24 Chapter 23: Another Day in the Life
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Leave comments at the end, instead of at any specific part of the chapter, as I will be approaching a question that I have wanted to ask as of recent.
Thanks!
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That night, I made good of my promise.
Having finished dinner and the last bath of the day, Jahi and I lay in bed.
Except...
Well, Jahi was using my lap as a pillow.
Looking down at her, the pure bliss radiating from her face made me blush a bit, however I continued to stroke her hair, earning myself another soft purr.
I was sitting at the top of the bed, the pillows moved to surround Jahi. Since it was currently late, both of us were ready for bed, and that was when Jahi had sprung this on me. Admittedly, my mind was in turmoil as I wondered what she wanted from me, but hearing it was just a lap pillow made me both happy and sad...
Seeing her chest slowly rising and falling, I realized she was asleep. Smiling, I gently lifted her head, placing a pillow under it, before sliding next to her. Wrapping my arms around her, I could feel her shuffle her body closer to mine.
Burying my nose into her hair, I lay there, enjoying the quiet of the night.
[Daily XP - 187.5]
[Level 10 (863/3843)]
Seeing the familiar notification, I smiled, thinking about how my daily experience should go up now that I am actually able to start cleaning our rooms.
Holding Jahi closer to myself, I slowly fell asleep.
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Our morning went the same as always, except for the fact that it was Jahi who woke me up and not the other way around. When I had lost my source of warmth, Jahi had to drag me up before hugging me from behind. It took me a few minutes, but eventually I came around, blinking the sleep from my eyes.
Due to Jahi's insistence yesterday at dinner, classes resumed today. Getting ready, we eventually made our way to the Music Hall, where Baroness Estra waited. As always, Baroness Estra stood tall, her hands gently clasped in front of her, her posture as elegant as always.
The class went about the same as always, except now Jahi was much more open about her desires. Seeing this, both the Baroness and I frowned, however for completely different reasons.
Remembering what not only the system had said, but also Jahi herself and Arch Mage Kolia, I realized that, maybe, just maybe, she was like me; a more mature mentality placed in a younger body.
According to the books Arch Mage Kolia had given to the both of us, I recalled the passage about the differences between those who have awoken a core versus those who haven't. While it has only been a few days since she had her core awakened, Jahi was a demon, which matured quickly anyways. However, now that she has a core, her growth will be accelerated. Pursing my lips at the thought of her getting much, much taller than me quickly made me want this year to pass quickly. After all, if she becomes like the Marquess, and reaches over 7 feet tall, even my normally tallish frame of around 6 feet will feel small next to her, let alone if she shoots up to over 5 feet soon, with me barely reaching 3.5 feet now.
Not only the size would be affected by a core, as it seemed like it enhanced ALL the organs of a person, including the brain. While they would still lack the experience that comes with age, people with cores mature quickly in both body and mind. Of course, how they are treated and their attitudes will still be shaped by their surroundings, but considering our surroundings...
Well, it seems like Jahi is more likely to be a... promiscuous demon.
Reaching that conclusion, I realized the upcoming years would be quite... difficult, in the sense that she will always be 'maturer' than me in the physical sense, which could definitely be hard to deal with, considering I am conflicted on how to act.
Remembering that I have decades of experience that she doesn't, I don't want to be the first to make a move, as she is technically younger than me in that regard. However, remembering my own youth...
Well, that brings the next problem: do I accept her advances or make her wait? Both have pros and cons, namely being the fact that I am already getting mentally aroused by somethings, as well as the fact that if she is like the Marquess, this could easily make her turn to someone else to 'help' her.
Of course, we have the soul bond, but that doesn't guarantee that I am always the center of her affections.
Sighing, I decided that I would think more of this when I didn't have to worry about the wandering hands she sent my way.
Coughing, Baroness Estra sent a strained smile to Jahi before saying "Lady Jahi, respectfully, there is a time and place for everything, and this is NOT a time for what you are doing. If you continue, I will stand in for Katherine and be your dance partner. Are we clear?"
At that, Jahi quickly placed her hands in the correct places, her lips pursed and a look of determination appearing on her face.
Sighing, Baroness Estra sent us through the movements of each dance, alternating speeds as she went, ensuring we could follow any tempo.
Like always, the end of that class had me exhausted, however Jahi seemed perfectly fine. Pouting slightly, I really wanted this year to pass, as I wanted to experience the physical increase of having a core.
Before she left, Baroness Estra turned towards us, saying "Next class we will be devoting the first half hour to determining which instrument you shall pursue. When that is determined, class shall be divided evenly between music and dance. As it is, Katherine is displaying good etiquette, while Lady Jahi does as well, though... Anyways, I shall see you both tomorrow morning."
Giving a curtsy, the Baroness exited the room. Looking towards Jahi, I observed her, seeing her eye twitch slightly before she turned towards me.
Approaching, she grabbed my hand before dragging me towards our room. As we had two hours before we separated, Jahi made everything quick, giving us a hour or so two enjoy each others presence.
