Pao
He listened carefully as he took her hand, helping himself up before stretching out as well. He eventually slipped his arm over her shoulders and led her out of the shop, to the signage out front. "You much of a picture person?" he asked as he pulled out his phone. "'Cause we should probably take some to remember our first trip together."

Grinning, he opened up the camera app and held it out, their faces showing up on his screen along with the shop's sign behind them. "Ready?"

Aria
She blinked at that, surprised at the question. It would never have occurred to her that he WAS a picture person, so she was prepared for that at all. She blinked a few times as he pulled out the phone. Was she a picture person? She'd never really tried before, not having much to record that mattered before Deus... before him really.

But if he wanted to do this, she would for him. She leaned against him, a happy smile on her face. "Yeah... Of course, Babe."

Pao
He snapped the photo as soon as she was ready, and after double checking to make sure it looked alright he tucked his phone away. "Never really done that with someone else before," he admitted as they started walking to...he wasn't sure where, but again he trusted her with the directions. "My pictures before were usually fitness progress pictures, so I have a series of scrawny-me to now-me. When I move in we can dig 'em up so you can see..."

"But even if that's the only photo we take on this trip, I like to think I'll remember this for forever."

Aria
She chuckled softly, and walked with him, making sure to follow the instructions she'd printed out. "I admit, it would never occur to me that you were a photo-guy. Also, the idea of you scrawny is a very odd mental image, but perhaps that's cause I've only known you as big strong muscular Rhys." She gave a shrug, and then smiled, brightly, at his mentioning him moving in. "Yeah, sure. I can show you the photo of Dai I decided to keep out, if you want."

She wasn't going to think about the fact that there were no photos of young her, except a few at 15 and 16 with Terri and Mical. She had no desire to show him those.

"If you want to take others, I'll be fine with it... But yeah. I think our first trip together isn't going to fade from my memories anytime soon."

Pao
"Scrawny, 13-year-old Rhys really existed," he chuckled, the idea of him moving in brightening his mood up some as well. Even more so when she said she'd show him a picture of that kid brother of hers, to which he pulled her in for a short hug. "I had to journal my progress according to my coach. I stopped once I got out of high school, but there's plenty of very anxious-looking me photos from high school."

He hoped the "anxious" part didn't need explaining, but if she asked later he could explain once they were on their own. In the meantime, he skipped ahead to her invitation to take more photos, smile back to its usual brightness. "We could frame one before we leave if you want?"

Aria
She chuckled with him, amused at the idea of Awkward-stage Rhys, her hand patting him gently. "Well I admit, that is one thing about having planned to be an Astronomy major... I never needed anything like that. No Awkward-stage photos of me to be found that I know of." She sighed, a little, but mostly kept it on an upnote. "I look forwards to seeing them, though. I bet, despite all of that, you were cute back then too."

She could guess at many reasons why he might be anxious in the photos, and didn't want to ask unless he felt the need to talk about it. Instead, she smiled at his suggestion. "If you want... If we find a place that sells frames, I'd like to grab a couple anyways. One for Dai's photo, and one for the photo of us at the Haunted House... Never found a frame for it."

Pao
"Aww...I think all stages of you would be cute," he said, reaching up to pinch her cheek playfully. He was glad they could keep things on an upnote even if they hinted back to their rather depressing backgrounds. "But if you don't have any from before we'll just make up the difference on this trip." He was joking, of course. Mostly.

"Alright, we'll add frame shopping to the list," he chuckled, eyes going a bit wide when she mentioned the Haunted House photo. "Hah, we've got two copies of that one I guess. I saved mine in my little box of thing that are special to me." Which may have been a small hint as to how long he'd maybe seen her in that kind of light. Or...something similar, at least.

Aria
She eeped, startled by the pinch, and very gently swatted his hand. "Can't really judge, I didn't spend a lot of time lookin' in mirrors. But I'm glad you have photos I can see, even if I can't return the favor." She blinked, then laughed at his suggestion. "You're allowed to take as many photos as you want, of course. I don't mind you taking my picture." She was pretty emphatic about the word you, clearly she would not be so welcoming of others doing it.

