[LMF] Between the heavens and the Earth

Elros had not known the importance of the outfit he had shown him that morning. Though perhaps he could have figured something had been different given the fact he had shown it to him beforehand. Rhydian had never been one to plan an outfit, nor anything for that matter- but tonight had to go perfectly. Tonight was worth the advancement in planning. With a nervous shake of his hands, he made his way through the lit-up streets of Moonbright. An otherwise already beautiful city, now dazzling within the lights of her decorations. Tonight these would only grow in beauty, when gorgeous night butterflies, as Rhydian liked to call them, would swarm the streets. Yet, surprisingly, these beauties could not compare to the beauty of the woman he was about to meet just before entering the magical ball that was set in place in honour of their goddess.

All dressed up she stood amidst the gathering crowds, her hair lit up beautifully in the abundance of light surrounding them- and for a short moment the man's otherwise strong heart- faltered at the sight of her.

Months ago he had compared her to a goddess, and months later the statement still stood true. The moon elf inhaled slowly as he made his way towards her- his main goal for tonight safely kept within the safety of his chest pocket. "Lu!" he greeted her excitedly, socially forced to keep their lovers greeting at a gentle yet excited touch of his hand against her upper arm. "You look- you look amazing!" He continued, complimenting her both with words and a glimmer in his expressive puppy dog eyes. "i uh- wait" his hands reached for something in his pockets, something that seemingly did not feel like being found by his excited grabs. "Fuck sorry i am trying to-" Frustratedly he pulled harder on the silver string that kept his gift together until he finally pulled out the bracelet he had gotten her not long ago- its stones a beautiful pale shade of blue. "I may not be allowed to kiss you here-" he whispered softly, "But gifting a beautiful woman jewellery should always be socially acceptable I think? Is it not?"

Her hair lit up among the gentle rays of moonlight that passed through the windows above their head, Rhydian would almost believe the moon itself had been hung in the sky just for her.  Though- how unlikely would that have been truly? The elf was sure the woman in front of him could move entire continents if she wanted to. The power she had with the most gentle movements already- the touch of her hand against his golden locks, the soft smile on her face aswell as the swift contact she made before bestowing her icy gaze upon the bracelet he had gotten her, all were enough to make him falter right in front of her. As he had done so many times before. Just for her.

Rhydian could not have helped but take a moment to respond to her question. Slowly moving his hands to open the bracelet for her, struggling to do so ofcourse as this was Rhydian who attempted to solve the hellish puzzle of a bracelet opening. But in the end, he managed to. In the end, he successfully laid down the bracelet on her dainty, moon-white wrist. Clasping it shut with much more ease than it had taken to unlock the thing. The shipless captain moved up the corners of his mouth as he looked up at her proudly, happy the lady had both accepted and loved the gift she had received. Perhaps- hopefully. It was a sign of her reaction to a gift she would get later. A gift that soon would rid them of the horrid pain of keeping there rendezvous a secret to the world apart from Elros, and apart from Chaska and Ezekiel. And okay those at the bar that night, and probably Caelum. But still- pain there was at many moments.

Such as moments like these where she was so close, so beautiful. Showing her beautiful powers by the softest touch of her hands through his hair, making the surprise in his pocket weigh down even more heavily. Rhydians heart skipped a beat when she complimented him- as with Lumina her honesty made it so he was sure it were truths she had spoken. And her approval was not easy to earn, for sure. So to get a compliment like that from the former princess had shaken him to his core. His eyes glimmering within the cold-toned moonlight, silently thanking Elros for his help. Perhaps his cousin had known the importance of tonight after all, perhaps somehow he had figured him out the evening he had spoken of his lover when the two had met again a week ago.

Rhydians gaze softened even more as it had done before, finally able to push through the pure moment of bliss in order to get words out of his mouth. "Well,"  he started softly as his love for her settled on a gentle hold of her hands "I had to match my beautiful company ofcourse" the elf murmured softly as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand slowly, caringly. "Your dress-" he continued, completely lost as to where to even begin. "No words lu, no words" A chuckle escaped him as he kissed her hand softly- a daring gesture.. perhaps as to make his later move this evening less daunting. "Can I get you anything to drink maybe? Cut through the formalities a little?" he continued with a little playful smirk on his face. "I cant wait to see how they've decorated this year! Though i must admit it will be hard to notice with you walking beside me" he continued in on in playful manner, shooting his love a quick wink.

It felt as though she pressed the air out of his lungs with her simple gesture toward him. A simple lean forward, more than enough of a move to make him lose his footing had he been but a little bit less of a strong man. Rhydian smiled warmly when she teased him like that, having gotten quite good at learning to speak her love language over the past months. "Well- I am full of surprises darling" If only she knew what kind of surprise he had in store for her later this evening. She'd easily understand where his priorities had been before regarding the words he had at the ready tonight. After all, there were only a few. A single sentence- that managed to keep him captivated all week. No wonder he had suffered a speechless fate at her side already.

Pressing forward on the evening, the both of them had continued their ways towards the wide array of liquors up ahead at his own request. Many of them he had never cared to try before, usually having stuck to a relatively cheap beer that any man was able to find anywhere around the world. A sailors drink, a memory of time long gone and one he did not wish the relive tonight. Tonight the focus would be put on the future, on them and their lives together. He needed a drink that would impress his lady, and her taste? Easy, expensive. Thus Rhydian smiled as he continued listening to her, pouring the both of them a cup of an elven-made wine he recalled his uncle drinking at feasts like these. Sure to impress a fine lady such as the one standing with him now, presenting her her cup as the spoke of her brother Ezriel.

Rhydian's smile faltered slightly upon hearing her words, understanding where she had found the nerve to regard to him in the way she had done. Ezriel was not useless perse if he was honest- but it definitely was true that his actions had drastic consequences for his entire family. Lumina had lost her childhood, her titles- it was more than fair for her to be upset with him. Harsh feelings Rhydian could find within himself to, having felt the same for his twin sister Meleys after she had promised not to run off.

Rhydian remembered that night still- Meleys pleading him to join her on her stupid little heist. He thought he had persuaded her not to go- but alas. Her promises had meant nothing that night. And for months she had left his side- Rhydian had never quite forgiven her for her selfish endeavors, no matter if they were able to rekindle their relationship slightly over time.

Captain- Rhydian looked up, no, was hardly pulled away, from his thoughts upon hearing her slow sweet voice once more, locking eyes with his love shortly after.  As a moth to a flame he was, his attention now fully centred upon her and those beautiful blue eyes of her. If he looked well enough, he could see the ice thaw away beyond them. Captain- a spark of energy navigated it's way through him as he felt the outlining of his gift for her tonight in the pockets of his blouse. Burning a way into his hands already even if they had no contact at all. He couldn't- not now, not yet. The longer he waited, the more magical the night became- the better this gift would be remembered.

He had to focus now, calm down his impatiently beating heart. Thus he brought his beautifully decorated cup toward his lips and smiled at her question. "Most of them" he answered warmly, pleased to hear of her fondness for his family already. As Lemurian noblemen, it was only proper for most of them to attend tonight's festivities after all. "I am sure we will run into a whole lot of them tonight at least" he continued smilingly, his blue eyes glimmering in the ballroom lights. " Better avoid my sister though, i'd hate for you to hear my embarrassing childhood stories so soon into our lovely disposition with each other already" Meleys would spare him none of the embarrassment if it meant making herself the center of the drama and he knew it. They were better of steering clear of her for tonight- especially tonight.