The Closest to Heaven

[Sara Moon]

Sara was elated. She was finished. Three years of training were now complete. She was an auror. If felt simply wonderful. She'd just apparated from her parents' house, where they'd had a celebratory dinner. They didn't fully understand what her job entailed, nor did she want them to; it would frighten them. Still, they'd been proud, and it had been wonderful to see them. The village was dark now, and she smiled to herself. She'd always been afraid of the dark when she was younger, running through the darker parts of the manor at night time, and avoiding looking out windows into the night. Now though, she'd come to like it. She was always fine when there were other people around, and right now; nothing could bring her down. She was going to let herself into her flat, but the sky looked so bright. She could see Orion's belt, and the dog star; Sirius. She wandered across the street which was silent and empty at this time of night. Allowing her mind to wander she thought over the past few years. She'd accomplished her goal, she was an auror. That had been the goal. The only question now was what her next goal should be. Yes, she'd enjoyed the work, and learning had always been a joy for her; the auror training had made her miss her school-days less. Now though, it was time to be a grown-up. Where to start?
She sang a song under her breathe, nonsensical and lyric-less. What did she want from her life? She wanted to have a successful career, which was on track. She wanted to get married, have kids. Well, that hadn't happened, but she was only twenty-two. She had plenty of time. Though, she'd never really had a proper relationship. She had a low tolerance for people who bored her, and dating seemed like something that would include a lot of boring people. In a way she envied her sister's finding her one true love at such a young age. Sara wasn't like that though; she always imagined there was bigger and better out there.

She reached the beach, and sat down in the powdery-white sand. The tide was in, and the water was lapping against the shore about a metre in front of her. She loved the ocean, always had; something she'd inherited from her Mother. It made her feel free. A life by the ocean suited Sara. She enjoyed being able to swim in the mornings, and loved the sound of people enjoying the sea during the Summer months. Slowly, she pulled off her boots and socks, carefully folding them inside each other. She rose and walked into the water, letting the waves tickle her toes. She smiled, enjoying the cold sensation, her face upturned to look at the moon. It was so quiet and peaceful. It felt as though anything was possible. It was. She was an auror. She'd made it, despite her difficulties. She'd overcome them all. It was a wonderful feeling. Wonderful to feel good about herself, wonderful to be alive and out in the world. This was one of her highs. Sara's life was a series of highs and lows. Her family; except her mother, who knew her best; had worried about this. They thought it was odd that she could go from the depths of despair to the top of the world in a matter of days. It wasn't odd; it was just her nature. The highs were only worth it if there were lows. And her lows were rarely too low, they mainly consisted of boredom, and frustration. She liked to be stimulated and inspired. Nights like this; they inspired her. She began to sing again, swirling her feet around in the water, and allowing her mind to grow quiet as she simply enjoyed the sky and the feeling of the water between her toes.

 

[Andronikos Vorkas]

The tide had made full flow in the late afternoon, and by the time the sun fell low its roar loosened to a gentle sigh. Andronikos was at the beach to admire the streaks of deep pink, blood orange and full-on red ran through wispy clouds. The sea never fail to relax him after a tough day at the office. He was walking barefoot on the silky sand that had cooled now that the sun had ended its shift and the moon was now the sky's guardian. He didn't know for how long he was going to follow the shoreline. Maybe for as long as he had the company of the waves' soughing. Saturday was going to dawn in a few hours so Andronikos didn't have to worry about waking up early to go to work. Perhaps he was even going to night swim but for now he was fine with just cooling his feet on the phosphorescent surf, breaking gently on the shore.

The crowds had deserted the beach just an hour or so before, and Andronikos hadn't expected to bump into someone as he continued his walk. That someone proved to be no stranger. Such a coincidence that he had ran into a colleague. Sara seemed to be enjoying herself and she had every right to do so. Her training was over and she was about to experience to full joys of an auror's job. Andronikos was happy that he had contributed even a little, to her successful transition from a trainee to an auror and the bright side was that he was going to have some help. Having a colleague of the same age around, was going to make his own job more pleasant.
He smiled to himself as she didn't seem to have seen him yet. "So this is really how a trainee celebrates their promotion?" he approached with a warm smile.

