Eiden looked at Lyra, who had tightened her grip on his hand as if she didn't want to let go at all. It was quite bold of her, yet her posture contradicted that boldness. Her head was bowed, clearly trying to hide her face from him.
He remained still, resisting the strong urge to pull her into a hug and maybe even steal a kiss. But no, not yet. He had to play it slow careful. He couldn't make it obvious that he liked her. That would defeat the entire purpose. No, the plan was simple: gaslight her into falling for him while acting like he was just being kind. A favor, really. Nothing more.
After a while, Lyra finally spoke. Her voice was low but audible. "There are too many people here… we might get separated, so…"
Eiden nodded and responded using his [Soothing Voice] skill to help ease her nerves.
"Sure," he said with a calm smile, then added, "Shall we?"
