After a few minutes of maneuvering around the tub and getting the cloth to Ceilie, he sat on the opposite end of the tub. Ceilie remained mostly submerged while having the cloth cover her chest. It was awkward for the most part as they tried to get situated, but finally, they calmed down, sitting in silence for a moment before continuing with the conversation.

Ceilie began, "You know what I meant when I said you were a gold mine, right?" Lone nodded his head in affirmation."You know that I've basically said you helped me get them then. So let me ask you. Why do you think we kept it from you?"

The question was pretty straightforward, so he wasn't really ready to answer, but after a few seconds, he replied, "It's ether dangerous or it would be bad if others found out." He said without question

Ceilie blinked, staring for a moment. "You're too smart for a kid who doesn't ball hairs yet and too dumb to be a magic prodigy with how you can't remember lessons on the Holy script." She said, looking at him with dead eyes. "You're right about both. While it's rare to have a booster ability, it's not unheard of. Yours even seems to have an area of effect. I'm not sure if this area effect is the usual boost or not. What I do know is that the strength of your boost you have is enough to effect level 30, maybe higher, which is just right for soldiers at the beginning of their training. Understand now?" This time, she looked at him seriously and waited for him to process what she said.

Unfortunately for her ego, Lone had time beforehand to think of the reasons why it was a secret, and this was one of his assumptions. In fact, it was his second one. The first being, it might be religious persecution in nature. Not remembering the teachings was really one of his faults.

Lone sat in the tub thinking. Staring at the surface of the water said "Thought so." He zoned out, trying to remember if anyone else could have figured out his ability when a splash of water hit him in the face.

"Where do you think you're looking? You dirty little heathen." Ceilie said with a smiling but very red face. "I'm a servent of Mightus and am celibate until I leave his services."

It took Lone a minute to understand that he was looking directly at Ceilie's precious area before responding, "Celibate? Wait! No! I wasn't thinking..." Panicking, he was going to try and clear his name when he saw Ceilie smiling at him. "Come on. I was thinking of something. Now I've got that distracting me."

Ceilie smiling face twitched, "And what is "THAT" that's distracting you? Oh! Do you think you know what that is? Little boy." Her face was redder, and it all hit him again. Technically, he was a 7-year-old talking to 21 year old woman in a tub.

'Isn't this a little off somehow? I mean, I know I'm mentally a man, but why didn't I take more interest in her before this realization. I'm not gay, she maybe a little young, but she's a looker for sure. So am I an idiot? Wait, is it an "unlocking levels" thing? Or my physical age?' His mind again, flooded with questions.

Lone looked at Ceilie in the eyes, this time trying to see if he reacted in any adult manner.

Ceilie, on the other hand, loved watching his mind go into overdrive. That is... until he looked directly at her. He didn't falter he was stonefaced and even kind of daring in her eyes. Her face blushing unsure how the brat got to her but was already planning on payback

"What is it? You like what you see?" She said, ready to give the child a noogie before stopping that train of thought.

'Shouldn't do that naked,' she thought to herself.

Lone was done staring. He had gone back to his original thoughts on if anyone other than the nuns or priest could have figured out his ability. There were three that he thought about right away. First was the baker his bread was definitely better and lasted longer than a year ago. Next was the blacksmith who was finishing his commissions much faster than he did when he watched him awhile back. Finally, there was the butcher he was also faster when dealing with the hunters, buying and selling whatever they brought to him, hearing most of this from hunters talking in the main courtyard.

If he was right, this would mean that his ability was stronger than the nuns had told him. The fact was he had noway of knowing how it affected everyone. What about the kids?!? Lone broke out in a sweat.

Looking at Ceilie again, he asked, "Have the others gotten skills too?"

Ceilie's ears flicked "yes... we've confirmed that the boys and Elaine have gotten one extra skill each. I think Elaine is close to getting another."

"How can you tell it's me, though?" He asked

Ceilie rubbed her neck, tilting her head back, then began, "Well, you see skills don't just drop in your lap like that. Even with talent, it would take a year or more. Most of the skills would take a while and experienced use over time. For example, if you built a house, you wouldn't get the skill house building from one or to projects. You would have to figure out how to roof, make windows, stairs, and other little things to understand before it pops into the system. Understanding isn't enough ether. You'd have to have the strength and dexterity also." She looked down, and she grinned at him."Your ability though, takes away one or more of those requirements. The skills the others got should, even with great talent, have taken years or some special training to get. Malcolm getting "heavy lift" was possible but Thomas got "organizer" which takes higher intelligence than what... he seemed to have." Ceilie paused trying not to bad mouth Thomas.

Lone was now understanding of both the dangers and the need to keep quiet. He had worked out that it was better that he stay out of compromising situations. But there was one thing that irked him.

"Why don't I get a benefit out of this? Why everyone else? I want skills too!" He couldn't help but feel like he got the wrong end of the stick and blurted it out.

Ceilie giggles saying "Yeah that's how you should act, just be a baby about it. Look, you know when your all grown, you'll have your pick of any nobles' house and get hired on the spot. Hell! Merchant's would pay you to sit in their shops so shop keepers will get relevant skills leveling."

That didn't cross Lones mind but the concept did peek his interest. Being able to get that kind of easy work tickled a laziness that he hadn't felt for awhile. Could he really just sit around while everyone getting the benefits of his ability? It sounds easy but it also sounds boring. He'd first have to unlock his levels to make any decisions based on his skills and abilities. Mind he still has time before all that. It looks like he'll just hide it better now. Nothing else to do until then.