 

[Sara Moon]

Her toes tingled from the cold as she traced her name on the water's surface. As a child, she'd attempted to draw pictures in the few seconds before the next wave broke. She smiled at the memory, extending her leg so that it barely touched the surface as she twisted it this was and that.
The sound of a voice startled her, and she twirled around, hand immediately reaching for her wand. However, the figure looked familiar. As they drew closer, she realised it was Andronikos. A sigh of relief escaped her lips and her hand flyew to her chest. "Andy! You scared me." she laughed, relaxing in the presence of her colleague. She liked Andronikos. He was fun, and interesting, but he was also a very good auror. She trusted him, and it was good to be working with someone you trusted. Still, it was a surprise to see him here. She rarely saw him outside of work. Well, she rarely saw anyone outside of work, so that wasn't saying much.

She paused a moment, trying to recall what he'd said as he approached. "Oh you know me; thrill a minute." she laughed, unconsciously swaying with the water, and twisting her feet in the sand. " Well, really I was with my parents; celebratory dinner and all that jazz." she admitted. True, her actual celebrations were quite boring, but she didn't care. Her parents were two of her favourite people on Earth. She smiled at the thought, strangely comfortable with the silence. The night changed everything, and it made her more at ease with herself than usual. "What brings you here then?" she asked, flicking a bit of water at him with the tip of her toe. It was dark and she found herself wondering whether or not she should provide some light. That would take from the stars though, and she could see Andy well enough for conversation.

 

[Andronikos Vorkas]

Andronikos gave Sara an apologetic frown for sneaking up on her like that. It wasn't his intention to scare her. "Nice reflexes." he pointed out as he noticed her reaching for her wand. She was definitely ready to get out there and arrest some criminals. It was up to her if she was going to choose the streets or the office. Not every auror was made for the action and a lot of them, especially those with families, were preferring the safety of the office. Andronikos was born for the combat and the risks of the job. Sara didn't look like the daredevil he was and she was exceptionally good with paperwork and interrogations. On the other hand, Andronikos didn't have the right patience for paperwork and he was short-tempered to interrogate. They were completing each other and this would make them a strong team.

It was nice to hear that she had celebrated with her parents. Although they were muggles, and possibly they weren't fully understanding the nature of her job, they still seemed to be supportive. "That sounds nice. I wish I had celebrated with my family back then." he said and recalled the time when he had successfully finished his training. "Instead, my friends threw a surprise party that included a ghoul trying to play the tambourines and vampire strippers." he chuckled at this funny memory. It was a thoughtful move from his friends' part but Andronikos preferred less flashy stuff. A dinner or a drink at a bar would have been a better option for him.
"Actually, I come pretty often here but in the mornings to jog before work." he revealed a part of his every day routine. "I just needed some fresh air and I like the sea at night when the beach is quite." he explained. After a long day at work, he needed to relax and the sea with the moon glistening on its serene surface, was doing so far a good job "I was on a walk to the lighthouse." he said and gestured towards the blinking light in the distance. "Would you like to come?" he asked her. Andronikos enjoyed her company and it was about time to start hanging out outside the office. "Of course, if you prefer to stick around here and pretend the siren, I won't be offended." he teased with a cheeky smile. He took a couple of steps backwards, expecting her to flick more water on him in retribution.

 

[Sara Moon]

Sara smiled at Andy's compliment. "Well, I've had three years to develop them." she grinned. Really, she was looking forward to actually getting to work. She didn't mind paperwork, it was an essential part of the process, and she found it relaxing and simple. However, she knew she'd have to balance it with field work, which is what she was really looking forward to. "One thing I'm not sure about though; what exactly is going to change? I mean, I've already been working with you for a year. I'm qualified now, but it seems like the only thing that will be different is that I won't have classes anymore, and maybe I'll get to do some more fieldwork." She was glad that was over, though she'd enjoyed her time as a trainee. She knew she'd have more responsibility now; she just didn't really know what exactly they would be.


