Still smiling confidently, Damian shrugged. "I think it's important we examine it, for both our sakes. You know I first approached you with the hopes of seducing and manipulating you into becoming my woman, thereby turning your family into my puppet as soon as you took over from your father."
Sipping his drink, his smile turned into a meaningful grin. "I've only succeeded in the first half of my plan…"
"Hmpf," Luna grumbled, turning back to lean on the balustrade again. "We— We may have the occasional fun, but I'm not your anything! Certainly not when I'm still just one of many…"
Deciding to make peace, Damian raised his hands. "Alright, alright. Let's not bring that up again. Instead, why don't you tell me why we even got this far? You never trusted me from the start, but even after I admitted the truth, you continued responding to my invitations."
Luna remained thoughtful for a moment; her gaze fixated on an arbitrary point in the distance.
Finally, she sighed helplessly. "What can I say? I'd been searching a long time to find anyone I could connect with. None of our peers shared my beliefs or convictions about the rot in this city and the people I want to help don't trust me. But you…"
She turned to him and looked into his eyes solemnly. "You were exciting, fun, and… trustworthy, to an extent. Manipulative and ambitious you may be, but… something told me you wouldn't try to force anything. Plus, you actually listened to my beliefs and convictions that others simply laughed at or dismissed. You may not share them, but you listened, and that meant a lot."
Damian nodded, his lips curled up slightly. He was not a good person by any definition, but he preferred subtlety over brute force any day of the week, and he did value loyalty.
"Now, your turn," Luna smirked, downing her wine glass in one gulp to get rid of the awkward feelings she felt. "Why did you tell me your intentions, and why did you invite me again? You didn't think I'd simply ignore you? Did you still think you could seduce me, even after telling me your plans?"
"Maybe telling you was part of my plan?" Damian pondered aloud, sipping his drink. Yet, Luna kept staring at him, obviously not taking him seriously.
Chuckling, he shrugged. "I like you. That's really all there is to it. No, I don't share your beliefs, but I don't necessarily oppose them either. Mostly, though, it was your conviction and absolute determination to leave the world a better place that impressed me. Besides, I'd already realized you saw through me…"
Seeing his words left Luna lost in thought, he gestured towards the elegantly set table. A spread of delicacies—some rare even in Eryndor—lay arranged on crystal plates. "Shall we have a seat? Personally, I'm famished."
Giving him a strange look for a moment, Luna then sighed and nodded. Realizing they were done with this topic for now, she relaxed.
They settled into their chairs, the cityscape serving as their backdrop. Damian poured them both a new glass of wine—a deep, almost black vintage that shimmered faintly. Luna studied him as he did so, her sharp eyes missing nothing.
For a while, they conversed lightly. They spoke about their past, recent events, and Luna's vision for reforming Eryndor's fractured underbelly, lifting up those trapped in its endless cycle of poverty and violence, and hopefully extending her initiative across the planet.
Her words were passionate, her voice carrying a fervour Damian rarely encountered in his world of sycophants and self-serving aristocrats.
He listened, genuinely listened. But even as he admired her conviction, he knew conviction wouldn't be enough. The cracks were obvious to him: the places where her idealism clashed with her willingness to act ruthlessly and, more importantly, the interests of the city's ruling class.
Finally, however, Luna asked the question that was burning a hole in her tongue. "Anyway… you didn't bring me here just for a drink and stargazing, did you?" she asked, her voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of curiosity.
Damian smirked, leaning back in his chair and swirling his glass. "Would you believe me if I said I simply wanted to enjoy your company?"
"I believe that was part of your reasoning, but not all of it," she countered, a cunning light in her eyes, a confident smile on her lips.
Damian's laughter rang through the night air, rich and genuine. "Fair enough. You're right, Luna—I did have ulterior motives. But it's nothing sinister, I assure you."
He leaned forward, his voice lowering, his usual playful tone replaced by something more calculated. "You and I aren't as different as you might think. You fight for change, for something better. I fight for power. But power, real power, isn't inherently evil. It can be a tool or a weapon. In the right hands—your hands, perhaps—it could change the world."
Luna's expression tightened slightly. "Power like yours always comes at a cost, Damian. And you're asking me to help you pay it."
He shrugged, sipping his wine. "Come now, Luna. I know you're not naïve enough to believe your plans won't require sacrifice. Agents of change, whether for good or bad, have always had to be ruthless when it mattered."
Swirling his wine casually, he smiled. "With my ambition and skillset by your side, you wouldn't have to struggle against the tide. You'd have someone clearing the path."
She stared at him, her grey eyes sharp and calculating. "And what would you get out of it, Damian?"
He smirked, leaning back into his chair with an air of satisfaction. "The same thing I always want: power. Influence. I have no interest in making our world into a democracy, but even under a dictatorship, people can thrive. They can live long, healthy, even happy lives, so long as the right people sit at the top."
Pulling one leg over the other, he smiled at her. "People like you and me, for example. As long as our goals align, you'll have a partner who doesn't flinch at the cost of victory, and at the end, I'll give you full authority to improve people's lives."
Luna looked down at her wine glass, her fingers tracing its rim. "You're asking me to trust you with my dream. Everything I've already done to try and achieve it."
Damian's voice softened slightly, his crimson eyes gleaming under the faint light. "No, Luna. I'm asking you to use me. Use my ambition, my cunning, my ruthlessness—all of it. Together, we can make this city into whatever you dream it could be, so long as you and I remain at the top together."
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The faint sound of the city below filled the silence.
"Why me?" Luna finally asked, almost suspiciously. "If you want a partner, you could find any ambitious but gullible heiress and manipulate her into obedience. Why me when I obviously won't simply go along with whatever you want? My family is powerful but not very influential, and certainly not the only option you have."
Damian smiled faintly, looking straight in her beautiful grey eyes. "You know why…"
Luna opened her mouth… but then closed it again, looking conflicted. Another moment of silence followed. Thoughtfully, Luna looked out over the city, her expression unreadable. Damian simply watched her, sipping his wine with a confident smile.
Finally, Luna raised her glass and looked back over at her conversation partner. The corners of her lips curled faintly upwards, but there was still some hesitation there. "Fine, I'll... think about it."
Damian clinked his glass against hers, a satisfied grin spreading across his face as they drank.
The rest of the evening unfolded in shades of laughter, quiet conversation, and moments of unspoken tension. Damian couldn't shake the realization that Luna was closer to being like him than she'd ever admit.
And yet, she was still something else—a force, a conviction he couldn't quite manipulate, and yet might still become his greatest asset.