They went to one of the island's only restaurants, called Cocobana.
It was during the lunch rush, so there was a crowd. Thankfully, they managed to get seated.
After the waiter took their drink orders and left, Veil met her eyes and said,
"So, how did you end up here?"
"I was convinced you weren't interested after your response yesterday," she retorted. Her cheeks were still red from his earlier comment, and she was having trouble meeting his eyes.
"Of course I care. I'm interested in you."
His answer triggered a loud squeal from her, and she hid her face in embarrassment. Veil struggled not to laugh.
She regained her composure, then replied,
"I was Pierce's subordinate. All of his units were the force to be released."
He smiled.
"So that makes you how old?" Veil asked.
"I'm... twenty-two."
"Oh wow, just two years older! It's actually my birthday today," he revealed cheerfully.
Flow gasped and stood up,
"It's your birthday? Why didn't you tell me?"
He shrugged and said,
"It's not a big deal."
"Yes, it is!" she argued.
"Why? Would you have gotten me a present if I told you?" he commented in a mocking tone.
"Yes! O-or..." She hesitated. "I would've baked you a cake... or written you a card."
Veil looked at her with surprise, then warmth rose to his face.
"It's fine," he muttered, turning his head to the side.
It was then that the waiter returned with their drinks.
Flow settled back into her seat. They ordered their meals and were left alone again.
Veil took a sip of his drink, looking reflective.
"How is it?" Flow asked.
"What?" Veil replied, seeming lost in thought.
"Your drink," she explained. Veil looked down at his alcohol and swished the drink around with a bored expression,
"It's good. Want to try it?" he added cheer to his voice, then extended the glass towards her.
"Okay, thank you," she graciously accepted and immediately took a sip. "Oh..." she quickly handed the drink back to him, "It's good, but strong," she commented.
Veil chugged the rest of it, slammed the glass down, and smiled.
"So they didn't teach you how to use melee weapons in ALPHA?" he asked, propping his elbow on the table and his chin on top of his fist.
"I actually," Flow took a deep breath and looked down, "I was taught how to use a gun, but my main role was support because of my powers."
"And what are those?"
As he asked this, the waiter returned with their plates,
A T-bone steak dinner for him, and beef tips and rice for her. "Ah... before you go, could I have a refill, please?" Veil requested, pointing to his empty cup.
"Of course, I'll be right back." He answered, then left.
Veil began eating, and Flow looked down at her food wordlessly for a short while before saying,
"I can heal people... but I can drain them too," she inhaled shakily, then continued, "I have to share my own energy to heal, which is fine because I naturally have much more life essence than most."
He cleaned his fork and then pointed it at her,
"You look like you have more to say," she tensed from his comment.
"If I drain people, I gain strength. The more I drain, the more power I get. There is a limit, but at my max, I can tank bullets, leap over buildings, and punch through solid rock, for example." She explained.
Veil smiled at her again, but this time something in his eyes made her heart flutter and avert her eyes.
"That sounds badass," he commented.
She gulped,
"Thank you..." Flow muttered silently, then lifted her fork and began eating.
Once their meal was complete, she worked on finishing her first drink, while Veil leaned back, nursing his third, and began talking,
"My powers don't increase my strength at all; that's why I mastered weaponry," he admitted.
"Oh... that's rough, you must have been stuck in B tier at the academy."
He snorted, then emptied his glass and sat upright once again so he could look into her eyes.
"I was Triple S tier. I even almost won the Festival Combat Competition last year," he declared proudly, then his voice dropped low as he continued, "I had to hold back, because my opponent was so tenacious and I knew... I couldn't win without killing her."
His story was hard to believe, but his voice showed no sign of deception.
"What is your power?" Flow inquired curiously.
"They call it absolute submission," he chuckled. "I can control everything around me, just by speaking."
As he explained, Flow stared at him, her mouth slightly ajar.
He reached across the table and lightly tapped her chin. She pressed her lips together and stood up.
"We should hurry, there's not much time before class."
He agreed, and they both picked up the dishes and carried them to the enchanted cleaning basin.
As soon as the dirty plates were placed inside the sparkling water, they were cleaned and levitated away. His eyes lit up as he watched on in amazement,
"I'm still not used to seeing that," Veil murmured.
The two waved goodbye to the servers on their way out, and Veil walked Flow back to her place.
She stood in front of him, not uttering a word, so he spoke first.
"I'll see you in class," he said and turned to leave, but was stopped when Flow grabbed his sleeve and whispered,
"Wait," He turned back around and gave her a puzzled look. Then she gripped his collar, stood on her tiptoes, and lightly pecked his lips. "A good date is supposed to end with a kiss," she noted quietly.
For a moment, Veil didn't move a muscle. His cheeks reddened up to his ears, and he stared at her in a daze.
"Um... okay, see you later," she muttered and rushed up her porch steps.
Veil followed her and quickly closed the gap between them,
"Are you running away. After stealing a kiss from me?" he muttered. Flow spun back around to face him, and he placed his hand on the door and leaned down to meet her lips again.
So deeply and passionately that her knees got weak, and he had to hold her up for support. When he pulled away, Veil whispered,
"I had a nice time too..." Then he stepped away.
Flow's back hit the door behind her. She was panting, and every nerve in her body was buzzing.
It took her several minutes to get herself together enough to enter the house.
Even after getting inside, it still took some time to catch her breath.
Later, when they saw each other in class, she could barely look at him, which quickly earned her a reprimand.
"Never take your eyes off your opponent," he corrected. He tapped her with the practice sword, much gentler today, and lifted her chin with the tip of his shinai, so she'd look up to face him.
Her cheeks pinkened immediately, but she steeled herself and corrected her posture.
"That's better," he noted coolly, while walking away to assist other students.
Mr. Falcon was actively teaching today, and Veil just redirected those who were slacking off or still struggling to keep up.
There were only two other women in the class, and when it ended, they both approached Flow.
"Hey... is there something going on between you and our new teacher?" Flow jolted.
"What?! What could make you think that?" she muttered shakily.
"Oh, it's just... he's so stern with everyone else," The girl commented while tapping her chin, "Oops, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Caramel, and this is Gigi," Gigi waved.
"I know your names. I have all our citizens memorized." Flow replied,
"Wow, that's crazy. Anyway, answer my question, please." Caramel said, forcing a smile. Flow thought to herself about how to answer.
Sure, they went on a date, but what does that make them?
"... nothing is going on between us." Both girls sighed in relief and then headed to the exit, giggling among themselves.
As Flow was putting on her Jacket, Veil walked over. Her heart seized, and she realized everyone else had left.
"How was class?" he asked, while leaning in so close that there was less than a foot between them.
"... I enjoyed it, but I know I'm going to be so sore tomorrow," she replied, looking away and curling strands of her hair around her index finger.
"I could give you a massage, I'm actually very good with my hands." His offer made her heart rate quicken.
"... Are you really?" she asked, tantalized by what he'd said but still too flustered to meet his eyes.
"I could show you—" he whispered, slowly closing the gap between their faces.
Flow closed her eyes in anticipation, but when many seconds passed with nothing happening, she peeked and saw his back was turned to her, and he was walking away,
"But that would be weird, since nothing is going on between us," he added, just before making his exit.