Sara laughed aloud at Andy's description of his celebrations. "...Vampire strippers......I knew you were adventurous, but that's a whole other story..." The thought of it made her giggle. "I haven't really told many people. My family know, but not many of my friends know yet. We're all scattered around the world at the moment." she added. Stefan probably knew of course, through Kate. Shiloh was busy with the inn, and Tara with the diner. Kiefer was still in the depths of despair over Ashe, so she felt he wouldn't exactly be up to celebrating. She worried about him. Brining herself back to the present, she focused on Andronikos' words. He was right about the beach at night. "It's beautiful isn't it. You can see all the stars, and just listen to the water..." she sighed, looking out at the water. "I love living here." she admitted. As much as she missed Ireland at times, she felt like this was home now.
Sara smiled at the invitation, and nodded. At Andy's jibe, she rolled her eyes and flicked more water at him, which she noticed he'd anticipated. Turning toward the lighthouse, she began to walk. "I've never actually gone over to the lighthouse y'know. I live so close, yet I've never gone there." She looked up at her companion as she said it, then realising she was forgetting her shoes, she skipped back to the shore to hold them in her hands as she walked through the water. "Silly Sara" she mumbled, joining Andy again, holding up the shoes as an explanation as she fell back in step with him. His legs were longer than hers, but she didn't find it hard to keep up. "I didn't realise you lived around here too." she didn't really know that much about Andy. She knew bits and pieces about his childhood, and his life, but didn't know the fundamentals. "What's your favourite colour Andy?" she asked, resolving to get to know her companion better.

 

[Andronikos Vorkas]

Humor danced in his brown eyes and a faint smile twisted his lips as he listened to her, wondering what was going to change now that her training was over. "...and also you'll be dueling against dangerous criminals who would love to see you reduced to pieces. You're going to miss the harmless dummies. Believe me." he added to her reasoning and pointed out the risks of the fieldwork that she hadn't experienced yet. "Also expect mounts of paperwork on your desk waiting for you on Monday. As a trainee you get less workload obviously." he carried on and wrinkled his nose. This was the part he didn't enjoy but judging from Sara's so far performance, she wasn't going to have any trouble.

Andronikos waited for her to get her shoes as she eagerly accepted his invitation for a walk to the lighthouse. He just remembered that he had left his shoes at the sidewalk, half a kilometer away from their current location but he shrugged to himself and decided not to bother about them now. "I've been a lot of times to the lighthouse but never entered inside it. Since tonight I'm feeling a little bit adventurous and vampire strippers are not available, I thought it would be a nice idea to climb up to its top." he suggested but just walking at the blinking landmark would be just fine. Andronikos nodded when she found out that he was living close to the harbor. "When I moved to New Zealand, I searched for an apartment close to the sea. Obsidian Harbor has a big wizarding community and the shops are clustered together so it was really no brainer." he explained the reasons why he had searched for an apartment close to the harbor.

The two of them walked at the edge of the shore with the tide gently washing their feet. Andronikos didn't expect a question about his favorite color and glanced at her puzzlily. As far as he could remember no one had asked him which was his favorite color. Not even himself. "Hmm. I like the color of a moonlit night sky." he said and instantly looked above them at the starry night sky. "Pretty much like this one." he sighed and shoved his hands in his jeans' pockets as a draft of warm air made him shudder pleasantly. "What about you?" he asked in return. "I've got an idea. Let's play a game!" he suggested with a playful grin. "I will try to guess what you like in general and you about me." he explained what was his game about. It was a quick and funny way to learn more about each other without such throwing awkward questions to each other. "Okay so Sara likes purple, violet as a matter of fact and she loves Chinese food. She still enjoys Disney movies, she has a fancy for purses and she has two cats. A Persian and a British Shorthair." he finished taking wild guesses. "Did I get anything right?" he chuckled, knowing that probably scored null.