Lounging on the couch, I leaned on her as she skimmed through her books, reviewing things she deemed necessary for her upcoming class with Baron Jilk.
Dozing slightly due to my exhaustion, both physical and mental, I eventually felt Jahi stand up. Catching myself, I managed to keep myself from falling into the couch, knowing I would definitely welcome it's embrace and fall asleep.
Rubbing my eyes, I looked at Jahi, her serious gaze startling me awake. Getting up, I followed after her as sh mad her way to the library. Stopping in front of the doors, she turned to me.
"Kat... I expect tonight to be just like yesterday, got it?"
Her lips were pulled into a slight frown, making me smile slightly. Seeing that, Jahi pulled me into a hug, burying her face into my neck. Feeling her breath tickling me, I blushed slightly, noticing a few servants trying, and failing, to hold back chuckles and smiles.
Pulling away, Jahi was also smirking as she saw my face. Ruffling my ears, she entered the library. Turning quickly, I made my way back to our room as quickly as I could.
Entering, I looked around, thanking the gods that Jahi wanted very little in our rooms besides books. Multiple shelves were scattered around the room, and the desk was littered with open books.
'So, question. How is this going to work? Do I get a quest for each room, or just an overall quest for the entire area?'
[Oh, you actually want quest prompts... yeah, no. Unless you want me to constantly tell you four quests...]
'Yeah, sounds like a headache waiting to happen. Can you at least tell me what each room is worth? The bathroom was... 350xp for the whole room being cleaned, right?'
[Correct. Here is a list of the rooms, and they will be increased slightly due to the various miscellaneous quests like 'Clean the Table' or 'Check all Crystals', you know, the ones you received last time.]
[Bathroom - 400xp
Bedroom - 400xp
Mainroom - 750xp
Library - 300xp]
[Reminder: These are the values before the 'Growth' skill. Additionally, they are repeatable, however you cannot clean the same room multiple times, as there is a limit to how 'clean' a room is. So, no cheesing the system by cleaning the same room multiple days in a row to farm experience.]
'Fine, fine. Oh, could I trouble you to set an alarm for 2:45pm?'
[Sure.]
Sighing, I set about inspecting each room, deciding to tidy our bedroom first. Looking around, I sighed again, marveling in the fact that we managed to keep it relatively tidy, except for the bedsheets and a few piles of books scattered in front of more shelves.
Grinning, I set about cleaning the room, thinking about the large amount of XP I would receive for doing something I enjoyed doing.
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So, first things first. While this is far, far into the future, I want to know what people think. Obviously, I am NOT writing between two 'Minors', and Jahi will wait till much later than now. However, when should that be? I believe I have emphasized enough that 1) They are not Human: in fact, they are better than humans. Of course, I have a little more I need to write to explain how much better, but still, I did write awhile back that Humans came from these other races, not the other way round like most Fantasy novels do. 2) There is a whole NEW organ that quite literally speeds up the growth of the body. This was something I did without even thinking of 'a.dult' things. I made mana something that is tied to the life-force of the world, and as these living beings have it inside them, it accelerates growth and empowers them. This came from how body-tempering works in Cultivation Novels, something I used to read too much of. Additionally, this is a world set in Fantasy; wars happen, monsters exist, and while they are currently not a problem, these countries were shaped by them. Laws and morals are much different there than they are here, just like how laws were different half a century ago, not even mentioning half a millennia ago.
So I guess what I am asking is this: What would you, the reader, feel more comfortable with? Should they wait until they literally reach OUR allowed ages, being either 16 or 18, or should I allow it to be THIS worlds age of consent/adulthood? Will people be caught up in the number, or no? After all, while they are not ACTUALLY of age in OUR world, they will have reached the physical and mental maturity of their 'prime' much quicker than us. Additionally, they wouldn't be doing anything until they are older. If you want me to convert ages, I would be writing when they have reached the 16ish age, which would be like when they reach 10-11. If the number is what turns you off or makes you uncomfortable, I can easily start using the 'converted' age instead, while still doing stuff like 'its been 8 years since I came here' or 'its been 6 years since my core was awakened.'
Again, I am fine with waiting to write 'Lemon' scenes, however I think it feels weird that they would wait till years after they reached adulthood to do anything; it would feel like I would be writing a character for a Romance Anime where it takes them over a year of dating to hold hands. Not my cup of tea, but I am also from the states, and have seen/heard people my age doing MUCH worse at much younger ages together.
So yeah, let me know. I believe I have put forward a decent reason for being able to write lemons, but I don't want to be crucified for writing FICTIONAL characters who AREN'T human doing things together.
Other than that, I just wish to remind people that if you comment things, words that web novel censors like 'a.dult', 'h.orny', and so on should be typed like that, with a '.' separating letters or changing a letter altogether. I've had a few comments be deleted from the site that I wanted to reply to but just couldn't because they contained a word like that. So, if you think it would be censored by web novel, please add a '.' or change a letter so it can be seen and replied to.
Anyways, I hope you continue to enjoy!
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