Elise stood in the middle of the room like she was guarding it from demons.
I stood near the chair like it was the last safe object in the universe.
The chain between our wrists glinted softly, a quiet reminder that Lustra hated personal space and loved comedy.
The Consent Candle sat on the table, lit and glowing like a tiny magical referee.
Everything was calm.
Too calm.
Then the chain tugged.
Not hard. Just enough to be annoying.
Elise shifted one step toward the window.
The chain pulled me with her.
I stumbled, caught myself, and ended up way too close behind her, close enough that my breath hit the back of her neck.
Elise froze.
I froze.
The candle flickered like it was trying not to laugh.
"Sorry," I blurted.
Elise's shoulders were tense. Her cheeks were pink. Her voice came out low and sharp.
"Do not breathe on me."
"I wasn't trying to."
"You were succeeding."
I swallowed and took half a step back.
The chain tugged again and stole it back.
Elise turned slowly, eyes narrowed, like she was about to accuse me of treason.
"I am not doing this," she said.
"I'm not doing it either," I said. "The chain is doing it."
Elise stared at the chain, then at the candle, then back at me.
Her jaw clenched.
"Fine," she said.
"Fine what."
"If the city wants to be stupid," Elise said, "we will be smarter than it."
That sounded heroic.
It also sounded like a lie, because she was blushing while saying it.
Elise marched to the table, grabbed the Consent Candle, and lifted it like she was about to interrogate it.
"We will set stricter boundaries," she announced.
The candle flickered.
The candle's soft neutral voice spoke, like it was a customer service bot for horny situations.
"Consent ritual active. State consent and boundaries."
Elise inhaled like she was preparing for battle.
"I consent," she said, clipped, "to stabilize this room and prevent ambient Eros fluctuations. Boundaries. No teasing. No flirting. No touching beyond what is required by the tether. No—"
She paused, ears bright red.
"No… staring."
My mouth opened.
Elise's eyes snapped to me.
"Do not speak."
I shut my mouth.
The candle glow stayed steady.
Then it turned to me.
I cleared my throat.
"I consent to stabilize the room," I said, trying to sound normal and failing. "Boundaries. Same. No teasing. No flirting. No staring. No… breathing on paladins."
Elise's eyes narrowed.
The candle glow remained steady, warm, satisfied.
For five whole seconds, we were safe.
Then the room did it again.
The air warmed, the curtains fluttered, and the chain tugged like it wanted us to meet in the middle.
Elise looked up at the ceiling like she was asking the gods why they hated her.
"Why is it still doing it," I whispered.
Elise stared at the candle.
Then she stared at me.
Then she said, in the most bitter voice imaginable, "Because you are apparently a walking disaster."
"That's not romantic," I said.
Elise's eyes flashed. "This is not romantic."
The chain tugged again.
We both stepped at the same time, trying to avoid each other.
We collided anyway.
Not a hard collision. A soft one. The kind that makes your body notice things.
Her armor was cool at the edges. Her cape brushed my arm. Her hand slid up my chest for balance, and for one horrible second she was holding onto me like she meant to.
Elise's breath caught.
My brain stopped.
The candle flickered.
The system chimed in my skull like it was giddy.
TEMPTATION EVENT: ACCIDENTAL CONTACT
RESIST FOR XP
TIP: YOU ARE LOSING
Elise yanked her hand back as if my shirt was on fire.
"Move," she snapped.
"I'm trying," I said.
"You're not trying hard enough."
"That's because the chain—"
"I know what the chain is," she hissed, cheeks blazing. "I can see it."
We stared at each other.
The room felt too small.
The candle glow felt too warm.
Elise's eyes dropped to my mouth for half a second again.
Then she looked away like she'd been slapped by her own thoughts.
I couldn't help it.
"I'm sorry," I said, softer. "I don't want to embarrass you."
Elise didn't answer immediately.
When she did, her voice was tight, like she was holding something back.
"Ren," she said.
My entire nervous system reacted like that name was a spell.
"Yes."
Elise shut her eyes for a second, then opened them, sharper than before.
"We need a new plan," she said.
"What plan."
Elise looked at the candle again, then at the chain.
Then she said the sentence that made my soul leave my body and hover near the curtains.
"We will do controlled exposure."
"…What."
"Controlled exposure," Elise repeated, like it was a military tactic. "If you are going to be assaulted by flirting in this city, you need practice."
My face went hot. "Practice what."
Elise's cheeks went pinker. "Refusing. Staying calm. Not reacting."
"That sounds impossible."
"Then you will learn," she said, voice clipped.
The candle flickered like it approved.
I stared at her. "Are you volunteering to… flirt at me."
Elise's eyes flashed. "No."
"Then how—"
Elise clenched her fist.
Then she said, like she was swallowing poison, "I will… simulate."
My brain did a full reboot.
"Simulate," I repeated.
Elise glared at me. "Do not enjoy this."
"I'm not enjoying it," I lied, while my pulse tried to punch through my wrist bracelet.
Elise shoved the candle back onto the table and stood in front of me, posture rigid, face pink, eyes furious with the entire concept of this world.
"Listen," she said. "This is training. You will respond politely. You will refuse. You will not—"
Her gaze flicked down, then back up.