 

[Sara Moon]

Sara couldn't help her eyes rolling at Andronikos' response. "Spoilsport." He was right of course, she hadn't fought in the field. "I'm looking forward to fieldwork, but... I wonder sometimes if I'd really be able to do to it. My instinct would always be to debilitate someone. I don't think I could kill someone." she mused, staring down at her feet as she kicked the water ahead of her. She laughed at Andronikos' expression at the mention of paperwork. "Come on, it's not that bad." she replied, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to just do paperwork though. I want to make a difference." She figured he'd understand that. After all, he was an auror too. People chose this job for a reason; everyone had a reason. You sacrificed your social life, your hobbies, your love life. Sara hadn't read a book properly in months. It was sort of sad, but she found herself too busy.

Sara clapped her hands together at Andy's suggestion. "I love that! It's so long since I've gone climbing!" Sara had spent a fair portion of her Hogwarts years wandering around in a daydream; climbing trees, sitting on ledges. She'd met some of her closest school friends while perched on a window ledge. "When I was in first year in Hogwarts, I went climbing trees with one of the boys and we saw the Quidditch tryouts. I'd never seen someone on a broom before." she laughed, turning to Andronikos, her hands still clasped at the idea. "I say let's do it."
She allowed her hands to drop to her sides as he explained his reasons for living in Obsidian. they were much the same as her own. there weren't really too many options for Wizards in the area, and the harbour was quite a nice area.

A smile played on her lips at Andronikos' answer. She followed his gaze to the stars; so bright and pretty. they made the sky look so large, so vast; never-ending. Her question had probably confused him a bit, but it had simply popped into her head. She took a moment to ponder the question, swinging her shoes in her left hand. "Burgundy. It's the colour of the couches at home. Mam used to sing to me, and read books there, and when I fell asleep Dad would lift me and bring me to my bed." It always seemed like a calming and soothing colour to her. She smiled at the memories of a simpler time; back when she never had to plan ahead. Everything was easy.
She liked Andronikos' idea of a game. A simple, yet effective method of getting to know each other. She bit her lip, trying not to giggle as he made his guess. She turned to face him, walking backwards now. "Well, Sara does like purple, and lavender is her mother's favourite flower, so there was always a lot of violet in the house. She does love Chinese food, but Italian is her favourite. She adores Disney films, and watches them constantly; Anastasia and Thumbelina are favourites, though they're not Disney. Not that big a fan of purses. She likes satchels, but is easily irritated by clutches as they seem impractical, and she's very surprised by how much you got right. However, she is a dog person. Her only pet is an owl, Shade; and she'd really like to get a puppy." She counted each point out on her fingers, surprised that she was so easy to read. She found Andronikos' very hard to read. Obviously he was a more insightful person than her. "Andronikos is.... mysterious. I imagine that he enjoys the outdoors, maybe the forest and camping. He likes black coffee, and women with short hair. He has a strange fetish for vampires, but that's a fact, not a guess. He has always secretly wanted to own a gryffin, and he will eat basically anything." she smiled, slowing down slightly as she came up with guesses. "I doubt I got as many right as you. You're quite perceptive you know." she admitted, turning to face the lighthouse again, and glancing at her companion over her shoulder.

 

[Andronikos Vorkas]

Andronikos smiled at her reaction when he pointed out what was actually going to be different from her trainee years. He actually gave her a kind of chuckle when she shared that she wouldn't be able to kill someone. "We won't kill, except if our own life is at stake. I've never been to such a life-threatening situation but I'm sure you react instinctively to protect yourself." he said and hoped he would never have to kill either. Andronikos raised an eyebrow as well. "Really? Then how about do mine as well if you like it that much." he joked. Of course he wasn't intending to make her do his own work. He was complaining but in the end and after a lot of procrastination, he was finishing his paperwork. "Don't worry. You have scored high at stealth, magical combat and tracking. They won't let someone like you rot for a long time at the office." he laughed and picked up a flat stone. He washed the sand off it and sent it bounce off the calm surface a few times before it was swallowed by the black waters.

