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Dynasty- Chapter 2

The Patient Vitale Gentlemen

Because for some reason, this story is my muse's favorite at the moment (and it's also why I got so far behind for Monster March in the first place). May I introduce the Patient Vitale Gentlemen. Top left corner, Nicolo, middle left? Cesario, pronounced as (Chez- AR- ee-oh) like Cesare Borgia (Chez-er-ay), only this one is not in love with his sister. Also, I'm face claiming Caleb Foote as Archie. Doesn't he look like an Archie? Anyway, then above Adora on the right is Alessio Vitale.

Anyway, so Chaper 1 was for Monster March 2026, however, I am also tagging this from @thepromptfoundry for the following prompts because so many of these apply and in my book, because it's almost June now. And I'm behind because chronic illness fucking sucks.

Anywho, I am tagging this for Fiery February- as A Single Spark and A Dormant Blaze. For Masc March- this is Suit and Ties, Chivalry, and Heirs and Spares. For Archaic April- Candlelight. And while it is a stretch for Mermay- Bioluminescence. But for me, close enough, it still counts.

Chapter 2

The Patient Vitale Gentlemen

But once Adora had left the line and entered the club, Adora had not noticed and did not catch the meaningful looks that the bouncer Monte, who she had paid her entry fee to - had made towards the two other guards closest to him after she passed them to slip into the club from the doorman holding the door open for them before she slipped into the club with her new friends, nor did she notice all of them clearly staring after her once she passed them either in an effort to memorize everything about her that they could.

Monte immediately, and silently signaled for another to change out with him ASAP, so he could go take her cover payment straight to the Vitale Gentlemen. Because they needed to know this as soon as possible. He easily and readily picked out Adora's coins from the hand that had accepted them so he could pocket the other coins to be turned over once the club closed and the night's take was counted and divided accordingly. He did so because he needed her coins to be the only thing that was seen, because it was the only thing that mattered, to make the recognition as fast as possible.

“Boss!” Monte alerted, using a tone and a volume that he knew would cut through the noise and alert Nicolo and his brothers that something very important needed to be communicated as fast as possible as he walked towards Nicolo Vitale who was sitting in the largest and grandest VIP booth in the VIP section that he had briskly walked towards, because if he ran, that would indicate that something was wrong. This was definitely not that, things were for once, perfectly right.

“Yeah?” Nicolo answered, his body stiffening in alertness as he sat straight up and pulled his feet under him to stand if he needed to as he turned to Monte to give Monte his full and complete attention. Especially since Monte, not slowing down or interrupting his stride at all, walked straight up to Nicolo and gave him a meaningful look as he simply put the coins Adora had given him into Nicolo’s hand, because to say such things out loud could tip off Adora and make her feel immediately identified, which could make her feel unsafe, and could lead to her leaving and never coming back, which no one would want.

For as stoic as Nicolo had been trained to be and disciplined himself to be because it had been expected of him as the "unofficial" heir apparent of his famliy's dynasty especially since he was of the Prime Meridian Family Line too. His older brother was Sir or Signore, a title shared between them. Piertro was practically the mayor, the public face, the politician the center spotlight and the 'model' for the colony to follow but he was just a de jure leader. Nicolo, however was Signore in power, in influence, in wealth, in control, it was his word that was obeyed. Nicolo, in all truth, and in practice, word and deed was the de facto ruler of the colony. He was simply 'The Boss' that everyone took their marching orders from whether they were in his employment or not.

However, with this revelation in his palm, it was like holding the moon itself in the palm of his hand. The coins themselves didn't weigh much, but their significance, their impact, their meaning? Larger and heavier than any supernova. Nicolo’s eyes went as wide as they had ever gone with recognition as he very sharply inhaled the second he saw the first coin before two more fell on top of it before he instantly closed his fist tightly while he immediately got to his feet with a facial expression he rarely wore, excitement and hope but also, with a very real fear of what this meant. Or especially to him personally- that his own wishes were about to come true, while he also felt he may not be completely ready for, or as ready as he felt he should have already been by now.

It had been 6 years since the news went out that a parent generation with a kids aged from newborn to rite flight and even a few years older than that of a generation who had left with their parents- they all left en masse from The Cosmos Colonies, the most important colonies in all of the moura as a species because they were where a-typical mouras were the most densely populated, outside of Neveah. In less than a month after their departure- the entirety of the Cosmos Colonies made this huge broadcast announcement that they had all left to go on a “Great Pilgrimage” around the whole world. And even though it made no sense for multiple reasons, most had not stopped to think or read too far into it, but he had and because of his advanced warning, he knew a cover story when he heard it, but it only made him double down on his efforts, because he had taken a year planning, but at the announcement it was time to put those plans into action.

Even still, at the announcement, Nicolo felt that surely, hopefully, there would be one moura woman who was from the Cosmos Colonies that Nicolo could save himself for, that would be worth the wait, because all of them that had left were dynasty families that made his own look provincial and practically a preteen in relative age. He had spent the first 3 and a half years tirelessly working- trying to get his whole colony ready for their eventual arrival, and he had risked so much just to get all the help he could from outside sources. He was grateful they hadn’t come in those first few years while they were in the middle of the largest stages of rebuilding and remodelling and updating everything. But just as they finished at the Spring Solstice of that 4th year, when they had finished all of it, and were ready to warmly welcome them and he had sent the message and the signal that he and his colony were ready for them... all he got back was a reply that the message had been sent. But no confirmation it was recieved. Because by that point, it was too dangerous for a confirmation to be made from that group and the only advice he had gotten was to keep on the look out.

So ever since? All they could do was maintain and try to keep up with every other colony around the Cosmos Colonies and beyond, even if they couldn’t fully trust or put any faith that any of them would ever come there. However, the colony had been in a great need to modernize anyway. But Nicolo had still kept a proper quarter unchanged, just to have that touchstone to the past, along with the colony's landmarks, also unchanged, trying to balance between modernization and respecting the colony's past and traditional looks and values.

And then in the last 2 years his hope dwindled more and more, and especially this past year- he had all but given up that any of them would ever make it this far. His hope before this exact moment was just barely a flicker on a candle all the way at the base in its holder.

But now that he was holding proof in his hands? That flicker of hope roared to life like a bonfire 10 stories high in his entire being. Nicolo, right this second was so glad, and so relieved he had put in so much work. Because it worked! It finally paid off! They were finally here! And one was in this club right now! Today, of all days, just a random Thursday night, what he had waited all this time for- had finally come!

But, because of the usual target age group that usually patroned this club, he was probably a decade too old for them. And that broke his heart and stung like a motherfucker, but he honestly didn't care and ignored it because maybe it would still be worth it if it meant that his hopes and dreams for himself would pass to his younger brothers, Alessio and/or Cesario who were old enough to take advantage of this opportunity and take those hopes and dreams that Nicolo had had for himself, onto them. Because only a few years separated his closest younger brother, Alessio, who was just a year or two older than the official target age group, it could definitely work, but it would be kind of a stretch. But for Cesario? His youngest brother that was with him? Cesario was actually at the perfect age. But Cesario had a history of fumbling- really important things.

So now all Nick could do was hope that this person was 1. Female. 2. Had older sisters closer to his age. Because 20, 21- a stretch but doable, 22-23 very, very highly improbable but would be much more comfortable and definitely doable, and 24 and over was an absolutely impossible pipe dream. Otherwise, if Cesario fumbled, Alessio would be able to sweep in and save the day, the family, the dynasty, the colony as a whole even- could and would be saved, if they managed to survive it as well.

It was the fear that was so shockingly, jarringly unusual in Nicolo’s eyes and expression that immediately struck Alessio and Cesario in the chest as they scrambled to get up and stay as close to Nick as they could. Nicolo very rarely ever showed fear. Everyone always thought and assumed that he didn't fear anything or anyone. Alessio and Cesario could count on one hand- kind of rare- the number of times they had seen that kind of fear in Nicolo, but that was because they were candid with each other. It immediately alerted Alessio and Cesario and caused them to move only a heartbeat after Nicolo had. They had been enjoying the space with Nicolo, learning how to run the club more than enjoying any of it. They too had silenced themselves to also give Monte their full attention as well. It was something so important that Nicolo would get up and go with Monte who had backed up and gone slightly to the right, which was towards the west, as he was now scanning the club for Adora. It should not have been this difficult, but either she was in the restroom or blended in better than he thought she would have as he prayed that he would be able to find her quickly and be able to subtly and quietly yet emphatically communicate the importance of who they had just let into this club.

Monte had memorized what Adora had been wearing as had all the guards on ground level and all the guards in the balcony, because she was clearly, from any distance, so special for reasons they were still grasping on how to define and describe. Monte was also hoping she hadn't changed outfits yet. He and just about every guard that saw her waiting in line had clocked her as someone special and needed to have extra attention paid to- not overtly, but covertely. Between her subtleties, her impeccable style and the coins, Monte instantly knew what she was. And he could not tell anyone else except for a Vitale Dynasty member, Nicolo specifically who was the only one with the real power, because he was truly enlighted, gifted genius to act and react, and know when, where and what, how to do what needed to be done and only after such actions were completed, the why finally became obvious.

Nicolo's brothers were wanting and needing to know what Nicolo instantly knew and realized. And most importantly, feared and was excited for at the same time. The only time they saw such a look was on their father's face when their mom was giving birth to their younger siblings. And this clearly wasn't that.

“Where?” Nicolo asked as he came to stand at the railing of VIP level with Monte, leaning over it a bit as he tried to look under it without actually bending all the way over the railing to then look out over the crowd to try to find whoever it was that had given Monte electrum coins.

Electrum like this? It only came from one source, a moonlight moura’s “gold”. This is what made moonlight mouras a-typical. Typical mouras, also known as 'sunlight mouras' made yellow gold when turning anything they touched at their will and drew power from the sun. But moonlights could draw power from the moon and lightning itself and with one strike, become 'super charged' but they also could turn whatever was already metal- into electrum. And that electrum was so much more than just pure electrum because it was not electrum in the sense of just gold plus silver. Not even close! Moonlight electrum was an alloy of platinum, titanium, and a metal that had no other name or identity outside of moonlight electrum because it had properties and potentials that were still being tested and discovered down to this day, 400+ years later since moonlight mouras came into existance by a freak accident on just one person, the mother of all moonlight mouras- Aurava Moonchild. Moonlight electrum was all those things wrapped up into one superb metal that did not have an equal in all of the supersphere. It was the most highly sought after substance in the world. Because without moonlight electrum - none of that technology or electrical systems the world over would not only- 1. Not exist in the first place. And 2. never could have even been imagined or conceptualized either because it was impossible otherwise. Because only moonlight electrum could do what it did, and no other metal in the world that was known and that was tried could do even a fraction of what moonlight electrum could.

But right now, Nicolo honestly didn’t give a fuck about the damn electrum! Only the moonlight moura who gave it! Nick simply handed his two brothers- one coin each, while he kept his own third coin in his fist, since they were pressing in on his sides, Alessio trying to wedge himself between Nick and Monte on his right, while Cesario was practically glued to his left side.

The moment they looked at what he had put in their palms, it was their turn to have their eyes go just as wide as Nicolo’s eyes had gone, as they both inhaled just as sharply as Nicolo had too before their fists closed tightly around the coin as it's metaphorical weight in meaning, significance and implications seemed to hit them just as hard as it had hit Nick. Cesario and Alessio gave each other the briefest of looks behind Nicolo’s back that clearly said ‘Oh shit, this is real! This is really happening! And right the fuck now!’ Now they too were both excited and terrified because they all felt so unprepared at that moment too. Their eyes now scanned the crowd, looking, searching, trying their best to find…whoever it could be? Obviously someone new, someone they didn’t recognize at the very least. But they also wondered, would the moonlight moura even stand out? Would they even look any different than anyone else? Would they look like an actual demigod or demigoddess among mortals? What?!

“Please let this moonlight moura be female.” Nicolo breathed because it was the female line in moonlight mouras that, even after all the generations and so many centuries later- never had any gift/power/ability bleed out that typical and traditional mouras had.

“It is. She's literally the only young lady in this club full of girls pretending to be grown up and failing spectacularly. She has the most striking green eyes I’ve ever seen and she’s the only one with the most modest, becoming, flattering and also the longest dress I’ve ever seen in here that I wish I could see more often…”

“Her dress is the only one…” Monte began.

“That doesn’t flash. It oh so subtly glows.” Cesario breathed in awe as his eyes locked onto her, his jaw dropping ever so slightly as he was left breathless as Nicolo looked over his shoulder to see Cesario’s line of sight and began to follow it before Monte caught sight of her a couple of seconds later.

“Yes. There! 15th barstool from the end! She's chatting with Archie! And he's genuinely laughing, which means she's actually funny.” He pointed as subtly as he could but also said so as quietly yet emphatically as he could as well, before Nicolo finished following Cesario’s line of sight while Alessio followed where Monte was pointing to and Nick and Alessio visually locked onto her and now all three of them had dropped their jaws in awed wonder of the gift of finally seeing perfect, beautiful her. Cesario was right. She glowed. Like her physical person didn’t glow, but she almost had an aura but that could have been the lighting, but she glowed in the sense that the sheen of the silken satin of her dress shined so softly in the lights. While everyone else garishly flashed- that was only irritating and tiring to the eyes.