She laughs about the fact that they have two copies, and grins. "I kept mine safely tucked in a book, so it wouldn't get bent up or creased or anything." She paused, and then smiled a little. "Didn't know you had a box of things that are special to you. Glad to know us together went into it, though." She leaned up and kissed his cheek, then led him around a corner... and onto the bank of the River Thames.

Pao
"Then I'll take plenty," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead as they went. It wasn't raining, thankfully, but it was pretty chilly already, definitely closer to the end of the year. He kept her close as they went, chuckling at her choice of storage. "Books really are your thing" he chuckled, then nodded at her question. He was about to reply when they rounded the corner and the river caught his attention and sort of shut him up for a second.

"Whoa..." was all that came out of him for a second. "That's...so tell me where we are now?"

Aria
She blushes a little, and smiles at the kiss, her arm around his waist as they walked. The sharp chill in the air was one she could handle just fine, since it wasn't raining at the moment. "Books are awesome, but it's also a good way to protect the photo." She said, shrugging. "It fits right inside the front cover."

His reaction earned a wide grin out of her, and she leads him to the nearest street crossing, to wait for the light. "We're at the River Thames... We're going to walk along the bank to get to the Bridge."

Pao
"The River Thames," he repeated after her, then smirked as they started walking again. "Sounds fancy. Like somethin' out of a book." As they went he happily held her closer, hoping it helped to fight off the now even colder breeze given they were by the river. "And about that, I do have one for keepsakes. It's only got two things in it, actually, including our photo."

After a breeze blew past them he looked down, a bit concerned. "But you sure you're not cold?"

Aria
She smiled and once the light changed, led him across the street, and to the river bank. She turned upstream and pointed at the towering Bridge nearby, and then across the water to where a HUGE ******** Ferris Wheel was turning. "So those two are our next destinations, then we're heading for the tower, which will be back on this side... Making it easier to get back to our digs for the night."

She blinked up at him, surprised, then laughed. "Between being cuddled up to you, and this coat..." It was longer then her Deus coat, and thicker. "I think I'm ok for now, babe. Why?"

Pao
He looked ahead at the things she was pointing out, nodding and a bit of excitement really showing for once. The sights were definitely something, and he was sure if it weren't for her he probably wouldn't be able to really appreciate them. If not for her, he probably wouldn't have ever bothered to use his leave days, actually.

"Just making sure," he replied with a chuckle as they went. "If you do get cold, lemme know? At least while we're standing around I could share my jacket a little."

Aria
She was glad to see he looked excited by what she had planned out... She didn't want to bore him, after all. This was his vacation too, and it was better that they both have a wonderful time. She rests her head on his shoulder, and leads the way to, and onto the bridge.

"All right, babe. I promise I'll tell you if I get too cold... But so far, between you and my jacket, I'm toasty as can be. But hey... If it gets cold enough, we can stop at a street vendor and get cocoa." The River Bank seemed to be lined with vendors of various natures, and Hot Food carts were pretty common.

Pao
"Mm, cocoa..." He smiled, recalling their hot cocoa night in Siberia as they walked along the River Bank "Good memories, always good to make more with cocoa." Rhys kissed her forehead again as they went, enjoying her company and the warmth between them right along with the sights they were seeing, looking very far from bored.

"So any fun facts, my personal and very beautiful Tour Guide?"

Aria
She smiled, remembering the cocoa in Siberia too. "Mmm yeah. Probably gonna be a richer, thicker cocoa... I hear European hot chocolate is more chocolatey. I could be wrong, though." She sighed happily at the kiss, and admired the places they were passing.

His question had her thinking. "I admit my knowledge of all of this is not the best... After all, limited access... But how about the fact that this is not the first London Bridge that stood in this spot, which is why there is the nursery rhyme about the Bridge?"

