debonairmonk (debonairmonk) wrote in emillion, @ 2015-02-27 15:51:00 |
|
|||
(Capricorn 3) Drake had been herded to the guest room with a stern glare and a warning that if his mother caught him in his own room the rest of this visit, there would be consequences. So, when he woke up less than five hours later, Ari was cuddled against him, and Aspel was… Not there. Carefully, he extricated himself from Ari’s grasp and climbed out of the bed, tossing on a pair of linen trousers. He’d have to get properly dressed in a little bit, but he had enough time to take a quick shower and find Aspel, at least. A shower seemed to be the only place she’d get any time to herself at all at this rate while in this house. With that notion in mind, Aspel had carefully taken the time to lay out her clothing, and any other supplies she might need before heading into the shower the night before. That way, she’d have as much time as possible to herself. That was of course until she heard movement in the room. It was faint, really barely noticeable, but considering all had been quiet up until that point. Aspel sighed, letting her head lay against the shower wall for a moment. If only she could have a little longer to herself… Yet… It was likely that, that would be far from an option. Pulling herself out of the shower, a towel was picked up, and wrapped around herself before exiting the bath into the bedroom to appropriately dress. When Aspel emerged from the bathroom, Drake grinned. He quietly walked over to her and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “Morning,” he said, yawning. “Sleep well?” At least one of them should have gotten a decent amount of sleep. Although he guessed that if Aspel hadn’t, Ari would. He doubted she’d be awake when they got home. “Mom will be waiting for us downstairs in about an hour. She likes to get there early to get the best seats.” He thought back to the night before. “And feel free to ignore her questions.” The kiss earned a return, and a soft, contented smile. One pleased with the affection, and the thoughts it caused. “Well enough.” She’d always tried her best not to speak of the nightmares, but regardless of that he’d know eventually - she tried not to panic at that thought eventually meant something, especially with everything else going on... - assuming he didn’t already know. A slight nod was given as she compartmentalized away the information of Drake’s mother in case it ever required additional use. Though at the information presented on questions Aspel simply raised an eyebrow. “Why would I ignore a question?” A beat. “That would merely be rude.” Drake gave her a dark look. “Because she’s trying to find out things she doesn’t need to know. Like if we’re planning on moving in together.” Which was a terrifying thought and one he had never considered until his mother had made a pointed comment about it the night before. Nope, he didn’t need to think about that. At all. “So, if she asks something like that, feel free to ignore it. Unless you want to answer it, but. I’m hoping Dad will keep her attention. He’s about as Pharist as Ari.” Why Tavian still went when he didn’t have to was beyond him. If Drake could get out of it, he would. There was a long hesitation as Aspel did her best to to not let the utter chaos, and panic she felt inside show across her face. A - obviously - fake, and strained smile arose. “She is your mother, if she asks I shall answer. Her desires are to get to know us, what kind of people we are, and our intentions for you, I desire to have nothing to hide from her so that she will full well know how I plan to act, and treat you. If there is to be discord between us, it is better found now then…” Aspel cut the sentence short, a flash of panic surged through her, a bolt of it shooting across her face before the strained smile reformed once more. “Later.” He sighed. Leave it to Aspel to want to be transparent. “I’m going to go shower. I’d offer for you to join me, but you’ve already had one.” He gave her another kiss, this one lingering a little, and pulled back after a moment. “If you want to go downstairs, I’m sure Dad is already here and has coffee made.” And probably doctored with whiskey. There was the faintest hint of something mischievous in her eyes at his offer of a shower. “I can not say I would be against another.” This kiss was returned, and leaned into. While their relationship had undoubtedly recovered at times it still felt…. Strained. Like there was pieces of it missing that hadn’t been before that she… Longed for. While Drake pulled back, Aspel remained leaned forward with her eyes closed a moment longer, a long slow inhale taken before a weak smile rose. “As you wish.” With that the smith turned to begin the process of dressing, and finishing all other prep that would be needed before she’d head downstairs. The mass had been wonderful, and left Aspel with a warm buzzing. Yes, it was nothing like Emillion’s, but that was part of what had made it such a joy to attend. It had been some years since the smith had