“She’s the blonde curly, wavy hair, white silk satin base dress with blue, green and purple paisley designs. The dress itself is so very subtle, that she stands out in the best way. In that silhouette that's really only seen and found in ‘the cosmos’ among her age group. She’s perfectly lovely, but I'd say she's about 15, 16 or so? Maybe 17? She has a younger face but between her grace and manners and how she has carried herself and presents herself, she could also be 18, 19, perhaps? I still can't gauge just how old she is beyond mid to late teen. She came in with a group of regulars, just within the last 5-7 minutes, 8-10 tops. Sorry it took me a bit to get here but I had to go around the long way to keep her from noticing my movements because of how watchful they can be, and I couldn't risk her seeing me come in behind her to come straight to you without pushing her to immediately flee. She came in with Fantella and her group who are in that 16-18 range. She’s so proper, polite, respectful and perhaps a touch too innocent to be in here.” Monte pointed out as Nicolo’s brothers leaned towards Monte, so they could hear him better.

She was the most perfect work of art that they had ever seen in living form. Even though they could only see part of her profile as Archie was called away, leaving her to turn slightly in her seat at the bar that was along the right wall to the west, as she was facing the south west only quartered away from the bar itself. And from where they stood, towards the middle and north of that, they could just barely make out her profile when she turned her head to the left, to the south east to not full east, and demurely took little sips of her drink and delicately took little bites of her garnishes. She was poised and perched like every highborne lady was taught to on the high barstool. Her posture immaculately perfect, her legs stayed closed as she crossed her ankles, her left delicately tucked behind her right foot while she placed the foot bar itself in the natural curve between the ball of her foot and her toes, in her pretty ballerina styled slippered feet that didn’t even look like they had a heel on them at all. She really was the only young lady there, the only one worth paying attention to. Because she didn't ask or demand attention in the first place. In fact, she was dressed to do the opposite, but that only made her that much more radiant and magnetic to look at because she drew the intelligent discerning eye in.

But would be glanced over and practically ignored by all others because she was clearly above such things. She wasn't there for anyone else, even them. If anything, she was completely ignoring them, whether she was knowingly doing so or not. She never looked towards them, at least that they could recall. They would have noticed if she had, but they doubted that they had even been a tiny blip on her radar.

She was here- simply for her own enjoyment, entertainment and enrichment, that Vue Rive was hopefully giving her in abundance. Even if she wasn't moonlight, everyone with a bit of sense would be drawn to her quiet, calm and pleasant composure. Her ease at just existing, not needing or wanting anyone else's attention or needing or wanting to compete for attention either, or looking for compliments and validation. She obviously validated herself, and was confident in herself. She was just enjoying being present in this moment, in this club. She was here, soaking up the ambiance along with her drink and taking in the scene.

But all three Vitale gentlemen noticed that while she seemed to be looking around casually, “taking everything in”, she was also- subtly but intently watching and observing everyone else around her- first.

“She’s argus-eyed. Mapping but not by grid, it has diagonals, curves and turns that makes it look random when it’s anything but.” Cesario breathed in awe as his finger was trying to trace in the air how he saw her head moving around, before he simply bit his lips and made her his sole focus to try to see everything and to notice every little thing and had noticed her methodical way of scanning her surroundings, it was just in a pattern he wasn’t familiar with- yet. She was brilliant and so beyond wise to do that first. Nicolo’s, Alessio’s jaws dropped farther as they stared in awe as Nicolo covered his mouth with his other hand to keep himself from saying anything that might break this moment.

All Nicolo and his brothers could do was just watch in awed wonder how she did all of that so perfectly, seamlessly, effortlessly, automaticaly.

Nicolo had spent half of his life learning to do what she was doing right now, he was barely passable compared to her clear mastery of the art of awareness, both personal and situational. She was mapping both the structure itself and everything and everyone in it. When Nicolo was her age he was a disaster. But now, Alessio was getting there, still needed work, Cesario was almost a lost cause but Nick wasn't going to give up trying to teach him. But for her to do so as naturally and as subtly as she did? To the point they all doubted anyone on the ground floor would ever think she was doing so, or recognize the behavior at all? A true master of the skill. She would have been taught from infancy by so many generations of her family to do everything in the manner of things that usually came with very highly cultivated, sophisticated, genteel politessed decorum.

Cesario, being the first to lock his eyes onto her, he was struck almost speechless, and his heart seemed to skip a beat, or three and then practically leaped out of his chest and went to her like it was always meant to be with her. It was the weirdest feeling. But something amazing and wonderful and he couldn't really describe. Like it was a single spark that seemed cast flashes over something long since dormant in himself that he didn't know was there, but those flashes seemed to cause it to slowly open it's eyes to catch it as it started to wake up and start to stir, shaking off everything that had concealed it before as something about her seemed to call to it that it was time to wake up from laying at the bottom of the dark deep of his being before it slowly started to swim upward, waiting to see if what was being seen, was what it had been waiting... who knew how long, centuries, generations, something that deep and old. But beyond that, there was just... something about her drew him in, and it wasn't the appeal of her being a moonlight. It was definitely something else about her as a person that drew him in like a magnet, stronger by the second once he beheld her and couldn't look away, everything else fell away from all of his other senses besides his targeted hearing on Monte and Nicolo. And as much as he wanted to jump the railing and fly straight to her, he had to wait on Nicolo, because Nicolo was the one in charge, but also, only Nicolo would be able to tell him what to do and how to do it successfully to get to her safely without scaring her away or startling her.

“Who is she? Did you get a name?” Nicolo asked earnestly.

“I had no chance to. Fantella was dragging her into the club the moment her coins hit my palm. She was introduced as ‘her new friend who just moved here’ and left it at that. I’d agree with that statement because I have not seen her or anyone else like her before now, but she may have not moved into my area. However, she seems to be right at that age where she should still be living with her parents but is right on the cusp of flying the coop and leaving the nest in at least a few months at the earliest, a year or two at the latest, just in case she's actually either younger or older than she looks. She could be one of the refugees from Ottovio that I have heard have come to settle here. It was rumored that the reason that the colony fell was because of moonlight presence that caught the attention of one of the mecha species. But the friends that she's with can always be subtly and discreetly asked about their new friend, so I could at least get a name and go from there.” He murmured in answer.

“Now she and her family are finally here, we should seize this opportunity to show our hospitality.” Nicolo urged. Honestly Nicolo wanted to use her as an example of how this age group should dress and carry themselves, but they lacked her maturity and intelligence to see the importance of doing so.

“Tell the bartenders and waiters, anything and everything she orders is on the house, she's already paid more than enough to not only enter, but also get unlimited food and refreshments too. Tell them to claim that it's a first time visitor special or something else as equally believable. Find out about her and especially her family if at all possible, as quietly, subtly and discreetly as possible so that she's not tipped off or anyone else in her family either. And try to find out if she has any siblings to see if we can match any of it to the reading we have. Ask neighbors, ask anyone who they might have interacted with but do so with the utmost discretion.” Nicolo urged him before he nodded and went to do as he was told but purposefully not quickly, he too had to be subtle but also make sure he wasn’t seen with them either, cause that would tip her off that he just revealed her to them.

“Mine.” Alessio and Cesario immediately tried to call to each other before Nicolo stopped them by placing his hand on the tops of their shoulders and squeezed much harder than he usually did to get their full attention.

“Hey, hey, if you come onto her too directly? Especially if you come onto her too strongly? You’ll spook her, she’ll bolt and then vanish. Because it's been reported that moonlights can and will vanish into thin air and I’ve seen the recordings myself and it's terrifying. And if that happens- we’ll never see her or her kind again. We can not spook her. If she really is moonlight, she has to feel warm and welcome and most of all - safe here. Not hunted, not pursued, heaven forbid targeted and identified. Moonlights are the most skittish of our brethren. They've been chased and hunted and who knows what else for the last 6 years which has made them even more skittish and weary and rightfully paranoid. And we as a family and especially as a colony need to step up and be a place of refuge for them, not just her family but others too." Nick reminded them.

"But they're never going to get a chance to know any of that- if either of you blows this once in a dynasty chance. So if you go down there, you need to treat her as if she’s just a new moura flew into town, that there’s nothing else about her that’s special or that would be your cause of interest. Bury any and all other motives and curiosities you may have- so that only that 'new face in town' intent is seen and felt. Because if you start treating her with too much reverence, like the demigoddess she is? She’ll instantly figure out that you know more about her than you should and she’ll bolt. Because she and her family will assume that they're about to be identified and swarmed, or chased or hunted. We can not allow her or anyone else in her family to be swarmed, or chased, hunted or especially identified as moonlight either. They need the best chance we can give them for rest. The safest rest possible." Nick implored.

"So, here's the deal, each of you has one chance to approach her in here tonight, if she shoots you down, you bow out with grace and accept her rejection with all the maturity you have and can muster, otherwise if you see her and her family on the street, you will be the most polite and respectful versions of yourselves that you can be. If you approach her tonight, do not lead with the family name because best case scenario- it’ll either mean nothing to her or worst case- send her into a panicked alarm. She’s staying out of the spotlight, keep her that way for as long as possible." Nick urged.

"Especially you Alessio, I'm serious, you bring your spotlight onto her, she's gonna run, you have to be subtle. You can not go in there like Alessio Charming Vitale, you have to be just and only Alessio, Leo if at all possible. Can you do that? Ok, Cesario, I don't honestly have to worry about you, because it's not an issue with you. But, here's the catch, if both of you fail tonight, we're calling in our cousins who still might have a chance to succeed if you two fail. It's a dance club, she can have several people come up to her and talk and ask her to dance without too much suspicion beyond all of us looking like the Vitales we are. Do I make myself clear? Do you understand?” Nicolo urged his brothers.

“Yes, no need to call in the fam, I'll get her.” Alessio and Cesario simultaneously insisted and nodded in understanding as Nicolo released them and then tried to most fervently pray that she had older sisters remotely his age.

But no sooner had he let them go before Alessio grabbed the rails and jumped over them, straight for her as Nick did his best to grab him and pull him back and was only to barely get a growl of frustration out before looking over to where Cesario had been and he had practically vanished and had most likely jumped too. Fuck!

All he could do was use his earth manipulating powers to pull himself all the way to the back of the booth while knocking the lights out in it so he could both hide and yet watch from the shadows of the booth. Nicolo was mortified that he just told them to not do anything like that! And they did it anyway! Doing so practically screamed their presence to her and guarantee her ability to identify them. All he could do was bite back a groan. He needed to be as invisible as he could be right now. Her identifying his two younger brothers was less than ideal. But if she identified him personally since he had already been seen with them? If she had been here for any more than just a few days, she’d have heard about him by now. And if she identified him the way he had already identified her, she and her family would immediately vanish. All because his younger brothers had been overly eager.

Alessio used half wings to flutter down to the floor directly in Miss Moonlight’s direction as Nicolo could do nothing but watch her as closely as possible while still being aware of everything in his peripherals. He caught her turning at the same speed that everyone was turning to as she watched in confusion to see the fucking stampede that Alessio just prompted, but she wouldn’t look all the way north, north east with her very vivid green eyes. Calling them striking was a gross understatement. But she still saw, out of the corner of her left eye at what was going on and now that Nick could see more of her face, he now understood why no one on the ground floor approached her, beyond Archie, who was probably doing good to even talk or laugh, and not faint. Otherwise, before the stampeded, she had had two empty barstools on either side of her. Usually just one- was invitation enough. She was too beautiful and because of her degree of attractiveness, that alone was too intimidating. No other guy out there would ever have the confidence or courage to introduce himself to her or would even be able to breathe, talk, walk around her without stumbling, fumbling and cracking their voices. Even he was intimidated by her. She was practically a decade younger than him and even he was intimidated. If she had a sister who was even half as attractive as her, he didn’t think he’d have the confidence to go up and talk to her either. But the way she dressed, to the crowd in here? She probably seemed like a rebirthed parent if he had to guess. But rebirthed moonlights had a very specific characteristic that she didn't have. She really was just a teenager and already so wise beyond her years. She was a true gem surrounded by imitatious cut out of glass.

Then Alessio popped up in her peripherals, and he hadn’t even fallen back down all the way as she had instant abhorrent, panicked but also disgusted, frustrated, definitely repulsed facial expressions in her reaction that Nicolo read and was already starting to turn around, again at the same rate she had used earlier. Fuck. Nick had worked himself almost down to the bone for the last 7 long years and was undone in less than 3 seconds by Alessio and his damn spotlight of attention he always garnered. If Nicolo could strangle and beat Alessio to death, he would in that moment, because Alessio just broadcasted the fact that they had identified her which only led her to identify them in turn. If Nicolo could scream his apologies and not draw more attention or dig this grave that Alessio was digging for them, their dynasty and their entire colony, any deeper than he already was, without further embarrassment for any of them? He would.

Alessio fucked all of them over before he ever cleared the damn railing as all Nicolo could do besides get himself out of sight as he waited for Alessio to land back on his feet just as the wave of girls made an overabundance of contact and Alessio had to duck and both Alessio and Nicolo used their abilities to pull Alessio back as Alessio had tried to go down but then towards Adora on the backside of the wave! The audacity! Nicolo made sure that Alessio didn't make it forward more than an inch before Nicolo yanked him so hard down and back as fast as he could. Did Alessio knock the usually intelligent brain out of his pretty little head on impact? There was no way Nicolo would ever let Alessio anywhere near her from now on. He made the space around Alessio tighter and smaller and made sure to coat him in a layer of dirt that would muddy him and delivered him at home, right outside the shower because his ability was stronger than Alessio’s. However, there was a chance that this could be viewed as Alessio, by himself had targeted her for… whatever reason she'd hopefully think that wouldn't be recognition or especially identification. However, moonlights were also far more sensitive to manipulations of their surroundings than others. Hopefully she either felt and sensed Nicolo's intervention and also sensed that Alessio was now very, very far away. Threat eliminated, but still, threat established. Nicolo closed his eyes and exhaled before opening them to see what would happen next.

