Joker very gently takes her hand, and tugs lightly in the direction of the pillow pit.

... Akira lets herself be led, one step at a time, and then she's standing on the pillows and all she has to do is sit. 

She sits. 

The pillows are soft, at least.

Joker glances over at Julie, and sits carefully in the pillow pit as well, away from either of them.

Julie takes Akira's hands in her own and gently brings them to her lips, kissing the back of first her right, then her left, smiling tenderly.

Akira sits, and lets herself be kissed. 

She feels very faraway. It's nice, but this isn't a thing that happens to girls like her.

Julie scoots across the remaining distance between them, pulls Akira's head to rest gently on her shoulder, and combs her fingers through her hair with one hand, the other hand caressing little circles on the back of Akira's hand with her thumb.

"Oh mon trésor. My sweet chérie, come back to this moment with me. You are such a good, brave, lovely girl, and you are so beautiful, trés belle."

Akira closes her eyes. 

She remembers that when she was very small, her mother would sometimes play with her hair like this.

It's ached to not have that. 

It's strange and good to have it again.

It feels soft and warm and gentle and intimate.

Gradually she starts to come back to her body. She still feels a little floaty but it's a better kind. Less empty. 

She leans against Julie's shoulder and breathes. Slowly her breath evens out and becomes less tense. And after long enough, she even turns her hand, and grasps Julie's in turn, gentle and soft.

"... I'm scared," she says. "I —" she exhales. "I don't know how any of this works, and..."

"Sure you do." Joker's voice is soft, gentle. "You've read more than enough hentai. Remember that sex education manga, what was it... Futari Ecchi. It talked a lot about the basics."

Joker looks over at Julie. "I don't know any more than you do," she admits. "But I know enough to expect this to be joyful, if you do it right."

Akira squeezes Julie's hand. 

"Alright," she murmurs. "I trust you."

Julie smiles tenderly and keeps running her fingers through Akira's hair, and brings their clasped hands up to her own heart.

"We will take our time, mon cœur. You are still coming back to me, still coming down from your stress, and I want you to feel safe. Being kind to you, being good to you, helping you grow and heal, this is what I'm for, chérie. Perhaps I take it a bit more explicitly than other Personas, but none could blame me, faced with une belle fille like yourself."

She brings Akira's hand to her lips and kisses it again.

After a long moment, a genuine smile comes to Akira's face. 

"Yeah," she says. "You've been so good to me." 

She nestles in a little closer.

"And it has been a pleasure and an honor to do so."

She strokes her hand down Akira's back, and then up again, slowly getting her body used to more touch.

"You are so precious, and so beautiful."

Akira sighs softly, and stays. 

The soft strokes of Julie's hand lull her a little. 

"... I'm beautiful?"

"More than that, you're hot." Joker gestures at her outfit. "You can pull off this look."

Akira snorts, then smiles. 

"Yeah, I guess I can."

Julie licks her lips, grinning. "You are hot, chérie. If I was not taking it so slowly, you would see just how much of an effect you have on me."

She reaches up and caresses Akira's cheek, then leans closer and presses a gentle kiss to her lips.

Oh. 

Oh. 

The soft press of Julie's lips to hers is chaste, soft, but her heart leaps anyway. 

She gets to be kissed... 

Even if it is only a part of herself she's kissing. 

She leans in a little instinctually.

She lets the kiss linger as it is for a moment, before teasingly darting the tip of her tongue against Akira's lips.

Akira flushes, and lets her lips part just slightly...

She's clumsy, compared to Julie, but this is... nice.

A tender, exploratory little dart of her tongue, caressing just inside Akira's lips, as Julie lets one hand slide down to caress her waist, the other still buried in her hair.

A soft, warm, desirous sound spills out of her throat, like a contented hum but a touch warmer.

... That's a really nice sound to hear directed at her. 

Akira sighs, and her hand hesitantly comes to rest around Julie's waist, just barely touching her.

Julie nestles closer into Akira's touch, savoring the gentle contact, and then breaks the kiss, moving instead to kiss her way across Akira's cheek and then her earlobe.

Oh... 

That's an interesting sensation. And not one she's felt before... 

She's surprised. Somehow she'd thought the mindscape would only let her experience things she'd done before...

The first kiss disproved that already, though...

This is... real, in a real sense.

She tenses a little more, her hand tightening a little on Julie's waist.

She squeezes Akira tenderly, arms tight and warm around her back, and buries her face in her hair.

"Precious girl," she murmurs. "Ma chérie, mon cœur, mon trésor, je t'aime."

She strokes up and down Akira's back softly.

"We have all the time in the world, moitié."

Those soft whispers in her ear send shivers down her spine. They're so sweet and beautiful...

Though the words are unfamiliar, Akira can tell from the tone that she's being praised. Her breath stills for a moment, and she flushes a little deeper... 

"... more, please." Akira almost can't believe she's said the words, but Julie is so gentle, so tender. It's easy to relax into her care.