Seren had a similar look on his face, taking in all the sights and sounds without a word. 

"The mood here is amazing!" he managed to say, she could barely hear him over the music.

She leaned over to his ear, "do you want to join in?"

"Oh I'm really not a good dancer, I'll skip out this time" he leaned back into her.

They watched for a few moments longer, and then she came up with a good idea.

"I know a good place to sit and watch, it's a bit of a walk but I promise it's worth it!" she yelled over the noise

"Lead the way!"

She motioned him to follow and began to navigate through the crowd. She focused on remembering her way to the watchtower that no one used anymore, it was the best place to get an aerial view of the nightlife. Was it that way..? No, wait I'm pretty sure It was to the right of the plaza—

She suddenly felt a hand grab hers. She turned around to find him out of breath.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't realize I was going too fast", her hand was still in his grasp

"I-it's ok" he let out a deep breath

"Just guide me like this," he said as he held up both their hands

and now she realized they were holding hands.

"...ok" she replied quietly. She turned back around but now walked at a slower pace. They didn't need to hold hands anymore, the crowd was way behind them at this point, but she was unwilling to let go now. She held his hand a bit tighter. She felt his hand squeeze tighter around hers in response, and felt the heat creeping into her face once again.

The cool wind proved a great remedy to her embarrassment, and she was glad he chose to silently follow instead of making conversation. She looked around for the tower and finally saw the tall building to her left.

"It was abandoned a while ago so no one really cares about it now, but its the best place to see the city"

He hummed in response. She reached the door of the building and pushed it open. Someone had broken the lock of the door a few years back so she never had to worry about it being locked. There were many stairs to get through to reach the top, and she usually loved to complain about it all to her friends when they came here, but she didn't want to show that childish side to him tonight.  Must. endure. the. pain. Only for a day, she encouraged herself. He didn't hesitate to start walking up though, so she followed quickly. She was able to keep up with him, but her eyes kept wandering to his hand. She didn't have to hold it, but she wanted to. Many times she almost reached out, just to zip her hand right back to her side out of embarrassment. How did he manage to hold hers so easily?

They finally reached the end of the stairs. The cold breeze hit her face as she stepped out to the viewing area. She was out of breath now and took a second to calm her heart rate. The music was distant, but she could still make it out over the joyful cheers of the city folks. 

"It's beautiful..."

Marielle agreed with the sentiment. She's seen the view a few times but it always took her off guard how beautiful the city was under the night sky. The crowd of people that seemed to be impenetrable before was now just as small as her hand, the music was nothing more than a hum. Her hair fluttered in the calm breeze. she brought her hands up to her mouth and breathed out, the warmth fogging up her glasses. She got comfortable and leaned onto one side of the railing, keeping her eyes on the movement down below. Seren stayed where he was, shoulders resting on the support, a slight smile on his lips.

"say..what do you like to do? You've seen so much of my personality but I still feel like I barely know you", her curiosity got the best of her tonight.

"That's a very vague question...I guess I like to study and relax? he said jokingly

"Okay okay" she let out a chuckle, "I guess...what is your passion?" 

He was silent for a bit.

"Recently I've been getting into law...that's the only thing I've been focusing on for the past few weeks," he said, his voice was low, and a hint of sadness could be heard. She looked at him with an understanding expression, she didn't mind him sharing what was on his mind.

"I...I just felt helpless the whole time, y'know? I have to make up for it somehow, I have to right the wrongs before I forget all about them..." he trailed off.

"do you mean...going against the royal family's decision...?" 

He suddenly looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise. He took on a defensive posture, unsure how to respond.

"oh! you don't have to speak carefully, I don't plan on sharing our conversation," she reassured him. She never felt strongly for royalty, they did good and they did bad, she wasn't going to defend them anytime soon though.

"a-are you sure...?" he hesitated. Marielle stood up straight and put her hand on her chest,

"I promise." He looked away for a second, his mind wandering to a million different places. Then, he sighed and relaxed once again. 

"Thank you," he said quietly,

"what you said earlier...I'm not entirely sure what I want to do. They ruined my family, I loathe them for that, but I can't just go up to them and berate them. I figured studying law would be the best place to start...there are a bunch of schools I plan to apply to, and I still don't have everything figured out but..." 

he let out a shaky sigh, his nervous rambling left him out of breath.

"I just...I don't know." was all he could say after that. He was fidgeting with his hands, he had not once looked away from the festivities below.

"Whatever you plan to pursue, my father and I support you. As long as you do things legally" she said jokingly

"Thanks, really", he smiled solemnly at her. His dark brown hair gathered hints of blue and red from the lights down below, and his face seemed to shine. She could hear the music slowly die down in the distance, they must've been up here for longer than she thought.

"We should probably head back" Seren muttered.

"yeah..." she replied.

He made his way back to the stairs and she followed behind him. The trip down was easier than making it to the top, her weight fell with every step. The carved-out holes of the tower walls allowed the moonlight to seep in, illuminating the steps. They trekked down in silence, Marielle's mind heavy with his sentiments. He probably had a lot to think about, but she didn't regret asking him that question. She didn't want him to bottle things up, he was a part of their family now. She jumped at every opportunity to make him feel comfortable in this new city, far from home.

The rest of the journey home was pleasant. They talked about the things they had seen throughout the day and the things they liked the most. It was just small talk, but it made her happy to see him loosened up. It was 10 pm by the time the familiar glow of the front gates came into view. She never felt sleepy this early but all the walking had thrown her off. They walked up to the porch of their home, the carriage that had brought them here was on its way back to the city. The porch lights flickered, welcoming them back with their warmth. 

"hold on, before you go in..." she tapped his arm.

"I got this for you earlier, It's not much but I hope you like it".

She held out her hand, closed in a fist. He held out his palm, and she dropped the item into it. A fountain pen, deep red, its gold nib engraved with intricate designs of vines and leaves. It fit perfectly into his hand.

He looked down at it, then back at her, a face of surprise.

"I—why..."

"A welcome gift. Please accept it."

he looked at it once more, then held it tight.

"Thank you, I really mean it"

Marielle hummed in response. She had noticed the arrangement of pens earlier in the day but had to time her visit to make sure he didn't notice her making the purchase. Good thing the antique record store caught his attention long enough. She was glad he liked it.

They stepped past the front door, the light was blinding compared to the gentle light they stood under just a few seconds ago. The fatigue started to hit her. She quickly locked the door and turned off the porch lights.

"good night", she said quietly

"good night", he responded.

They parted ways, and she walked lazily to her room, feet dragging every so often. She heard his room door close a distance away, and hurried into her room. 

She reluctantly got ready for bed, and let out a big sigh as she finally laid down in the comfort of her covers. The room was illuminated just slightly, curtains half drawn back. She felt too drowsy to think about anything that night. The sounds of the house lulled her to sleep.