Meanwhile Cesario had simply glided, using his owl-like feathers on the edges of his wings that were almost undetectable by sound to get down from the 2nd floor. He had gone forward and to the left, almost by the exit next to the entrance- to the east, the opposite direction, which was the right thing to do because it drew the attention away from her. Cesario knew that Alessio's method to approach her would only have one reaction and one outcome. The reaction had been a wave of gasps followed by a roar of squeals and heels clicking on the floors from all the other fawning girls. He knew that Alessio would immediately get swarmed, because he was seen as the most handsome of his family and his colony and he had been wearing that smile that meant he found a romantic interest and was going to show that interest and every other girl in there thought it was her and couldn't be more wrong. And the second Cesario saw what Alessio was starting to do, immediately knew how to counter. Alessio could keep the spotlight, because he always craved it. And Nick had been right, that spotlight would send her running. But hopefully she wouldn't run before he could get to her. He had time, not alot of it, barely 30 seconds if he was lucky.

For Cesario, it was clear to him that she didn’t want that spotlight anywhere near her. She wanted to both blend in but get noticed by the right kind of person. Someone who was intelligent enough and discerning enough to recognize the sophisticated young lady she was with an even more intelligent and sophisticated mind than everyone else in here combined. A true gentleman, not a boy delusionally parading as a man. And that’s what he needed to be, because that was what he had been raised and taught to be as well his whole life. And while, in the past, he could never execute any of those teachings and behaviors correctly, he was driven to try again, hopefully successfully this time when it really mattered.

He was able to retract his wings as softly and as quietly as he could, slide, roll and then pivot to the west from going east and then due south to get in front of a booth that had been empty that now became 3 empty booths in that stampede to then slowly stand up while he waited for the first big wave of adoring masses to pass him first so he wouldn't get trampled, as all the girls that had been further up and further down the bar had also fled towards Alessio too, which opened up a larger spot for him to try and approach and hopefully wouldn’t make this introduction too targeted but also not awkward either.

Archie was panicked and had looked up just in time to see Nick slide back into his booth and hit the lights as Arche blew out a breath of relief as he looked back to Adora and caught the disgust and horror too. Oh he needed to play interference for Adora. Now that he met her and talked with her and got to know her, Alessio was the last person who should be around her. But Cesario did. Cesario needed to be the first, if he could manage not to fumble her. Archie scanned the club just in time to see Cesario now, practically miraculously reappeared across from him once the wave moved north. Oh thank the stars. Cesario only had 15-20 seconds though, 30 tops.

"Come on, come on, get over here Chez." Archie breathed to himself as he simply wiped down the bar as Cesario and Archie made eye contact and Archie pointedly looked to Adora since her back was turned to him and back to Cesario as Cesario gave the smallest of nods as he moved across the space.

However, Adora had noticed a guy on the other side of the club, both as she was turning towards what was the source of all the commotion, and again as she was turning back around after. He was in all black, plain black tshirt, loose enough to move easily enough in, paired with a black leather belt into his plain black jeans that also fit him very well and rather loosely instead of looking like they were painted on like 99% of the other guys were. He was so blessedly modest. And also, clearly here to blend in like her and not be in any kind of spotlight. He was all the way on the east wall, facing west, rising to his feet, in front of a few empty booths, which was from where he was most likely sitting before he got up and out of the one directly behind him. Good, with him sitting down and everyone in between them, of course she wouldn’t have been able to see him before. He simply stood up to his full height in a relaxed yet, unbothered posture.

He was also, very politely and patiently waiting for the first and extremely dense wave of girls to pass him as they all were headed towards what she could only guess was someone from VIP "fluttering down".

But that “fluttering” was not like a butterfly, but like a pissed off hummingbird, which might as well have been a murder hornet for how loud it practically buzzed down to the main floor. And had done so instead of using the walkway and the stairs, like a sane person. But for all that buzzing, still landed like a fucking boulder on the ground. Way to practically broadcast yourself and your location that might as well have been on the DJ's loud speakers! When she had turned around initially she had purposefully kept that buzzing boulder in her peripherals, to avoid eye contact because there was no way she was going to actually put her focus anywhere beyond a slight north east, that was the closest to north she would ever want to get. The Insane Hummingbird Boulder was still crouching below the height of the others before they seemed to jump up, a head and shoulders above the crowd that was fractions of a second from making contact with him with a smile directly at her that was all predator meant he was on the prowl for her specifically. Fuck, she got clocked by a VIP, for who knows how long! Because she was trying to ignore any and all attention she could feel but not always see from everyone on the VIP level from her latitude then south.

And in here? That many girls + gasps + targeted visual focus+ loud announcement of self in location and direction + predatory smile + huge fucking ego but minus humility - subtlety - sanity- maturity- anything that would ever hint at discretion= none other than Alessio Vitale. Fuck! Alessio Vitale was the very last person she had wanted any attention from because he always lived in the spotlight of it, that attention he so desperately craved, even in the dark. And she didn’t want to be caught anywhere near it. But as she tilted her head south to start to turn south from the north east, the booth for the Vitales was dark and she couldn't discern anyone in there, so maybe it had just been Alessio by himself tonight? That was known to happen too. But obviously, unless he had a way to vanish too, there was no way of him getting to her anytime soon, being the center of a swarm of dozens of tightly packed girls thick on all sides. The guy was an attention whore magnet. All flash, no substance, lady killing bastard. If he got anywhere near her, she was going to vanish, either before or after she’d deck him so hard, his head would get blown off of his shoulders before his head went splat against that east wall like a watermelon dropped from the roof of this place. Yes, they’d have to leave and or she’d never get a chance to leave the house again unless she was either vanished or blacked out, but still, tempting.

But the guy coming across the club, dressed in all black? He wasn't even looking at her, he was looking at the back of the wave in resigned annoyance before he just shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes in annoyance before trying to head to the bar while still weaving through the little clumps of stragglers behind the big, dense wave. Doing his best to not let any part of himself touch any of them, or for any of them to touch him either as he had actually really great body spacial awareness and was clearly aware he was trying to move perpendicular to the flow of girls as the guys around him, who had either stayed still or backed away towards the sides, looked equally annoyed and seemed to share knowing looks and polite nods between him and the guys he was passing along the way after he had nodded to Archie who seemed to go for some empty glasses in anticapation. Obviously, a regular who Archie knew well enough to get the two different kind of glasses for the drinks Mr. All Black would get.

And he probably wouldn’t even get that near to her either. Because what had been 2 barstools away from a group of gratingly loud people at the bar, now that space had opened up and he was clearly heading towards that much bigger gap of now- 5 barstools to the south and heading straight for the third one in the middle, again, near her but not directly at her. But she was in his peripherals, not his main focus. Oh thank the stars, she was so relieved. And judging by his gait and the gradient of sporadically grouped people now moving in other directions but still predominately north, and a quick reading of everyone between her and him- she calculated that he'd reach that perfectly polite distance in 8.13 seconds but would probably have 6-travel lanes to choose from if the people moving continued to move the way they were currently moving and or standing. She could breathe in relief because there was no way for Alessio who had jumped down from VIP to get out from that swarm anytime soon and for her to try to get away now, would only be running and encouraging the idiot to chase her.

Mr. All Black was probably one of only 8? But no more than 12 in total of guys in this entire club close to her age that she had already noted as not being vapid, hormone crazed, sex brained immature idiots. Which gave her relief to not be alone in that respect. But they were either shy or slightly introverted, trying their best to be social, with their way more social friends. Which was very good for them, to continue to learn to tolerate this kind of exposure. And had clearly dressed to blend in with, well... everything. She too could completely sympathize with all of that. But instead of head to toe black, it was dark blues, dark greens, safe neutrals like khaki, very neutral grays and taupes, one dark burgundy that were in there right now. Clearly not in any way asking or begging, least of all screaming for attention but a third of them had been on the VIP level but towards the south side of the room, otherwise the few others had been in corners or the 3rd and 4th floors from her vantage point. And yet, none of them had noticed her, or if they did, they clearly weren't interested. And honestly, that was perfectly fine. This was still her first time, a new face and being so different, she guessed it garnered weariness. Still another 7.54 seconds to incoming from Mr. All Black as she still continued to turn to the south at the appropriate speed for this environment and the people in it.

But as she tried to turn away even from him, she paused, now facing south east. Not at the fact that he was moving, but how he was moving. It actually garnered her main focus, not at his face because she didn't sense or feel him looking at her directly. He was weaving through them in a very smooth fluid motion, almost like water but not exactly, but close. To move like water between people was actually so much harder than most thought it could be. He still had his eye on the bar itself, again at that three stools away spot he had been focusing on from the start. So he was probably going to get drinks now that the girls at the bar had fled. the moment they saw Alessio come down. 6.86 seconds.

Adora let her focus stay on his form for 1.5 seconds and that was because had started out at almost fluid, but just in the span of him getting from ¾’s the distance to now ⅔’rds the distance, that almost transitioned to full water in a river mode. He had purpose but was still being very polite about accomplishing it, not demanding others move around him, instead he was moving around them. It showed her that he gave all the girls a respectful distance, without touching any of them, not even accidentally. And because he was the only one moving like he was, it would be easiest to track his movements with hearing alone. However, now, one path would be the easiest and quickest to navigate for him in the next 5.36 seconds as she let her head's continual leading move that hadn’t halted its movement, just the focus in her eyes as the rest of her body turned around as her body moved to keep up as she finished turning in her seat to fully face the bar itself.

Would turning to the left and facing the north before going back to the west have been quicker, easier and more proficient? Of course. But she could not chance actually looking and heaven forbid making eye contact with Alessio or any one else on the north end of the club. She and her family had literally been on the ground for only- well, real time was for 2 and a half days. Obviously way too early to chance identification. So back down south and around she went. It was the long way but the safest way as she sat and looked again at the wall behind the bar that also had mosaics too. This place had mosaics everywhere. Like they were old, and they were clearly culturally significant in that everything seemed to move in time around them but they were a pin in history, a touchstone. 5.24 seconds.

Oh, this place had culture, it had history it had a heart and a soul too. And while it was seen as a pleasure hotspot by most. She could see and discern so much about Nicolo who had remodeled it from ancestral home, to the safest dance club for teens in the world that she had seen so far. These locals had absolutely no idea just how rare and precious this colony was and her respect for him was so high, it practically reached the crystal angel realm that was the highest heavenly realm in the supersphere. And unfortunately, while he hadn’t been here to stop Alessio from being an idiot, she’d be half tempted to try to approach him to say such things to him later, or perhaps write to him, like an old fashioned hand written note or letter or something, she did notice they had a mail service here, and not all electronic. 4.91 seconds.

But at the same time it would give him and everyone else the wrong impression. Besides, for someone like him, he would see her brilliant deduction and know that no average 17 year old should be smart enough to deduce and discern what she had. Honestly, it would probably mean the most to him if she could ever get Estelle in here, and to see this and to try to talk her into actually telling him what she would see much quicker than Adora had. But Estelle was still so withdrawn. And the chances of that happening were nearly zero. Still 4.67 seconds before Mr. All Black made contact.

And as much as her reasonable, rational mind reminded her to not get too comfortable, because they needed to keep ahead of the hunters, but also lead them away from certain colonies who were too vulnerable as well to fine a line to walk this close to the equinox, the 2 of the 4 rite flights a year every teenager uses as their rite flights to signify adulthood that were the epitome of speed and control, for her? Also epitome of speed and control- to get the fuck away, because they were the two most dangerous times for the enemy to get straight for them and the others and the precious few colonies they had managed to find safe haven for. 3.23 seconds.

She didn’t have time to dive down that rabbit hole right now though. 2.7 seconds. Adora simply started to take a deep inhale as she picked up her drink and took a sip.

And then at 1.78 seconds, he made a step she had not seen as a possible spot for him to step on because there were supposed to be people there… but maybe they had moved at the last second? But that meant that instead of landing him between on either side of that third barstool to the left of her, moved him to be between the chair immediately to her left and the second chair to her left as Archie seemed to simultaneously pivot to intercept him. Now Mr. All Black would technically only one stool closer, still polite but definitely within interaction range, which was honestly, both exciting yet filled her with anxiety. Because what if he would ignore her too? Take a few seconds to stare but otherwise avoid her like everyone else? She couldn’t help that her face was… her face. And according to her family she had “blossomed” over the winter and into the spring. She hadn’t wanted to believe it but it was either a lie to help her feel better or she blossomed more than she realized .6 seconds.

Well, here's goes nothing, she would just have to wait and see as she took another big sip while continuing to inhale deeply and failed in her attempt to not hold it as she watched from her peripherals his hands going to the back of the barstool next to her and the one next to it as he came to stand between them. But he had used that last surprise step to decelerate quite a bit and used his hand holds to do the same and came to a natural stop, like something coasting off of pure inertia coming to a natural stop. Impressive. .4 seconds.

.3 seconds.

.2 seconds.

.1 seconds.

Time’s up.

“Hey, Archie. Can I get a dragon heart fruit freeze please?” Cesario asked hopefully, as Archie gave him a confirmation and a nod and went and opened up a ripe dragon heart fruit for the drink as Cesario could hear her held breath slowly be exhaled for just a couple of seconds and then got to feel her glance in his direction.

