"How much do you know about dark elves?"
The question came so suddenly that I almost dropped my fork. Lira's golden eyes fixed on me across the table, glimmering in the restaurant's lamplight. Her foot was still gliding along my calf, slow and deliberate, as if she enjoyed keeping me off balance.
I scratched my cheek, forcing a casual shrug. "Almost nothing. I knew you existed, obviously. But before yesterday? I'd never even met one."
Her lips curled into a small, knowing smile. She leaned forward, the silver of her hair catching the glow above us. When her hand reached across the table to rest on mine, I expected the warmth of skin. What I felt was something more, like a soft current of heat spreading up my arm, soothing, almost musical in rhythm.
"You feel that?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with meaning. "That pleasant feeling when I touch you. I feel it too. But if I did this to anyone else, they would be in agony."
I blinked, torn between confusion and awe. "Agony? From… holding hands?"
She chuckled. "Yes. Do you know why?"
I shook my head.
"Because I'm channeling mana into you right now." Her thumb traced lazy circles against my palm. "Most would feel it like knives beneath their skin. You, though, you feel comfort."
My mind raced. "That warmth… that's your mana? I thought it was just because your hands were soft."
She nodded, clearly pleased with my reaction. "Mana is unique for every person. No two flows are identical, not even twins. Normally, channeling mana into someone else does nothing unless shaped into a spell. But dark elves are… different. For us, mana is defense. A touch can cripple an attacker. But when resonance occurs, when two mana patterns harmonize, the result is what you're feeling now."
Her explanation clicked into place slowly. "So… you're saying my mana and yours… resonate?"
"Exactly." She squeezed my hand lightly. "Resonance is rare. It is instinctual, undeniable. Without it, I could never consider you as a partner. With it…" Her smile softened. "With it, I know that I can."
"Ok, and what's the deal with the clothes? I suspect that has something to do with it?"
"Yes. Dark elves without partners are instinctually compelled to wear clothes that reveal as much of our bodies as possible to the people around us. It has something to with attracting as many possible potential partners as possible.
But, once we have found the one who resonates with us, the instinct reverses, and we become very modest and chaste, only wanting to show off our bodies to that one singular person. That's one of the reasons I had you help me choose clothes today."
My stomach tightened. "So once your mana resonates with someone, can it resonate with anyone else?"
"No," she said. "There are exceptions for family, parents, siblings, children. But romantically? Once it happens, it is permanent and only with one person. Dark elves can actually tell if we will resonate just by looking at a person. Some call it fate or love at first sight. I simply call it reality. "
A pit opened in my chest. "So if I rejected you right now…?"
Her golden eyes flickered, though her voice stayed steady. "Then I would never resonate with another. I would become what my people call a throwaway elf, destined never to know partnership again. We are rare, so laws exist to protect us, but… emotionally? It is exile from love."
The weight of it settled heavily between us. I swallowed. "So you're already in love with me?"
She shook her head gently. "No. Resonance and love are separate things. Resonance determines possibility. Love must be built. Dark elves can only pursue those they resonate with, but that doesn't mean love blooms instantly. That requires time, trust, and choice."
That much, at least, was comforting. "So if our personalities don't work, then… it's still nobody?"
Her thumb resumed its slow stroke across my palm. "Yes. But even after one day, I find you fascinating. I want to try."
Heat rose in my face. "So that's why you've been flirting with me all day? Not just the mana thing, but… me?"
"Exactly." Her fingers slipped between mine, entwining. "If you don't object, I would love to take every chance I can to win you over."
The honesty in her tone caught me off guard. Here was a woman most men would trip over themselves to court, telling me plainly that she wanted me, and only me. The weight of choice pressed down hard, but before I could respond, she added another twist.
"One thing you should know before answering." Her expression grew serious. "In a household, a dark elf woman is always the first wife. That is our right. If we are not, we may abandon our partner."
I frowned, trying to puzzle it out. "First wife? Isn't that something nobles do? I'm a commoner. If I married at all, by law it it would only be to one woman, you."
She shook her head. "Not true. The partner of a dark elf has the right to multiple mates, regardless of status. When we find resonance, we create a tribe. The dark elf woman becomes the matriarch. She leads, protects, and, compelled by instinct, invites strong, resourceful partners into the tribe."
My mind reeled. A tribe? Multiple wives? The image seemed absurd, impossible, yet her tone was matter-of-fact, rooted in traditions older than the floating islands themselves.
"So you're saying," I managed slowly, "that if we became… partners, I could have others, and you'd still…?"
"Yes." She held my gaze, unwavering. "It is not jealousy. It is survival. Our tribes endure because we choose the strongest allies, the best companions, and bind them together beneath one roof. I would be the first wife, the foundation. From there… we would build something greater."
I sat back, my heart hammering. Everything I thought I knew about her, about dark elves, about relationships, it all cracked apart, reshaped by her words. She hadn't just asked me to hold her hand. She had asked me to step into a future I could barely imagine, with her at its center.
And somehow, despite the shock, the idea didn't frighten me. It thrilled me.