[H2]Aden and Zoe[/h2] 
[b]Co-Write Between Terrans and [@Dyelli Beybi][/b]

Aden felt naked. Not literally; though the borrowed jumpsuit combined with his army boots drew a wrinkling nose from the concierge. 

The lobby was relatively appointed.  As fancy as any he had stayed in at ports throughout his upbringing. The low classical notes of a piano floated from the corner. 

He still felt as if he was going to crawl out of his skin. Part of it was his lack of weapons. His Kraussers having been politely relieved back at the airfield along with his fighting knife. 

But the biggest part was the people. The largest amount of people he had seen out of uniform since the war started. Chaotically going about their day or chatting. 

He ground his teeth and tried to decided whether to make a break for the stairs and his room or wait for the lobby to thin out.

The people did start to thin out as they went about the business of the day, enough that when Zoe appeared, she didn't disappear amongst the shoulders of those taller than her.  She walked quickly, her brows furrowed in thought, chewing her lip in the thoughts she seemed lost in.

Zoe was not the only one lost in thought however. Aden's gaze glazed over as he gritted his teeth and tried to make his way through the crowd. 

At least until he more or less stumbled into Zoe. Letting off a curse under his breath as he went to apologize profusely. Until he saw the familiar face of Zoe; his hands now steadying his companion. 

"Sorry bout that. You alright?"

Zoe looked shocked for a moment, then smiled, looking visibly more relaxed than she had appeared a moment ago, "Oh hello!  It's good to see you... since you're here, do you mind if I ask you a small favour?  I'm going to check into a suite here.  I would like you to stay with me for a little while, until the person I'm meeting arrives," she paused, then gave a wry laugh, appreciating how her comment might have been misconstrued, "It's nothing salacious!  Just meeting an old friend."

Aden considered for a few seconds. Zoe didn't strike him as the devious type. A secret keeper perhaps but not a malicious one. Beside, some time with a familiar friendly face sounded preferable to isolation in a room or in the company of strangers. 

"Very well my lady..." He slipped back into the joking tone he had used on the airship. Offering his free arm. "...I am at  your service."

"Ha..." she seemed about to pass a comment, but didn't, instead engaging with the concierge who seemed to be expecting her.  The room key she was given was for high up in the building.  She continued to chew her lip, offering nothing in the way of conversation as they took the lift up to to top floor of the building and after she had let them into the room, which turned out to be a very, expensive looking suite with ornate furniture, tall mirrors and several rooms.  It was only then that she blurted out some of what she had been up to while everything was going on on the airship, "So when everything was going on, I slipped out and presented myself at the Inburian Embassy and... well... I can't really undo what I've done, but I think I'm going to have to go back to my old life... and I don't want to!  It was stuffy and boring.  Either that or I might get arrested."

“What was your old life?” Aden said as he wandered around the suite. Taking in the furnishings; a step above his. 

Then, the earlier part of her conversation registered. 

“Wait… who did you see at the embassy?”

"Some rude clerk and then the Ambassador," she replied, "I know how things can go when a situation spirals into chaos and I wanted to make sure none of our people get into serious trouble and end up in a prison, or worse."  She flopped back in a plush, cream coloured couch, "I wish we could go back to when we were having that party on the airship," she remarked wistfully, "We were so far away from any real problems."

“Far away doesn’t mean the problems stopped.” He added. Dropping beside with a slightly more restrained flop. 

“How did you get a meeting with the ambassador anyways? You don’t strike me as the officer type.”

Zoe gave Aden a coy smile, tapping her lip with a finger, "And what type do I strike you as?  No I'm not an Officer."

“Someone used to the finer things.” He motioned at the wooden fixtures and plush accoutrements. “You didn’t even take a second glance at any of this.”

Zoe laughed, sounding impressed, "Well spotted... yes, I am.  It actually sounds a bit silly when I tell the actual story.  I imagine people aren't going to believe me... however, at some point in the next little while one of my cousins will arrive to, hopefully confirm who I am."

“Your cousin works at the Mitteland embassy?”  Aden turned to look over his companion with a closer eye. “Why didn’t you mention that sooner?”

"No... my cousin is, err..." she looked a bit sheepish before saying, in a slightly lower town, "Prince Maximilian."

“Your cousin is Prince….” His echo died on his tongue. Eyes searching her face before a shock of distant recognition struck. 

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Surprise plain on his face as he scooted back to the edge of the couch. Looking as if he was about to fall off. 

“You’re a royal.”