But what Adora had actually done was peek down past him to see that a group of guys had actually taken the barstools that were originally that 3rd-5th open ones. Ah. Ok, a natural response to their movements. Still a polite distance from both her and them. Perfectly understandable and reasonable.

But then she moved her focus to the gentleman next to her and her eyes went wide as she tried to pull her eyes away and keep her head from snapping off of her shoulders while her neck would try to twist like a pretzel- all so that she wouldn’t lean so far over while trying to twist and contort her body to see even more of his gorgeous face and frankly heavenly built body. Because while she had noticed his body mechanics, she apparently failed to notice the actual body that was doing the movements, because it was fine as hell! He was divine!

Oh, oh no. Nope, this was a bad idea. What had she been thinking?! How could she have ever thought she was ready to do this?! Translating dead languages that hadn’t been spoken, let alone written in over 300-600 years? No sweat. Going up to teenage girls her age? A bit difficult, but doable. Go up to guys her age? You’d have to threaten her life first. Sing in a temple? Uncomfortable and she’d still bury her voice under everyone else's. Sing in public? She’d rather dive straight into the planet's core on the equinox or into straight lava if at all possible. Now she was both hoping he actually was what she read him to be. And also terrified he wouldn’t be? And even more petrified if he actually was. Because, screw the search, forget the hundreds of thousands of lives lost if their enclave failed, she’d totally be the weak link in the chain, because she’d be getting every kink in her body worked out by him. But after she took a chance to quickly glance his way, then he took a chance to curiously look her way back as she slowly turned her head back over to him.

Awkward or great? What was it gonna be? Flip a coin.

“Hi.” He greeted her with a nod and a polite smile.

“Hi” She returned and mirrored his nod back to him as she turned to face him more with a pleasant and polite smile back and even made eye contact! Extra points!

And that was only until… she then got to watch as his pupils blew wide once they made eye contact with her as his polite smile turned into one of awe. Ok, awe, she could work with that- most people did, especially when and if they saw her way too bright green eyes. She couldn’t help that they always looked like they were glowing in any and all light and even in the super dim ones too. She had tried everything: veils, contacts, special eye treatments and diets to get them at least hazel. It backfired and made them more tropical paradise teal that made the green even brighter! She had also been told that they were unnerving way too often... and was now terrified he would think they were unnerving too. Which was a shame because he had the perfect chocolate brown eyes! With the most precious, sweet, kind gentle soul beyond them too! Oh, this was leaning towards great if he could manage to get over the shock of her eyes. Please, please get past them! She could be nice! And sweet! And fun! Just because she was dressed like a matronly nun didn’t mean she could just as easily slip into something more appealing or appropriate for the situation or even slip into her wicked sick body armor in seconds and kick serious ass too! Please, please let Mr. Super Handsome Dark Chocolate see that! She blinked again, hoping he wouldn’t have vanished. He was still there. Apparently that blink was enough for him to remember to breathe and try to talk as she only hoped she didn’t look too desperate and pleading.

“First time here?” He asked as casually yet with the most gentle curiosity that melted her like the chocolate she likened him to. Although that question, while still polite, was also sometimes a can of worms? Please let this can not be filled with worms. Not with him.

“That obvious?” She asked as she flushed more rose as her smile went from pleasant and polite and even inviting as he took a couple of seconds looking in awe at her to more of a nervous smile and caused her to huff a nervous laugh to go with it through her nose.

Was that wriggling in the can? Please no.

Meanwhile Cesario was doing so good to be still standing, and not blown back and gone splat all over the south wall behind him because her beauty nearly knocked him dead/out cold, whatever. He was gripping the back of the barstools for dear life as all the air in his chest crashed out in a shudder as his heart both wanted to stop and beat itself apart in his chest. His vision tunneled onto her. Nothing else existed beyond her- in this moment. He had always known his favorite color was green, and now, he knew why. Her eyes. The most perfect, ethereal either literally or practically glowing emerald green eyes. A very dark forest green rim, that got progressively lighter and brighter green towards her iris, the darker green had this star burst pattern from the outside in- giving even more dimension to her divine eyes that probably saw every star in heaven. And then in the middle of the iris- where the green went from emerald green to almost neon green but had a starburst of tropical water paradise teal over all of it that also had a starburst pattern outward giving her multidimensional eyes that he was sure she used a layer of in each dimension that existed. But that teal only punched the green up that much more. He nearly fainted.

How was she not a goddess of all things perfect and beautiful? Had she just stepped down from her own altar, pedestal, whatever in any of her millions of temples that he needed to find the mecca of as soon as possible, or even follow her back there- where she should be worshipped day and night. And clearly she had just to put on a shroud of a mortal coil so she could go from being worshiped and adored and admired by the masses, all over the world, just to slip in here and enjoy other beauty that existed, needing anonymity to do so because the shroud that was clearly becoming thinner and snatching his heart and soul out of him as both entities were now practically fighting their way out of his own mortal coil to join hers, and practically throw themselves at her feet. And then she grew nervous! Because he wasn’t saying anything and being an awkward screw up like always!

Shit! Fuck! Pull yourself together man! It hadn’t been too long yet! He could still save this! Please, all other deities, please come and help him! Nick said that he had to be gentle, he had to be careful and he had to give her grace, just like she was gracing him, with her existence, in his proximity before that something big, and something deep seemed to rocket towards the surface but just before breaching, it suddenly stopped and stayed just under the water's surface to really see what he was seeing, but it's presence gave Cesario the sense that he was going to be ok. He wasn't alone. He had whatever this thing was in him, with him, supporting him, that was also a part of him somehow.

“Nope, just a face I didn’t recognize. But with the colony growing every day, I don’t recognize half the people around me either, so…” He shrugged nonchalantly as he did his best to bury all of those other overwhelming thoughts with a crooked but easy grin that soon had her mirroring the grin, as hers went from nervous, to eased and comfortable within less than 2 seconds, as she seemed to be very relieved he had seemed to use some greatly appreciated grace to instantly suck all the awkwardness out of this moment as her smile turned so appreciative, a silent thanks in relief for saving her from her own awkwardness. Which made him smile broader.

There, all was well.

Meanwhile, internally- Cesario was flabbergasted with himself. Because where the fuck did all of that come from?! He had never pulled anything that cool, calm, collected, relaxed, chill, smooth, graceful, elegant, and with such ease out of himself before that moment- in all other previous moments of his life, combined! How had he done that?! He honestly didn’t know! But whatever it was, please don’t leave him right now or any and every moment after this that he would spend in her presence. He needed it more than ever now. Because that pull, that magnetism coming back and becoming so strong he was about to collide his mortal coil with hers. He really, really wanted to kiss her, just to touch the divine, just once, just a little. Yes it would cost him his life and all other rebirths in the flames but it would be worth it. But also he was about to get down on his knees and beg and plead and pray, offering whatever she would ask of him. Hoping against hope that she would feel this pull, and magnetism too so he didn't feel like he was either shooting blind in the dark, or summoning a connection all on his own, by only himself. Because by the stars of heaven- her soul beyond her already ethereal eyes was the most magnificent, spectacular marvel of the universe. She was shy! She was nervous but she was trying so hard to be brave, just like he was! She couldn’t help that her eyes were wonders of the universe and her mortal coil the most blessedly perfect thing in existence. She was real, she was flesh and blood and in this moment with him, that’s all that mattered. Now he wanted to start crying and climb into her arms and have her hold him like a baby as he would weep in gratitude that she was finally here and he wouldn’t have to be all alone either. Yes, Nick had been waiting 6 long years for this chance the most keenly, but so had he, so had everyone. The wait was over. She was here. That’s all that mattered.

That's when that something big, and something deep seemed to breach the waters as if it had rocketed the whole way from the bottom to the top to breach and then jump so high, nearly all of itself left the water it just needed to reach out and then give the smallest of sparks to something in her, something that seemed to spark back in recognition. But instead of making a huge splash it was like it became a very soft landing area, almost like a cradle that almost unnatrually seemed to settle back into the waters, no waves, no splashes, it was now like an island and planted it's base back at the bottom, first like a pillar and then like a mountain with just the tip being the island. Like it had always been there, but Cesario had just never seen or knew it was there before and it gave him the confidence, stability, calm, cool, collected but open, and honest and encouraged transparency with the crystal clear waters surrounding it. What was once a fathomless deep dark but unexplored ocean within himself. Was now the perfect place for him to be and invite her into it's safety and nurturing, soft and gentle care and nourishment, refuge and safety and peace, simply beckoning him and the thing that recognized it in her, to come and to take a leap of faith and that it would be there for the catch and would cradle her in his hold as it was no longer it's own seperate entity. It was him now, he felt like gained foresight and wisdom and discernment and so many different kinds of senses, instincts, intuitions and foresight and abilities to transition and transform himself instantaneously to be whatever she needed or wanted him to be while also making those things his genuine and natural state of being. It was always there, it just needed the right catalyst to reveal itself as the part of him that it had always been. And while it did so, it chased away worry and doubt, fear, anxiousness, awkwardness, instability, immaturity, stupidity, and took away anything and everything that would ever blind him to the truth of who and what he was looking at, her. And he'd be able to see everything, and catch everything, every signal and sign, no matter how subtle it would be. He would catch it, he would see it, he would hear it, he would feel it, he'd be able to know it and remember it too.

“Well, you’re correct. My family just moved here. So yes, I am new and yes, this is my first time here.” She confirmed as she turned even more in her seat to face him more so she was more comfortable having this conversation. Good. Only now it was his turn to struggle to see if he could get his own body to move…at all and unlock his legs to keep his knees from giving out or knocking together as he barely managed to slip into the seat without somehow tripping over his own feet and not doing a face plant into the seat itself as he tried to- as casually and smoothly as possible, slide into the stool next to her, turning it towards her more.

“Well, welcome. Glad to have you here. I’m Cesario by the way.” He introduced himself and offered his hand for her to shake and Adora hid and buried her shock and surprise that this Cesario, who could potentially be the very one and same Cesario Vitale, of all the people here, he practically accidentally found her! She simply smiled genuinely that she potentially just made a great new friend, at the bare minimum, best friend if at all possible.

And then with that touch of her hand sliding into his, that spark turned into fireworks and it ignited something in her, something deeper, something more profound, but steady and sure. She wasn't just meeting a boy as a girl in a dance club. No, she was meeting her other half to become whole, the missing link, the missing piece. She didn't know to what. But it was something huge. As that something deep and profound touched something in him that was equally deep, equally profound but she didn't have a name for it or understood what was happening. But wanted to stay in this blissful, perfect moment. Yes, he would be her friend, her best friend in the world. And then after that he would be her lover if she was fortunate, husband if she could score some epically divine luck, because he was cleary her soul mate, no doubts about that at all.

Whatever he wanted or needed, she’d do and be. She’d guard this whole colony by herself and fry every hunter who came near the damn network like a fly buzzing around and she'd kill it with a fly swatter the size and power of the sun through a magnifying glass they could use to see the other side of the universe, and destroy anything and everything that could or ever would be a threat to him, to them, to this place. She was officially off the team, no longer a link in the chain, they could finish the rest of it on their own, she was out. She wasn’t going anywhere, she was going to plant herself like a tree and never leave this precious, perfect gift's side. And if anything ever happened to him, she’d go on a murder rampage that would destroy the entire supersphere and if his pure, innocent soul had looked at all broken or battered or bruised or if any other girl who had ever had the audacity to hurt him? She wouldn’t be breathing a minute from now because Adora would be stopping time, just to hunt that bitch down and eviscerating her and then come back after she wiped off any blood and continue where they left off. But, at the same time, if she was going to sacrifice herself, give her life to protect anything or anyone, it would be him, and this colony and she'd use deadly force to deal with any and all other threats.

“Adora. It's a pleasure to meet you Cesario.” She offered and shook his hand with hers as their lira light touch in their palms, that neither of them initiated, but just…spontaneously happened- revealed that they were not closely or currently related, which was such a relief and not unusual for Adora. Because for the last 6 of the 7 years they’ve been doing this for, her family had purposefully distanced itself away from everywhere and everyone who knew who they were, since they were all densely populated within just one network of colonies. But this revelation was definitely mindblowing for Cesario. He was related to almost 70% of the whole colony! That lira light touch confirmed her suspicions about him and who he really was. But she didn't let that show, she needed to catapult that tiny, inconsequential footnote asterisk out of her head, and pretend she couldn’t read and hadn’t seen a damn thing, mostly because as she mentally raced through his lineage, searching for generations, not anyone in them as she had found that his family line was still too short and so that meant that this colony didn’t contain the person who was a link for who her enclave had been searching for- for the last 7 years either, but she did so, so fast, that he probably only felt like she barely even saw past his parents and nothing else, no siblings, no cousins, nothing, him and his parents, that is all who he should have felt that she saw. Saw that he had them, maybe not even enough to know their names.

However, she was determined to just treat him with the same respect, thoughtful care, and dignity, like he was just another guy, striking up a conversation with a girl in a club and not manifesting destiny now holding her hand. That's the least she could do for him and would send him running if she said that outloud right now. But also, he was owed so much better too. He needed soft, gentle, tender loving care and grace and understanding and sympathy and empathy and all the love and affection in all of its many displays and tokens showered on him and then she’d try to smother him with love and affection too if he’d be open to that and allow her to do that to him.