been able to visit a church so different, and it reminded her of the good - what little of it there had been in her past - that had come from her travels through her twenties, and really Aspel couldn’t help but sing - not literally - the praises of it. The attendance - even in the company it had been with - had allowed the smith to relax, to finally feel like that tight spring of tension that was within her had begun to unwind. A sincere smile had spread across her face, and fond glances at Drake had been stolen here and there when she thought no one was looking. With all of it done she had taken a brief kiss before taking up Drake’s arm, and beginning a leisurely pace on the walk back to Jie’s house. Drake squeezed her arm and gave her a strained smile. Two masses in less than six hours, and all he wanted to do was sleep, but he was awake, and he wouldn’t be allowed to go back to bed when they got home, so he was stuck. At least he had good company. It would have been better if Ari were there, and that may have only been because he was jealous of her lying in bed, passed out. “The morning mass is always so much calmer,” Jie was saying. “I do prefer it to the midnight mass, but the choir is far superior for the evening. Which is your preference, Aspel?” A fairly roundabout way of asking about her church-going habits, perhaps, but for her, it was important that her son not neglect his spiritual health. Arielle’s intimate knowledge of the services had convinced her of the girl’s devoutness; it was time to see if Aspel was, as well. “That heavily depends upon the church, and ones own preferences for practices.” Aspel’s smile was completely pleasant, and unaware of Jie’s attempts at digging for information. “For holidays it has partly - historically - been dictated by my job at the time, and hours I needed to keep. I was incredibly fond of midnight mass for a very long time, and it holds a special place in my heart, ringing in the entire day from the very beginning of it with the word of Faram. Yet, the calmness of the morning brings a certain peace, along with a well rested mind, and body for a fuller appreciation, and gratitude of the words spoke.” A beat passed as she breathed. “You see, previous to being a council member I was purely a smith, and many times would be flooded with orders through this time of year for presents, so it was…” Aspel considered for a moment. “A breaking point of sorts, a new beginning, a refreshing start to begin the new day with the midnight mass.” The smile on her face remained pleasant, sincerely enjoying the conversational topic at hand. “However, with my current duties, and requirements, I have found the morning masses for holidays to be better. It offers a period of calmness as you have mentioned, a moment of solitude between practitioner and Faram alone in some regards.” A fondness snuck its way into her features. “However, I must admit the weekly eight am masses hold a special place in my heart as well. The holidays are nice, and it is pleasant to see faces that come for the holidays specifically, a knowledge that there are many who share your faith, even if they are not constantly present, can be reaffirming all in of itself, but the sermons, and regularity of attendance of friends and family is warming all of its own.” An amused glance was given to Drake. “Even if consistent attendance of some does require a bit of prodding.” A light nudge of his side was given with the words. Drake cringed at Aspel’s nudge; Jie, of course, noticed. His mother sighed. “I had hoped he would be diligent enough to attend without being prodded, though I suppose I cannot claim surprise. He has always attempted to find ways out of attending. Far too like his father, in that regard.” Tavian, for his part, grinned and shrugged. “Never been fond of it. I can pray just as easily on my ship as I can in a church. In fact, the ship’s more comfortable. Less people.” Jie leveled an unamused look at her son’s father. “Be that as it may,” she continued, returning her attention to Aspel, “if you would like, I’ll be attending tomorrow morning’s service, if you would care to join me?” “He does not always require prodding.” Aspel’s smile remained lightly amused, a curious brow rising at Tavian’s commentary. “From my understandings of the scripture, and teachings, a prayer within a temple or a prayer within a boat is still a prayer and accepted all the same.” Her obvious indifference to location being easy enough to take note of. “While I enjoy the temples, and churches, they are… Not to the liking of everyone.” Which was why she hadn’t prodded Drake all that much about it, and Ari - while Aspel wished the bard would attend things with her - had basically almost never been prodded at all. Though… Aspel had many unconventional views when it came to Pharism all around it would often seem. The smith’s curiosity was then turned on the offer. Admittedly, she would normally attend services at least twice a week but… One day right after the other seemed… A bit much, but… “Certainly.” A