Zoe pouted, "You make that sound like a disease! " she stood, giving a curtsey that made her seem to be mocking the institution she was a part of, "Philazoea Hasikos, at your service," she said, before sitting back down, "Or Zoe for short."

“Why… Why did you hide it? I mean there were at least two Inburian soldiers with you.” Aden seemed cognizant of trying to keep the distance between them professional.

"Well... it seemed a bit far fetched," she gave a slight shrug, "Plus, you never know who was a communalist or might be tempted by whatever bounty they have on me."

“Me a communalist?” Aden sounded incredulous. He thought back over the conversations he had with her. “Wait… Is this why you were asking about me guarding people?”

"Well, yes," Zoe looked a little sheepish, colour creeping into her cheeks, "I trust you and I enjoy talking to you.  And no, I wasn't thinking of you when I said I didn't know 'who might be a communalist'.  However, if I can point to the reason I was worried -  we did just have someone succumb to temptation and try to make off with some of the gold.  You know," she added, "it's a funny thing being the Emperor's daughter.  People love you or hate you for a whole lot of reasons that really have nothing to do with who you are... I'm really hoping that you'll treat me the same as won't get funny about the title."

“Treat you diff- You’re in line to rule a country. You know about things like a gold reserve off the top of your head. We can’t exactly dance again like when I thought-”   ‘[i] -you were just a normal girl [/i]’. Aden bit back that last part. Knowing how it sounded. 

A few beats of awkward silence. Before he lifted his gaze.

“Why did you want me here really?”

"I wanted you here," Zoe replied with unusual sincerity, "Because I was very happy being a nobody-in-particular.  I don't want to do this, but I have to, and I wanted a friend with me,"  she cocked her head to one side, studying Aden carefully before adding, in a slightly teasing tone, "You like me... actually like me, rather than like the idea of personal advancement through proximity to a royal."  She stood up, taking a step back from the sofa, "The most important question right now though is 'why can't we dance again'?" she asked, "I know there isn't any music, but we could right now.  I can hum a tune if you need that."

Two feelings warred inside Aden. One was about protocol. Discipline. Privates, even the son of merchants, didn't mingle with royalty of this level. They definitely didn't perform clumsy dances to hummed tunes.

On the other hand Zoe's face was so....open. No subterfuge or veiled inuendoes. Just a earnest,  vulnerable expression. As if this was a major leap she had just taken. 

And he would be lying if he said that Zoe was one of the few people he had met as of recent that didn't want to make him go back to the front. Calming the noise, ever so slightly, in the back of his mind. 

So he stood slowly. An echo of the airship. 

"My waltz is serviceable, my lady."

Arm and hand extended and waiting for her acceptance.

Zoe stepped forward, clasping one of Aden's hands in her own, placing her other hand lightly on his forearm.  She glanced to one side, a slight smile on her lips as she began to hum a Mittelandische waltz, letting Aden lead her through the steps for a few long moments, waiting until she felt that the barriers of awkwardness thrown up by an announced title had begun to break down before she spoke up, "Royalty is a Gilded Cage.  It's gilded so I can't really complain without sounding irredeemably spoiled...  but it is still a cage.  Being on the airship was fun for me!  I got to be myself for a change."

“We had two different experiences on the airship.” He replied; trying not to step on her toes. “Though I’ll admit. I did enjoy our earlier dance.”

A few beats where he just enjoyed the silence and company. 

“So what’s next?” 

He pulled back slightly enough to meet her gaze.

"After Max, hopefully, agrees that I'm me, then we get to the interesting bit," she said, stopping, but not letting go of Aden's arm, "That's the bit where they tell me I need to go and sit in a palace somewhere and I say 'sod off, my palace is an airship now'.  We will be the Empire of the Clouds!  Interested in coming along for the ride?"

"While I admit that becoming the Duke of Cumulus sounds tempting. I'm a private technically deserting; you're a princess absconding with an airship.  How would we get away?" 

Aden didn't move. Keeping the same grasp that Zoe maintained.

"Well people will complain, but I can do what I like," Zoe replied, studying his face, "This Airship is a part of the Inburian Fleet, so in a manner of speaking it belongs to me.  I'm reasonably sure they can't overrule me... I think."

“I think…” A humoring grin accompanied a chuckle. “…That will go well at the trial.”

He met her eyes when he spoke next. 

“But I guess we came this far together. I’ll follow once more.”

"If anything goes wrong, just say I told you to do it," Zoe assured him, with a smirk, "Nobody can blame you for that!"