But also, now that physical contact was initiated, holy fucking shit were their souls now trying to race to align as fast as possible, with her body chasing closely behind. Her own enhanced body would probably always be faster, because, well, it was engineered to be. But his was going super fast too! It was like his body was hot on his soul's heels to align with her too with that something deep and profound making it possible for both of them as it was like the somethings had already established contact and were already building a bridge from one to the other so that their minds, hearts, souls, bodies could use to meet in the middle and establish a link between them that would never break, never be torn down, would last forever as once it did, her soul began to sing! In rejoice! In relief! In happiness and peace and calm and safety. She found refuge because he was her refuge. Not a colony, not a location, but a person. Him. He was the one she was looking for- for her own personal self. He would be the source of her peace and happiness and joy, confidence and pride because he was her rock, her refuge, her love, her mate, her home, her place in the universe was and would be beside him, he was the only thing that mattered to her more than... just about everything else.

That while she thought she was looking for something or someone else for her other reasons. Now she had an intimate, personal, romantic one too as her own motivation. She needed to protect him, and his colony if at all possible, it was worth saving, it was worth protecting. Whether they would find their contact before or after The Spring Equinox Rite Flight, or the other in the fall. This was now her home base. And if anything, he was the first to be checked off the list for the network and there were only a handful of networks around the aperature. They were within months of finding their contact.

And the only thing that Adora could attribute this speed and ability and the something deep and profound commonality that lended to compatibility- to was that maybe he was a moonlight too? But ancestrally, not currently, and the further back that was in his geneology, meant that it had to have gone through so much just to get to him. She almost got the sense that he was, but from that branch that was rumored to have disappeared after… but was the same branch that she was in too? But she was from the grandparent generation of the ones that disappeared, just like she and her parent's generation were trying to be right now. But she'd have to do another lira light touch but without the block in her own lira light to know for sure, otherwise she would have to just wait and see if he would change and if his contact with her was enough for the gifts, abilities and features of moonlights to start to express in his form. But that could take time she didn't feel they had. Otherwise, to get him to jumpstart, would require her to take the block out in her lira light. But if she did so, it would be like setting off a flare and would show up on everyone's radar and it was far too dangerous. Now she only hoped that this would be enough for now.

He was Cesario, she was Adora, that’s all they needed to be for the foreseeable future. Ok, so she may not have felt ready for this before this moment, but now that she was in it? She was, she was buckled in, ready to go, ready to launch herself into his arms and or bed, couch, chair, she didn’t care. Fuck, she’d stop time and physically carry him to the closest private area and figure out the rest after. He might as well have been made out of chocolate and she was the fountain who wanted to be bathed in it.

Cesario could see and sense through the lira light touch that she had an artificial block in her lira light though. Like looking up a river until it bended around something. He could only see three generations, nothing further and while it didn't 'appear' to be that special, what he felt was absolutely magnificent and had him feeling like he didn't care about her past or whatever family she was born into that she felt she needed to hide all evidence of, he would shield her, protect her, even if this was as close to her as he could get. Even as his protective possessiveness awoke like a dragon inside him, coiled around that mountain under the waters of the island as it alighted and began to glow and pulse with his heart beat. He'd kill anyone who dared to lay a hand on her. He'd hunt and kill anyone else who would audaciously try to hunt her in turn. He hadn’t been ready before, but he was more than ready now. Fully committed, never gonna leave her or let her down if at all possible. And plus, all she saw was him and barely peeked at his parents before she pulled out and away, like she didn't want or didn't care or didn't need to know anything else about him other than he was Cesario, that was enough for her. And if it was enough for her? It sure was more than enough for him too.

Most important of all, he felt and sensed her as a person and her as a person was an absolute treasure he was dying to protect and care for. But he also felt that her background still pointed at sacred, but he couldn’t let that show. She was an absolute gem that he didn't think he was worthy to behold, let alone touch, see and hear. However just touching her, it was like his soul, now that it was fully aligned, was practically singing! Rejoicing! It had never done that before! But now he never wanted it to stop. Because they were together now and clearly they had waited all of their lives up to this point. And it was well worth the wait. But it was like he was being uplifted, that none of his responsibilities and obligations weighed him down anymore because her presence somehow made it possible to put all of that down. But also, his soul now singing louder that he just found the love of his life. His future wife, his soul mate. Her. He didn’t need or want anything else other than to spend every moment possible by her side. And he couldn’t explain or even try to articulate any of that, or why that was the message being sung. But he was now desperate to make such a conviction- reality. Plus with how gorgeous and precious she was, just as a person, he needed to treat her and this meeting with extreme care. Because he already knew that who and what they each were- should never be part of the equation of her plus him equals happily ever after. That equation- just the way it was, was already perfect and already all the reason he needed or wanted to have for showing current and future interest in her. But also, with a casualness to keep her at ease so he wasn’t too intense either.

“It’s also a pleasure to meet you too, Adora. The name totally fits, because you are absolutely adorable.” He offered with a bright smile as that compliment seemed to land and be just cheesy enough to be taken as the honestly genuine compliment it was- and not 'a line' that was ployed to everyone or anyone else. It was the truth, she was super adorable, and beautiful and amazing and wonderful and practically the most magnificent young lady, the first he had ever known that was also potentially single. 'Please be single Adora, I need you in my life as the love of my life that you are'. He inwardly both begged and pleaded and chanted and prayed. If she was this outstanding now, once she fully matured and grew into her full adult form, she was going to be absolutely spectacular!

And he was unapologetically instantly smitten with her and falling head over wings for her and beyond attracted to her. He was never going to pretend not to be, or hide his evidence of, or make his honorable intentions unclear. This, them- her+ him, this was just one moura, falling instantly for another. The way everyone in their species did, all the time, but especially during their flights. He didn't see or want to fly them now, because he already found her. He instantly wanted no other but her, and was already willing to give or do anything to make that deep intent desire a reality if she was feeling even a fraction of what he was.

“Thank you.” She thanked him appreciatively.

“So what brings you here to Magnatto?” He asked curiously and as casually as possible before her smile fell and became more somber but this was a scar he needed to see as she squeezed his hand just a bit tighter to serve as her anchor.

“Siege. My old colony was besieged and broken by worgens I think? By the looks of them, at flee height anyway. The first several colonies my family tried to go to were the same colonies everyone else tried to flee to as well. They were beyond overwhelmingly overstuffed. So we just flew as far as we could before practically crashing in this colony's main square earlier in the week. And while it worked, we found a colony that wasn't overstuffed but wasn't dying and mostly empty either. But, we just haven’t seen anyone else from home here either and I think we may have flown perhaps just a little too far? Or maybe not far enough? Or in the wrong direction or something? We flew so much I have no idea which way is up anymore. Otherwise, so far at least from what I've seen and heard, no one else has come here from our old colony and there’s not a familiar face in sight, but the solstice flight is coming up, perhaps I’ll see my friends again then.” She shrugged, having so many meanings with each word she said.

“Oh, I am so sorry for your loss.” He offered, in genuine sympathy as he frowned in pain as she seemed grateful and appreciative of his genuine sympathy as it was like he could see the invisible mental and emotional walls she had around her were starting to lower. He couldn't 'storm' the castle. It was always best to just walk up the castle, knock on the door politely and ask to be let in, or better yet, beckon her out if he could make it safe for her to do so.

“What was your old colony’s name?” He asked.

“Ottovio.” She answered.

“Oh, I have heard through the grapevine so to speak about it. That was brutal, did you lose anyone in your family or friends?” He asked.

“Too many to count.” She admitted with a sad nod as she sucked down her drink as she fought her glassy eyes again. This poor sweet summer child, that was born in the fall, had no idea or no frame of reference to really know or understand just how much each loss from her enclave hurt, they were family, they were friends. To lose even 1 was a blow. To lose as many as she had? Almost unbearable and she wanted to climb into his lap and sob into his shoulder and tell him all about it. But she couldn't quite do that without freaking him out. Gentle, he needed gentle and soft and not get blasted with overwhelming emotional baggage that would take an entire network of colonies to hold it all.

“Again, I’m very deeply sorry for your loss.” He offered as she gave a sweet sad smile but appreciation all the same as his grip on her hand equalled her own.

“Thanks. Ottovio started and ended with the Ottovio family. I just wished it could have stood to be a whole ten generations instead of only 7.” She admitted.

“Well, Magnatto is 38 generations old.” He informed her.

“Hey! That’s awesome. Anything under ten is still considered pretty young and new. Those new colonies are usually always 'we're here for a great time, not a long time' feels like and at the same time, any dynasty family present is usually one of two types, the first is 'I still don't know what I'm doing, I'm faking it until I make it', which is perfectly reasonable and acceptable, because I think we are all that way when we’re young, and it shows a humility that you’re willing to admit that. Otherwise, more commonly and far less appealing is just because they've established themselves as dynasty family who has been there from the beginning, but the generations are still in the single digits- and yet they somehow demand to be treated with the same respect and reverence as other dynasties in other colonies who have been there for 20 or more generations, and have absolutely stood the test of time to become a pillar for the colony and had usually always cared more about the colony as a whole instead of just their family and whatever “dynasty” they're building and leaving behind. " Adora apprized.

Cesario was hanging off of every word, absolutely fascinated by the idea that Adora had already been to so many different colonies, that she could compare and contrast them and was able to objectively draw conclusions about how a colony could appear, feel and act depending on age and stage at which they seemed to be in their own evolution.

"Which, the Ottovio family, absolutely was the latter. Those that were my age in that particular family dynasty expected everyone in the colony to fawn over them, because they were “the founding family.” And none of them realized that they hadn't really built up anything to pay that much respect to in the first place. So it was an unwarranted demand that only made them look like self entitled bratty babies who were the first to the playpen and were trying to claim all the toys in that playpen and insisting that they play with them first and hoard them all to keep anyone and everyone else from playing with them or enjoying the playpen in the first place. And all they're really doing is making everyone else want to leave the playpen because the toys aren't even that great and not worth it, at all." She specified as Cesario nodded in agreement and understanding. He wondered how his colony appeared to her though.

"During my eldest siblings' solstice flights when the whole family went to enjoy the host colony and to support them, I met a lot of those types. The younger immature entitled ones give all the real, tested by time and proved true dynasty ones a bad reputation. Because the ones who you absolutely should acknowledge and pay your respects to are actually really casual and very unassuming and they don't presume anything, other than just being treated with the same respect as anyone else as a person. That's it. And they're that way because the novelty of being in a dynasty can wear off really fast. And it's the novelty of being “normal” like everyone else, as true equals that a dynasty moura seeks but rarely finds. Because they're already too busy with the dynasty's family affairs and business and colony affairs from childhood onward. And usually only if you really ask and pry it out of them will they admit that they're legacy and or dynasty or both. That has always humbled me, and impressed me and if anything has been something I wish everyone strived for, whether they were a dynasty and or a legacy or not. Like, on one hand I get why there's a thing around it, but at the same time, I feel like none of it should matter, or should be a component in friendship or courting especially. Unless, of course you're the heir apparent, then it actually really matters, or even the spare. Because that comes with extra responsibility that not everyone can handle well, let alone handle it with the grace it needs to be used with. I don't know, does any of that make sense?" He asked as her eyes grew larger with excitement and glee and practically glittered with sheer mirth as those emerald eyes absolutely dazzled in brilliance like her eyes were going off like green fireworks inside those emeralds.

"It absolutely makes perfect sense! Especially for me! I absolutely agree with you, 100%! Because, obviously- if you come from that, either legacy or dynasty or both, it will most likely impact you and your upbringing and how you see yourself and the wider world around you. But at the same time, I completely agree that it shouldn't be any kind of deciding factor for anything and everything else. It's so dangerous when that's all that you've built your sense of self on. And you have no idea- who and what you are without it either. Colonies fall, dynasties end. And if that's all that you've based yourself off of or from? When any or all of that falls? You're just as lost, you're just as devastated. You're alive, but now you're stuck with the existential crises of who you really are without any or all of that? Or what do you keep living for- without it either? What purpose do you have beyond it? What do you do with yourself? How do you move on from that? Do you even have a clue as to how to pick yourself back up, and put yourself together? Especially since something that devestating feels like it shatters you into a million pieces and you feel like you'll never find them all again, and you're broken and lost and everything that you put your faith and trust in is gone and then you feel like you've lost all faith in everything else, and you can't trust anything else to support you. You feel like you'll forever be incomplete, that you'll be broken forever and there's not enough glue in the world to try to put yourself back together again either. But then..." She recalled as her eyes were beyond glassy and let a few tears fall before she wiped them away and put on the bravest, proudest smile as she just sqeezed his hand to steady herself.

"And then, you look around and see that you're not alone, you're not going through that by yourself. You survived and everyone else who did right along side you, whether they're related to you or not, now you have a bond of surviving the worst kind of hell together and are so much stronger than you realize. And you look back and realize that the physical place you called home, even if it's the only home you've ever known, is just a place. It's just stone, it's just rock. And there are other rocks, there are other stones that you can go to use and rebuild again. But this time, you have all the control over what you build for yourself and why you build it in the first place. Yes those stones and rocks that you left behind- have that sentimental attachment, but it's not a literal tether tying you there either. And even if all you have is life in your body, whether you have a collar or not, even if you have gifts or powers or not, you still survived and that is something to be proud of. Something to put faith in, your own ability to live through it. And that is enough. That is more than enough." Adora reminded herself, more than anything, but warned him all the same, preparing him, just in case push came to shove and the worst case scenario.

