera. He w
Arnold stared at the Appraisal skill and the amount beside it, wondering what exactly it was. He hesitated for a minute, hovering over it. Was this skill any good or would he just waste his money purchasing it? He felt the urge to buy it but he also needed to know if it was worth it. As if the system could sense his hesitation (which Arnold was fairly sure it could), a tab opened up to show him a little more about what this Appraisal skill was.[Appraisal skill]- You can view information of objects or of a person.- Skill use will wear off your stamina.[Do you want to purchase this skill for 1,500 lavish points?]"Yes," he said.Immediately the word left his lips, another information popped up:[You have purchased 'Appraisal Skill'][You have 99,000 lavish points remaining]His purchase was successful. And the amount of lavish points he had left in his balance was fairly reasonable. That meant that it was money he couldn't buy.What can I really use this appraisal skill to do? he
Lifting weights were surprisingly therapeutic. Arnold was in another realm for a few hours as he explored the gym on his own. It was his second day at the gym and he was no longer a rookie to the instructor so he went off on his own. He had mapped out what to do. A simple routine he followed strictly.He dropped the weight, sweaty and sticky. His timer had gone off a few minutes ago, but he'd been too carried away to notice. He'd joined the gym because of Lisa but he was beginning to actually like it.He grabbed his hand towel and tried to mop up as much sweat as he could from his skin, but it proved to be a futile move. He sighed. He'd have to quickly take a pee before heading home. He didn't want to shower in the locker room. It would be too rushed. He wanted to get to the comfort of his apartment and take his time to shower until the fog covered every inch of the sliding door of his bathroom.He headed to the shared restroom that had one toilet for women with a bold sign and ano
Arnold sat in front of the television in his living room that was 'coming together'. Really, it looked like it was coming apart. Like he was moving out instead of moving in. It was the embodiment of emptiness.There was just one sofa, the television, and a small coffee table that looked like it didn't belong there. Everything (which wasn't much to begin with) looked mismatched and out of place. He'd not really put much thought into decorations, but he'd get an interior decorator as soon as he got his life together; which meant as soon as he succeeded with his chain quests. This was his own home and that was all that mattered at the moment.He had returned to his empty home a few hours ago and had spent a long time in the shower just as he had imagined. It was a glorious experience and he was beginning to relish basic, everyday routines. Even though his body ached, it felt good to be able to go out and come in. It gave him a semblance of the working class feeling.Now, he was just w
The venue for the meeting with Mr anonymous was not what Arnold had expected. He'd driven hours to get there. At a point during his journey, he'd thought he was being set-up. Why had he decided to trust a complete stranger on the Internet? Not to talk of a shady one at that.Still, something within him chose to trust this anonymous person.He opened his phone on his dashboard to be sure he had inputed the correct location from the text into the GPS.After hours upon hours of driving through town, he was finally there.'You have arrived at your destination.'He parked his car in front of what looked like it had come right out of the pages of a magazine. Like a paradise smack on the outskirt of town.He looked around and found the road empty.Trees surrounded the area, adding to the magical feel of it. It felt like he was going on a date and he allowed the wave of relief that he'd found the place to wash over him. Over the fear. Over the worry. He was finally a few steps closer to com
Arnold got back home a few hours later, arms crammed full with groceries filled in plastic bags. He managed to get his door open and dumped everything on his kitchen counter.He got to work immediately and began to arrange the groceries where each should go. He felt so authentic as he worked. He'd even gotten two cute aprons to feel the chef aura. He was currently wearing one of the aprons.The menu for dinner was pasta and chicken sauce. He'd not made it since he left his old home. He hoped he still had it in him to prepare it. He laid out all the ingredients he'd need on the counter and went over it in his head.He put on the cooker and began to boil the pasta.A loud knock on the door brought him out of his cooking spree.He turned towards the direction of his front door, wondering."Who could that be?" he asked himself.He wasn't expecting anyone so it was surprising.He cleaned his hand with the towel he hung on the oven attached to his cooker."Did I, perhaps, order something?"
Arnold woke up with a smile on his face and a refreshing feeling inside of him. He reached out toward Lisa, but felt only space and empty sheets. He opened his eyes in a flurry."Lisa?" he called out.He'd not expected to wake up to an empty bed after the kind of night they'd had. It had been all fire and passion and her screaming had suggested that she had enjoyed it as much as he did.He stood up from the bed in all his bare skin glory and found his boxers on the floor. He put it on and shuffled out of the room to find her.He went towards the kitchen counter to find that she'd cleared the dishes. He grinned wide as he recalled just what they'd done on the counter before moving to the room to continue.There was a stirring in his groin. He wanted her again. Badly."Lisa?"No answer.He went round every part of his apartment, including his balcony, and found it empty.She was gone.He'd never expected that she would be the kind of woman to disappear the morning after."Shit," he cur
Arnold clutched the business card in his hand. He looked up at the building, then back at the address scribbled on it. He was ready to walk in there and shock the hats off Mr Xiu.He'd woken up that morning with a certain refreshing feeling, no longer held down by whatever shortcomings he'd been consumed by in the past. He was dressed in a dapper blue suit and a red checkered tie, with a pristine black shoe to top it off.He'd not expected this building before him. It was way bigger than he'd imagined. Going by who Mr Xiu really was — which was the Ghost of Wall street — he knew he would be big, but he'd just not expected him to be this big.There was a bold sign in front of the countless storey building that said XIU'S EMPIRE.Typical.There was no trace or proof that Mr Xiu was the Ghost of Wall Street, however.He walked into the building. The security guard stopped him at the entrance and just like he'd seen in the movies, he lifted his card and said, "I'm here to see Mr Xiu."T