Joe jerked in surprise at Kilniara’s emotions. They were hidden well enough, but he was still able to hear her hurt and anger. He didn’t say anything but redoubled his effort to kill off their current goblin so he could be free to interact with Kilniara. As the fight continued, he felt pressured so spoke quickly.

“I’m not ignoring you, but I’m worried. Let’s finish this goblin off so I can focus on you, OK?”

Kilniara said nothing, but Joe still noticed her quick nod and the slight easing of tension in her shoulders also relaxed him as her worry had eased and let him know he was on the right track. They spoke little, and Joe focused purely on ending the goblin as fast as possible so he could turn to her.

When it finally fell, Joe turn to Kilniara and looked at her, breathing deeply both from the just completed combat and from concern in how to reply.

“I told you. I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to get your hopes up. I wasn’t trying to. And… well… I know how to help you grow quickly. I just ...” Joe paused to sigh before continuing, “I just wish you all would listen to me.”

Kilniara frowned at that, “This morning?”

“Yeah… about the agile swordsman… and changing to commoner… and… that whol…”

Kilniara interrupted with surprise, “No! Not that. That’s… I don’t care about that. Why did you try to tell Garnedell.”

Tell Garnedell… what? Joe was now utterly lost. He wasn’t sure exactly what she meant, but simultaneously knew asking for clarification was probably a really bad idea.

“Please tell me more. I am not taking your question lightly, but I do not understand what you are asking. I know you are bothered or hurt but I do not know why. If it’s not the job thing, then… I’m not sure at all. I … I don’t know.”

She looked up at him, anger flashing through her face even as her head jerked up rapidly. She didn’t say anything, but he could see her anger rising and he quickly interrupted her.

“Please, wait! I’m not trying to anger you or hurt you. I truly do not know or understand. Please, teach me. I do not understand what I did to offend you.”

She stared at him carefully, eyes cautious and anger receding but still reserving the right to her anger. She took a few breaths before moving from bitter hurt anger to skeptical simmering frustration.

“You claim to not know you almost embarrassed me in front of Garnedell?”

“Yes?” Joe’s response was long and drawn out… deeply uncertain.

“That you were to tell him about the mana emission this morning…”

Joe blinked. Oh… that… the hugging… and… OK… so, but why… His face flushed red.

“This morning in my mana training.”

“Yes!”

Joe paused a bit, still lost, “I understand that I did or said something, but I really do not know what I did. Should I not speak of what happened this morning? Can you explain or tell me why?”

Her anger swelled a bit, replying flatly, “You. Don’t. Know.”

“I’m… I’m sorry. I really don’t. What did I do wrong?” Joe replied, utterly confused.

“You… you spoke…” Kilniara sighed then dropped her shoulders as she saw him sincerely honest in his confusion before a small smile escaped her anger to leap onto her lips and Joe sighed with some relief although still held his face in serious concern. He waited patiently without replying and she finally continued.

“You think it is ok to speak of intimate moments with others?” Kilniara asked with a bit more amusement showing on her face.

Joe’s eyes rose quickly and he relaxed, “Of course not. Intimacy is also a private thing amongst my people. But I was not going to speak of our intimacy, only of the mana emission. Is that not appropriate?”

“That is an intimate moment.”

Joe cocked his head in confusion before stating bluntly, “I wasn’t going to tell him you were sitting on my lap.”

Kilniara’s eye’s widened in shock as she actually jerked back, “Of course you shouldn’t…” She stopped to catch her breath and stared at him, confused herself.

“Is that not it?” Joe asked, continuing the conversation.

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“You were talking about my mana emission.”

“Yeah? It was confusing to me.”

“Confusing? How is it confusing?”

“Well, Garnedell has emitted mana at me before and it… doesn’t feel… like… what you did… His was just… but yours…” Joe trailed off, his face flushing vivid red as he remembered the moment.

Kilniara stepped forward and dropped her voice into a whisper, “It… felt good?”

Joe dropped his own voice to match Kilniara and closed as well, increasing the intimacy of the moment, “Very. Very much so. What is … Why?”

“You… you do not know?”

Joe smiled and shook his head, “I never really received much training in…” Joe shook his head and ended the comment, deciding to focus on what he wanted to know and not struggle to find some kind of lie to explain his question.

“What… please explain.”

It was at this point that Kilniara’s anger completely faded replaced by an increasing embarrassment. She retreated into shyness, head dropping away and down while her arms closed to wrap around herself as she twisted away from him. Joe stepped up to her and slipped an arm around her and leaned down to whisper into her ear.

“Please. I truly do not understand why Garnedell’s mana simply feels like a breeze… warmth and happiness… but yours… yours…” Joe stopped speaking as the memory returned and overwhelmed him and the moment changed from confrontation to intimacy rapidly.