Pao
King of Geography he was not, but all this time he assumed Swiss Miss was a European brand, going off the "Swiss" part of the name. "More chocolatey can't be a bad thing, though," he commented instead, eyes flickering to all the different things they passed by. There was a lot, too, so he was sure he'd see all different things on their way back.

The fun fact got an "ooo" out of him, and he blinked down at her and waited expectantly. "So in the song, who's the 'fair lady'? Just...some lady passing by?"

Aria
She smiled a little and said "Well, we'll have to try some as we get the chance." She led them over to the bridge railing at the center of the bridge, so that they got a good view up the River on that side. "We'll cross back on the other side, so we can get that view... In the meantime..." She just cuddled in close, gazing at the wide river, and the various smaller bridges that crossed it, along with buildings of various ages that lined the banks of this river.

His question made her laugh and she shrugged. "That I do not know... Sorry, love. But I do know that the previous bridge that stood here still exists... It was bought, whole, and moved to somewhere in Arizona."

Pao
"Mm, good plan," he said, smiling as she cuddled in a bit more. The view was definitely something else, and he gave a sigh as he looked on, eyes falling on the various buildings and such as well. Occasionally his sisghts would flick back to her, and he would smile and lean in for a little kiss to the temple or to her hair or somewhere that didn't require him to really lean down.

The bridge fact did confuse him, though, so he blinked. "********?" was his only commentary. Not at all articulate, but basically his thought on the matter.

Aria
She smiled and sighed, enjoying the kisses happily, her eyes lost in the sights before them. Finally, though, she dragged herself away, and looked up at him, eyes gentle with love. "You ready to move on? The Eye will give us more views, and we'll be out of the cold... And it'll be views from different heights." She nodded over at the huge ferris wheel was.

"Right? Apparently it had gotten unsafe, so this place bought it and now has it basically as a display piece. From what I understand, anyways."

Pao
"Huh..." He still had a questionable look on his face, but he pushed it aside and nodded to her first question. "Just lead the way, babe," he said with more a smile, the questioning look gone entirely. No sense in lingering on an exhibit that really only confused him; and the confusion was more the "how did they move a whole ********' bridge' kind, so it wasn't like he didn't get it at all.

"But that sounds pretty great all around, so let's go."

Aria
She smiles and heads on across the bridge, and then to the entrance booth for the Eye. She manages to get the tickets before he gets the chance to pay, this time, and leads them in, giving him a small smile. "You've paid a lot so far, ok?" In case he felt at all ruffled by her snagging that. They get in the waiting to board line, and she sighs a little. "Queing. Worst part of going anywhere, but ah well." She murmurs so only he can hear her.

Pao
It didn't really bother him at all, actually, so her explanation was met with a light laugh as he got in line behind her. "Only 'cause it's my way of helping you save for that back piece," he said, hands sliding into is pockets. The line was moderately long but that didn't really bother him, either. Waiting with good company wasn't such a bad thing, at least in his eyes, which was why her murmuring got him to snort.

"Mint?" he asked, playfully waggling his brows.

Aria
She laughed and leaned back on her heals. "Ahhh... Yeah. You are awesome, babe." She sighed, watching the line. She knew she should have expected it... Major attraction... But she still wasn't used to how many people really came to the cities like this. It was amazing to her, kind of. She sort of gazed across everyone, ignoring the silly movie that was playing about the Eye.

His question, however, brought her attention back to him, and she blinked, process the brow waggles, then she chuckled and said "Sure, babe."

Pao
Rhys reached into his pack and pulled out a small tin box, popped out for himself before handing it to her. "They're pretty strong, am just saying."

Aria
She shrugged and took on, popping it into her mouth. She tilted her head, getting used to the flavor but not bothered by it at all. "Thanks, babe. Refreshing, which is nice."

Pao
"Yep," he replied, smile small as he reached for her again, pulling her into a very loose hug that she could easily get away from if she wanted. "Kinda the point since I wanted to do this..." He leaned down, smiling as he gave her a proper kiss this time, just short and sweet and not too inappropriate for a couple waiting in line.