"You will not look like that."
"What does 'that' mean."
Elise's jaw clenched. "Like you want to be teased."
I swallowed. "I don't."
Elise didn't believe me.
She took a breath, then stepped closer.
The chain loosened slightly, like it was happy.
Elise's voice dropped into that paladin tone again, the one that sounded like judgment and heat at the same time.
"Ren Varga," she said slowly.
My spine went stupid.
The system chimed.
NAME-BASED WEAKNESS TRIGGERED
RESIST FOR XP
Elise watched my reaction like she was taking notes against her will.
"Good," she said, and somehow her voice sounded annoyed that it worked. "Now. Refuse me."
Refuse her?
Refuse her what?
She didn't even say anything dirty. She just said my name like it mattered.
My mouth went dry.
"I… Dame Elise," I managed, "this is… inappropriate."
Elise's eyes narrowed. "Too formal."
"What."
"Your refusal sounded like a court statement," Elise snapped. "Say it like a person."
I swallowed again.
"No," I said, quieter. "Not like that."
The candle glow warmed.
The system chimed.
XP GAINED: 10
BONUS: NATURAL REFUSAL
Elise blinked, surprised.
Then her expression hardened again like she refused to be impressed.
"Again," she said.
She stepped closer, until our chests were almost touching, until I could see the tiny details in her eyes, until the chain was slack and useless between us because we were already within range.
Elise's voice softened, barely.
"Ren," she said.
I made a pathetic noise.
Elise's cheeks went redder, like she hated the effect she had.
"Refuse," she ordered, but her voice wasn't as sharp this time.
I forced myself to inhale.
"No," I whispered. "You're too close."
Elise froze.
Her eyes widened a fraction, like she hadn't expected that answer to sound like it did.
The candle flickered.
The room warmed again.
Elise looked away, breathing tight.
"I told you," she muttered. "You react."
"It's not my fault," I whispered back. "You're… you're like that."
Elise snapped her gaze back to me. "Like what."
I panicked.
The correct answer did not exist.
"Like… intense," I blurted.
Elise stared at me.
Then, to my horror, she laughed. It was small, quick, like it escaped before she could stop it.
Her laugh made her look younger. Softer. Dangerous.
She cleared her throat immediately and tried to regain paladin mode.
"Again," she said, but her voice had a crack in it now.
"You're enjoying this," I accused, quietly.
Elise went crimson. "I am not."
The candle flickered like: sure.
Elise leaned in again, but slower this time, eyes locked on mine.
Her voice dropped, controlled and warm.
"If you behave," she murmured, "I will make sure nobody in this city touches you without permission."
My heart stuttered.
That sounded protective.
It also sounded possessive.
The system chimed like a delighted demon.
TEMPTATION EVENT: PROTECTIVE DOMINANCE
RESIST FOR XP
WARNING: YOU ARE VERY WEAK TO THIS
Elise watched my throat bob as I swallowed, like she could see the exact moment my brain broke.
"Refuse," she whispered.
I tried.
I really tried.
"No," I said, voice shaking. "That's… not fair."
Elise's eyes softened a fraction.
"That was good," she murmured, then immediately looked angry at herself for praising me.
Then the chain tugged again, gently, pulling her even closer.
Elise's breath brushed my cheek.
My hands lifted without permission, hovering near her waist, not touching, like my body was asking the candle for approval.
Elise noticed.
Her eyes flicked down to my hands.
Then she whispered, very fast, "Do not."
I froze instantly, hands dropping.
The candle glow stayed steady, calm, approving of boundaries.
Elise exhaled shakily, then stepped back.
The chain tightened.
It pulled me forward a half step.
We both stopped, staring at each other like idiots.
Elise's cheeks were bright red now, her eyes too bright, her posture caught between righteous and flustered.
"This," she said, voice tight, "is why you need training."
I swallowed. "Is the training over."
Elise's gaze flicked to the bed.
Then away.
Then to the candle.
Then back to me.
"No," she said quickly, almost offended. "You sleep on the chair."
"Good," I said, relieved.
Elise grabbed a spare blanket from the bed and threw it at me.
It hit my face.
"Good night," she snapped.
I peeled the blanket off my head.
Elise was already climbing into bed, fully clothed, cape folded, armor pieces removed but still very much paladin. She lay stiffly on her side, facing the wall, like if she stared hard enough at the plaster she could erase the entire day.
The candle kept glowing softly on the table.
The chain glinted between our wrists as we both tried to pretend it wasn't there.
I sat in the chair with the blanket over my lap, heart still racing, cheeks still hot, and the stupidest thought in my life repeating in my head.
If this is only training, I am absolutely doomed.
The system chimed one last time, cheerful as ever.
DAILY TRAINING COMPLETE
XP GAINED: 30
BONUS: PALADIN PRAISE EVENT
TIP: TOMORROW WILL BE WORSE
Elise's voice, muffled into the pillow, came out very small and very angry.
"Ren."
"Yeah?"
"Don't you dare smile."
I bit the inside of my cheek so hard it hurt.
"I'm not smiling," I whispered.
Elise didn't answer.
But the chain tugged once, softly, like it was laughing in the dark.