After Riding the elevator down a few floors, they ended up on a private parking platform, where a chauffeur and a guard were already holding open the passenger doors of a luxury car.
Without skipping a beat, the pair slid into their seats, and Luna smoothly melted into Damian's arms. Immediately afterwards, the car took off into the air with a barely noticeable buzz. Inside, Luna playfully looked up at her partner. "So, where are we going, Dames?"
Smirking confidently, he caressed her hair. "You'll see… Since I decided to spend the last few hours of my birthday with you, I naturally want to make it special. I did leave behind a gaggle of adoring family and friends for you, after all!"
"Hmpf, grovelling sycophants and scheming scions, you mean," Luna snorted dismissively. "Is it any wonder I prefer to avoid these things?"
"Grovelling sycophants make for excellent pawns, Luna. You should try to see the worth in them. Besides," he continued, raising a playful eyebrow and looking down at the woman in his chest, "aren't I a scheming scion?"
Slowly, a smug grin spread on Luna's lips. "Not with me, you aren't."
"Oh, I don't know about that. I always have a scheme playing, little Glimmer, it may just be they aren't always entirely selfish when it comes to you." Glimmer was his nickname for her, as Dames was hers for him.
Losing her smugness, Luna rolled her eyes, but before she could answer, the car doors opened. They'd arrived.
With a charming smile, Damian disentangled himself from Luna's arms and made his way to the car's other side, where he offered his date a hand. With a hint of playful ridicule, she took his help. "Hmpf, good thing I have a strong man like you around! Who knows how I'd get out of this car otherwise."
"I'm sure you'd manage somehow," Damian winked.
After stepping out, Luna sighed with a soft smile. "Aah… you remembered I love this place." Looking at the slightly taller man next to her, she smirked. "Isn't this supposed to be your birthday? Why do I feel like the one being treated?"
"It's for both of us," Damian answered immediately, a cunning glint in his eyes. "Your presence at my birthday is the best, most beautiful gift of the night, and now I'm simply enjoying it."
Luna immediately started snickering. "Smooth. I approve."
Confidently, Damian led the way. They found themselves on a secluded rooftop garden located on one of Eryndor's tallest skyscrapers. It belonged to Damian's family, the Moroi.
A barely noticeable, shimmering barrier covered the roof, preventing anyone from peeking at them—an important precaution, considering their relationship wasn't exactly common knowledge. It might even cause tension with Luna's family if found out.
Beneath them, the city sprawled. Neon veins pulsed through steel and glass arteries, the air filled with the distant hum of speeders and the faint throb of nightclub basslines. Moonlight glimmered on the reflective surfaces, mingling with the ambient glow of the garden's bioluminescent flora.
He moved them over to the garden's edge. Here, a table and two chairs had been prepared where you could view the entire city while feeling like you where on the edge of a forest.
"You really are pampering me," she smirked with a knowing look. "I'm starting to suspect you're trying to butter me up for something." But before Damian could answer, her eyes were drawn to a gift-wrapped box sitting on the otherwise empty table. "And what's this?"
Releasing her arm, Damian waved at it dramatically. "Why don't you have a look?"
Luna started to feel like she'd need a new pair of eyes after all the rolling she was doing with them. She walked over to the box and opened it, instantly groaning when she recognized what it was.
Turning around, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You know there's a reason I came dressed in my normal clothes, right? Do you really expect me to wear this?"
Damian grinned in that devastatingly charming way that he did and shrugged. "Certainly not without complaints, Glimmer, but weren't you the one who said this evening was becoming too much about you?"
Luna narrowed her eyes, clearly blaming him for turning her own words against her. Still, Damian simply waited to see what her decision would be.
Finally, Luna groaned and palmed her face. "Ugh, fine…" Removing her hand again, she glared at him. "But that'll be your last gift for the night!"
"Sounds like a deal!" Damian immediately agreed victoriously before throwing down a small disk. It instantly grew to something large enough to stand on. "I naturally prepared a place for you to change."
Knowing what the disk was, Luna sighed. Grabbing the box, she stepped onto the disk, immediately after which a curtain of light rose up to obscure her from onlookers.
At the same time, a small group of waiters and servers stealthily left the forest and started setting the table with food and alcohol. When they were done, Damian gave them a nod, and they disappeared again.
Finally, the curtain of light fell, and Luna revealed herself. With an expression of defiant embarrassment, she stepped off the disk, glaring at Damian. "Happy?"
Damian's eyes shone as he took in her new appearance. Her basic outfit of a dark jacket, slim pants, and efficient boots had been replaced by a beautiful, silver dress that perfectly matched her hair and eyes. It was a light dress that flowed around her like air, barely reaching her knees.
Coincidentally, it matched very well with Damian's dark, silver-runes-lined suit.
Grinning, Damian extended her a wine glass with a small but elegant bow, "Ecstatic, Glimmer. You look radiant."
Indignantly, Luna sighed and accepted the glass. "Well, at least you didn't give me any heels to go with it." She looked down at her bare feet with a small smile as she wriggled her toes in the garden's grass. "I do like going without shoes whenever I can."
"I do know a little about you," Damian chuckled before offering her his hand again.
He led her over to the roof's edge, where they leaned against the glass-made balustrade and looked out over the city. Obviously trusting of Damian, Luna sipped her drink without checking the contents.
Silently, they took in the sights for a while, enjoying each other's presence.
"It's a beautiful city, don't you think?" he finally asked her, a cunning smile on his lips. Expertly, he tried to lead the conversation in a certain direction.
Whether Luna was aware of his intentions or not, she sighed a little wistfully. "You know what I think of our 'beautiful' Eryndor. It's a turd with makeup and an expensive dress, puppeteered by a handful of powerful families, ignoring the plight of everyone who suffers under their yoke."
Smiling slightly, Damian continued looking out over the city. "Powerful families like ours, you mean?"
Groaning, Luna sagged down a little until her chin rested on her arms, a frustrated look in her eyes as her excitement of the evening dimmed a little. "Don't remind me, please. My family is only slightly better than yours, and that's just because we're a little more martial and austere."
Damian nodded slowly. "Controlling most of the city's entertainment industry doesn't really allow for much austerity," he laughed softly.
"Don't pretend you don't like it," Luna scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"I do like it," he nodded again, the small smile still on his lips. "In fact, you know perfectly well what kind of person I am."
Finally, he turned to Luna, who appeared to become a little sombre. "Which makes me wonder why you still tolerate my presence, Glimmer."
Sighing, Luna turned to glare at him. "Are you sure you want me to poke at that thread…?"