Veil's hands had started making their way into Flow's clothes when she pushed him back gently and said,
"Wait."
Veil gave her a blank stare.
"What's wrong? I thought we made up... and I'm very well rested," he muttered, moving in for another kiss. She put her hand to his mouth and replied,
"It's not... that I don't want to... I... just wanted to ask you something."
Veil blinked in surprise, then he chuckled and sat upright.
"Oh yeah, I did promise to let you get to know me yesterday. It totally slipped my mind." He rested his cheek against his knuckles and said, "Ask away."
Flow took a deep breath.
"I'll start with the thing I'm least curious about," she began, and he raised his eyebrows in intrigue. "How do you feel after using your powers?"
His eyes widened and then... he burst out laughing.
"So... revealing my limitations is just a minor thing?"
He was genuinely amused, but Flow flushed from embarrassment.
"It's just... You seemed so composed during your simulation. There were no signs of fatigue at all," she noted shakily.
Veil stopped laughing but smirked at her before replying,
"Fine, I'll tell you."
Flow's heart jumped in her chest.
"First of all..." he continued, "if I make a command with a continuous effect, it feels draining. Similar to... hmm... having a boring conversation. My brain goes numb, like I might drop and go to sleep at any moment."
Flow tapped her chin and tilted her head.
"When did you do that?" she inquired. Veil reached over and lightly tapped her nose,
"I did it when I made the servant confess, and when I had the officials frozen in place... if I give a command, like trip or spin around, it's immediate. Whoever I'm controlling does the thing, and they're freed immediately... but if I ask them to do something that lasts longer, it's really taxing. It puts me in a direct battle against their free will... so it's better to keep those battles as short as I can."
Flow pondered over his explanation, then said,
"Oh..." while trying to figure out how to phrase her next question.
"Or... like when I sparred with Caster... I made myself float, and I removed the traction from his shoes. Both of those commands lasted a long time, and each second sapped energy from me," he expounded.
Flow's eyes slowly lit up with comprehension, then she smiled and replied,
"I get it, that makes sense."
Veil poked her cheek.
"And now it'll be easier for me to recognize if you're pushing yourself in the future," she added.
Veil smiled lightly,
"Good... now what's your next question?" he asked.
Flow took a deep breath, looking down and letting her hair drape over her face,
"... Do you uh..." Her stomach tightened, and she paused for a moment, "Remember that girl at Cocobana? The one who was blocking the exit?"
Veil wrinkled his nose, then he leaned back against the wall and furrowed his brow.
"... I don't, should I?" he answered. Flow bit her lip then breathed in again before saying,
"She went to the academy with you... Are you sure you don't remember her?"
Veil thought harder, time stretched, and she waited anxiously for his response.
"Oh!... Yeah, I know her... why? Did she say something to you?" he asked while stroking her chin and meeting Flow's eyes.
She averted her gaze, and Veil frowned deeply.
"... I can't recall the name... but I do remember that she was a stalker," Veil began. Flow gasped and looked back to him as he continued speaking, "I only spent one night with her, but she wouldn't leave me alone. She then started spouting nonsense to every girl I spoke to. They'd listen to her and start getting really insecure and paranoid; it was annoying as hell." His frustration grew as he thought about it.
He then lowered his hand and clicked his tongue.
"What did she say to you?" he asked coldly.
Flow was quiet for a long time before replying,
"She said... that you don't get attached to people long. That you'd dump me and move on to someone else."
She felt mortified admitting this after everything he'd just revealed.
"Is that why you were so sensitive last night?" he questioned.
Flow put her hands over her face for extra protection.
"No... I mean... not on purpose. I didn't believe I meant nothing to you... But when you rejected me... what she said appeared in my head... I may have let those words fester in the back of my mind... and thought..." Flow's breathing became unsteady, and she could feel the emotions welling up in her again, "I thought maybe this was my limit and you were finally done with me," she confessed tearfully.
Veil huffed, then he gently pried her hands away.
"I'm never going to be done with you," he declared in a tone that shook her to the core.
She sniffled and stared at him silently, then Veil pinched her cheeks.
Flow squealed, as Veil smirked, completely pleased with her reaction.
"Any more questions?" he asked while pulling harder. Flow flailed and said,
"Yes, but please stop first!"
He sighed and let go.
After rubbing the sting from her face, Flow cleared her throat.
"What was your school life like?"
Veil stared at her neutrally at first, then he wrinkled his nose with a puzzled look.
"You're really curious about that?" he muttered.
Flow gave a slight nod, so Veil groaned.
"Fine, I'll tell you," he leaned in closer while speaking. The closeness made Flow forget to breathe for a moment, "but... as payment, you'll have to tell me about your days in the ALPHA military."
This compromise caught her off guard, and she looked down and muttered,
"It's not that interesting."
Veil pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.
"Didn't I tell you before..." he said while pulling away and meeting her eyes, "I am interested in you, Flow. All aspects of you are interesting to me."
She became visibly flustered, then he continued,
"Ask me specific questions, so I know what to tell you."
She became a little nervous while thinking of what to say.
"What kind of grades did you get?"
He blinked at her expressionlessly,
"Straight A's, next question."
Flow tapped her chin then asked,
"How many friends did you have?"
"...Never counted," he admitted. She thought that was the end of it, but he folded his arms and gave it some serious thought. "I interacted with a lot of people, but... I could only label ten as friends."
Flow put her hand to her mouth.
"That's a lot!" she spouted in surprise.
"If you're curious about acquaintances, then I had three-hundred and forty-five."
Her mind went blank; she couldn't fathom the depths of his popularity.
"Oh... that must have been nice," she mumbled after regaining her composure. Veil sucked his teeth, then a melancholy expression flickered across his face.
"Only sometimes..." he whispered.
The expression on his face pained her. Flow timidly moved herself into his lap and hugged him. She could feel his heart racing against her.
"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories..."
Veil didn't move a muscle at first, but after a short delay, he returned her hug, with his hands on her lower back.
"I'm fine..."
She squeezed him tighter, and he added,
"You can ask something else, now."
Flow released him just enough to look at his face.
"Alright... d-did... You have a lot of girlfriends?"
Veil squinted at her, then rubbed his head as if he suddenly got a migraine.
"You don't want the answer to that," he replied, turning toward the wall.
Flow narrowed her gaze at him.
"...That many?" she accused. His refusal to elaborate convinced her the number was enormous.
He exhaled, then he placed his hand behind her head, tugging her in so he could rest his forehead on hers.
"... You're the first person I've been with... that I've called a girlfriend," he admitted softly.
This new information instantly confused her.
"There's no way... that girl said!... She told me you had a lot of exes..." Flow admitted with a trembling voice. Veil combed his fingers through her hair.
"... I wasn't exactly virtuous at the academy. Plenty of people fought for my attention, and some tried to get it... physically... I never considered any of them a girlfriend." he paused for a moment to kiss her gently and added, "So don't worry about them."
Flow's cheeks tingled with anticipation, but then Veil laid his head on her shoulder and said,
"If that's all... It's your turn. So drop some Flow lore."
She stiffened slightly as he breathed against her neck.
"I have one more question... what makes me special?"
The atmosphere got heavy while she waited for him to reply.
"... I'm not sure..." he muttered carefully, "Maybe... It's because you never pressured me. You're incredibly sincere and... you baked me a cake even though we just met. You care about people in a way that intrigues me... hmm... I wake up every day excited to see you, so I can't imagine living without you now."
She wasn't expecting something so heartfelt, so her thoughts scattered.
"Are you ready to talk about ALPHA now?" Veil asked casually.
"I... n-need a moment." Flow squeaked in response.