And sure enough, when the doors opened, they were greeted by a large sign with directions to the toilets. Many other unfortunate victims were likewise walking around the area, silent recognition in their sheepish grins as they spotted the jelly-legged Ophelia.
"Are you two here for the esper appraisals too?" asked Senna, peering through one of the viewing platforms. "You look a bit older than the usual intake."
"Yeah," said Nero. He leaned cautiously over the edge of a railing, watching the people down below go about their lives. From this far up, they looked little more than a nest of disorganised ants. "How old is the usual intake?"
"Depends. Fourteen is the cut-off age, I think."
"So you're eighteen now?" asked Ophelia, her eyes lighting up for the first time since she got off the elevator. "Me too! Do you think we'll be in the same class?"
Senna chuckled darkly. "If we make it in, yes. All the first-year espers are in the same class. If not… Well, I don't think I'll have enough quaths to try again next year. This is probably my last chance."
Nero glanced over at their new friend. Against the backdrop of the night sky, she looked absolutely forlorn. He was struck by a pang of loneliness; for some reason, he felt like he could empathise with her situation.
And so he took a chance.
"Inheritance?" he said, gesturing to her ruby ring. His voice was so quiet that only Senna could hear it - Ophelia had moved far away from the edge of the viewing galleries.
Her expression changed from miserable to guarded instantly.
"I thought you didn't know anything about Meridian Primus."
"I don't. But… Wait, what does Meridian Primus have to do with anything?"
Senna surveyed him for a long minute, her dark eyes scrutinising his face with fearsome alertness.
"My parents were Raymond and Lilian Sarabouche. They're politicians who campaigned hard for an esper-only Meridian Primus, saying that non-espers would only slow down the progress of the city. When their only daughter failed the Alcaster entrance exams…"
Senna made a snipping motion with her fingers.
"I was kicked out of the house with nothing but my schooling funds, and told that I could rejoin the family again when I passed the appraisals."
"That's horrible. I'm so -"
"Don't be," said Senna glumly. "There's nothing to be sorry about."
A brief silence fell between the two as Ophelia hobbled over.
"You don't look like you're doing so hot," said Senna, a small grin crossing her face. "What made you want to come up here anyway?"
"Thought it'd be romantic," mumbled Ophelia. A tinge of green was creeping into her cheeks. "Is the place swaying, or is it just me?"
"Do you want to go back to the hotel?" asked Nero, concerned. Ophelia had always been bad with heights, and trespassing on the fringe of the stratosphere wasn't doing her any favours.
"I'm already up here, aren't I?" retorted Ophelia indignantly. "I want to see the Siren's Bay."
Senna gestured to the north of the viewing gallery, and the trio headed over to a row of stationary binoculars. "You can see it from here if you squint a little - stand here, Ophelia - and follow my finger."
Nero looked towards where Senna was pointing, and sure enough, they were able to make out a beautiful array of tiny, sparkling lights hovering over the ocean.
Siren's Bay was incredibly alluring, but Nero couldn't help being distracted by the smell of Senna's shampoo. It smelt faintly of cider and honey, with a slight hint of something spicy, and matched her entire vibe really well.
"What are those lights made of?" wondered Ophelia.
"Back before Meridian Primus came into existence, Siren's Bay used to be a military port," answered Senna. "Sailors who were sent to war would part with their partners there, and… as with war, not all of them returned. The tears left behind by the mourning wives were crystallised by the Goddess of the Sea, and turned into the gems you see today, forever emitting a light to guide the sailor's souls home."
"And officially?" chimed in Nero.
Ophelia threw him a dirty look, but Senna's grin grew wider. "Coloured crystal balls filled with lumira and levitated in the air. It's a must-visit tourist destination because of the lore, and it's incredibly popular with people wishing for luck in love. It's become custom to write your name on one of those coloured balls and float it into the ocean."
"Isn't that bad for the ocean?"
"They're derived almost entirely from seaweed, so not really."
The three friends continued their tour around the viewing gallery, with Senna answering all their questions about the city. She was an excellent guide; she pointed out every area of interest in Meridian Primus that was listed in the brochures, and included a few tidbits that weren't.
Before they knew it, midnight had come, and the other guests were beginning to head back home. Nero suggested that they meet up before heading to Alcaster Academy together the next day, and Senna agreed.
Before they left, however, something caught Ophelia's eye.