Aria
She had no desire to pull free from him, and almost never had... In this case, a nice hug was more then welcome. "Do thi..." His lips met hers before she could finish the attempted question, and she went 'mm!', a happy sound. Her hands slid up to rest on his shoulders after he broke the kiss and she smiled up at him. "Pity private cars are ridiculously priced." She laughed and shuffled backwards a little, because the line was moving, not trying to pull free.

Pao
He shuffled along with her still in his arms, amused that she wasn't letting go despite the added challenge of walking backwards. He, of course, would keep her from bumping into someone, but it still amused him. "Are they?" he chuckled, half wondering if it'd be worth it for a nice picture of just the two of them up there. He leaned in for another little kiss, before they shuffled forward a little bit again.

"Maybe next time, on some other giant ferris wheel maybe?"

Aria
"Yeah... really ridiculous. Like 600 dollars or something. Over priced nonsense." Part of the reason she didn't let go was she trusted him to keep her from doing something stupid... Though if it got too difficult, she'd give up. For now it was fine, and the little kisses were definitely making this less boring to wait on, in her mind.

She laughed and nodded. "We'll have to see where else has them, of the places we want to go, and see if any aren't stupidly expensive."

Pao
The kisses were definitely helping with this wait time, and he was happy to keep on giving them, but the price she brought up had him go bug-eyed for a second. "Piece of shiiiit..." he whispered, leaning in a bit to maybe hide his reaction from anyone else in line that was maybe listening in out of boredom. "I love you, babe, but I'm really glad you're reasonable about that kinda thing."

Maybe if it was their anniversary or something like that.

"We're probably just gonna keep adding to our list, so I'm sure we'll find one at some point." Rhys shuffeled them along, arms securely wrapped around her waist as they went. It was almost their turn to get on, so after one last kiss he finally let her go. "Almost us. You excited?"

Aria
She couldn't argue with him on that. Being forced to budget for herself back home, and all those other little things made spending ridiculous sums on 'frivolous nonsense' totally not something she was interested in doing. "Yeah I agree. It's so insane." She leaned up to kiss his nose, and smiled, while shrugging. "I love you too... I can't even begin to imagine having the kind of money that would make doing something like that at all a reasonable expense."

It wouldn't even cross her mind for an anniversary. If some one asked her how she'd want to spend their anniversary, she'd probably talk about going somewhere private for the day and night, and just spend the day secluded with him, with no interuptions.

She laughed softly and nodded. "Sounds like there's a good chance, yeah..." She sighed when he let her go, but his words earned him a bright grin. "Yes! Can't wait." She turned to face forwards again, her eyes watching everyone ahead of them.

Pao
The kiss to his nose had him scrunching his face a bit, though he was smiling. It was a strange sensation, still a good one but different. "No kidding. That's a ********' kitchen appliance or something, damn." His brain hopped to Joy and her flat in Towns that was always at risk of getting wrecked some way, somehow, and the idea of splurging even on an anniversary dwindled to just about nothing.

But he was glad to move his attention to the line and the fact that it was moving, as well as Seren's excitement. The brunette chuckled, hands finding their way into his pockets again as they shuffled along until it was finally their turn.

Aria
They were at the front, in a small group of people who would share their car with them, and she was almost bouncing on her heels. Finally, though, they were able to board, and she headed for the car, her hand reaching behind her for his, her excitement palpable.

She'd never been on a ferris wheel before, or any rides, really, so she was really looking forwards to this.

Hell, she'd never been higher then 3 stories before in her life. She moved over to one of the big windows, and leaned against the railing in front of it, waiting for the wheel to move again.

Pao
Rhys took her hand, grin once again ear to ear as he watched his girlfriend bounce with an almost childlike excitement. Once they were in the car he stood behind her, hands on either side of her and gripping the railing. It was protective as it was just so he could be close, but there were lots of people and the chance for wandering hands was pretty real in his mind.

Once they were all in the car finally started moving, and he quietly "ooo'd" once it did and the world outside started moving. "First time I've been on one of these things," he murmured, focused on the city gradually getting smaller beneath them.

