Leveling Up With My Rebate System

Nathan’s vision was hazy but it was enough to make out the pair of soft curves in front of him.

Still half asleep, he reached his hand to confirm, giving them a gentle squeeze. His fingers pressed into them like butter, even through the fabric that covered them.

"So you’re finally awake?" A familiar voice called out.

Nathan froze.

His vision cleared just enough to see Veronica’s crimson eyes looking down on him. Then he realized exactly where his hand was before retracting it.

"My apologies." He said quickly. "I thought it was a dream."

Veronica raised an eyebrow then glanced around herself before looking back at him.

"You dream about my breasts?"

Nathan opened his mouth, paused then sighed. "...You know what? Nevermind."

A confused look flashed on her face before she stepped back. Nathan tilted his head to look around.

Cream painted walls surrounded him. The air held a scent of lavender.

In one corner of the living room was an aquarium with a gold fish. A vase of lilies rested close to it.

Veronica wore pajamas which highlighted her figure. She wore a stethoscope around her neck.

"So..." Nathan said, rubbing his temples. "I take it we’re not in Stone River anymore?"

"No, we aren’t."

Relief washed over him for a brief moment. He wanted to confirm before he fully celebrated. He got up slowly, his body taking a moment to respond.

As he steadied himself, he became aware of an uncomfortable stiffness beneath his jumpsuit.

Morning wood.

Veronica noticed him pause, unaware of his plight below. "The drug hasn’t completely worn off yet."

Nathan walked to the window and adjusted the blinds. What greeted him was a quiet and serene neighborhood, confirming he was no longer stuck in Stone River.

He exhaled and let the blinds go. "So...how did it go?"

"Exactly as planned." Veronica replied, walking to the kitchen where a kettle released wisps of steam.

"After the pill took effect, you were brought to the medical ward. Then, it was just a matter of declaring you dead."

Nathan sank back into the sofa. "And after that?"

Veronica turned off the stove. "A corpse was substituted in your place before the body was sent to the morgue. Mr Lester handled the logistics and Mr Lennyworth helped in the swap disguised as a guard."

Nathan smiled, trying to picture his cellmate as a guard.

Veronica opened her cabinet and brought out a scalpel, twirling it around her fingers before cutting open a sachet.

She paused for a moment then turned to Nathan. "Would you like some tea?"

Nathan had previously declined but today, curiosity won.

"Yes," he replied which prompted a surprised look from her. She opened the cabinet and brought out another mug.

Nathan flexed his fingers. "So what happened after. Also, were there no witnesses?"

Veronica poured the contents of another sachet into the mug. "Most of the medical staff had gone home and the rest were attending to those injured from the attack. The stressful part was swapping the corpse."

She finished making the second cup, cleaned the area and carried both of them.

Nathan frowned at the last word. "I take it the body was acquired..."

"Mozzie is thorough and I also confirmed myself. His family signed off on it." She brought both cups and handed one to him.

Nathan collected it, feeling the warmth of the ceramic mug. The scent of ginger greeted him with the steam.

He took a sip. The tea was warm and sweet, with a lingering hint of ginger.

Veronica stared at him, as if waiting for his opinion. "How is it?"

"It’s good. Better than prison food." Nathan replied.

A faint smile crossed Veronica’s face before it disappeared. She took a sip from her own cup and sat down.

Nathan looked in the cup. "How much did everything cost?"

She looked at him over the rim of her cup. "Why are you asking?"

"So I can notify my sponsor. They can refund the amount you spent." Nathan replied, tapping his fingers against the mug.

Veronica gave an amused smile. "You don’t need to. I did it because I wanted to."

He looked at her for a moment before setting his cup down. "Thanks."

"You’re welcome."

"So I was out through everything?"

"Yes and you were talking while you were asleep here." She frowned. "Something about debates. I assumed it was the medication."

He kept his face neutral. "Probably, I don’t remember."

Veronica searched his face, looking for a reaction but she didn’t find anything. "I’ll monitor you for some time so there are no more lingering issues."

Nathan agreed. He wasn’t going to explain the system and he needed time to think. His hands felt his jumpsuit looking for something.

My phone...

Veronica noticed his confusion and reached into her pocket. "Looking for this?"

She handed it to him. "I found it while checking your pulse after you were brought in. I figured it was important."