smile was offered. “I would adore the idea of becoming better acquainted with your church.” Jie’s smile was warm. “Perhaps your and Arielle’s devotion will rub off on my stubborn son.” Drake had to turn his face to the side to keep his mother from seeing his entertained smirk. Ari was the least devout of the group of them, and if his mother had gotten a different idea because Ari could sing along, well, easier to let her believe that than not. Drake had been on the couch, sipping undoctored cider - Tavian’s habit of spiking any and every drink on Faram’s Mass was well known, and Drake had made his own because of it - when the knock came. Jie was fussing around the tree, putting gifts in neat piles, and Luiz was outside, smoking meat, while Tavian tried to cajole him into a rum sauce. Nia was sprawled and pointedly ignoring the door, so Drake sighed, stood up, and answered it. Greigor acknowledged him with a nod of his head, while Anora gave him a cheery grin. They both had food in hand, and Drake blinked. “Um.” “We came to drop some food off for your mother,” Anora told him as Drake moved to let them pass. “Jie asked that we come by,” Greigor added. He looked as uncomfortable as Drake felt, so at least he wasn’t alone. “Well,” Drake said, “mom’s through there.” From her position on the couch, Ari examined the newcomers over the rim of her cup. (Drake might be eternally sober, but she’d taken Tavian’s cider with gratitude.) The woman looked vaguely familiar, and as for the man… she’d never seen him before, perse, but his voice when he talked was smooth in just the right way and his movements were fluid in just the right way and Nia, once she warmed up (and she certainly had as they’d traipsed around town the day prior) was quite chatty, so Ari had a very good idea of exactly who he might be. Fortunately, neither he nor the woman seemed focused on her, though she did give him a low and very polite nod of her head when his eyes passed over her face. Just in case. Aud might have gotten herself inadvertently adopted into the Spymaster’s inner circle back in Emillion, but Ari had always maintained good relations with the head of her guild, too, in a completely different way. Not that this man and Reinholdt were likely to have much in common aside from title and perhaps a class or two, but she did have some comprehension on how to deal with powerful people: be pleasant, nonthreatening, and useful in small and insignificant ways (regardless of whether usefulness was expressed by being amusing, as Reinholdt seemed to favor, or in some other way). Since the guests were intent on Jie, she could probably stay clear altogether. She traveled often enough to have gotten herself involved in work from other local guilds before, and she really preferred to avoid that here. Aspel had taken to reading, and thoroughly enjoying a cup of Tavian’s doctored cider when the newcomers arrived. A brief glance was given to them, a soft smile offered with a nod - as it was simply polite really - before her eyes dipped back down to her book. If they weren’t being introduced around, and had specific business to attend to she’d loath to interrupt, and assumed if she was needed they’d clearly make the rounds back through before long. Drake followed Greigor and Anora into the room. Jie, who had looked up as soon as she had heard voices, stood and smoothed her skirts. She hadn’t been certain if they would come, though perhaps she should have known. Hsu had only been gone for a short time, and Griegor had promised the Guild would be there for her in her grief and if she ever had need of it. They had upheld his first promise; she had yet to call in his second. “Good evening,” she said, offering them a smile. It was still awkward to host members of her mother’s guild without her mother’s presence, but Anora was something of a friend in passing, and Greigor had been nothing but respectful to her. “If you are thirsty, I will try to find some undoctored cider.” Anora smiled. “Doctored is fine. Tav’s cider is the best in the region, after all.” Jie shook her head but left in search of drinks, leaving the room. Drake looked awkwardly around for a moment before his manners kicked in. “Anora, Griegor, this is Ari and Aspel. Aspel, Ari, this is Anora and Greigor.” He didn’t know their last names. He probably should have gotten them. “Greigor took over grandma’s… company when she passed.” Except he was pretty sure that-- Nope. Not thinking about that. Before either Aspel or Ari could say anything, Anora’s eyes lit up. “Arielle Chiaro, correct? I saw you in a performance some time ago. It is a pleasure to see you. Are you still performing?” Merde. But Ari only smiled as prettily as she could manage and said, “Oh, I’m flattered that you might have seen one of my productions. Especially considering…” A pause as she searched her mind; the name had sparked something -- “It’s… Bjelke? Isn’t it? I couldn’t recognize you at first without the…” she pantomimed a very large and flouncy skirt. “Your Carmencita was inspiring.” Or, in