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There was little in the way of responding to Lilie’s comment as Ben believed one needed more than an emotion to get through the night. What concerned him more was that his new mage was painfully and obviously a romantic. It could have been adorable were it not for her position as a noble’s mage. He may have been reading too much into her statement, but relying too heavily on emotion seemed to be a glaring weakness that he could not ignore. Of course this was neither the time or place for that nor did he want to risk further argument at the moment, so instead he stood there quietly.

A melody sang through the air from a voice he did not recognize, speaking of ‘love’ once again. It must have been expected but the entire idea did make Ben roll his eyes slightly. The thin line between dedication and obsession did ring true at least. He did not, however, expect that the test would reveal itself in the form of demanding something in order to ‘win’. There was something that came to mind right away and it seemed that for once, both vampire and mage were of like mind.

[color=C0C0C0]“How troublesome,”[/color] Ben said. [color=C0C0C0]“I can’t say I approve the idea of asking for something from a pair that can be seen as intimate to some.”[/color]

Oh no.

Lilie bit down on her lower lip, nervously messing with her ponytail. So much for hoping he came to a different answer, he thought the same thing she did! Or did he? She turned fully to the count, frowning. Maybe she should just say what she thought it was on the off chance that she was just jumping to conclusions.

Except she didn’t really get what he said. [color=deepskyblue]“What do you mean?”[/color] She asked.

Ben tried to face the direction he heard Lilie’s voice from as he would address her. [color=C0C0C0]“The voice asks for a gesture to be ‘given and taken in willing exchange.’ I believe this calls for a kiss,”[/color] He explained. [color=C0C0C0]“There is a time and a place for such things and I do not believe an official examination from an academy of prestige is one of them.”[/color]

Lilie would have laughed if the dread in her stomach didn’t just swell up to her chest and choke her a little. So he thought they needed to kiss, too! At least he wasn’t happy about it. That was definitely a good sign. She exhaled a breath she didn’t know she was holding, approaching him slowly.

[color=deepskyblue]“So...you think it wants a…”[/color] Her voice trailed off as she cleared her throat. [color=deepskyblue]“Well, I thought so, too, but…”[/color] She trailed off, scratching her cheek.

Ben nodded as he made an attempt to straighten his collar. They were on the same page, then. He extended his hand to where he assumed she was. [color=C0C0C0]“So it would seem. Shall we, then?”[/color] He asked.

Lilie’s eyes widened, darting from the hand stretched out to her right to the willing count. How could he agree to something so quickly?! Couldn’t they talk about this?! Well, they did, but she felt like he was a little too eager to do this! She barely had time to register his intention, cautiously taking a step to her left.

[color=deepskyblue]“W-Wait, you can’t be serious,”[/color] She shook her head hastily. [color=deepskyblue]“We can’t just…[i]do[/i] that!”[/color]

Ben heard the hesitation in Lilie’s voice. [color=C0C0C0]“Ah, my apologies,”[/color] He chuckled. [color=C0C0C0]“Shall I let you take the lead?”[/color]

[color=deepskyblue]“Take the--n-no!”[/color] Lilie protested. [color=deepskyblue]“I just...this is all happening way too fast! You can’t just go around kissing people randomly!”[/color]

Ben had to wonder what sort of impression he was giving for her to jump to that conclusion. He thought he was clear when he had stated that this is what the exam asked for. He even voiced his own disapproval. There was also the fact that he was just a touch offended that she thought so little of him.

[color=C0C0C0]“I must have misunderstood when we came to the same thought process and misinterpreted that as an agreement. My sincerest apologies,”[/color] He said. [color=C0C0C0]“What do you think we should do?”[/color]

Lilie tried not to be annoyed as she covered her face with her hands, suppressing a groan. She actually felt like their first hunch was right, but just the thought of it made her question herself. As she really thought about it, though, there wasn’t really any harm in trying. It wasn’t like Count Ben was a complete stranger. And it was a one and (hopefully) done deal. 

Taking in a deep breath, she calmed herself down a little. [color=deepskyblue]“No, I...sorry, I think that a kiss is as good a start as any,”[/color] She said slowly, fiddling with her fingers. [color=deepskyblue]“So…”[/color]

Ben nodded once again in agreement, pleased to hear confirmation that they were in proper agreement. For the better, it would be rather uncomfortable if they weren’t. He repeated his gesture from before, extending his hand.

[color=C0C0C0]“Alright then. Only take my hand if you are absolutely sure,”[/color] He said. [color=C0C0C0]“Given and willingly taken, after all. Just think of it as a simple transaction, done once, and then over.”[/color]

Lilie matched the count’s nod, stopping as she realized he couldn’t see her. He was right about one thing, if it wasn’t genuine, it wouldn’t count. Okay, one little kiss and then they would just move on. She still found it kinda weird that Count Ben seemed more comfortable with this than she did, but then again, he was really handling it in a matter-of-fact kind of way. She supposed she was more nervous because she always did associate that type of thing romantically. And so did the magical singing pot!

[color=deepskyblue]“Yeah. Okay,”[/color] Lilie agreed, feeling ready as she would ever be as she placed her hand on his, closing her eyes.

With consent, Ben felt more comfortable with taking the next step. There was the possibility that they were both wrong, of course, but they would cross that bridge when it came. He put those thoughts away as he felt Lilie’s hand in his, deciding to focus entirely on the task at hand. The height difference did present the slightest challenge, but fortunately he learned from before. Once he was certain of their respective positions, he decided not to hesitate in case Lilie turned skittish, taking the plunge.