The girl’s rigid politesse was a familiar thing. Ofelia had seen this type of habit often throughout the years, the wire-taut etiquette and propriety. Her own curiosity urged to pry it open and spill it loose, but without knowing the teenager quite so well yet...
She waved her hand, redirecting the gratitude. “Oh, believe me, it’s my pleasure. I wouldn’t have missed the occasion for the world. Will the two of you be living together, then?”
Ofelia already knew the answer, of course, having fed the paperwork to Genevieve herself.
“I…” a moment of confused silence, as she sorted through what to say -- such a personal question, in its way, but she had already given Alys her answer, after all, and people probably assumed, in any case (certainly the Demiels had at least one reason to be pleased tonight), and soon everyone would know regardless -- so after a moment she confirmed, “Yes, I imagine we will, sometime soon.” The logistics of it made her a bit queasy; she hadn’t really allowed herself to think of it too much prior to the delivery of the decision to her sister, but she supposed it would have to be arranged sooner rather than later.
Her heart gave a pang for Boris, whom she knew she would have to leave behind, but… she could get out of that house, which had heretofore been an unthinkable goal (marriage did not count; the idea of leaving the Demiel estate to be someone’s wife had always appealed even less than staying).
And perhaps that was quite enough of her personal business, so she asked, her tone still carefully polite, “You are a member of the Bards’ Guild then, madam?” Most friends of her sister from her former life seemed to be. “Are you also in the business of… security?” She was not entirely certain she understood just what Alys had done for a living, but that had been the word she used.
Ofelia nodded approvingly, until that choice of word – security – made her double-take. She shifted her weight off the bad knee and arched an eyebrow at the girl.
“Alas, no,” she said, with a small smile. “I have to pay for security like all the best of us. I’m in the business of oratory and information. You might be surprised how quickly gossip travels through the Bards Guild. It can be quite helpful, sometimes.”
“I see.” The immediate question – what are they saying about us? – was discarded. She supposed that anyone in the business of information did not offer such without cost, and in any case, one did not ask after gossip about oneself. “I can imagine it would be very convenient to be well-informed.” She had to wonder, though, if this woman dealt in rumors of the sort that had plagued her and Storm some time back. Did she know whether the things she… knew… were true? It was a fascinating line of thought which would, alas, never become a line of questioning. Instead, she said,
“I am afraid I know little about your guild, though I will strive to rectify this.” She could not deny that the odd people who were here tonight were equal parts scandalous and fascinating to her teenage imagination.