The young man was glad that she liked his idea. Sara was an adventurous person after all. She just needed a prod. "We are not going to climb like that." he said when she recounted the time she was climbing trees to watch Quidditch tryouts. "We will just break in, see the view and leave like we've never been there." he winked mischievously as he made it sound a little bit illegal. Shaking his head every time Sara was dismissing his incorrect guesses, a smile grew broader on his face as it was her turn to guess. He pursed his lips and nodded quite impressed. "Okay, Andronikos really likes the outdoors and he prefers a beach for camping instead of forests. I actually prefer French press coffee but black would do if nothing else is available." he paused to laugh as he couldn't deny his addiction to coffee. "Long hair is certainly a turn-on and no, although it might sound quite sexy, I would like to keep my neck unpunctured." he commented at the vampire strippers his friends had brought at that surprise party. "I actually own a griffin, well my family does own a lot of them. We have a tradition of having them as guardians and we probably are best customers to the Stratis as they are our only providers." he revealed what he would normally wouldn't have. His family was running the biggest wizarding bank in Greece, much like Gringotts in New Zealand. Griffins were used to protect the vaults as they were fierce guardians. "And true. I could eat anything as long as it is not made by me." he laughed at his terrible cooking skills. He stopped talking for a moment to listen to the crickets' symphony coming from the beachgrass growing on the sand dunes. "How Sara would be ten years from now?" he asked a more general question but the answer had a lot to disclose about her future and aspiration.

 

[Sara Moon]

Sara frowned as Andronikos spoke. That was the problem. Even if she did react instinctively to kill; she didn't think she could forgive herself. Everyone on earth meant something to someone. Could she decide to take the laws of nature into her hands? She didn't know. She hoped she'd never have to know. Her eyes wandered out across the water as she thought about what he'd said. She didn't doubt that she would fight back, but how far would she be prepared to go? Andy's comment jolted her back to reality, and she shoved him, laughing, "Fat chance!" True to her Irish heritage, she found it hard to accept his compliment, and instead watched him skim a stone. She'd never been particularly good at it. She'd get maybe one or two hops, but that was it. She grinned as it seemed to dance along the water, finally sinking. She was quite at her ease now, negative thoughts pushed to the back of her mind to be contemplated some other time.

Blushing at his wink, Sara shook her head as Andronikos' spoke "The criminal world lost one of its' best prospective crime lords when you became an auror. Breaking into lighthouses, cavorting with vampires, walking alone at night; you could've been quite the intimidating figure." she teased, assuming a sorrowful expression at the future that had never existed. She stopped her play-acting though, when he responded to her guesses. Not many of which had been correct. However, when he admitted to owning griffins, she stopped in her tracks. "You what?" she exclaimed, her mouth gaping in surprise. "Griffins. That is so... so... cool!" she exclaimed, unable to think of a better word; she ended up sounding like a starstruck eight-year-old. She resumed walking, shaking her head in disbelief. "Griffins... who'd have thought?" His next question though, struck a chord. What would she be doing in ten years time? The smart response would've been to lie and say she had no idea, but she knew what she wanted her life to be like, she just didn't know whether it would be that way or not. "Honestly? I think I'll still be in New Zealand, my parents are young, so I won't need to take care of the manor, though we're not sure what will actually happen there, when they're too old to run it.. I'd like to be married, though Merlin knows how that'll happen." She paused a moment. "Maybe with a child, or at least thinking of having children. I'll still be working, I hope. I hate to be a cliché, but I just want to be happy; desperately so. You know those people who live in a state of constant movement, because they know how much they have to lose? They value their lives, their family, their friends, their work;and they make sure they make the most of it all. I'd like to be one of those people, I'd like to have time for the people I love." she admitted. She'd never actually verbalised this before. It wasn't a particularly grand wish, she knew that, but it felt a bit greedy, as though she was asking for too much. She bit her lip and looked at her companion. "How about Andronikos?" she asked, suddenly afraid that he'd think her wish silly and childish. She should be wishing that she'd change the world, that she'd become minister for magic or something, but that wasn't her. She didn't want that. She wanted to do as much as she could to help change the world, to help make it better, but she didn't think she could do that on her own, and wouldn't want to be the person to take credit for it.

