It's Pretty Damn Efficient

If I went and hurt my body baby, would you love me the same?

"Oh please. It's not difficult to find you. You have a lot of mana leaking out of your body, you know?"

No?

"I do?"

"You do. And mana has a certain scent to it."

Athanasia smiled weakly, a poor attempt of humor. "I smell?"

"It's a good smell." Lucas assured. "Like- Like lilies and amaryllises."

"I see."

Shifting around on her bed, Athanasia sighs. "But to answer your question from earlier, yes, I am on a break."

Lucas smiled softly- which immediately put Athanasia on high alert, what was he thinking? But then he extended his hand. "Would this princess allow me the honor to take you on a date?"

"A-" Athanasia faltered. "A date?"

"I'm glad your ears work." Lucas said, dryly. "Yes, I want to take you somewhere. Isn't an excursion to somewhere special considered a date?"

Athanasia floundered. "Where are we even going?"

Lucas, in return, smiled once more. Except with all the usual snark. "Didn't I already say? Somewhere special."

The knight huffed in irritation, getting up and shooing the magician. "Give me a moment to get ready at least."

Lucas chuckled, before disappearing.

~

"I swear, this better not be a plot to murder me."

"What gain would I have killing you?" Lucas snorted. "I promise you; I won't kill you."

"You better not."

Lucas laughed, mirth twinkling in his eyes. Before gently pulling Athanasia into a garden of lilies. "This place will do. Plenty of magic I can draw from the environment." 

Athanasia glanced around. "You still haven't answered my initial question."

Lucas grinned, before closing his eyes.

And then everything went black.

Athanasia's eyes widened, as the lilies were slowly enveloped by the darkness. Squeezing a bit tighter onto Lucas's hands, trusting him not to drop her into a sea of black.

"Relax. I could tell, you were curious when I mentioned magic earlier, weren't you?"

Ah.

To be fair, Athanasia was a scholar at heart. Her curiosity overwhelmed her most of the time, unable to be fully satiated. So, she nodded.

"I figured- what would be the best way to explain magic? The answer?" Lucas glanced around, waving a hand.

And then red swirled all around them. Dancing in the air, as if it were alive somehow.

"Welcome to my heart. My mind, my soul, my mana."

Athanasia's head whirled back to Lucas, her eyes popping out of her head. "What?!"

"I'd appreciate you not screaming at my soul."

"But- but isn't this, I don't know, super personal??"

An easy smile. "I trust you."

And oh, if that wasn't so extraordinary to hear.

"Now, back to our crash course." Lucas slowly tugged Athanasia forward. "Magic is like combat, in a way. Even if the magic isn't offensive. The first time you pick up a sword, it fits in your hand and all, but it isn't yours. You don't know how to use it. Your hands are unused to it, you need to learn."