I humbly request a ‘Grumpy Warlock’ badge for my commitment to the cause. (I’d also take Kaia in a ‘Foxy Grandma’ hat if you’re feeling generous. 😆)
My hot take: I think K is just a far more Mature romance than many are used to/want to deal with. It’s not the ‘high school, twitterpated, doki doki in spring’ kind of route — you have to Werk. And there’s really no guarantee (beyond you making K a LI, so there must be some chance lol) that your efforts will pay off. K straight up tells you to cut that nonsense out. (There’s also ‘immortal’ bit, but I like that sort of thing.) But I’m truly rapt by my MC and K’s dynamic; how they’re so freakin REAL. I can’t wait to see all those walls crumble; bit by bit. Incremental K affection is just that rewarding~ And I feel like they have to earn my MC too. Scene I mentioned also did a great job showing K has to contribute or might lose out as well. (dum dum Duuuum)