So It Goes... (FOP)

Her comment made him chuckle softly, because it was true. He was impressed with the creation of the little diamond. But he was even more impressed by the soft but magical kiss they shared. It was his first ever kiss and the feeling that still lingered on his lips brought a pinky blush to his cheeks. His eyes shot up to her when she continued, asking if he would be interested in more. Interested in... What, exactly? I mean- He thought he knew what, but... He felt his cheeks burning up and was sure they turned from a light pink to a dark pink. Surely she didn't mean something that meant they could stay here. Where would they be going? Or was he thinking things that weren't at all true, was he making this up? Caelum felt his chest tighten slightly and the butterflies in his stomach started to flutter almost aggressively. 'U-uhm, ye-yes, I would,' he managed to stutter. Damn it Caelum, be even more charming right now. He cleared his throat, trying to pump some confidence into his whole demeaner. 'I mean, yes, I would love to,' he said then and a smile formed around his lips. He let out a soft chuckle anyway, not being able to hide his awkwardness entirely. He just hoped she wouldn't dislike it too much. 'What uhm, where..?' he started but trailed off, not sure what the right way to go about this was.

Her fingers toying with the collar of his blouse did not, in fact, help with his stutter. He was sure his blush would get more prominent with each passing second as he was trying to form a coherent sentence. When he did finally form one, he was left stranded with the second thing he tried to say. He didn't actually know where. And what, for that matter, though he had a vague idea, but he was too scared to entertain that too much, what if he was wrong about that? And asking her would be even more embarrassing. Caelum decided it was best to just follow her and... See where he ended up.

He tried to hide his slight panic at the mention of the Zinyra's house. It was where he was staying, but so was his family. And Caelum did not plan on getting caught with a girl by his family in Xaila in a house of someone else. So he was relieved to hear Lauriel wanted to go to her place instead. Caelum smiled and nodded in agreement. 'That sounds good.' Of course he had no idea yet where the Elf was staying, but that was a moment of panic for later. Now, the Vylasar stood up, handing her his hand. 'Let's get out of here then, heh,' he smiled. Caelum tried to not be too awkward, but it was hard. But the fact she wanted him to visit her residence, well, that would mean he wasn't doing too bad right? He had actually no experience in this and the more he was thinking about it, the warmer the room got. But then he was distracted again by her radiant beauty and wondering how he even ended up this lucky.

He wondered for a moment if his world seemed to slow down when he offered Lauriel his hand. She took her time to lay her hand, delicate and soft, in his and standing up. Caelum only smiled, not minding it at all. It felt like the world was in slow motion and only his heart wasn't participating. A shiver ran up his spine at the thought of tonight. What would it hold? He once again didn't want to entertain any fantasies, but the tight but good feeling in his stomach told him he might be not too far off.

They left the tavern and Caelum was greeted with a wave of fresh air. He took a deep breath, taking in the fresh night's air, feeling like his chest opened up again. Before he could take another deep breath, Lauriel took him through the streets of Al-Qahil. She was much better at navigating the city as he was. Caelum didn't pay any attention to his surroundings though, he only had eyes for her. The smile on his face never left him and he made sure not to let go of her hand as she led him to the palace.

The... Palace. Caelums eyes widened at the sight of it. Suddenly they were standing in front of the front gates of the palace. He had been relieved he didn't had to bring her to his own estate, but the palace wasn't a place he even considered. Did she know the royals? Was she someone he should have known about? He shook the thoughts off though, smiling at her instead. The alcohol was thankfully helping him with the nervous feelings, though he wouldn't say no to another glass in this moment. 'Nice place,' he managed to say with a soft laugh, not quite believing he would be entering the palace for this reason. Would it be okay, though? 'I didn't realise you stayed here.'