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Skirts swish and flare out around the plaza as the party stretches on into the evening, a dozen feet keeping pace with the beat. Something fast and lively, perfect for the first warm evening of the year. The fairy lights overhead cast a soft glow over the crowd.
She wanders through the crowd, laughs at some joke Brendan makes and listens to Molly recount something from earlier that week. It's nearing midnight when she gets the chance to talk with Dante, nodding along to his argument with Garroth. She's about to interject when sees Zoey duck away from the party, motioning for her to follow. Aphmau excuses herself from the group, waving off Garroth when he moves to follow her.
She knows this path leads down to the beach, glad for the relative quiet of the woods. For as much as she loves this village and the people in it, being lord is exhausting. She doesn’t know who she was before stumbling upon Phoenix Drop, but she gets the feeling she wasn’t much of a socialite.
Zoey turns at the sound of her footsteps, watching Aphmau with those beautiful green eyes. Her expression is something undeniably fond as she waits for Aphmau to catch up. They stand there for a long moment, just watching each other.
“You look wonderful tonight,” Zoey says suddenly.
“Stop that, this dress is hardly anything special.” She says, the grin on her face taking any heat from her words.
“What! Can’t a woman tell her lord that she looks nice!” Zoey defends, and Aphmau rolls her eyes.
“You don't look so bad yourself.” She makes a truly horrible attempt at a wink that sends Zoey into a fit of giggles. They’re still laughing as she slips her cold hand into Aphmau’s calloused one. They walk like that, hand in hand, through the woods.
Eventually, they reach the beach, the docs are indistinct pillars in the dark. From here they can still faintly hear the music from the party, slowing into a soft melody. She watches Zoey, who has that soft look in her eyes again, as she bows slightly and offers her hand.
“May I have this dance?”
Aphmau takes her hand, half curtsies like she sees Cadenza do occasionally. “Of course.”
Zoey pulls her close, looping Aphmau's arms around her neck. She placed her own hands on the small of her back.
They spin around in loose circles, essentially just shuffling in place. Zoey takes the opportunity to press a kiss on the top of her head, her long blonde hair brushing against Aphmau's face. A pleasantly warm feeling settles in her gut.
‘I want to live in this moment forever’, she thinks. ‘I would go to the ends of the earth if it meant coming back to you.’
The music is picking up now. She laughs as Zoey spins her round and round across the warm sand. She feels giddy with joy, drunk off the feeling of them hand in hand. Aphmau pulls Zoey down and kisses her right there on the beach. Zoey's lips taste like the fancy champagne Logan brought.
They stop spinning as the song ends, settling back into a gentle sway. Zoey tucks a stray hair behind Aphmau’s and she leans into the contact. “You looked like you needed a break.”
Aphmau presses a kiss to Zoey's palm. “It's a lot, sometimes,” she admits quietly.
This moment can't last forever. They’ve been away from the party long enough for her guards to worry. Before long someone will come to find her. There's always some problem or argument that requires her attention.
But Zoey is smiling at her in the moonlight, tugging her into another spin. One more dance couldn't hurt.