Nathan received it without looking too eager. Part of him wondered if she went through it while he was asleep because he had put a fingerprint lock.

Veronica noticed his look of worry. "I didn’t go through it if that’s what you were thinking."

"Why would I think that?" Nathan asked innocently.

She looked away. "Maybe because I’ve infringed on your privacy."

Nathan raised an eyebrow and for a moment he could see a trace of guilt on her face. Veronica took her mug to the kitchen then went to her bedroom.

Nathan opened his phone and was already seeing congratulatory messages from Moe, Theo and the guard.

He sent payments to two of them and thanked them for their help. Then he willed the system screen to life.

[System Balance: $29,951,430.31]

Nathan frowned, though the number made sense. Between the payments he had made, he expected the balance to dip.

He wondered if the system would take away the fortitude skill but the screen begged to differ.

[No. The Host keeps acquired skills.]

Veronica came back with a shopping bag to find Nathan staring at nothing. She exhaled and handed it to him.

Nathan opened it to find fresh clothes, soap and even underwear.

"Take off your clothes," she instructed.

Nathan blinked for a second before smiling. "Aren’t you supposed to buy me dinner first?"

Veronica either didn’t get the joke or didn’t care. She pointed to his orange jumpsuit. "Those are dirty and you’ve been wearing them for days."

Nathan looked down. Some parts of his jumpsuit were ruffled and dirty. The doctor was right.

Stone River only granted shower privileges to death row inmates who worked like Theo.

The rest made do with wiping their bodies with hand towels and deodorants.

"So I’m supposed to strip in front of you?" Nathan asked with a frown.

"Yes. It’s nothing I haven’t seen," Veronica answered with a smirk.

Nathan didn’t offer a reply.

Veronica crossed her arms. "I can look away if you’re...uncomfortable."

Nathan raised an eyebrow, curious about what she meant. "Why would I be uncomfortable?"

Veronica shrugged. "Maybe because you don’t have an athletic body and because of your..." She made a small, measured gesture towards his groin. "I don’t judge. I mean size isn’t everything."

Nathan frowned at the choice of words. "Size? What gave you the idea that it’s small?"

Then his mind pieced it together. The doctor had only seen his member in its resting state and arrived at her conclusions.

Veronica crossed her arms and replied to his question. "It wasn’t exactly impressive when I saw it the other..."

Her words trailed off as Nathan unzipped the jumpsuit. He let it drop to the floor, revealing his physique.

Veronica’s eyes opened wide in surprise. She had seen a part of his body when he was brought in after he fought. Nathan wasn’t athletic but he wasn’t lacking either.

But what she was seeing was an entirely different thing.

Was he hiding this beneath those oversized prison clothes?

Her expression only grew as her eyes moved down to see the bulge in his shorts, threatening to break out.

Nathan took off his shorts, revealing the erect length of his cock.

"You good doc?" Nathan called with a grin after noticing she was staring longer than necessary.

Veronica recovered her composure. "Yes. I’m fine," Veronica said, but her thoughts were still processing what she was seeing.

She gestured to the bedroom. "The bathroom is over there. You can take your bath and change there."

"Got it." Nathan stepped forward, concerned. "You don’t seem good."

His cock swung with the motion which only served to make Veronica slightly visibly flustered.

She turned her face elsewhere. "I said...I’m fine. Go take your bath."

But Nathan wanted to push it. "Is there a reason you aren’t looking, Doc?"

Veronica turned with a serious expression. "Are you testing me?"

The memory of her holding bloodied scalpels flashed his mind. But seeing her flustered made him smile which only served to visibly annoy her.

He turned and went to the bedroom. A moment later, he stepped in the shower, taking several minutes to scrub himself until he was sure he had washed the grime and filth of Stone River.

Satisfied, he stepped out in a towel and changed into the clothes Veronica gave him.

A black sleeved shirt which clung to his frame, highlighting his physique and grey loose fitted pants.

He admired the fit then stepped out of the bedroom where Veronica was fiddling with another cup of tea.

She turned her head to look at him as he walked close. Nathan noted the pleased expression on her face.

"Like what you see?" He said.

Veronica scoffed. "Don’t get ahead of yourself."

She dropped her cup and picked up something on the table. It was a black circular device with a blinking light.

Veronica flashed a grin as she dangled the object with her fingers.

Nathan’s expression fell. "Oh."

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