"And when you realize that you're already bringing everything you need with you? You'll grow trust in yourself. Because what you have is precious. You still have your memories, you still have people, your loved ones, whether they have already passed or not, they still live in your memory and they still live on- through you. And that is enough. And you just take it one day at a time. One moment at a time because that moment is all you have, so make the most of it. You don't have to have all the answers, you just need to have a starting point. One foot in front of the other. And a person much wiser than myself, who lived through that, and had it much worse than I could have ever imagined it could be- asked me 'Why do we fall? It's so that we can learn to pick ourselves back up.' A very simple principle that has the most profound impact, and the more you fall, the more you learn to pick yourself back up too, proving to yourself over and over than you can get back up, no matter what made you fall down in the first place. But, the most vital thing to keep in mind- is once you do pick yourself back up? MOVE. Don't stand still, don't look back, move forward. That's how you stay alive, that's how you survive. Create momentum that will carry you through the next storm after that, because it's not a matter of if, it's guaranteed to be a when. When the next storm comes, you'll weather that one too and the one after that and the one after that too. And one of the best things you can do, is ask yourself- What will you choose to do, now that none of that is holding you back?" Adora posed, letting the smallest but most powerful of grins grace her lips. As Cesario's eyes were glassy as he was fighting to not break into a sob, like he could hear Archie softly do a little ways away as he had to remake Cesario's drink again.

"But I'm here now, knock on...yeah this seat is made of wood, perfect, knock on wood." Adora began as she knocked on the back of the chair that was also polished wood that got Cesario to softly laugh and smile appreciatively as he did his best not to let his tears fall.

"That you or anyone else here ever has to learn that lesson the way I just have. Just like the protective guardians in here, keeping people from making asses of themselves and unintentionally hurting themselves, and suffering consequences that they could easily be spared by if they just listen and pay attention and know that they're speaking from their own experience." Adora encouraged before her grin turned more mischevious.

"Unlike whoever or whatever that pissed off humming bird that sounded like a murder hornet who landed like a fucking boulder on the floor and probably put a dent into it that is gonna be a tripping hazard from now on, who absolutely should be on the hook for breaking something and need to fix it themselves instead of paying anyone else to do it for them. But the floor is dented all the same from their overly thick skull that is thicker than an iron beam, leaving no room for more than a small smooth brain the size of a sesame seed- just did several minutes ago. I don't know why they didn't just use the walkways and the stairs, like a sane person." Adora explained as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder where Alessio had just been as Cesario both squeezed her hand but he and Archie busted up laughing before Archie began to clap which made Cesario realize that he was still holding her hand and feared it was beyond sweaty but clapped along with Archie, applauding her for her brilliant appraisal.

"Oh that's priceless! Oh, bless your heart and soul Adora for saying what I and every other guy in here is thinking!" Archie laughed behind the counter as he brought the now blended dragon heart fruit over to finish making that drink that thankfully Adora didn't seem to notice that he was taking forever to do, just so that he could eavesdrop on the sheer brilliance she was serving up on a proverbial silver platter.

"You are not wrong at all. That is exactly who and what he is! Thank you for seeing him exactly as he is sometimes." Cesario laughed with glee, oh thank heavens she could see past Alessio's pretty face.

"Awesome, I'm glad I read his actions speaking more for him than his mouth ever could correctly. But you guys need to do me a favor ok?" Adora asked as she gestured with both of her hands for them to come closer as both of them leaned forward conspiratorialy.

"Never tell me who that was. I have my suspicions but I do not need those suspicions either confirmed or denied. I didn't see them and I don't want to see them or meet them if I can possibly help it, because if I do? I'm liable to say that to their face in front of heaven and everyone else in here and they probably wouldn't survive that. Because after what I just lived through and barely survived by the skin of my teeth? There's no fucking way that person would survive the reality check that would rock their shit so hard, they would go splat on any surface like a watermelon free falling from that epic and drop dead gorgeous mosaic cieling four stories high onto those floors. So, to save them, and myself that unpleasantness, even as warrented I feel it may be right now in the heat of the moment of their wings fluttered like a murder hornet to now and probably for the rest of the night, because people like that make my skin crawl. Who I would take off any and all buffers so they would feel the full force of the hit from reality that much more harshly to knock them down as many pegs as they need to go to get their shit together and keep themselves in check. And usually, I am a very nice, peaceable, intelligent, rational person. I'm still working on not being petty, because I'm the farthest thing from perfect, while also working on being a good person who needs to rise above all those irritating provications-but that's a work in progress, whatever, this isn't about me." Adora quickly rattled off and made a dismissive wave with her hands.

"However that kind idiotic self absorbed- are more shallow than the mirrors they're fawning over themselves in- kind of person? Makes me want to choose violence. I'm not gonna lie. Because I have no patience for that. Who gives a fuck? I know I don't. There are so many other bigger more important things in the big wide world to worry about than some dude who thinks he's hot shit, but missing the point that he's still shit, no matter the temperature- trying and failing to crowd surf in a dance club. Other than to ask them how big that black hole in thier heart and soul is that they have to beg and plead and practically scream at the top of their lungs for attention and soak up all the adoration from hormone crazed teenie bopper girls who haven't even gotten to the other side of puberty yet- in the largest spotlight the size of the fucking sun- while they're the only one on stage performing for a sea fangirls who are all obviously sharing the one same braincell- who may be screaming their lungs out now right back at them, but who will grow up one day and that day is so much closer than that idiot can see or sense, but once those girls grow up and look back on these times, not with fondness but with embarrassment and shame? Like, did something like really tragic happen to him to make him feel like if other's aren't looking at him- he doesn't exist or something? Or is he just suffering from middle child syndrome and never getting the attention they feel they're entitled to recieve? Do they not grasp the concept of aging? Of getting older? Of getting out of shape like the rest of us? Because they don't have grace now, does that mean they won't age with grace either? What will happen when they turn from an 'is' to a 'was'? To a 'has been'? Just relive the glory days when they felt they were special and live in denial of reality or what? Like, obviously, please don't answer those questions for me, like ever, those are questions I do not need answers to." Adora waived off.

"Anyway, like I was trying to say before I got off on pissed off hummingbird boulder, is that I wish to try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and not assume that everyone on the second floor with the VIP's- which I wouldn't be caught dead up there right now or any time soon- is either that anyone else up there is anything like that shallow and vapidly vain, attention whoring insane idiot with a huge fucking ego but minus humility, and subtlety, and sanity, and maturity, and sense, common or otherwise, and or anything that would ever hint at any ability whatsoever for discretion. Because that's not fair to anyone or everyone else in here period. And honestly, just because that guy had a...severe lapse in judgement in my presence, but not my focused attention, may be something that they will regret later and wish to make any other kind of impression than the one they just did... to me... and the floor. And maybe what they saw could have been... worth the leap of faith that nothing but the floor caught them from. Who knows?" Adora allowed with a snickering giggle and over exaggerated hand gestures and a shrug of her shoulder, which got them to laugh too and nod in agreement.

"Again, the benefit of the doubt can cover a multitude of...nonsensicle absurdities of all things asinine, fatuous, inane and insane. And if I never know or find out who they are, I can just pretend it was some other person around here on the ground floor with their way too tight clothes practically painted on their skin managed to climb up there and tried to fly down, and their wings haven't fully come in yet from fucking molting or whatever. Look, we've all tried to leave the nest and fall flat on our faces, they just did it way more publically than any of the rest of us would ever want to do without dying of embarrassment. We are more than our failings, thank heavens. But in doing so, gave all those in the VIP an unintentional bad impression and a judgement that they are completely innocent and would never dream of doing anything like that, because they know better. Again, the benefit of the doubt is a kindness and a grace that is owed to everyone, especially when those people don't know each other yet." Adora insisted.

"And that's what makes you classy." Archie praised before he realized he forgot to add when he blended the dragon heart fruit and needed to start over, again and left so he wouldn't get distracted for the... he lost count numbers of trying to get this right.

"Class does not equal good or kind." Adora murmured quietly at Archie's back before turning back to Cesario and giving him her full focus and attention.

"Like I was saying before I took over the conversation and plunged us down a rabbit hole we didn't need to go down. Sorry about that, still learning that not everything is about me, in fact, very few things ever are and I need to check my own ego and my own sense of self worth that may be just as huge and overinflated as that guy's, that I'm proverbially trying to pull out the fallen lash in his eyes while ignoring the support beams in my own and I may be very hypocritical and I need to do and be better. Anyway, we were talking about, before the colony thing, oh the dynasty thing and how it shouldn't be all that you build yourself on or from without potentially disasterous consequences. What I've noticed as I've met so many is the realization that for the vast majority who usually don't have any of that, don't have a heavy legacy crushing our spirits and wills to live, and those who may also not have a dynasty that feels like you're carrying everyone in your ancestry on your back and while most of them may be dead, they're heavy all the same, so those that don't have that and have never had to know or experience just how much all of that can cost, but see the burden and the struggles reguardless of any benefits either one can offer- usually don't need or want it either because it's never been something that was important to them. For most, they’re perfectly happy and content to be without that complication, that weight and that burden and they would never feel that the benefits outweigh any of it. That's what I strive for, because those of us who do, and carry such a heavy and complicated burden would give anything to be free of it." Adora professed as she shocked herself at her own confession. She had tried to be so vague and general but looking back into Cesario's eyes and only his eyes she felt he was owed that kindredness, to know that he was not alone in his own feelings about it. But also perspective and most importantly- a warning.

But, again, that something deeper in her that saw that in him, and just him in general made her feel safe and free to even speak that much. Like he was trustworthy to confide in and that he would keep it safe. Keep her safe. Something she had never felt with a non family member or her enclave before. And he was much more interested in sympathizing with her as a person, versus being interested in anything else about her. Instead of only seeing her as a pretty girl and wanting to jump to intimacy as quickly as possible, even though she was tempted and fighting to not do just that herself. But to get that sympathy and empathy and especially understanding and validation from him, was what she really wanted and needed in that moment, not knowing or realizing that she had needed it and that common ground on something most couldn't see eye to eye on. And she had needed that especially right then too and she felt she needed to suck up every drop of all of that from him because it may be a very long time if and when she would ever get this again in life, from anyone. But at the same time, mirror all of that right back at him. He probably needed it more than she did.

He clearly either didn't know or didn't care about her past. He was very present with her at that moment. And she very deeply appreciated that as she strived to do and be the same. She needed to mirror that back to him as well. Because to be generous with your focus and attention was a 'wealth' that some people either had or usually didn't. He had it, in almost an overabundance, and he was spending it on her, investing it in her and in this surprisingly deep conversation.

"But again, about the colony age thing. Again, in my limited experience any colony that has dynasties that have been there between 10 and 20 generations- have felt like they were settling in, settling down completely, and really paying attention to those roots they've put down while also making sure that what they've planted those roots in, is healthy enough and is potentially nutritionally rich enough to sustain those roots for generations to come. While also making sure those roots were planted correctly, and given every chance to dig down deep, grow something worth protecting. But also making sure that the space is large enough to grow into as well. They're usually more concerned about setting up the colony to be a place others can come and put down roots too and that there's enough room for all of them to do so and grow together to make something even stronger than what they would be without that peerage." She expounded.

"But anything after two dozen generations is usually very stable, very settled and healthy and still growing and thriving, but at a sustainable rate. New colonies are all about consuming all they can as fast as they can. And expect that the well of what they're consuming will be a self filling well that will never run dry and they think that they don't have to do anything to keep that well clean, or protected, or it doesn't occur to them that resources are finite. If you don't find a way to nurture them and discipline yourself to only consume what is safe and well within that well's ability to provide at a reasonable rate, and find a way to refill it and replenish it, it will always run dry. Your rate of consumption directly correlates how long that well will give you sustenance before it will give you no more and you realize that your own laziness and immaturity and lack of self discipline, reasonableness and any foresight whatsoever- has only ensured your own downfall and your own implosion." She expounded.

"Yeah! You… you get it! Oh my stars you're literally right about, all of that." Cesario realized, in awed wonder. He never would have hoped to dream that her mind and her own maturity in her world views would have been infinitely more attractive and captivating as her physical beauty. She was becoming more and more perfect with every new word she said. And he was falling more and more head over heels in love with her with every new word too.

"But there is a limit to colony age too. Anything past 50 though? Practically ancient. And we’re talking barely past convergence territory as far as timeline goes. There is something of a bellcurve too with the really old colonies. They're all still in that Great Hunt Mindset. They're still very suspicious but also are stuck like insects in tree sap. Too steeped in the old ways and the old traditions that they don't realize that life and everyone else has gone forward and others have been able to move on from that. And they're usually really judgemental and hold a grudge about how 'the new generations have lost their way' or are 'flagrantly disrespectful of our heritage and the struggles that were suffered'. And that has a very specific suffocating stranglehold on the very air in the colony. Where you don't feel like you can even breathe without the permission of those dynasty families. It's something that I've only had to deal with once and I am determined to never deal with anything like or close to that ever again. Yes, our history and evolution here is important. But it's also important to realize that we'll probably never stop evolving while also gaining knowledge and wisdom and perspective that comes from experiences." She concluded.

"So, I’m happy Magnatto is as stable as it is and at that colony age sweet spot where things are good, things are stable. But I haven't been here long enough to really get an accurate read and feel in it either, because while my past experiences show that, that doesn't mean that what I've observed will be true in every circumstance or colony. This one may be an outlier, or ones in my past experiences may have been outliers too. So I'm reserving judgement until I get a chance to get a thorough read and get a chance to get a real feel for it either." She offered with a small scheming grin at that last bit that made him beam a very handsome and dashing, just plain beautiful smile at her. Because she was sharing something truly precious, her experiences, her own very, very precious and very valuable perspective. It was so much more refreshing than he thought it ever could be.

