The moment we stepped out from behind the velvet curtain, the city hit me like a warm, perfumed punch.
Light everywhere. Music everywhere. People everywhere. A million little glances that felt like hands.
My new flirting license sat in my palm like a cursed invitation. It was a small metal card with my name, Ren Varga, and a bright stamp across it that screamed PROBATIONARY in elegant gold letters.
Under that, even worse.
CHAPERONE REQUIRED.
I looked at it. I looked at Elise.
Elise looked like she wanted to throw the entire licensing office into the sun.
"Thirty days," I said quietly.
Elise's jaw clenched. "Do not say it like it's a honeymoon."
"It is absolutely not a honeymoon," I said. "It's a… prison. A romantic prison."
She grabbed my wrist again, and started walking.
I followed because I like breathing, and also because her grip was way too effective at turning my brain off.
The system window popped up with the enthusiasm of an evil friend.
NEW RULE ACTIVE: CHAPERONE TETHER
WARNING: STRAYING OUT OF RANGE WILL TRIGGER PUBLIC ALARM
TIP: STAY CLOSE. YES, REALLY.
"Wait," I said. "If I stray, it alarms?"
"Yes," Elise snapped. "It will announce you're unchaperoned."
"In the city of flirting?"
"Yes."
"So it'll be like ringing a dinner bell."
Elise's ears went pink. "Stop talking."
We made it three steps before someone noticed my badge.
A woman selling pastries leaned over her stall and called, "Ohh, a probationary hero. How cute. First day, sweetheart?"
I froze.
Elise did not freeze. Elise went full paladin.
"He is under supervision," she said, voice sharp enough to slice bread. "Move along."
The pastry woman just smiled wider. "I was moving along, Dame Elise. I'm simply admiring the city's newest problem."
My face went hot. "I'm not a problem."
The pastry woman winked at me. "That's what the big stamps are for."
Elise yanked me forward.
My feet stumbled. Her grip tightened. My entire body decided to be dramatic about it.
The system chimed.
TEMPTATION EVENT: PUBLIC TEASING
RESIST FOR XP
I tried to resist. I really did. But the city was built like an ambush.
Two girls leaned together at a fountain and giggled at me as I passed. A guy on a balcony tossed flower petals like he was blessing my downfall. A bard sang something that sounded suspiciously like it included my number.
I didn't even have the wooden tag anymore. Lustra did not care.
Elise marched straight toward a quieter street, and I realized, slowly, that she was taking me away from the central plaza on purpose.
"Are you… saving me?" I asked.
"I am controlling the situation," she said.
"That's a yes."
"That is not a yes."
"That's a yes with armor."
Her eyes flicked to me for half a second. Steel-gray. Furious. Blushing, just slightly, like the anger was losing a small battle.
"You are not to speak to strangers," she said.
"What counts as a stranger."
"Anyone not sworn to protect you."
"So… everyone."
"Yes."
"What about the lady with the pastries."
"Especially her."
I nodded, trying to look obedient. The problem was, the moment I stopped talking, I became painfully aware that Elise's hand was still around my wrist.
Her glove was leather. Her fingers were warm through it. Her thumb rested at the inside of my wrist, right where my pulse lived, and every time she walked, it pressed there, just barely, like she was checking if I was still alive.
I was. Unfortunately.
"Okay," I said, voice rough. "So what now."
"Now," Elise said, "we find lodging."
The words should have been normal. They were not normal.
Lodging, in Lustra, sounded like a setup.
The system popped up again.
NEW OBJECTIVE: SECURE LODGING
WARNING: INNS ARE HIGH FLIRT ZONES
TIP: DO NOT DRINK ANYTHING YOU DID NOT WATCH BEING POURED
"Why can't I drink anything," I muttered.
"Elixirs," Elise said. "Powders. Enchanted fruit. Suggestion spells. People in this city weaponize romance."
"Do you hear yourself," I said. "You're saying romance like it's a knife fight."
"It is," she replied. "You are untrained."
That word hit my brain wrong. Untrained. Like I was an animal.
Like I needed… instruction.
My face warmed again.
Elise noticed, because she notices everything, and her glare returned like a shield.
"No," she said, like she was refusing something that had not been offered.