Aria
It honestly would never have occurred to her to worry about wandering hands here, because she figured most people were either with families or their own partners, so it didn't occur to her to be on guard for it. However, having him there was wonderful, so she didn't mind at all. She just tucked herself against him a little more so that he could have just as good a view as she did.

She oo'd too, honestly, and her hands gripped the railing in her excitement. His words got a "Same here... This is exciting..." in response, as she watched the Ferris wheel move. They got partway up, and then it stopped to load the next car. It wasn't a fast ride, by anymeans, which meant they got lots of time to view things.

Pao
If not for all the people and have to maneuver themselves to get a picture of them and the view, Rhys might have suggested they try and get a picture. Seeing her excitement, though, and finding himself getting pulled into it as well kept him from wanting to do anything to disrupt that. So he settled himself securely around her, eyes still on the slow moving scenery beyond the glass.

"Could kinda see why private cars are stupid pricey though," he murmured again, eyes finally back on Seren for the moment. He really had to smile at her reactions though, his gaze just full of love and joy and affection for her.

Aria
She was gazing around in fascination when the wheel began to move again, and his words had her gazing over her shoulder at him with bright and excited eyes. "Yeah, I guess. Still... I'm just happy to be here with you, private or not." She leaned enough to give him a quick kiss, before leaning her head against his as she watched the scenery go by.

When they hit the top, though, she said "Wanna get a picture of us with the view?" She would happily do that for him, because despite the grey sky, the view was incredible from the top of hte Eye.

Pao
After the kiss Rhys gently rested his head against hers as well, happy to watch the view go by with her just as they were. At the top, though, when she asked he blinked and eventually nodded, smiling. "Yeah, wasn't sure you'd want to miss any bit of the view so I didn't ask..."

With that though, he carefully maneuvered himself so they were side by side and he had his arm over her shoulders before pulling his phone out and getting the camera ready again. Once it was he gave the cue to smile, then snapped the photo. He snapped a few, actually, just in case, and then handed her his phone so she could look them over.

"Retakes needed?"

Aria
She laughed and said "We have a few minutes up here, and that's gonna be our best chance at a good shot on this wheel." She smiled brightly for the photos, and once he handed it over, she peeked through them, then shook her head. "I think you got some good ones... I especially like this one..." She tapped one, that was really nicely framed. "Yeah... It's a good one."

She turned to face him, and gave him a tight hug.

Pao
He looked carefully at the one she pointed out and nodded, smiling at their faces on the screen before tucking his phone away again. And when she hugged him he gladly returned it, quietly humming in happiness despite having to fight down the urge to life her up off of the ground because it was so crowded.

He let her go once they started moving again though, and did his best to get them back into the position they were in earlier. "Whoops..." he grinned, leaning down this time so he could rest his chin on her shoulder. "There we go."

Aria
She laughed, amused, when he gently manuevered her so they could be facing the windows again, and turned with him, happily tucked against him. Her eyes kept watching the sky, and the scenery, as the car continues it's round trip. Once they get back to the platform, she sighs softly, and carefully untangles herself from him, but taking his hand again to disembark.

Once they make it out of the crowd around the eye, she checks the time, then says "Cocoa stop, before we go to the Tower of London, maybe?" She had noticed a stand nearby, and they could grab some cups, and drink it as they recrossed the bridge.

Pao
Rhys simply followed, a small smile on his lips as she took his hand and led him out of the crowd. The suggestion for cocoa perked his ears and he lookrd around, seeing likely the same stand nearby as she had. "Oo, sure," he replied, this time leading her to said stand. Without letting go of her hand he slid both his hands in his jacket pockets, , and got in line.

"Feels like we're seeing everything today, babe. Anything left for tomorrow?"

Aria
She followed him happily, and laughed when he slid their hand in his pocket. Part of her found that interesting... It didn't bother him that her hand was in his pocket, so low on him? Was it the layers or...? Sure, it wasn't like his pants pocket but still. It was interesting to note... And come to think, he hadn't reacted badly earlier when she had her arm around his waist.

