Role Selected: Navigator!

Aria's breath hitched, but the magic forced her to keep dancing. Lucas' ears turned crimson.

"S-sorry! The system's—"

"Shut. Up."

[Affection +1 (Current: 15/100)]

The Mist's tendrils snaked across the deck, icy and suffocating.

Lucas tugged Aria closer, his arm wrapping around her back to shield her from the creeping darkness.

"Don't look at it," he said. "Look at me."

Her golden-brown eyes flicked up, wide and startled. For the first time, she didn't roll them.

[Affection +5 (Current: 20/100)]

The music quickened. Lucas's hand slid to her hip, guiding her into a tight spin that made her tank top ride up. 

She elbowed him, but there was no force behind it.

[Affection +3 (Current: 23/100)]

The dance turned wild—leaps, dips, even a slide across the deck where Aria caught him by the belt to stop him from crashing into the mast.

"You're heavy," she grunted, hauling him upright.

[Affection +2 (Current: 25/100)]

The Mist coiled around the ship's rails, hissing. The timer flashed:

[00:01:49]

Aria's earlier confidence faltered. Her steps grew shaky, her gaze darting to the encroaching darkness. "Lucas—"

"Eyes on me," he repeated, tilting her chin up. 

She didn't pull away.

The Mist's tendrils slithered across the deck, frost spreading under their boots.

Aria shivered, her breath visible in the suddenly frigid air. Lucas spun her close, his arm wrapping around her waist to steady her.

She hated this. She had to hate this. But her skin burned where they touched.

"Stop—touching me—"

"Would you rather get eaten?" His tone left no room for argument.

She stiffened but didn't shove him off.

[Affection +3 (Current: 28/100)]

The timer blinked crimson:

[00:00:59]

The lyre's music screeched to a halt.

Both froze, panting. 

"It… stopped?" She glared at the lyre, now dormant on the deck.

The artificial grace vanished, leaving Lucas wobbling like a newborn deer.

The ship made him feel like a pervert. His hands that had just touched Aria's hips, thighs, and every curve he'd been too nervous to even glance at before.

He wanted to vomit. Not because Aria wasn't gorgeous - fuck, any guy with a pulse would kill to touch those curves - but because it wasn't HIM doing it.

The system puppeteered his body. Made him some smooth-talking Casanova instead of the awkward virgin who'd never gotten past first base.

Aria's Affection points kept rising, but they weren't for HIM. 

[00:00:42]

Lucas's pulse roared in his ears. Two points shy. He needed to move.

He looked at her flushed face, her chest still heaving from the dance.

Real. She needed real. Even if it killed them.

Lucas grabbed Aria's shoulders. "We're two points away. Two."

"How? The stupid music's gone!"

"Just—trust me!"

He didn't wait for permission.

Lucas cupped her face. 

No system controls. No perfect angles. Just his calloused thumbs brushing her jawline.

"This felt like a cheesy movie thing." she muttered.

"Does it matter?"

The Mist's whispers crescendoed. The ship groaned as shadows coiled around the mast.

[Durability: 150/200]

He leaned in.

Aria's hand fisted his shirt. "Don't you dare—"

He dared.

The Mist screamed.

[Ironheart Charisma Activated!]

[Current Level: D]

[Experience: 5/10]

The kiss felt clumsy, desperate, fueled by the Black Mist's icy breath on their necks. 

Aria meant to bite him. Really. But the second their lips touched, her body betrayed her.

His mouth was warm and clumsy, his hands trembling where they cradled her face. She moaned into the kiss, hating herself for wrapping legs around his waist.

This is for survival, she told herself. Not because his broad shoulders fit perfectly in her grip.

But she still cannot ignore that that all of sudden, he looked so real, so authentic, that the previous "dance" that would normally make her uncomfortable or even feel violated melted into something... 

Dare she say... 

Romantic? 

Lucas' hand found the back of Aria's neck, fingers tangling in her ponytail. Her nails dug into his shoulders, pulling him closer as the ship lurched beneath them.

Aria stopped caring about the pink ship or stupid systems. All that mattered was Lucas' hands anchoring her waist, his chest heaving against hers.

For a second, she didn't see the goofy virgin anymore - just a surprisingly strong jawline and determined eyes. She gripped his shirt tighter.

The timer froze at [00:00:05].

[Affection +15 (Current: 43/100)]

[Affection Threshold Reached!]

[Assign Role to Aria Lovelace: Y/N?]

"YES!" Lucas shouted.

[Role Selected: Navigator]

[First Assignment Reward!]

[Rewarded: Compass x1]

[Ship Special Activated: Generating Resources based on Roles * Affection]

[Resources Generating: Fresh Water x43]

[Disintegration Timer Reset!]

A crate materialized on deck, heart-shaped (of course), brimming with fresh-water cans. Along with the system rewards. 

Aria gasped as a glowing compass materialized in her hand. "I know where to go!"

"Then navigate!" Lucas shoved the lyre into her arms and sprinted to the helm.

The Love Siren shuddered, pink sails glowing as they caught an invisible wind. The ship lurched forward—

[Speed: 8 → 12 knots!]

Lucas wrenched the wheel. The ship banked sharply, heart-shaped cannons screeching in protest.

The Mist howled, close enough to taste—rotten and metallic.

"There!" Aria pointed at a pinprick of light ahead. "Full speed!"

The Love Siren burst into sunlight, the Mist's tendrils snapping at their stern.

Lucas collapsed against the wheel, sweat dripping down his neck.

[Black Mist Evaded!]

[Basic Functions Unlocked - Check Captain's Journal!]

Aria slid down the mast, laughing breathlessly.

"We… we actually lived."

Luca's legs gave out. He sat hard on the deck, grinning like an idiot.

"Told you."

[Affection +10 (Current: 53/100)]

Aria's smile faded as she noticed the new notification. "Uh. Why's it still going up?"

"Shared experiences," Lucas said weakly. "Guess almost dying together counts."

[Global Chat]

[Breadbasket]: Did the pink ship just… outrun the Mist?!

[GunNut]: HAX. REPORTED.

[SaltQueen]: …I'm impressed.

She rolled her eyes but didn't pull away when he offered a hand up.

Lucas watched her, the adrenaline fading.

Her tank top was streaked with Mist residue, her cargo pants torn, but she looked…

Radiant.