He had never had the chance to see Sularia in the evening. At best he saw it at sundown, just as he was leaving once business was done. Swimming from the Highland coast was a bit a ways from the docks of the desert kingdom, so if he moved quickly he could return within a day. There were so many places in the court districts he had never known, or wouldn't have known if it weren't for Talise giving him the tour. The gardens were truly their crowning glory, and his favorite had to be Kirika Maze with the lake tucked away in the center. The tavern was dark, so dark he nearly tripped. Even the dim deep ocean waters weren't like this. 

Then the flowers began to glow in the darkness. So this was what a night garden was. He had thought they simply bloomed in the evening, but for them to emit luminescence themselves was a surprise. Everything here was brighter as the light was enhanced by the pitch black. The mood and atmosphere was intimate, private. They sat at the table reserved for them and he took it all in. Music softly played creating a hazy calm. "What do you think?" The glowing flowers in her hair cast a soft purple light on Talise's face. Her eyes and hair shone as she looked at him. His dark hair and eyes seemed to become one with the darkness in the tavern, and he remembered how he chose the dress she was wearing tonight. 

"It's beautiful. I can't imagine anywhere else that would be a better place to watch time fly by. Moths in green and gold flitted by like they were made of starlight. "All that's missing is the light of the full moon." Taking his violin from its case, he set the mahogany instrument on the table resting the delicate bow atop it. "Will they mind if I play?" He asked her. Not every place welcomed outside entertainment, and he didn't want to disturb the other patrons enjoying their evening. "I'll choose a more quiet sonata, if it's allowed." The candlelight was all he had to see where everything on the table was, but he didn't need to see the strings to play. He had played his instrument for years, and could do so with his eyes closed. All Talise had to do was say the word, or give him a set of chords and he could create a brand new melody.

Talise watched as his eyes expressed what his lips did not. She understood the feeling so much when it came to her homeland. To her, there wasn’t a place like it in the whole world. It was so brilliant in a way that sometimes her words couldn’t describe accurate enough.

It wasn’t seen in the darkness but her cheeks flushed with the way he looked at her. It felt like he was drinking her in for a moment she began lost in the stare until he answered her. She knew after a few minutes that the beautiful wasn’t meant for her but still the way the area was lit up she couldn’t help but think maybe it was sorta directed at her too.

“That’s true… the moons would make this place so much more… Like crystals.” She thought about it and the way the moons had a tendency to reflect off the wildlife at night and it made her smile. Like the faint glow of Feeorin, that’s what this place reminded her of the most. “I think they would love it if you played.”

Following his lead, Talise stood up while he played. She closed her eyes and let her own song flow with his. Her voice was soft but it traveled as it sang an Arriese Lullaby. They performed for a long time before they stopped. She moved back over to her seat and they ordered food for the moment.

Her heart had skipped a beat while she sang, their songs had managed to intertwine and it brought her joy. “Will you dance with me until our food is ready?” She was once again up and by his side. Her slender hand held out for his. “I’ll show you what else Sularia is known for.” Their dancing.

The acoustics of the tavern were excellent, amplifying even the subtlest of sounds. Smooth pulls across the strings crafted the image of moonlight shining down on the calm Nyella, while plankton were disturbed by a passing whale. The sea as aglow as thousands of little lights illuminated the great sea mammal, making it appear like it was sailing through the stars in the sky. Seaflowers lit up and shimmered beneath the surface as schools of fish brushed by. When the song concluded, they returned to their table. Gerard felt as if all eyes were on them, but somehow he didn't mind. They ordered from the menu, and he picked a rose wine with mint and lemon zest.

Talise was blushing, from what he could tell from how she paused before she spoke. "Will you dance with me until our food is ready? I'll show you what else Sularia is known for." He took her hand in his, and placed his other over hers. "Yes, I would love to." They took hands and began to waltz slowly on the dance floor. The glimmering butterflies and moths glided through the air as the two twirled. Soft brass with bright notes of wind instruments blended with fluid steps and levity. Unconsciously, their eyes held each other's the entire time. Time seemed to slow as the music did, they were both in their own little world away from the tavern and the lights. Somewhere, up on the moons where stardust powdered the air and moonlight made everything look like crystal. It was rapture.

Their personal reverie was gently interrupted as their food arrived. They finished the last steps, and bowed to each other to conclude the dance. Gerard felt as if his spirit had escaped up to the clouds above. He checked his pulse a few times to ensure he was breathing. It was like he was dreaming. Was this real? He pinched his wrist to see if it registered. A grimace answered loud and clear: 'yes'. 

His hands were larger than hers as she looked down to them and up to his eyes. There was a sweet smile that hadn’t quite been there before. He was so much larger than her in ways that made the whole thing awkward but sweet. She had been taught the steps every since she had been a child so for now, it was more the tides with the ocean… or the wind blowing the trees gently. It was so natural and fluid as she helped him where he needed it. They were lost together.

Her hands gripped his a bit tighter when they were interrupted. Her mother hadn’t been lying about how lost one could be in this place. She had heard the rumors so many times before. This was the first time she had ever found someone to enjoy the atmosphere, the first time she had actually liked someone enough not to kill them within the first few minutes. It was an odd feeling, they had gotten along since they first met. Well since first butt poke, the thought made her laugh as he pinched himself.