"What," I said quickly. "I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking loudly."
"I don't even know how to do that."
"You will learn," she muttered, then immediately looked like she regretted saying it.
We reached an inn with a sign shaped like a moon and a rose.
THE SILVER ROSE INN
QUIET ROOMS. STRONG LOCKS. CONSENT FIRST.
Inside, the air was cooler, and the lighting was softer. It was still Lustra, so it still felt like the walls were flirting a little, but it was less aggressive.
The innkeeper greeted us with a smile that was polite. Too polite.
She had black hair, a calm expression, and the aura of someone who had seen every trope.
"Welcome," she said. "Two guests?"
Elise spoke immediately. "One room. Two beds."
The innkeeper's smile deepened. "We have one bed rooms. We have two bed rooms. We have separate wing rooms for couples who insist they are not a couple."
Elise's cheeks flushed.
"We are not," Elise began.
The innkeeper held up a hand. "No need. I've heard it all."
Then she looked at me, and her gaze flicked to my probation stamp.
"Oh," she said, softer. "A new hero."
My stomach tightened.
Elise stepped slightly in front of me, like she could block a gaze with her body.
"He is under chaperone," Elise said.
"I can see," the innkeeper replied calmly. "Rules are rules. In that case, you will need to register your tether."
"My what," I said.
The innkeeper pointed to a small metal ring attached to the counter. "Chaperone tether. Put your hands here."
Elise stiffened. "Explain."
"It's standard," the innkeeper said. "It ensures your ward stays within approved distance. It also prevents the city alarm from triggering in private lodging. Some wards… wander."
Elise's eyes narrowed. "He will not wander."
The innkeeper's smile sharpened. "Of course. Hands, please."
I stared at the ring.
Then I looked at Elise.
Elise looked at the ring like it was sinful.
"Do we have to," I asked.
"Yes," Elise said, through her teeth.
We stepped to the counter. The innkeeper opened a small drawer and pulled out a thin chain, delicate and silver, with two matching bracelets.
They weren't shackles. They were pretty. That was the worst part.
The innkeeper set them down gently.
"Elise wears one," she said. "Ren wears the other. The chain length is polite. It will not restrict walking. It will restrict running away."
My brain went blank.
Elise's face went crimson.
"This is humiliating," Elise hissed.
"It's paperwork," the innkeeper said sweetly. "Paperwork is eternal."
Elise looked like she might actually explode. Then she grabbed one bracelet.
She snapped it around her wrist with the kind of force you'd use on an enemy.
The innkeeper offered me the other.
I hesitated.
Elise's eyes burned into me. "Put it on."
I did.
The bracelet clicked shut with a tiny sound that felt way too intimate for a piece of metal.
Then the chain shimmered once, and I felt it. A soft tug between us, like a gentle gravity. Not painful. Just… present.
Like the city itself was going, stay close, sweetheart.
The system chimed, delighted.
STATUS UPDATE: TETHER REGISTERED
NOTE: DO NOT TEST THE LIMITS IN PUBLIC
TIP: DO NOT TEST THE LIMITS IN PRIVATE EITHER
Elise stared at the chain like it had personally insulted her bloodline.
"This is not happening," she said.
"It is," the innkeeper replied. "Room key?"
Elise slapped coins on the counter like she was paying a ransom.
The innkeeper handed her a key, then leaned closer and lowered her voice conspiratorially.
"One more thing," she said. "Your ward has high fate affinity. The building might… respond."
Elise blinked. "Respond."
The innkeeper nodded. "Doors. Curtains. Candles. Some rooms are sensitive. If the air gets too charged, light your consent candle. It stabilizes the atmosphere."
Elise looked at me like it was my fault that architecture might get horny around me.
"It's not my fault," I whispered.
"It is always your fault," Elise whispered back, then looked horrified that she'd said that, like the sentence had slipped out of her mouth without permission.
We went upstairs.
Every step, the chain moved between us. Every step, my stupid brain noticed the rhythm of Elise's breathing. Every step, I became more aware that the paladin who "did not want to participate" was now literally tethered to me.
At the room door, Elise unlocked it and shoved it open.
Inside was… nice. Simple. Clean. Two chairs, a small table, a window with heavy curtains.