His question, however, had her filing that thought away for later. In the meantime, she just grinned at him. "There's way more to do in this city then we can do in a week, let alone the two days we have. We'll have lots of options tomorrow." She tilted her head, then asked curiously "Do you do museums at all?"

Pao
It wasn't that low, if she asked, but the layers really helped, too. So he didn't mind at all, and was still all smiles as they shuffled along in line. "Oh?" he asked, brows raised in slight surprise. "That's cool. And honestly never been, but I could give it a shot." A pause as he considered that, expression more thoughtful.

"What kind, exactly?"

Aria
She chuckled softly and nods. "It's an ancient city... There's been some form of settlement here since before the Romans. I'm pretty sure this city is older the our organization." That last bit was murmured for his ears alone. "With that kind of history, there's lots of stuff to see." She rested her head on his shoulder as she spoke, watching everyone around them.

She listed to his comment on museums, then smiled a little. "There's lots of kinds here, but there's a Museum of Natural History... It's famous, it has the only existing preserved Dodo, for instance..."

Pao
He didn't think Deus had been around for as long as most of the bigger cities in the world, so he nodded a bit when she whispered that last part. "Makes sense," was really his only reply, but after a bit of thought he added, "but honestly wouldn't be surprised if there were people like us back in those days, too. Since we're not aliens and all." He whispered that last bit as well, then smiled as she leaned on him.

"We could go, yeah. And you just keep taking more of my firsts, huh?" Rhys grinned, rather amused by the ever growing list. "Not that I mind, just sayin'."

Aria
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah but..." She'd read up on it, when she found the historical stuff, whispering softly "I think like... King Arthur was supposed to be the first Hunter or something? I don't know. But... yeah. Probably. Certainly seems logical." She could be misremembering what she'd read too, but she thought she'd read that, and that Excalibur was the first Weapon. But she wasn't an expert on it, and it was one book she'd read all of once, before going back to her astronomy stuff. She shrugged a little, and moved forwards, pleased they were almost at the front of the line.

"Mmmm you've had a number of mine, so it's more then fair." She said with quiet happiness in her voice, her eyes lost in thought for a moment about firsts.

Pao
He listened, genuine surprise crossing his features when she mentioned such a notable historical figure. Certainly notable enough since he knew about it, and history was not his subject by any stretch of the imagination. "Really does make a s**t-ton of sense, damn..." he replied, running his free hand through his hair. "Makes me wanna read up now." Another surprising effect she had on him was how she got him interested in reading at all.

But the topic of Deus history was probably not something they should linger on too much in public, so he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and turned his focus to the menu as they were next in line already. "I'll have to ask you for that list 'cause I'm kinda curious," he said, smiling. "For now, just two hot chocolates?"

Aria
She smiled at his interest in reading up on it, glad to once again get him interested in a book. "Yeah, I can show you the book once we get back home." She leaned up and kissed his cheek, one of her encouraging kisses she liked to give him at times like these. "In the meantime, though, we can focus on where we are and the history of this place, since it's pretty damn awesome here too." She looked across the river, to where the Tower was for a moment, then realized they were next.

She squeezed his hand, and chuckled at his comment about the list. "I should ask for yours in turn, since I'm pretty sure I'm not the first girl you've made out with... You have too much of a clue on that." She gave him a gentle, but teasing smile. "Still... I'll tell you later, if you want. For now, yes, just 2 hot chocolates."

Pao
"Two hot chocolates," he repeated to the girl behind the register, and they stepped aside with their cups almost immediately after paying.

"Mm..." he hummed thoughtfully as he mentally went down the list of firsts she'd taken. "I dunno, maybe it's just me but it feels like you've taken a lot." Only two, so far, really mattered a whole lot to him, but for the more minor firsts...it really felt like there were a lot. "And hell yeah, I'm totally down for exploring as much as we can. Long as we're stuck together, 'course." Rhys shot her small smile beore sipping his cocoa.

"So the Tower?"