The night was calm, the air cool and clean atop their secret outing into the city after Nero training, she didn't ask anything yet, simply enjoying the moment. They sat on the rooftop terrace, a small table between them laden with snacks and a bottle of amber whiskey. The stars were scattered across the sky like scattered diamonds, and the moon hung low and full, casting silver light over the world below.
They ate in comfortable silence, sharing bites of cheese and cured meat, sipping the whiskey that warmed their chests. The conversation flowed easily when they spoke—about the day, about the festival, about the small adventures they had shared in the dungeon pocket world. Khione laughed at Nero's description of his clumsy encounter with a trap, and he smiled at her rare, unguarded amusement.