"Thank you, I too wish for you to take your time and assess it honestly. I promise I won't be hurt by your honest but fair assessment exposing any and all flaws we locals have tried to ignore to the point we don't see them anymore. Because you strike me as the kind of person who would be honest, even if that honesty comes at the cost of feelings being hurt, but the truth was and is more important than feelings." He mused as she smiled brighter and prouder and more appreciative.

"That's accurate. I do prefer to be honest and realistic- over a lie that is easier to swallow down, versus fearing I'd choke too much on the truth because it's not how you or I expected or wanted it to be. And therefore, don't want to deal with it and refuse to eat it, or acknowledge it on the plate, much less that the plate that is on, is even on the table for that matter and may refuse to acknowledge the table itself." She nodded in agreement, proud of him for being able to sense and discern that about her so easily and readily.

“Me too. Well, here's to hoping that more friends and family of yours come to find sanctuary here too and that you'll- at the very least- make new friends.” He offered his glass once Archie was simply handed the drink that the other bartender saw him struggling how to make as if he's never worked behind a bar before- put in his hands so that he could finally put it in front of Cesario to finally raise in a toast and having the glass to finally fucking clink the damn thing together with hers.

“Cheers to that.” She beamed happily before drinking more of her own drink.

“Care to dance?” He invited after a moment and a long pull from the drink because now both of his hands were practically itching to touch her, hold her, something. Every fiber in his being was begging and pleading for that reconnection of physical contact.

“You just got your drink.” She noted.

“Yeah, but this is one of my favorite songs.” He nodded to the dance floor behind him.

“I would love to.” She agreed happily and excitedly as he grasped her drink.

“Hey Archie, keep our drinks safe for us will you?” He asked as Archie nodded and took the drinks and put them on the shelf for safe keeping, giving each of them a tag to go with the spots their drinks took up.

“Oh that’s just brilliant. Thanks Archie!” She beamed happily as she slipped it into her purse after slipping an electrum coin that she had made in reverse again on the counter in it's place and took Cesario's offered hand, firmly so she couldn't let him go and let him lead her onto the dance floor. As she did her best not to jump for joy when it felt like, she could trust him to lead her anywhere. That he knew what he was doing and where he was going, while being open to changing what he would and could do if he needed to or wanted to, if he found a better path for them to take when leading the way to wherever they would go together. Confidence without arrogance. Steady and dependable while also being flexible, all while quietly inferring that she would be safe with him, and had no reason to doubt him or the destination or the way to get there. That she was both safe in his presence while also intrinsically knowing that he would protect her from any threat too. There was an ease, and a great relief that she felt around him that she was not used to feeling. mostly because she had felt it so exceedingly rarely with others, if at all. It was like her heart, mind and soul finally got to be awake and alive in a way she had never felt safe to do in any other place with any one else. And Cesario was the key to how and why she could be so free and finally breathe in relief, she wasn’t hiding or fleeing. She was finally found, both by herself and Cesario who had wanted and needed to be found by her too.

She found a natural protector in Cesario, who just seemed to ooze the feeling that he believed she deserved protection and time and space to let her guard down and relax, because he was already handling everything for them, with ease and an innate understanding from him of what her preferences were that were so similar to his own. Like he just instinctually, intrinsically knew them. But had used such knowledge for her comfort and benefit just because she was a person, a fellow moura. And that was all she needed to be, to be found deserving, without any thought to what he would get in return from her, other than the pleasure of her company. He was practically perfect. And he just, practically fell into her lap. Like a very kind god's gift placed gently in a devotee's hands.

Oh, she had a very good feeling about this move and felt that perhaps… destiny had placed her and her family here, versus just landing in any old place and trying to make it work. She felt that there was a reason she was here, specificallyl right here, right now, at this most pivotal and potentially transformative point of time in her life, where what she would experience now, would inform her views in the future for years to come. But also, that she had needed to journey before finally making it to this wonderful colony as her destination. That she had needed to experience other colonies, other families, other mouras who varied greatly. And she had needed to experience what bad, insincere, entitled, arrogant and demanding mouras who had ulterior motives were like, so that when she was with good ones who were none of those things, she would appreciate that goodness, and treat it with the respect and reverence, without judgement, without suspicion, or paranoia, that it deserved. That she could just be, and be present in this moment and enjoy every second of it with little to no worries in it either and not have to constantly calibrate her plans for every minute and hour and day after this moment either, that always stole from the present.

Archie took the coin and when he recognized it, he grabbed his phone that had been recording Adora's conversation this whole time, hit stop and finally realized what that itch in his memory finally was. Jeweled eyes, unparalleled intelligence paired with an ease that lulls anyone and everyone into a sense of calm, peace and happiness and most importantly- vulnerability, and electrum. Oh he was an idiot! Adora was a moonlight and Nick needed to know ASAP if he suspected, he needed to have it confirmed as he grabbed his phone, the coin and the list that had her name on it and raced up the back entrance and knocked like crazy on the other wall where he knew Nick was still hiding in the shadows in.

"Nick! You have got to see and hear this!" Archie insisted before the wall came down and Nick stepped back out of the booth and into the much better lighted area.

"That Cesario just performed the biggest miracle I've ever seen or could have ever imagined he could ever be capable of and managed to ask the greatest and only young lady to have ever crossed our threshold to dance without making a face plant?" Nick asked.

"Who is also a moonlight! She's here and she brought older sisters!" Archie beamed as he shook Nick's shoulders for emphasis Nick actually gasped and smiled excitedly because Archie was one of the few he could take that mask of stoicism off around.

"Tell me everything." Nick invited gleefully.

"Hear it yourself while you read it yourself!" Archie gleefully pushed his phone into his friends hands.

"I gotta get back down there and be a set of eyes and ears who has an in by the way! She's gonna introduce me and my family to hers on Sunday! Which means I just might be able to introduce you as Nick and not Nicolo by the way. So, try not to like slip into "Nicolo" for that. Just stay Nick ok?" Archie encouraged.

"I will do my best." Nick agreed.

"So, she goes by Adora, you'll read why, because she has the single prettiest name I've ever heard in my life that I want to name my daughter after once Novella gives birth to her. Oh, and she's only 17 and has the wisdom of someone 1,117. Also, she's perfect for Cesario by the way! They almost made a baby at the bar by the way they just fell in love at first sight with each other and were practically eye fucking the whole time! So, I get to be the first to offer my congratulations, the wedding will be epic and amazing and everything we've always dreamed of." Archie gushed as Nick laughed so heartedly, so happy and pleased that Cesario did it, even when he couldn't. But the dreams still came true. Still worth it, even if Cesario would be the only one to benefit.

"And it turns out that Cesario was just waiting for the right woman to turn him into the man we always wished and hoped he could be. Also she has 2 older sisters. The oldest that Adora complained was, and I quote, "too perfect and wasn't fair that she was one of heaven's favorites" that Adora felt like she isn't, which if Adora isn't? Dear stars, I can't imagine how any of us have a prayer of standing in the presence of her without fainting. I don't know. But her nick name is Estelle and apparently her name, which Adora wouldn't give me because she wanted to and I quote "save the angles from crying buckets to hear again because she didn't want to drown under that waterfall of angel tears," end quote, well or something close to that, so since moonlights have kids every two years and then have that funky space between first born daughters and second born daughters, that puts Adora at 17, older sister at 19 and Estelle at least 23, if not 24, the perfect age for you and she's still with her parents and travelling with them which means she's single!" Archie sang like he was in a choir with jazz hands and everything that made Nick gasp and then looked like he just got the best news of his life and was now trying not to cry but was failing spectacularly before he just had lean over and brace himself on his knees as Archie leaned over and pat his back and rubbed some soothing brotherly circles into Nick's back as Nick had to take his suit jacket off an his tie and unbutton his shirt to feel like he could finally breathe again before he had to practically fall to his knees before Archie followed him and just hugged him.

"It's ok. I know. Big long wait for 7 years and then in just an hour or so, everything gets turned on it's head and throws us for a loop." Archie comforted as Nick just nodded in agreement.

"I'm so scared." Nick admitted breathlessly.

"Of what?" Archie asked.

"That I'm still not ready." Nick admitted.

"So? Neither was Cesario until he met her face to face. I'm sure once you meet her sisters, Estelle especially if the same thing doesn't happen to you? Then I'm sure any or all of Adora's real moonlight cousins will be. She and her family are just the firsts. More will follow, I promise. Now we just gotta check the reading to know for sure. And this will help. That's her real name, except for the last name. Obviously. Just check the reading. You'll see." Archie encouraged as he put the paper from the clipboard into Nick's hands as Nick reverently folded it, wanting to read it later, because he couldn't...he was so overwhelmed, one more thing and he'd probably break at this point as Nick fought to regain his composure.

"Did you get it all out? Are you gonna be ok? Or do you need a little longer?" Archie asked.

"No, I'm, I'm good, I just...all I've done since I saw her is think and think and..."

"And think and think your brain into a tornado is what you've done." Charlie finished.

"Yeah." Nick admitted with a nod as he pulled away and wiped his face with his hands and then a handkierchief to soak up the tears and the snot as he got back up on his feet and put that paper on the inside of his shirt in a pocket he kept on his side, just in case as they helped each other stand up and brush themselves off.

"You're gonna be ok Nick. I know, it's been a bitch of a wait. But it'll be worth it. You've been the first to do the work and get started, and while Cesario broke the ice and made contact, that means you get to ride his wake, not you breaking ground first, he did that for you and man did he do great. I'm sure it'll be a cake walk for you. And who knows? Maybe Estelle might be the one for you. And maybe she's way better than anything you've ever dreamed of or imagined. Cause I know Adora is, I doubt her sister won't be anything less than at least amazing. I hope your favorite color is green." Archie laughed which helped Nick get recomposed.

"Actually, that's not how moonlight eye color works." Nick shook his head.

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I gotta get back down there. But, promise me you won't forget the fact that if Cesario can do it, so can you. I believe in you and have every faith you'll hit a home run! Go get her tiger!" Archie offered as he pressed the electrum coin into Nick's hand.

"Nah, you keep this Archie, you earned it. Just... don't go flashing it around or showing everyone you know ok? Keep it a secret for as long as possible. At least until it's safe for her and her family and the others to openly be themselves here without any fear of... whatever, ok?" Nick returned the coin to Archie who beamed excitedly.

"Awww, for me? You shouldn't have!" Archie gleefully and teasingly waved off before he slipped it into his zippered pocket.

"Best payday of my life, even though it's been the worst day professionally as a bartender. Ok, I really gotta get back now. Eyes and ears, hopefully they're not burning the place down behind our backs and that's just the kitchen burning the pizzas again." Archie laughed while he took back the rest of the list and clibboard before he practically pranced back down to the bar. Delighted that his best friend was about to get the luckiest break that he had been waiting so long for and was more than deserving of. Because Adora had an older sister named Estelle who sounded so perfect for Nick as he used that pencil's lead to trace the indent of his writing on the page under it and put it in the second to the last page on the clipboard, just in case the first one got lost.

Nick barely got buttoned back up and retied his tie before slipping his jacket back on before Alessio finally walked back into the space because Nick had basically locked all the ground up so Alessio couldn't come back the way he left, he had no choice but walk back, the long way, to give him more time to think about what he had done wrong as Nick's joy was instantly replaced with rage.

"You didn't need to mud me." Alessio grumbled.

"You're lucky I didn't dump your ass into a cesspool for what you did! You undind and destroyed in less than 3 seconds what I, and everyone else has worked on tirelessly and down to the bone for- for the last 7 years Alessio. Seven years of work, destroyed and practically up in smoke because of you and your actions! Did you even get a chance to see her utter disgust and horror that actually made the guards verbally groan, wince and recoil in unison before they all collectively cussed you out behind your back for fucking everything up?" Nick growled and seethed angrily as Alessio simply hung his head in shame, not able to hold Nick's fiery gaze anymore.

"I told you exactly what to do and how to do it, did you not hear a fucking word I said? Did you get rocks in your ears too?" Nick demanded.

"No, I... you're right, I didn't listen, I was too focused on coming up with the perfect pick up line for her." Alessio admitted as Nick groaned and resisted his urge to deck his little brother as he just ran his hands over his face.

"And because you didn't listen to sense or reason or use your fucking eyes to see that that approach was the last thing she would ever respond to with anything other than either a punch in the face so hard she'd knock your head right off your shoulders or she'd vanish into thin air and we'd never see or meet her family. She's been here for only a few days. Not even a full week yet. There is nothing keeping her or her family here. And your approach nearly sent them running before they could even have a chance to catch a breath. Did you even consider that?" Nick asked.

"No. I'm sorry. You're right, you're right. I'm very, truly sorry I fucked this up for you and the rest of us. Is it, like, truly fucked and broken or is any of it salvagable?" Alessio asked bravely.

"Look for yourself. And then, once you do, you then get to come up with how you're going to fix this and how you're going to make ammends without ever going up to her and never approaching her or anyone else in her family either. Because you just proved, by your actions that you can't be trusted to follow basic directions, even as explicitly as they were given! She's gonna have to see you from a very safe and comfortable distance to be assured and reassured that she was never your target. That you looked over her like everyone else." Nick answered.

"So she's still here?" Alessio asked, his eyebrows rose in hopeful surprise.