“Is this… something about men and women? Does a man’s mana or a woman’s mana affect the other that way?” Joe asked, trying to keep his mind focused on the conversation.

Kilniara’s anger returned in a flash as she looked back up at him, but quickly sighed and dropped her irritation and seeing Joe’s obvious confusion heavily tinged with incredible lust. She smiled at seeing his obvious interest in her and relaxed completely as she turned towards him and raised her hand to lay it on his cheek.

“No. It is simply part of what it means to be lovers.”

“Lovers?”

“Hmm.”

“Then, what… this… What does it mean?”

“This feeling is what those who feel love for one another feel.”

“Only for lovers?”

Kilniara blushed bright red but continued, “The mana of one you love feels the way you… um… you …”

Realization came to Joe quickly, “The mana of your lover feels like love. It is very intimate.”

Kilniara nodded quickly and looked away, her embarrassment rapidly overwhelming her confidence. She turned away a bit but did not move away from him and Joe slid up to her, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

“So,” Joe drawled, not smugly but in consideration as he drew out the word for a good couple seconds before he continued, “you really like me.”

She nodded quickly but jerkily.

“Does it mean you like me or that you love me?”

She didn’t say anything, frozen for a bit before whispering, “Like does not… feel so intimate or make one desire the other so much. It is a pleasant breeze. A feeling like a happy moment; a perfect moment.”

“Huh… so you love me.”

She froze again, saying nothing, but he pulled her in and held her close, “It seems I love you as well.”

That comment shocked her and she jerked before rapidly spinning in his arms and wrapping him in hers, her head tilting back before plastering a kiss on his lips. He pulled back a bit shocked but quickly dropped his head back down to reply to her kiss before pulling back and dropping his head to whisper in her ear.

“Don’t want you to be embarrassed but the boys are watching this, a little.”

She jerked back and stepped away from him, her face turning even redder. She straightened herself up and then looked up at him and despite her even greater embarrassment, couldn’t hide her brilliant smile.

“You… you truly care for me?” she whispered to him.

“It seems more than truly care,” he smiled in return.

She settled back into his arms but this time buried her head into his chest instead of her tongue into his mouth. He held her like this but continued his questioning.

“So, I’ll feel that way if another likes me?”

“No, you’ll feel that way if you like them.”

“Huh, so if I loved you but you did not love me, I would feel what… warmth? Respect? When I felt your mana, but you would feel nothing or… my love… when you felt my mana?”

“Mmm. You would feel of me as you described, but I would feel little to nothing. It does not reveal emotions so completely. It is only when it is mutual that such as this occurs.”

“What would you feel?”

“It depends.”

“Can you tell me more?”

She wiggled in his chest before nodding and continuing, “If I were to only be your friend, I would feel what you felt from Garnedell. If I disliked you or felt some other negative emotion, I would be repulsed.”

“Huh. So I would feel your repulsion even if I liked you. The feeling is based on the person feeling it?”

“Yes and no. If there were no intention behind the mana, then it is only on what they feel for the other person. If the other had an intention of some kind, then you would also feel that intention.”

Joe pondered a moment but was unable to quite grasp what she was saying, “Could you… explain a bit more?”

“Hmm… if someone wanted to harm you, you would feel their intentions as a sense of harm or danger and feel wary, worried, or even incredibly afraid when it washed over you.”

Joe laughed at that, as his thoughts came to him and he replied, “So if it was someone you liked but they wanted to do something harmful to you, you would feel horny and afraid at the same time?”

Kilniara giggled at that before nodding, “Yeah, maybe, although the degree of danger and harm may at some point overwhelm the lust.”

“That would be kind of a slap in the face, suddenly feeling the mana of someone who pretty much… despises you and you don’t know it. Huh… wonder what happens walking through the red light district.”

Kilniara stiffened a little before sighing, “Some prostitutes are able to take advantage of that, yes. But that is only lust, and not…”

“I felt pretty lustful for you.”

Kilniara giggled at that before smiling brightly up at him, “It would not be that much for a prostitute or a one way relationship. It is simply a feeling of desire, and rather muted. A mutual relationship such as ours makes it overwhelming. One way is not so… meaningful.”

Joe cocked his head as he looked at her, “You know this?”

Kilniara blushed at that before nodding her head, “Yes. It is very… limited. A boy I used to like but I learned quickly he felt only lust for me and his intentions were obvious. I genuinely liked him, and his mana was a soothing balm, but his lust in his mana shone through obviously. His desire was for himself.”

Joe looked down into her eyes but said nothing for a moment before asking the obvious question, “So then… my desire?”

“Was for me! Me and my best.”

Joe smiled at that before he relaxed a bit, more relieved. They stayed in the hug for another few moments before Joe continued the conversation.

“Could you express mana into me again?”