At some point, he reached out to her hand and laced fingers through her in enviably casual manner. Truth be told, he had never really wanted to hold anyone's hand before, but now that Sarah had barraged into his life... He was going to squeeze every bit of contact in the time they had together. He'd not really even considered such a simple touch worth anything with anyone else, yet here he was, like a high-schooler in love, sitting innocently and holding Sarah's hand and being happy about it.

Though, to be entirely honest, under other circumstances, Zenon would not be shy to probably ask her to sit in his lap if it wouldn't be:
a) unsafe
b) way too distracting
c) not worth the possible slap

Only point c truly mattered, though. After all, there were always autopilot to amend the a point and he truly wouldn't mind being distracted right about now. In a way, he still was, caressing patterns on her hand with his thumb, focusing on the way her hand fit in his far too much for it to make an actual sense. The beauty treatment earlier tonight had softened her skin, but he could still feel how much rougher it was compared to the ladies of Above. And hell did he know how hard it could punch. And perhaps exactly that's why he did not feel like letting it go at all.

As they approached Seven, he broke the silence. "I suppose I cannot trade a bit of your attention for the route inside I am about to show?" his eyes twinkled with mischief as the small ship slowed down, to maneuver through the alert lines and watchtower lines. And possibly give them a bit more time, just the two of them.

---

"No," she immediately and firmly objected. "That is not safe for them. I believe I will have a guard soon," her throat tightened a little, thinking that her new personal servant, all provided by Zenon, would be there to protect her from anyone who could mean any harm to his wife... Or the future gray cardinal of resistance. She truly had been foolish, thinking that she was at least somewhat safe until the wedding announcement. But it was as it was and she could not say it all here, not now.

"And if that person notices someone on my trail... It could end very badly. I appreciate this, deeply, but do not put them under any more risk than they already are. Not for me." She wished she could reach out and squeeze his arm, in thanks and also reassuring the all too thoughtful soldier. But she refrained and stared at the small whistle, unsure where else to look. Pierre and Verma were surely trying to burn holes through her. Should she say that the guard was going to be rebellion sympathizer? Mannik seemed to trust these two, but could she trust them as well? Her and Zenon's faces, identities, were going to be hidden as much as possible even from Below's people to avoid any leaks or betrayals from within, out of simple distrust. Considering that, having any guards that could sniff this out was even more dangerous. "I cannot accept this, my apologies."

If he protested too much, she would finally grasp his wrist and drag him away into next room to explain the reasons more in depth. "Mannik, I cannot explain in more detail right now, but these guards could complicate so many important things. I know you trust these men and therefor, I trust them as well, but neither of us can trust everyone around them. In two weeks, it will make more sense, I promise you." Her voice was serious, with a hint of pleading and young woman had not even realized she hadn't let him go just yet.