They were coming closer to the lighthouse now, and deciding to lighten the atmosphere again, she grinned at Andy and laughed. "I'll race you!" she gave him a second to process her proposition and sprinted away. The sand was cool against her feet, and she ran as fast as she could. Three years of auror training had made her fitter than ever, and she'd always been quite speedy, so she travelled fast. She didn't look back, or check to see where Andronikos was. It felt good to run, the wind whipping her hair against her face as the lighthouse loomed closer and closer. Only when her palm slapped against the stone of the tower, did she turn around, wondering if she'd won.

 

[Andronikos Vorkas]

Sara made him laugh as she listed all his attributes that would have made him a notorious crime lord if he hadn't chosen the path of good. "Damn, I'd be good and richer." he commented, acting as if he had just realized he had made a wrong choice. Money never was a criteria for him. His family might was rich but he was never materialistic. After his graduation he started working as a waiter in parallel with his auror training. The feeling of personal autonomy was unique. Just when he got he first salary as a full time auror, he found the apartment at the Obsidian Harbor and rent it. Amenities were always waiting for him at his parents' house but he wouldn't exchange his freedom for some homemade food and more saved money. "To be honest, I don't exactly own one." he admitted as he thought she had gotten the wrong picture. No griffin was residing in his apartment. "My family uses them as guards." he continued and decided to explain this a little bit more. "I might don't look like a rich boy but my family owns the Greek counterpart of what we have here as Gringotts." he revealed for the first time about his heritage to someone here in New Zealand. Andronikos didn't like talking about that but Sara was inspiring him trust. "Griffins are really territorial and fierce creatures which makes them great guards. They help us protect the vaults and increase the bank's security levels." he explained how exactly griffins fitted the story about this family's business. Griffins were so important to his family that every member had either griffins' feathers or talons for wand cores. In his case he had both as he was using two wands. "Fortunately I'm the youngest of my siblings and with my two brothers and sister taking over the reins of the bank, my choice to become an auror wasn't met with much objection by my father." he said, considering himself lucky.

Andronikos listened as Sara describe how she was imagining her life in a few years. He had expected most of what she had told him, not because they were predictable but because he had started to know better his colleague. Andronikos liked her last phrase that lingered for a while in his head. "I hope everything you just said to come true." he wished her as he felt like she deserved the life she just described. He was seeing the same question coming his way but he wasn't prepared to answer. Actually, he didn't want to imagine himself ten years from now. "Man makes plans and the cosmos laughs." he quoted as a wave reached his bare feet. "I don't want to think of how my life would be in ten years. I live for the present. I just hope I won't end up like Leonzio. A grumpy bachelor." he chuckled as he managed to give to their serious, existential conversation, a more light-hearted not by referring to their strict supervisor.

Andronikos was caught off guard by Sara's dare and when he grasped what she was suggesting, she had a head start. He smiled to himself and ran after her. Having no chance to get at the lighthouse before her, he cheated and apparated right outside the lighthouse's door. "Looking for someone." he tapped her shoulder to let her know he was right behind her. "Oh, life is not fair. Embrace it." he teased. Andronikos waved his hand and the entrance door opened. "Come. My criminal career awaits me." he jested and let get inside first. The interior of the lighthouse was dark but Andronikos had a solution for that. He cupped his hands together and whispered in a breath inside them. When he opened them a small orb of light jumped off his hands and floated next to him. As they ascended the tower's spiral staircase, the light followed them so they could watch their steps. At the top they reached the lantern room. A circular, glass room in which center the lens was located, blinking light every two seconds. Andronikos ignored the service room where fuel tanks and vents could be found and went straight for optic section. He stopped at the storm panes to see the breathtaking view. "Admit it. My non-legal tends got us something good." he said and prompted her to come and check the view. The light was going on and off but it couldn't sabotage the hauntingly beautiful, silver sheen cast by the moon on the sea. From there the could see the whole harbor and its aglow town with the shops. "All I need is a hammock and I could spend my whole night here." he stated, unable to take his eyes off the wide windows.