any case, memorable enough to pull out of the back of her memory a decade later. And please, let this woman, like most artists, be eager to talk about herself and forget all about Ari. She didn’t want to be called in to sub for some mysteriously ill local songstress for the amusement of the local council (a request which was more like an order), but it had happened in the past. Far worse, she had a very good reason for attempting something like humility, if only for the duration of this trip. Somehow. The fewer people who knew that Arielle Chiaro was in Ordalia for the holiday, the better chance word would not get back to her mother. Ajora, if her mother found out she was here, and why……. It was hard not to shiver at the thought. That was unexpected, but Drake beamed, glad to have something that wasn’t the adamantitan in the room to focus on. “She just finished a run in Cenerentola,” he told Anora. Aspel, he noted, had gone back to her book after the initial introductions. “You’re too kind. That was ages ago. I rarely perform anymore, myself.” Anora gave her a considering look while Greigor sighed quietly beside her. “Cenerentola? I’m sure it was quite lovely. You must humor me and sing something for me.” “It was a very lighthearted production, really quite a joy to be involved in.” Ari barely managed to keep from glaring at Drake, though she did try to send him a signal with a slight widening of her eyes when he looked her way. Not that Drake was particularly skilled at reading signals. So she laughed lightly and held up her cup and said, “I really may have had too much cider, I fear; anything I did now would not be up to your standard.” Although here was better than being called upon to do it elsewhere…. “Ah,” she quickly added, “but as it is a holiday, perhaps a bit of music -- if not perfectly performed -- might not be amiss. If the hosts are amenable, something seasonal?” Sing a pretty carol, bow out, and have it be the end of things. Jie had returned with cider just as Ari was finishing her sentence. “Of course.” Drake and Greigor went to find seats - the former falling next to Aspel and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, the latter taking Drake’s abandoned chair. Anora perched on Greigor’s chair’s armrest, waiting for Ari to begin. Since she couldn’t get out of it now, Ari stood (never so uncouth as to perform sitting unless some mad director demanded it), though she did not take the center of the room. No piano to lean against, and no desire to fetch her mandolin from the bedroom, either, but fortunately, this sort of music didn’t need much in the way of accompaniment. She picked a shorter carol from the endless library of them stored eternally in the back of her mind -- three verses only, which for church music was a minor miracle -- and a comfortable key. No need to sing full voice in what was ultimately a very full room of only moderate size. Having finished the third verse, she gave an exaggerated curtsy and, with another laugh, announced, “I think I’ve earned another cup of cider, don’t you?” A soft, appreciative smile was offered to Drake as Aspel made sure to mark her page before folding the book closed, and - with a rather pleased smile - waited for Ari to sing. She always had loved the other woman's ability with song, and any time Ari chose to grace them with a performance Aspel was readily all ears. When it ended the smith’s smile had grown a bit, and a brief clap was offered. “Bravo.” It was a bit hard to tell if this group would require more engagement than that, but Aspel would hate to be rude either way - ignoring guests, or butting in where she wasn’t needed or wanted - so for now her book would remain closed. Anora listened with a practiced ear; the girl had good tone, but even better control. This was, very obviously to the Councilor, not the best she could do. It was by no means disappointing or bad - on the contrary, she was better than roughly a quarter of the bards that she oversaw, but she knew if Ari had sung to her full potential, she would likely be in the top quarter of them. Which begged the question, why be modest? Performers were not modest by nature; it took ego and confidence to sell a performance on stage. Still, she clapped and smiled, and nudged Greigor to applaud and put his Faram-blessed communicator away; she had not realized quite how much the Emillion Spymaster would be involved in the succession, though perhaps the check ins were more in relation to the three visitors than any other reason. After all, if she did not think they would be censured, she would try to poach Ari for her own guild. “Very lovely, indeed,” Anora said. “You do me too much credit for a slightly tipsy carol,” Ari said, and guessed that the woman knew it, too, but it had neatly freed her from further obligation -- for now -- and Tavian, bless his corsair heart, had made quite a lot of cider, which Nia seemed more than willing to pour for her; Ari took the cup with a smile and nod of thanks (really, Drake exaggerated how bad she