"Thanks to Cesario who countered you and saved the day, saved the family and saved the colony and our whole damn network of colonies? Yes. And her name is Adora. Hopefully she'll only think you were flying solo and that you hadn't targeted her at all, that you were clearly just targetting any other brainless, senseless fanatical admirer out of that sea of them in there, preferrably any girl who you can remember was sitting at the bar between her and you, who she would remember as being there and can attribute your senseless behavior as being targeted and aimed at anyone but her." Nick ordered.

"Really? Cesario? Our brother Cesario? Cheezy Chez Cesario? He...? He managed to counter and get her?" Alessio asked with both excitement and disbelief before Nick moved made a subtle gesture to put down the wall between them and the rest of the club before Alessio looked through and his eyes got wide as he covered his mouth as he gasped.

"No way! He did it! Look at him go! Since when does he dance like that?!" Alessio whisper screamed as he giddily came into the booth and kept the lights off so he could watch this. Cesario left that booth a boy and somehow transformed into the man and Alessio had missed it because he was too distracted with himself. And hadn't gotten his eyes on the true prize of her.

"Yeah, so? How are you gonna clean up your mess and fix what you've broken?" Nick asked before the wall came back up behind them.

"Ummm...ok, so I got an idea..." Alessio began.

Meanwhile, it took a bit for Adora to get fully into the groove, because she wasn't that familiar with this song. She was very pleasantly surprised and exceedingly pleased and proud that she and Cesario danced so well together, like they had been dancing together all their lives, for how easy and naturally this came to them. Like they had already mentally aligned, now it was physically aligning and synching up, that was the easiest it had ever been for her and they had done so in just half of that first song. He learned how she danced and incorporated some of her moves in with his as she did the same from him and the others on the dancefloor.

But then, Cesario realized that her dress had changed subtly. Now instead of just that one layer of silken satin, now the whole thing had a layer of muslin for her top half and a few layers on the bottom, the silhouette overall, stayed but how that silhouette was made up changed and showed as she moved that he had not seen or noticed before, but then again he had been staring at her face and overall movements before the sheerness of the muslin suddenly seemed to reach his awareness. He nearly stopped moving and almost froze if it had not been her hold on him and guiding him to move with her, miraculously, in sync with her too.

What was once a ‘matronly’ dress before as seen by everyone else proved that matronly was the last thing this dress was. Now that she was actually moving and dancing in it, showed that that pattern shifted to the muslin itself that now had holographic, opalescent, iridescent qualities most had no idea a moura cloak could even be or do. It had no metallic clanging flash. It was all special types of specialized color that only made her and this dress glow brighter and way more intensely than that flat metallic could ever dream to be. It was actually sexy in the classiest sensual way without any hint of explicit vulgarity or any raunchiness either. Apparently a completely foreign concept for those that shared that dancefloor with them.

Because instead of a silken satin from neck to knees was now a very sheer muslin from just the bottom of her bosom to the middle distance between her belly button and her pubic bone that would show just how her hips hit those beats. And while the neckline stayed in the muslin, her chest, her cleavage was now visible through the muslin, even when the sight of all of it, was like getting little peeks through all the properties of that muslin. And since the whole dress had taken on a layer of that sheer muslin from the moment Cesario had turned to lead her to the dancefloor, as they had weaved through others, now that layer of blessed muslin was what kept the whole look unified. The pattern remained on the muslin, but almost everything under it had changed in ways that blew everyone’s mind, none more so than Cesario himself.

She was still wearing opaque silk over her breasts and from her hips down with "slits" in the underskirts to show off peeks at her mid thighs before she shortened the shorts a bit, but everything else was now fully sheer, especially on her back from the nape of her neck to just above the cleft of her bottom, nothing but her skin was underneath those sheer but patterned muslin but it also revealed her own tattoos on her back they were halfway between mandala and divine geometry, all the way down her back with other designs that almost looked…angelic? But not like, the angles heavenly mouras were super close with, those were crystal angel stylized tattoos, in the same glowing, iridescent, holographic style. He had no idea who or what or how they were given but it made her look ethereal and hotter than hot and when together with the one tattoo she had that was on the direct center of her upper chest, it was like it was the counterpart to the one on that area on her back, like two sides of a coin. But for Cesario it was like, something about them called to that same deep, profound thing in him too as something inside the mountain itself began to stir awake and wake up too to answer and respond to whatever signal these tattoos were giving off. But if anything it was just one more lane on this bridge like connection he had with her as even his own moura marks seemed to come to light just a bit too. And what was even more wild was it was like it really did put them into perfect synchronization and mirroring too. Like his body knew what hers was about to do so that it prepared and then carried the motion out the same way at the same time or even mirrored it perfectly, like they had rehearsed all of this before. But instead of learning something new it was more like rediscovering something about himself that he hadn't known or realized was there.

Plus, with her skirts now had the coolest layering of muslin and the silk and satin that practically fluttered as she twirled and moved but, it was clear those tattoos went all the way down her body on the outside of her legs, that had the same effects and were actually glowing through the fabric itself and she had very small, lines but there were curves and flourishing and almost vine like on the inside of her arms before they bloomed on her palms and the back of her hands. While it was true that mouras, for various reasons, could exhibit their moura marks, none were ever quite like this either.

And all of that started to bloom on Adora’s body because it was like, her body was begging and giving Cesario every prompt, every sign, every signal to jumpstart the process of him fully expressing everything, that even if her consciousness didn't know if he was moonlight or not, her body seemed to know and recognize and was doing everything it could to get that part of him to wake up and come back to life and express more and express faster than usual, because her body sensed she'd need him to faster than she realized.

And her body seemed to give her mind the excuse that because the music had changed to some of her new favorites that had recently been released that had a lot of belly dancing elements, and she wanted to show off and reveal just how great she could be, especially in any and every movement, but especially right now, through dance and show of her own sense of control over herself, and show how she was able to isolate her hips, from her waist, and chest and shoulders and arms while moving in such a way that it looked like her body was almost made of water for how it flowed with the music and the rhythm, yet punctuated by the beats especially in her hips, but it was so much more than that. She was blending those traditional belly dancing moves with a pop/hip hop, and breakdancing with just a pinch of animatronic styles, but with a ballet twist and even a kungfu/karate but clearly a fighting style overlay that elevated and enhanced everything. All of it blended into such a seamless yet unique dance style that everyone else tried to imitate but could not even get close, except for Cesario. He knew all those moves outside the belly dancing and ballet and was able to pull from the rest of the dance styles with the ones he was able to pick up from her- to make himself the masculine version to such a way of dancing that seemed to match and sync with her Adora absolutely loved and adored and made sure to say so and praise him every chance she got.

But the DJ, Ricardo, had noticed her after he had put on that new song that had that little bit of belly dancing elements and he had never seen anyone dance like that, outside of Dorierra. So he immediately searched his music banks and especially the music that was about to be released that he had early access to and cued up a string of songs that would hopefully encourage her to show everyone in this club with her just how the rest of the world knew how to dance outside of this particular network of colonies. Everyone soon realized that the amount of control over every part of her body to first of all, to isolate each part- yet all harmoniously work together flawlessly was a degree of control that no one else besides Cesario surprisingly had, that apparently he had been hiding away under a veil of awkwardness that was clearly pulled off and thrown away the moment his true partner finally came to dance with him.

They were blowing everyone away, it was like they were the only professionals among a sea of bad amateurs. But because Adora had made friends with Fantella who was out on that dance floor with her, practically screaming her heart out and praising Adora's ability to not just dance epically, but show the whole club how to really dance as her group joined her in creating part of the circle around Adora and Cesario and cheered and hooped and hollered in sheer joy and merriment. Because for once, it wasn't Alessio demanding all eyes on him and counting on his looks to cover only fairly decent dance moves, but nope, not Adora and Cesario. They were actually dancing, not caring about where or who else was around but just enjoying the music together. And Cesario had never looked happier or more fun and relaxed and joyful. Like everyone was finally seeing the real him too. Plus, the way Adora rolled her hips, and belly like most on the equator did, was its own work of art that deserved respectful appreciation and observation. Plus, from a distance, like the actual chaperones in those security guards she still looked perfectly modest. But up close? Modesty was the thin veneer of that muslin that only Cesario was blessed to see in all of its glory while others could only get glimpses of.

Cesario was ever so gleefully happy she was dancing with him and in a manner that even he didn’t know or realize he could do but was now perfectly within his power and control since he had aligned mentally and physically with Adora. It was like she unlocked all of his potential, by just talking to him and then trustingly taking his hand, that’s what humbled him yet empowered him, was her trust in him. However, it seemed every other guy around him and in the club as it filled and filled with more and more people. Every VIP booth got rented and after that once the third and fourth floors were cramped. It wasn't the booths themselves, it was the vantage point to see this. Every guy especially took notice of her and her presence and existence and the aura she seemed to show more of, like a small flame, growing stronger, letting its light travel farther, to be seen clearer by a wider and wider radius as the guys especially tried not to outright stare and gawk like all the other girls who had actually taken their dance moves down to the simplest base they could, just so that they could devote more attention to watching her and trying to figure out how Adora was doing all of that. Because they had made the mistake of writing her off as either 'stiff' or 'awkward' or 'matronly' or 'odd bird out' especially. But clearly, they must have been blind, deaf and dumb to think such things. She was clearly a marvel and a wonder that only Cesario seemed to be able to see before he seemed to practically introduce her to them and reveal just how precious and spectacular the jewel that she was- could be when given space and time and light to shine and sparkle and dazzle and reveal who she really was as they pulled whatever had been blinding them to really see her- off their eyes.

But there was now and unspoken but very well understood and practically implied claim. Now that all the other girls saw Adora with Cesario, and how she was with him, she was practically staking a claim on him and showing them all just what and who he could be. Who she seemed to see and recognize and knew he could be too. But he was clearly only that way with her. And only her. And there was no way anyone could ever hold a candle to her either. And at the same time, all the other guys in this club were now fully aware of her true presence and existence along with her mastery of movement along with Cesario’s own, they absolutely respected his unspoken but practically implied claim but definite and sure claim all the same on her too. And because of who Cesario was, the guys knew better than to try to cut in. Thankfully Adora didn’t seem to notice the small circle of respectful distance his presence always garnered them either. That others were just naturally respectful, as a default, rather than for any other motivator. And at the same time, that small circle of respectful distance only seemed to showcase them even more to the whole club.

And then Cesario looked up to where his brother's VIP booth was to see Alessio watch on from the balcony, after he had now showered and his moura cloak now making him a completely different outfit. Alessio had to make a show of his disinterest of Adora in here and had to be seen in the company of another girl who had been sitting between Adora and the end of the bar so that Adora could see that she personally had not been his target. Which did relieve her a great deal and when she seemed to show that relief, that's when Nick could allow Alessio to come back to the booth to leave Adora to assume that she had thankfully wrongly assumed Alessio was after her, so that she could fully relax and not have to fear that she had been identified or would have to worry about the spotlight he always seemed to garner getting anywhere near her. Once Alessio had done that, he was allowed to be let back into the VIP booth, while Nicolo also made a show of coming into the club, also noted by Adora, that led her to believe that he had not been there before and therefore had not identified her as anything or anyone more than who Cesario was currently dancing with. And dancing way better than either Nick or Alessio ever could have. And Cesario could clearly see how Alessio was both shocked and extremely jealous, which made Cesario’s grin even that much more smug.

But Nicolo’s smile was the brightest and proudest Nicolo had ever smiled at him before. It made it even better. Because Cesario was clearly doing something right for once and it was working and Nicolo was so proud of him for not immediately fumbling this and doing a face plant, well, yet anyway. But Cesario also wondered and started to worry that if Adora turned out not to be moonlight at all, if his interest in her would ever be discouraged or not supported like it was right now. Even though such a thing seemed inconsequential about her- to him at present. And part of him felt like it would be a relief, and he could claim natural attraction with no ulterior motives for the basis of his interest and subsequent feelings. But if she was, that just meant she would need more mindful but gentle and 'invisible' protections from now on.

Meanwhile, Nicolo was practically beaming with pride, wishing their dad was here to see this, if he could tolerate the music long enough to do so- that is. Nicolo didn’t care how his family could and would gain proximity as long as it could appear innocuous for the optics of the family and their colony and it would encourage more to come to them, once they saw how they could do so safely if Adora and her family could do so safely first.

And Nick had to admit that Cesario had noticed her first, and then brilliantly showed his interest and she returned it and that was that. And honestly, he felt Cesario and this spectacular young lady made an incredibly amazing and super adorable couple. And it was like Cesario transformed from boy to man instantaneously once he met her too. Clearly, she brought out the best in Cesario the moment they met. It was very clear to see that Cesario was practically smitten with Adora and Nick was confident that he could see her turn just as smitten with him too. At the bar, it was clear that she was shy, obviously, and reserved, but it still showed in her body language and in Cesario's expression that she was intelligent and shared any insights she may have developed easily enough through her experiences. Honestly, in Nick's opinion- she needed to be shy, to be reserved, to act with discretion. But with Cesario, she was clearly trying to be brave, and open up and show Cesario who she really was underneath and Cesario was clearly handling that with grace and maturity and a possessive protectiveness that shielded her from any and all others while he did the same. He could only hope it proved to be the right thing for her to do going forward while also being the same and mirroring all of that back to her.

Seven long years, just for this moment and Nick couldn't be more grateful or proud.

Until...he heard and saw Calvio, with a notebook and dozens of pages of notes as he realized he hadn't taken the time to either listen to the recording or to read what her real name was. But he was sure that Calvio had found it and it would only confirm what Archie found...

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