What he really felt like doing was going to the dungeon. There were alot of new things he could do and play with. Not having TV or video games made living hard at first but he found entertainment in chores and the routine. Off setting boredom was all he could do. That being said he had figured that was his main driving point in doing childish things and foregoing safty when reason went out the window. Boredom was a very very strong motivation to get stuff done or do something stupid. Lone had a foot in both. It was boredom that got him started on exercising in the mornings, boredom that started his adventure outside the wall. Boredom had gotten him interested in watching the craftsman make objects of any kind. Playing with a bow was another example of doing something stupid but it all benefits him in the end.

Splashing noises broke his train of thought. He looked up to see Ceilie glide over to him put her hand on his head. The action caught him off guard. "Wha..mmff!"

"Wash up already! I want to go to bed already." Ceilie said after dunking him under water.

He coughed for moment getting stinging water in his nose and said, "What the hell was that! I'm gonna... mmrrff." She dunked him again

"It doesn't look that bad..." she said after his second coughing fit.

"What?!"

"Your hair it doesn't look that bad... when it's wet..." She said in almost a pout.

"Ether way I'm stuck with it for a month so I'm not going to worry about it. Now get your hand off my head." Lone pushed her hand off him before she could dunk him again. "I'll clean up. geez! Could have just asked." He began scrubbing his arms and legs.

From then on he asked a few more questions getting the same answers as what he had been guessing nothing really changed his perspective on much and finding it was rather boring to be right on so meny things. That when he decided to ask an embarrassing question he had earlier.

"I was wondering. Ceilie... does the level lock have an effect on my libido?" He knew it was a adult question and that he might get into trouble again but this was his manhood he was talking about. There was no way he was going to wait without getting an answer to it.

Ceilie looked at him dumb-founded, "What kind of question is that? Y-your ttt-talking to a nun, remember? Where did you hear this and that from? Are the older boys asking you to ask these things?" She was clearly upset about it and wanted to change the subject as fast as possible.

"No, I just thought that you're very pretty and I think it's weird that I don't find you more distracting than you are." He had seen her jump a little at the very pretty part and thought it her overreacting to a boy.

"Well... it's not a lock thing you see... it's a being older and getting to know someone you really like and..." It was becoming clearer that she knew less that he did and that she had answered a question he didn't asked. So he decided it wasn't important anymore.

"Stop right there. I'll let the priest answer this for me. I think we're not going to get very far in this conversation." He said before realizing Ceilie was angry. She seemed embarrassed and ready to hit him.

"You're a little shit! Asking creepy questions. Where did you even hear the word libido. No, your no longer aloud near the taverns and where do you get off asking such a questions-" Her sentences were now impossible to follow. He looked to the side in a pitying way.

She stopped talking after a moment of Lone silently just looking away. Recognizing that he was trying to let her calm down and blowoff steam. That, on the other hand had the opposite effect. She had gotten angry at this brat for being patronizing and calm when he was the cause of this. Only to wrangle a few words together.

"Don't you dare..." Ceilie said in a dark manner.

This turned his head towards her questioningly "huh?"

She stood up water running down her body steam emitted from her skin. It was a very intimidating display with her green eyes almost glowing. Her hair stuck to her upper chest but the water had taken her wash cloth away leaving her exposed to him. He would admire it a little except he felt danger alarms go off.

'This isn't good. What'd I do now?' He thought as he made for the door.

Splashing noises came from behind him as he almost gotten to his feet but tripped as something grabbed his ankle. A very scary horror scene reenacted before him as Ceilie's hair draped over her face with a single eye staring directly at him. The next thing he knew he was upside-down covering his little man with both hands staring at Ceilie's belly button.

"What now?! I don't think I said anything to get the reaction." He said as composed as he could be with water running up his nose.

"Just act your age for once and be a kid, you little shit! It's not like you're any different from the any other boys. Damnit!" she said holding him with one outstretched arm.

Lone didn't know how much he weighed but he knew he had to be at least 50 lb. something an adult male would have problems with in his old world, but here 100 lb woman holding him with one hand no problem! The physics just doesn't make sense here. He knew that she should be tipping over without a counterweight regardless of how strong she was, but hey! there's magic!

'Oh! Wait is that her...' Lone saw her tail holding onto the side of the tub like a monkey on a branch. 'Physics for the win!"

"See! That's what I'm talking about, right there! You're looking at my tail when any boy your age would be looking at the beautiful woman in front of them!" She said, exasperated."You're looking at every detail before you see the big picture in front of you, and! even then it's like you see a completely different picture from everyone else."

Splash!

Ceilie let go of his leg.

Lone got his head out of the water and looked at her with a irritated face.

"That's your problem? I'm not like the other kids?" He looked up and put his hand on his forehead "Well... a nice hair cut would be a start." He joked watching her roll her eyes and continued "Look I find things interesting, but that doesn't mean I'm not like them in-" Ceilie put her hand over his mouth.

"Yeah yeah, your pulling the wise little shit stuff. That's what gets me. Not to long ago you would be asking me everything, now your just running around fiddling with stuff, not talking to but watching people work, getting out of the walls and disappearing all day. Now you even know about your booster." Ceilie let out a sigh. Sat back down and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"I know it might be a little late but I love you. Thank you for raising me the best you could and I couldn't think of a better person to help me grow into a better person." He said in the most sincere voice he could muster.

"You're doing it again..." she looked up at him with a glare

Lone tilted his head "What?"

"You're not acting your age..." she blew bubbles in the water, lifted her head up, and said "Why is it we came in here with me running from you and at the end your cheering me up like a child?"

"Umm. Don't know. Maybe your just so-" He started running before he finished. Feeling a clawed hand swipe near the back of his head. This time getting to his feet, he was able to get to the door and flung it open. He was wet, naked, and slippery, but that was nothing compared to if she caught him now. Knowing she wouldn't leave the bathroom naked was his goal was clear.

He took in a breath and yelled, "May! I'm all done! Night Ceilie!!!"

A moment later two girls screamed while a third giggled.