“What was that for?” She tilted her head as she saw him. “Did you think about how we met too? First butt poke!” She chuckled a bit more, it didn’t really ruin the moment for her but filled the moment even more full than it had been before. They returned to the table and scooted her chair in as she sat there staring at him for a minute or two. She had decided to order the same thing as him. Their wine was delicately poured for them.

She took one of the flowers that had been used as décor for the table and gently slid it behind his ear. “There,” she chuckled a bit. It was a black flower with a white center. It glowed like the area around them. “It matches you. Flowers have a language all of their own. That’s why even in the dead of night Arri is so loud. It’s not loud in a bad way though… It’s like a never ending song, a lullaby into eternity.”

She blushed a bit and looked down at her food. “Gerard, I’m having a really nice time and I don’t want to admit my mother was right.” She chuckled a bit and gave him another sweet smile.

At her direct description of their first meeting, Gerard made a face again. "Oh right…how could I forget?" But she wasn't wrong…that was literally how it happened. If he hadn't decided to float on his stomach on the surface of Vila Lake and if she hadn't been running that way to lure the hunters, they probably would have never met. Their drinks came, and he took his time to savor the fragrance, taste, and aftertaste of it. Arri was famous for rose wine, and it was fitting how this was what they ordered today. 

When she took one of the flowers set on the table and reached to tuck it behind his ear, he leaned forward a little. It was rare for him. Normally he didn't care about making things easier for someone or considering them, but with Talise he would do so naturally. The bloom was a rich black, with stark white in the center. Black flowers, or as close to it they could come, weren't common. She smiled at him as he touched his ear. "It matches you. Flowers have a language all of their own. That's why even in the dead of night Arri is so loud. It's not loud in a bad way though…It's like a never ending song, a lullaby into eternity." Closing his eyes he listened, past the music and others talking. The chirps of crickets in the night and other nighttime prowlers were an impromptu concert that played every night for all to hear.

"It certainly is. Perhaps sometime, I could take you to the seaside. The tides will be stronger this time of year, and you can hear the sound of the waves pulling back and forth against the shoreline. I'm not sure if we'll be able to see it, but there are times when the sea-sparkle shine phosphorescent in greens and rich marine blues when the waters are warm."

When she admitted she was enjoying the night, he nodded in agreement. "I'm finding it a bit hard to concede as well. I suppose we've underestimated her–she isn't called the Mother for nothing…" With his elbows on the table he folded his hands, giving a small shy smile in return. It was as if he were trying to hide it discreetly with how his hands were placed. The flower in his ear did its work to keep it from being concealed however. 

Talise once more blushed in the deep darkness of the tavern. If she hadn’t been so dark skinned and it hard to notice she would have been even more embarrassed. “I would really like that,” she said as remembered that she was one of the few Rosenites who could stand being out in the water and up in the air. “The ocean comforts me in the same way that the sky does… To me, it isn’t just warm in temperature but it warms my soul…”

Unlike her, she could easily read him. There was that smile on his lips and in truth, it was making her grin all stupid as well. Her hands played with her food for a good long minute before she got up and scooted her chair around to his. She smirked at him before blushing once more, this time being that up close he could definitely see it in the warm glow of the candle on their table. She got her food and wine and sat back down with him.

He was like the warm ocean, she could almost smell the sea salt on him. There was hesitation before she leaned over, moved her hair so it wasn’t smushed, and nuzzled her head against his shoulder. Her violet glowing eyes smiled up at him as her lips formed a shy smile. “Could always do this because we wanted to and not because she told us to. I think that’s a pretty good way to get away this. I would rather it not go to my mother’s head that she might actually be a good matchmaker.”

She moved over to his side of the table. They were on the same wavelength in so many ways. Naturally he took to water like a seabird to the air. It wasn't just being in one's element, it was like it was where you belonged. There weren't many places where he could say with confidence were as such. They were both nervous and excited too. Everything seemed to go so well, and for once he wasn't thinking about anything negative. Was this what people called 'perfection'? If it wasn't, then it had to be close. Speaking of close, Talise was right beside him. As her head rested against his shoulder, he could feel his heart pounding like the tides crashing against the rocks of the stormy seashore of the Highlands.

She wanted both of them to do things like this on their own, little rendezvous in quiet places of their choosing. He couldn't agree more. Sometimes you needed to get away from the troubles of the world for a while and make the world stop for a moment–put it on hold until you were ready. "We should. Can't let her take all the credit now can we? Are you thinking of going anywhere after this? As long as you want to go, I have no object–" He turned his head as he was speaking and in a stroke of luck, she was facing him while resting her head on his shoulder and the short distance led to an accidental meeting of their lips. There was a few seconds of delay for the realization to register, which made him quickly turn his head the other way while blood was rushing to his face. He went silent, leaving his sentence half-finished.

The flower behind his ear glowed brighter, as if to react in response to his embarrassment. Around him it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. It was as if he were holding his breath too. Should he speak up first, or should she? Gerard had been thrown completely off guard, and floundered trying to come up with a way to resume conversation after that. But each time he tried, the words wouldn't come out of his mouth.