 

[Sara Moon]

Sara absorbed all the new information about Andronikos without comment. Clearly he was from quite a well-to-do background, but in her experience; it was better not to comment on it. When they'd first inherited and moved to England, a friend of hers had asked if they'd won the lottery and gone mad. Talking about money was never a good idea; it made people uncomfortable and caused barriers between them. The griffins, however, seemed a safe topic, and she thought they sounded fantastic. "I've never seen one; illustrations of course. I think I'll stick to lower-maintenance, less life-endangering pets though." she replied, as he spoke about the type of creatures they were. For herself, she was glad Andronikos was the youngest. She liked her partner; he was good company, and yet he wasn't frivolous. A good auror too. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would be satisfied by a life of banking and finance. Then again, there were lots of things about Andronikos' life that she couldn't imagine. She simply couldn't see what it would've been like, growing up with magic, with griffins, with goblins. It was strange. Sometimes, even now; she felt like this couldn't be real, as though someone were playing some elaborate trick on her.

Sara smiled at Andronikos'well-wishing. "So do I." she answered, unable to look him in the eye. Sara had never been particularly good at speaking about her deeper wishes or feelings. Even with her sister; Sara rarely opened up without being angry. When she was angry, it all came out. It was odd for her to be so honest with each other, and she questioned her own stupidity in sharing so much. But, Andy was her partner. She needed to trust him, and if she didn't trust him to simply know her; how could she trust him with her life? This explanation pleased her, and made her feel less strange about talking about her hopes. She smiled lightly as he answered her. She wasn't surprised he wasn't sharing. He was hard to figure out; which was probably part of why she got along with him. So many people were easy to figure out; usually it was the complicated ones who were worth knowing. "Leonzio's not so bad, and he's not old. I wouldn't be surprised if he has plenty of interested parties. He's not a bad looking guy." she answered, a challenge in her eyes as she raised an eyebrow. She secretly thought he was a big softie, and the whole tough-guy bit was just an act. He was a sweetheart really; she was pretty sure they could've been stuck with a much worse mentor. Though, their first meeting with him hadn't been too great.

Swirling around as Andronikos touched her shoulder, Sara frowned, crossing her arms across her chest and pouting she glared up at her companion. It had been a clever trick, she admitted, but grudgingly. She shook her head as he teased her. "I refuse to accept that which displeases me." she replied, sticking her nose in the air and facing toward the sea. As he opened the door, her composure cracked, and she burst into a fit of giggles. "Alright, but you're a terrible person." she laughed, walking through the door, and beginning the ascent. She glanced back at Andy who had summoned an orb of light to accompany them as they rose. "Just messing." She liked this old building, and when they reached the top, she took a moment to look at the various equipment, wondering how everything worked. She loved history, always had. What had gone on in this very room? Had people died here? She wandered around for a couple of moments, tracing the outline of the lens with her fingertips. Andronikos' voice, however, drew her to the window. "Wow." she breathed, standing close to the glass, her hands up against the cool glass. "Okay, I admit; Andronikos is a genius, from now on his word is gospel." she replied; smiling, but her eyes didn't leave the waves. The seemed to stretch endlessly, melting into one with the dark sky, moving slowly and gently. She could hear the wind outside the glass, and looked around; surely there was some way to get out onto the balcony outside. She yearned to feel that wind on her face. "Think there's a way we can get out there?" she asked, looking at Andronikos; her eyes wild.