"Yeah, of course. They'll help you get those going, too."

But she hasn't had time to do painstaking research on them!!!

"All right. Um." She will have time to do painstaking research on them, and even her unresearched knowledge is that Guild Big, with a whole division devoted to maximizing a healer esper in a way that sounds very promising, but. She still wants to research!

Okay but more important matters first:

" ............. do you want to see a demonstration of my powers? Not here, somewhere else, without smoke detectors I could set off. My backlash backlog is - kind of gone I think, you probably have more of one, actually do you need, uh," she awkwardly offers her hand, "since you're, you know, official?"

Ah. "Yes. Um." He stands up and starts making his way to her. ...slowly. "There's. Also the question of, um." WHY IS HE THINKING ABOUT THIS. "What—kinds of—guiding you're—okay with." He should ask this BEFORE holding Kim Hye-jin's hand though because. Because.

...because!!!!!!!

"Oh, I'd tried to talk my last partner into kissing for backlash efficiency, but she wasn't comfortable with that," she answers automatically, then her brain catches up to her.

"Um. That. Um. I am inexperienced in more serious levels of guiding but, er." oh no he's very pretty and he's looking at her and he asked such good questions and and and probably touching would be really nice and. "- I'm not against it, though, if, um, I should - probably figure out some sort of birth control situation if you... think we're likely to go there?"

"I," he swallows dryly, "wouldn't want to do anything you're not comfortable with," unless she looked really hot uncomfortable LITERALLY SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Also even while walking slowly it's not like he can dawdle forever so now he's next to her and—actually he's standing up next to her and he's just realised that that is a terrible idea so he'll pull up his chair and drop onto it a bit too abruptly and then hold his hand out and look away.

".... okay," she agrees, then. Gently reaches out to take his hand. "So, uh. Yes, probably, for figuring out birth control, and it's not like it hurts if it's -" her hand makes contact with his and oh no holy shit she wants to be touching him always and forever. "- um. set up but not necessary, whereas the. opposite would be. um."

fuck.

At least he was braced for it somewhat.

(He was nearly not braced enough. He will not move to adjust because that might trigger some—events—but it's taking all of his concentration.)

"Y-yes, you're, um, r-right," he manages to choke out.

"Mmm... mhmm." She wants to nuzzle his hand but that would be incredibly weird so she's not going to do that. Words. Relevant words. Say relevant words while holding his hand. You can do it. "Um - I - should I know your backlash for safety reasons or, like, are you okay if I just have no idea and help make it go away?"

"I'll—tell you when—if—we definitely finalise this and partner—" If he never gets to fuck her he might literally die ok Lee Tae-gun you're getting your "having thoughts" permission revoked. "It will not—I will not have a—problem—with the heating, though."

Nod nod nod. "Okay, it just, seemed relevant." Say something else besides just silently holding his hand and kind of wanting to nuzzle it against her cheek because it feels so nice. "... your powers are really cool," she adds.

"O-oh. Th-thank you. Um. Yours—sound really cool, too." Though he hasn't actually seen her power in action—wait. She said she wanted to show him it, right. "Um. I—would like to see you using your p-powers, yes." And then she'd get more backlashed which would somehow make this feel even nicer??? That's probably, like, actually biologically impossible, but so is conjuring fire out of thin air so.

"Oh! Yes, okay, um. ... It should not be in here, is there like, a power testing room or something here, or, uh, should we find a quiet place outside, or?"

"We—do have power testing rooms—so it's probably a good idea to go to one of them, um."

...

"I-is there any realistic sc-scenario where we don't partner."

"I mean I did literally say I was going to move to Korea for you so, I mean. Probably not?"

"O-okay." He's still not been looking at her. He should look at her to ask this. "D-do you w-want to. Go. Sign the contract. Now. I-it's fine if not, though. Or, if there's—" Fuck he's thinking with his dick but he can't unsay it arghhhhh.

"I-I-I haven't done research on Quasar in particular so I think I'd like to hold off on signing anything based on that for right now, especially while I'm in - power testing and certification limbo - but I think even if I turn out to not like them I'd still want to figure out some kind of - complicated 'we each have our own guild' setup kind of deal where we're still ultimately partners, so if the contract you mean is an NDA or - something, I, um, then maybe yeah??"

"NDA, mostly, yeah." Practicalities! He can stop thinking with his dick now! "Quasar has—I think—I'm pretty sure—a contract for exactly the situation of partnering with someone who is not sure whether they want to join or not but might in the future."

"Okay then, yeah, that would be fine. Though I'd need to, um, maybe get a lawyer to check over it -" but that would take so long though "- or just read it to make sure it's saying what I think it'll say, are the contracts here, uh, clear?"

"Yeah. They are—shorter than other places', or so I hear, because—they say it's because they don't want you to get tripped up due to legalese."

Nod. Okay. Then she'll read it and see if it makes sense and is clear and ask questions and and and if this is motivated by pretty boy holding her hand and looking at her then, um, oops she'll say she was backlashed probably and it'll ultimately be fine - okay no stop it, that's the hormones and guiding talking, be smarter than that.

... She'll get a damn lawyer. She can ask her mom for help on this subject if it's confusing. These are important decisions and she should treat them as such, because getting carried away is in her nature and has already screwed her over at least once and she has learned her lesson, damn it.

"I'll - get a lawyer just in case. So I um. ... Probably need to make a phone call or two." She's still holding his hand. And does not super want to let go.

He also does not super want to let go.

"Sure. Um. No rush. Sorry, I don't want to—pressure. Just. Sorry. Feel free to tell me to fuck off."

"No no it's okay it's just. I'm, um. Also excited?"

Excited? Is he excited?

"Okay."

Yeah. He supposes he is. That is the thing he is right now. Excited. In many different ways fuck,