Re: lakeside mansion: Hugh C./Aedan B.
Hugh took the offered wine and glanced at it noting the slightly faded label and the information on it. "You seem to have guessed well," he offered after the appraisal, along with a continuation of that smile. "I'll open it up for us if you'd like some?" The question was asked, but Hugh tilted his head down the entry hall towards those windows, the large stone fireplace in the great room, and the furniture that surrounded it. There was a bar cart nearest the windows where he was able to find a corkscrew and set to work on the cork of the bottle with an ease that suggested how many times he'd done so before.
"I technically have a room that I made into a bit of a studio for dance, yoga, that sort of thing, but I also pushed the coffee out, and we could push the sofas back and create a reasonably sized space here in this room - I think that's your call," he turned his attention back to Aedan, but this time he was pouring a glass of wine, and after having done so twice, he picked both up and offered one to his guest.
"It's my pleasure to host, and I certainly could understand work like that making it a bit difficult to entertain," Hugh waved a hand at the space. "But I have the room, and I enjoy having people over, honestly. I thought to play at being a hermit, but I make a very bad one it turns out," he shrugged, comfortable with this revelation. He was more comfortable in his skin these days than he'd been for a very long time, and it was nice to feel so easily like himself most of the time. No, he wasn't the same person he'd been before, and he knew that, but every day felt a little closer to something regained, or maybe rebuilt a little better than previous.
"How is it going? The work on your home? As hoped for?" He lifted the wine to his lips, tasted and the smile was one of approval.