And one bed.
One single bed.
Elise froze.
I froze.
The chain between us seemed to hum with laughter.
Elise turned slowly to me, eyes wide with pure fury.
"No," she said.
I lifted my hands. "I didn't do this."
Elise marched to the bed, yanked the blanket back, and checked again like another bed might be hiding under it.
There wasn't.
She turned to the innkeeper's note on the table.
It read, in perfect neat handwriting.
Apologies. High occupancy. Two beds unavailable. Please enjoy your stay. Consent first.
Elise made a sound that was not a word.
I tried very hard not to laugh, because laughing felt like choosing death.
Elise pointed at the floor. "You sleep there."
"I can sleep on the chair," I offered quickly.
"Elise," the chain tugged gently as she stepped away, forcing her to stay within range, and she looked like she wanted to fight the chain.
"I will sleep on the bed," she said, voice tight. "You will sleep on the chair. That is final."
I nodded instantly. "Yes. Great. Perfect. Chairs are wonderful."
The moment we both moved toward our assigned places, the room changed.
The air warmed.
Not temperature. Mood.
Like the room had taken a slow breath.
The curtains fluttered, even though the window was closed.
The candle on the shelf wobbled slightly, as if nudged by invisible hands.
My system window blinked in alarm.
WARNING: ROOM SENSITIVITY DETECTED
EVENT: AMBIENT EROS SURGE
TIP: USE CONSENT CANDLE TO STABILIZE
Elise noticed the curtains and stiffened.
"What," she said.
"I think the building is responding," I murmured.
Elise's eyes narrowed. "To what."
"To," I said helplessly, "me existing."
Elise looked at me like she was deciding whether to pray or punch something.
"Light the candle," she ordered.
I fumbled the consent candle out of my pouch again. My hands were shaky, partly from stress, partly from the fact that Elise was standing too close, and the chain kept making us orbit each other like idiots.
I lit it.
The soft glow spread.
The room exhaled.
The curtains settled.
The invisible pressure eased, like the air had been told to behave.
A gentle voice spoke again.
"Consent ritual initiated. State consent and boundaries."
Elise snapped, "This is just for stabilization."
The candle flickered, like it was unimpressed by her attitude.
Elise inhaled sharply, then spoke through clenched teeth.
"I consent to stabilize the room. Boundaries. No teasing. No flirting. No… anything."
The candle glow steadied.
It turned to me.
My throat tightened.
"I consent to stabilize the room," I said. "Boundaries. Same. No flirting. No teasing. Please let me survive."
The candle stayed warm and calm.
Elise's shoulders loosened by a fraction.
Then the chain tugged again, gently, and Elise took a small step back.
The chain pulled her right back toward me.
We ended up close. Too close. Not touching, but close enough that I could see the tiny freckle near the corner of her mouth. Close enough that I could smell her, clean soap and steel and something faintly sweet underneath.
Elise's eyes flicked down to my lips.
Just for a second.
Then she snapped her gaze up, furious with herself.
I swallowed.
The system chimed, like it had been waiting for this moment.
TEMPTATION EVENT: ACCIDENTAL INTIMACY
RESIST FOR XP
WARNING: PALADIN IS BLUSHING
TIP: DO NOT COMMENT ON IT
Elise whispered, so quietly it barely counted as sound.
"Ren."
My entire spine went stupid.
"What," I whispered back.
Her grip tightened on my wrist again, and this time it wasn't just authority. It was… shaky.
"If you say one word," she hissed, "about the bed, or the chain, or anything, I will throw you out the window."
I nodded quickly. "I won't say anything."
Elise stared at me for a long second, breath tight, cheeks pink, eyes bright with something that looked a lot like panic.
Then, very slowly, she looked away.
And the worst part was, even while she looked away, her hand stayed on my wrist.
Like she didn't trust me to stay. Or like she didn't trust herself to let go.
The candle glow remained steady, patient, like a judge waiting to see who breaks first.
And I realized, with terrifying clarity.
The city wasn't the biggest danger.
The biggest danger was that Elise was trying so hard to be righteous, and I was trying so hard to behave, and neither of us had any idea what would happen the first time the chain pulled us just a little too close.