How to put this... "I am very much in favor of people who want to do sex work doing it, my hangup is just - I think the idea of guiding you being my job feels weird to me?" 

She presses her blushing face into his neck. "It would feel like - being paid for being nice to a friend or partner, I think? I could get used to it, but it'd take getting used to." 

"So - when people are just snuggling because they feel like it there are different, non-professional norms about - what else will they drop to do this on how much notice, how much troubleshooting are they called upon to do if there is some kind of cooling in the relationship. If people are guiding because they have reciprocal guiding needs to do their day jobs, they are paying each other for that availability and professionalism with their own availability and professionalism. But also guiding works better when both people have backlash, so a professional guide often racks some up to be more efficient about that, and finding something to do with a disappointing power isn't trivial. I think that's reasonable to pay for too. Also, like, if I go from doing three dungeons a week to something more like a dozen, you will be quadrupling how much money I am able to make, it would be pretty exploitative to not give you some of it."

Okay. those are pretty convincing points. She's convinced.

...sheeeee should communicate this with Haru.

She nods slowly. "Those are pretty convincing points. I'm convinced."

"Oh good." Pet pet.

Hmmmm. She wants to kiss him about this, actually!

So she does.

Oooh he gets kisses for being good at making points, cool.

Well, also for being hot and interesting and good and kind and compatible 

She had not planned on getting lost in makeouts but it sure seems to be happening!

No need for plans. They can just have pleasant surprise makeouts.

They can! It's really good! She's so happy about it! She's making lots of very happy noises to express this.

Haru again does not want to escalate while she's got psychological backlash and has not said so but they're really very good makeouts and he will make this evident.

Cara... is pretty tempted to escalate, actually, and is pretty sure that Haru is at least somewhat interested, but - 

...she should wait. She should really wait. She doesn't want a repeat of the shower incident.

So she will keep her hands above his waist, though definitely not to herself, as she kisskisskisses him.

They're compatible espers! Keeping their hands to themselves is medically contraindicated. And kisses are prescribed also.

And she has all this backlash, see. Someone should do something about it.

Someone is doing his level best insofar as he can do that while they are wearing pants.

Well. For this morning, anyways. Who knows what the week may bring~

-then her backlash dips low enough to notice that she needs to go to the bathroom, so she reluctantly pulls away. 

Awww okay.

When she gets back, she snuggles up to him, and then gets her calendar alert for karaoke song hunting, and - yeah, sure, that sounds fun to do! She pulls up the app. 

Wait.

"...Huh! That was neat."  

"What was neat?"

She shows him the calendar alert, smiling.

"When I got this just now, I thought about it and decided I wanted to do it! So I'm unbacklashed enough to not mindlessly follow calendar tasks, apparently." 

"Oh good! Is there parking at this place or should we be planning to Uber?"

"I'll check! I usually take a bus." pokepoke "Looks like there's limited parking? On a Sunday night, I am guessing an Uber is probably simpler than spot hunting, but it's up to you." 

She pulls the list of songs back up. "I'm gonna see if I can find a duet for us!" 

"Uber it is, I have a truck for when I want to haul a ton of ammo or hydraulic rescue gear or an oxygen tank or whatever and I can't get into tight spots, I'm usually parking in a cordoned off street full of tents..." He peers over her shoulder at the duet list.

There's a surprising variety of stuff! 

"See anything you know?"