Anna Liung (annaliung) wrote in newbritain, @ 2012-04-04 11:08:00 |
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Entry tags: | when: the reign, where: offworld: manassah, who: anna, who: lianor |
..at the other end of the telescope..
Gahereth and Lianor have been married for almost a year and a half before they're finally able to make the trip to Manassah. Gahereth actually seems excited about the trip in the weeks leading up to their departure, telling Lianor all about the house and the planet and his sister, talking even more than he usually does (which is a lot) and telling her stories as they lie in bed at night.
They touch down in the big spaceport, and as they make the trip from the Temple Bay docks out into the countryside, Gahereth is busy pointing things out. As they come up to the estate, though, he gets a little quieter -- a lifetime of training kicking in, maybe -- and though he still looks happy enough to be there, it's apparent from the moment they step out of the hired transport that the Lloyd household is one of discipline and rules, and not very much like life with the Sheas.
The beginnings of this visit go just like every other time one of her sons has brought his wife home to meet them: one of the staff gets their luggage in, and Gahereth gets the two of them settled in his old room; they're left to their own devices for several hours, and though the expectation of being dressed and ready for dinner at eight isn't a direction that either Anna or Aloth issue, Gahereth is suddenly weirdly particular about their getting ready and being at the table on time. Dinner goes as most family dinners go, which is to say it's quiet, with polite conversation and a degree of formality that Lianor was probably not expecting.
After dinner, Aloth takes Gahereth back to his office for a debriefing of what things are like on New Britain, and Anna shows Lianor to one of the cozy little parlour rooms she's had done up now that the boys are all away. Waiting for them is a tray of sweets and a tea service; Anna settles into one of the chairs with the same poised, quiet air that she's had all evening.
As she's pouring the tea, she says, "So, Lianor, tell me more about you."