was) and settled herself back on the corner of the couch she had previously occupied. The local guild leader (for she was certain of his identity by now) seemed utterly disinterested in her, which was perfect in her estimation. Drake shot Ari a grin. “You should hear her when she’s sober,” he told Anora. No invitation to come to Emillion - he really didn’t need that, and they were leaving the day after tomorrow, and he was sure Anora had better things to do that hang around to listen to someone sing. The prodding by Anora was becoming cumbersome, and so Greigor pocketed his device and looked at the small group. What was the other girl’s name? Aspel. Right. “Are you a bard as well, Aspel?” Drake’s commentary earned an amused smile. Ari would always remain one of her favorite songstresses regardless of her sobriety. Though the question caused the smile to fade - not into anything unpleasant - but a more thoughtful look before a slight smile returned. “Ah, no, I fear not.” The smile was still soft before a hand gestured passively to the sledgehammer that had been left never too far away from her grasp. “I have a much less delicate touch.” A fighter, then. The two women suited Drake, inasmuch as he knew the other man. Greigor nodded. “We have little fighters who use such weapons. Many tend to prefer the hand-to-hand martial arts or swords. It is an interesting choice.” “It is uncommon, but with the smithing I do, it seemed an obvious choice.” The faint, pleasant smile remained. There was no need for the story of how she came to decide upon the weapon, or that casting aside her sword as a Knight had been an act of defiance against her family, or… Well… Any of this really. “A smith?” Griegor’s eyebrows raised. “An odd profession for a woman, but a very respectable one. You must be quite good.” If she weren’t, then it would be unlikely she would still be doing it outside of a hobby. Unless he had misunderstood, and it was a hobby. Too much effort to think through what ought to be a simple, polite conversation. Anora stood up. “I do believe it’s time for us to go,” she announced, looking over at Jie. “We’ve taken too much time out of your celebrations.” “You are more than welcome to stay,” Jie said politely, but Anora shook her head. Drake’s mom nodded and led them to the door. Drake followed to say goodbye, and when he came back, he sat back down next to Aspel, and proceeded to take a nap. The evening had dragged on far longer than Ari would have preferred. Not that it was actually late, exactly, and she had to admit she had become at least a little more comfortable in these surroundings, but even so, she had taken the first available cue to retire to the guest room. Certainly, things were going well enough (and she could only hope she would not be receiving future communication from Anora, or worse, her guildmaster), the dinner had been fine, the small, rather impersonal gifts she had brought had gone over well (or at the very least, everyone had been polite about them), and all in all, the trip could hardly be considered a disaster, but… She was so ready to be home, where she didn’t have to analyze every move she made. And if she had to guess, Aspel had a similar feeling. But even with all of this running through her mind, she had the wherewithal to tease when teasing was warranted, and when Drake at last slunk into the room, much as he had done the night before at his mother’s very pointed glaring, she shook her head and said, “You know, Drakey, we ought to be offended: you invite us here, and then you keep trying to escape and sleep elsewhere. One might think you would prefer to keep us company.” The day and events of such had gone pleasantly enough. There had been church - even if not in her ideal conditions - songs from Ari, reading, and generally pleasant company…. Along with spirits. She’d need to find a way at some point to show just how extensively deep her gratitude had been for the drink he’d so happily provided them all. The liquor undoubtedly had brought a significant amount of relief all of its own. Though, a retreat was still quite welcome after all this, and the smith - much like Ari - had happily taken it at the first chance she got. With the monk’s entrance into the room that had originally been prepared for them all a curious brow rose. Admittedly, this would make things easier in some ways she suspected, but at the same time… Why did he seem so terribly ill at ease with it all? A slight smile pulled at her lips, and a shake of her head was offered at Ari’s comment yet not a word would be uttered as Aspel - in this one instance - really had nothing else to add. Drake scowled. “She took my bedding,” he whined, ignoring Ari and flopping on the bed. It was at least comfortable, and definitely big enough for all of them, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that it was awkward - his mother clearly expected something and he couldn’t figure out what it was that she was patiently waiting for. Offspring, Pokey helpfully suggested. Not helpful, he thought back. “And it’s not like you were alone,” he continued, finally addressing Ari’s teasing. “And I know you guys have alcohol.” Without missing a beat, and with her facial expression unaltered, Ari replied, “Well, of course we do -- your father has been plying everyone in the house with it since breakfast. Just because you’re dry, darling, doesn’t mean we must rudely refuse the offer of quite excellent punch.” She grinned. “And I didn’t say I was alone, or lonely -- I said that considering we came here for you, you might have considered sleeping here before your mother took your bedding.” She giggled. “Which is a rather amusing thing for her to have done, actually.” No wonder he so often let her get her way. Clearly he was used to it. Flopping next to him, she patted his shoulder. “It will be all right, darling. I daresay your mother has deduced that we have shared a bed previously. Sleeping in here won’t kill you.” Aspel’s back had turned to them both - letting them carry on in their bantering - as she began to sort through her own personal belongings for appropriate garb to sleep in. Once a remotely acceptable shirt had been selected - not that she particularly cared to sleep in clothing - the smith began to disrobe before continuing to talk. With the next words her voice was even while assuring her face remained turned away from them both. “Your mother is a particularly kind, and merciful woman. While you may not always agree with her methodologies her actions are filled with love. The same as Ari’s mother.” Shifting the smith pulled her shirt off, and dropped it passively off to the side. “I would be lying to say I would be completely unlikely to take some similar actions with my own children as your mothers have taken with the both of you.” Ari made a face, which was lost on Aspel, whose back was turned. “I sincerely hope you wouldn’t try to push an unwilling child into an insane life plan of your own making -- one utterly unsuitable for said child, by the way -- for the sake of your own pride. Love is one thing; obstinacy is quite another. Drake’s mother seems saner all around.” “I said some.” Drake ignored the bantering about kids because that was just a little too close to home at the moment. He could just imagine his mother calculating conception date from due dates and smugly informing him that she --- Nope. No, no, no, no. Kids weren’t even something that needed to be discussed because were any of them even ready to parents? He knew that he wasn’t. Someday, sure, but right at this moment? He had a hard enough time keeping a voice inside his head in line. “We’ve all only shared a bed once,” he pointed out, taking shallow breaths to keep from panicking. “And Aspel was pretty drunk. And you have alcohol hidden in the room, Ari, not what Dad brought.” “Well, the once was rather nice,” was Ari’s response, accompanied with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’d say that it might have occurred more than once if life in Emillion hadn’t become…. is there an appropriate adjective? Sometimes I think ‘Emillion’ ought to be an adjective. Emillion is being very Emillion, and frankly I would be quite pleased to share this bed -- or some other bed -- with you, tonight or some other time. Unless for some reason you’re opposed to the idea in a general sense, in which case inviting us here might not have been your wisest move.” The comment about hiding alcohol would just be ignored. It was really for the best. Aspel tried not to flinch at the commentary of their bed sharing habits. She had been rather inebriated, he was right, and she hadn’t tried starting anything since then with the both of them out of… Well… A variety of things, but fear seemed the most likely. Though Ari’s commentary… Did she mean…. All three of them…? Or just Drake…? Or.. Aspel gave a slight shake of her own head in attempts to clear her thoughts. “I am incredibly unsure why you refuse your mother’s kindness so.” “Because he’s ridiculous,” was Ari’s opinion. Drake sighed heavily; there really wasn’t a good way to explain what was going through his head without actually going into what was going through his head. And that just was not a conversation he wanted to have at the moment. Or ever. “I’m not refusing her kindness,” he tried. “It’s just… weird. The sharing of a bed with two very attractive women whom I would very much like to sleep with. Just. In my mother’s house.” He shuddered. “It’s like she’s expecting something.” Or trying to orchestrate something. “Nothing has to happen if you wish it not.” Just because she’d rather like more relief than she was getting - in both this manner and in that of spirits - didn’t mean Aspel was incapable of refraining from either… It might just make her a bit grumpy. The monk groaned and stared at the ceiling. “I’m not saying that.” Except wasn’t he? When it came down to it? This was just too complicated for him to deal with at the moment. Deciding to try another tactic, he followed up with: “If this were your guys’ parents. Wouldn’t you think they were up to something?” Well, Ari’s mom probably would have ambushed them with a wedding. And he didn’t really know about Aspel’s parents. Neither she nor Ric ever really talked about them. So maybe this wasn’t weird. Maybe this was how parents treated their grown up children. When hoping for grandchildren. “My mother is always up to something,” was Ari’s response. It wasn’t even a question, and she managed to avoid mentioning that she would never be mad enough to torment the two of them by exposing them to her family on purpose. But that was neither here nor there -- Drake’s family and hers were not the same. “As for yours, I think she’s expecting you to sleep in this bed. Possibly more than sleep -- and as always, that’s everyone’s individual choice, though I’ll bring up that I wouldn’t be opposed, and it isn’t as though it’s a big secret that you’re likely to engage in activities other than sleep with us, considering the circumstances.” He was going to retort what circumstances? but he knew exactly which ones she was talking about so he wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he sighed in resignation. “I refuse to be in the middle. I’ll just wake you both up in the morning.” "My parents would have us separated across the keep as a tactic to single each of us out for observation and questioning as they so desired. Assuming they were receptive to this arrangement at all." And wasn't that just the kicker? If she wasn't a black sheep enough already.... However they were not at the keep. Quite thankfully. "As you wish." Ari shot Aspel a brief, unhappy look -- mention of the other woman’s family often made her feel rather unpleasant, though she comforted herself by thinking of the many ways in which she could subtly retaliate for their treatment of Aspel (dreaming, after all, never hurt anyone) -- before saying lightly, “Well, fortunately for us all, this situation seems easy enough to resolve. And if you don’t want the middle, I’ll gladly take it.” She grinned and proclaimed, “Never let it be said that I would turn down the opportunity, whether the plan is sleep or something a bit more engaging.” And since Drake hadn’t outright denied the possibility, perhaps a bit of instigation was in order, once she got him to stop looking hunted and just go to bed. As for Aspel’s mention of an arrangement, well…… She could just keep the slight panic that rose when she considered it to herself. At least it was a vague enough word to suit her current level of comfort, which seemed to consist of perfect contentment until she really thought about what they were doing. She made her way over to Aspel, placed a light kiss on her cheek anyway, squeezed her shoulder. “Executive decision,” she announced. “Whatever your mother’s motives, it’s late, we’re tired,” or at the very least, interested in something other than talk, “and your father makes quite powerful punch, so I say: time for bed.” (27th) Drake couldn’t decide if he was excited to be going back to Emillion because it would get him away from his mother and her infuriatingly patient and smug looks, or because maybe he’d be lucky and there’d be something that was attacking the city upon their return that would make them all forget about this entire trip. Not that it had been bad - the day after Faram’s Mass had been really low key, and really, he’d have to talk to his father about plying his girlfriends with alcohol - but still. Tavian had left the evening prior amidst high spirits - metaphorical and literal. “You will all need to come visit again,” Jie was telling them, a pointed look tossed at her son in case he missed the tone; he hadn’t. “It was lovely meeting the both of you.” Before Ari or Aspel could say anything, the last call for their airship sounded, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Luiz caught it and shook his head, laughing. Nia looked like she didn’t want Ari to leave but at the same time couldn’t wait for them to get on the ship and away from her. Drake was more than happy to oblige. He gave his mom a hug and made a vague promise about coming back soon. Luiz clapped him on the shoulder while Jie said her goodbyes to Aspel and Ari. Finally, Drake was able to lead his girlfriends away from his family and towards the ship. When they were finally settled in their seats, Drake smiled weakly at them. “Well, that went... well.” It had gone well, more or less, Ari supposed. Still, she was perhaps just a bit too cheerful as she said, “Let’s go see what’s in one piece and what isn’t shall we?” Hopefully, this time her flat would be one of those places that had escaped unscathed. She needed a day or so to lounge in her own space. Possibly eat ice cream for dinner. She’d see if Aud wanted to join her. She’d earned the relaxation, surely. "We shall see." The words were a bit ominous but they encompassed both how Aspel felt regarding how the trip went and the state Emillion may or may not be in. However, one thing certainly could be counted as a constant as Aspel took her seat and flagged the server for a drink. |