A Nice Normal Chit Chat

A fine winter day has dawned a good bit less cold and windy than the past days have been, when Seldan strides purposefully across the Temple District, a box under one arm. He continues to wear full war kit and panoply of weapons, despite the relative peace of late. It's a long trip up the mountainside towards the Temple of Vardama, but at length, he finds the lone house with its portico that he is searching for, and strides *thump-thump-thump* up the steps, taking two at a time.

Seldan's thump-thump-thump announces him as well as any knock might, and given that Auranar is currently in the living room, it is simple enough for her to rise from her seat and make it to the door before Seldan actually manages a knock. The wild elf opens the door just a little bit, and then more widely at the sight of Seldan. "Greetings Seldan. Her light on your path. How are you this morning?"

She steps aside to allow him entry and... there's a bit of a mess going on in the house. Papers line the table alongside a pair of cups of tea, scrolls with bits doodled on them or lists written, several books. "Please excuse the mess. Planning a wedding is... a lot of work." Auranar laughs lightly, her dark eyes twinkling with good humor.

Verna is still seated near the table, finishing an item on one of the many lists while Auranar answers the door. She then rises, slowly stretching before looking to the door. "Far more than I ever considered," she adds. "Welcome, Seldan. Shall I heat fresh water for tea?" A respite might be overdue.

"And also upon yours," Seldan answers with a small, formal bow to the both of them, Auranar when she opens the door, and again for Verna once he has followed the sil inside. "I had not intended to disturb you overlong, but I bring both an apology, and a thing that I hope shall serve in my stead." Although his mien is serious, he does not appear to be tense or worried, and no hint of discomfort remains in the even features.

He sets the box under his arm down on the nearest convenient flat surface that is not covered in wedding papers. "I fear that I shall not be able to attend your wedding. I wish no disruption that may be caused by my presence."

It's here that a certain Sunguard shows up. While she sports (another) fresh kitten-claw cut, this time on her cheek, Andelena is otherwise rather cleanly dressed and groomed, a traveling cloak on top of her long-sleeved tunic and breeches. She holds a tin box in one hand and knocks on the front door with the other.

Auranar closes the door behind Seldan, and offers him another warm smile at his apologetic words. "It's alright Seldan. We have an invitation for you, but I did expect that you might not be able to come. You've been so busy with everything else, and I know that you've been keeping to yourself because people are looking for you." She makes her way around him and rifles through a stack of envelopes before pulling one out and offering it to Seldan. "I made this invitation specifically for you. I wanted you to know that we want you there, but we both understand if-"

She stops as the door is knocked upon and tilts her head. "Wonder who that could be. One second." Apologetically she makes her way to the door and opens it, surprised to find Andelena out there. Like previously, she opens the door more widely and offers Andelena entry into the house. "Good morning to you Andelena! Come in, come in!"

Verna had expected that Seldan would be unable to attend any ceremony in Llyranost. Perhaps she should not be surprised by his announcement, now, but she may be disappointed. "I regret that you are unable, yet, as Aura notes, it is understandable." The second knock causes her to look to the door, initially tensing, though this shifts to pleasant surprise at the laters visitor. She lifts a hand to gesture in greeting to Andelena before looking back to Seldan.

To the box deposited, that is, and then to Seldan to acknowledge his presumed gift. "You have our thanks. Such is not necessary, but appreciated."

Seldan is about to reach to take the envelope that Auranar offers, when another knock sounds at the door. He immediately drops his hand and takes a step backward, away from the door, his weight balanced between his heels and the balls of his feet in the way of a trained warrior, his mien suddenly sober and tense.

It relaxes, though, when he recognizes both name and the redheaded figure that steps inside, the stance easing from its readiness. "You have been most kind to myself and to Mal, and I can do no less. Her light upon your path, Sunguard."

"Brightest of days, everyone," Andelena says with a smile as she steps inside. "Seldan, I hope Reunion hasn't given you any gripes today. I have a present for Auranar and Verna."

She holds out the tin to Auranar. "I bought a new kind of dried fish flakes for my little ladies at the market, but they wouldn't touch them for some reason. Cats are picky. I figured your little guy might like them. Shame to waste them otherwise."

Finally, she notices all of the wedding planning materials and nods. "Also came here to talk about the wedding, too. I, ah, I have some bad news. I don't think Bry will be able to make it to the wedding. Sunguard Zeke and I don't know that he'll be ready in time for it, and we don't want to risk anything. I'll be attending in his stead, though, so..."

She looks like a frog's suddenly leapt into her throat. Finally, she sighs. "I'm asking because I don't know, and there's usually a dress code with these kinds of things. Do you want all the ladies in dresses?"

"Malik?" Auranar asks of Seldan, her expression going a bit dry. She's never quite been able to mend fences with the wizard, and she's surprised that Seldan brings him up now. "How is your husband? I haven't seen him in some time." She moves around Andelena, accepting the woman's tin with a warm smile and offering the invitation to Seldan a second time.

The warm smile on Auranar's face fades at the mention that Dolan can't make the wedding and she looks... worried and more than a little despairing. She tries to brush it off so that she can answer Andelena's question, but things aren't always that easy. She has to try a few times before she finally gets the words out. "We don't have a strict dress code for the guests. Certainly I wouldn't dream of forcing all the women to wear dresses! Pants are perfectly acceptable wear in my opinion. Just because I like wearing dresses doesn't mean everyone does." She smiles a little here.

"I'm so sorry about Dolan, Andelena." Auranar sighs lightly and stares at the tea pot. "Would anyone like some tea?"

Verna is also concerned at the news of Dolan: both that he will be unable to attend, and moreso that he is yet healing. "We understand," she offers Andelena, "and wish him to focus on recovery and health above all else." After a pause, she notes, "I shall refresh the pot," and turns to retrieve the pot and refill the water. After placing it to heat, she belatedly echoes the inquiry of Malik to Seldan. "I trust that he is well? I cannot recall my last encounter with him. He seems as active and occupied as yourself, Seldan."

Verna makes a delayed addition, "We want all to be comfortable. It is a celebration, not a flagellation. As well, I have yet to decide what I shall wear, so it would be hypocritical for me to dictate that of others."

"He has only just returned in the past sevenday," Seldan answers, inclining his head politely. "I pray that your betrothed recovers swiftly and well," he tells Andelena. "It is as I have said. I must turn my attention to another task, although I wish all of you well. I dare not permit Mal to control the statues."

He raises a hand at the mention of tea, waving it in polite refusal. "I ought not keep you overlong." Is there just a touch of awkwardness there? Yes, yes there is. He turns towards the door.

Andelena raises a brow at Seldan's quick leaving. "Oh, no, I didn't come here to ask you to help with that stuff, Seldan," she says. "You made yourself loud and clear there. You can and /should/ stay if you want. I mostly came to talk about the wedding with Auranar and Verna, because, well. I, uhh..."

She sighs and rubs the back of her head. "Dresses and me don't get along. Have too many bad memories of Mother trying to fit me into clothes that were too small on purpose and trying to shame me for being muscular as a teenager. She'd cinch me into dresses so tight I could hardly breathe, sometimes."

Once the admission is out into the air, Andelena takes a breath. "Sorry. That was kind of heavy, wasn't it. I'll figure out something--like a long tunic with a split in the middle for my legs to move more freely. I'm glad you want me to be comfortable, Auranar, but weddings deserve some kind of decorum. I just gotta figure out what the hell 'decorum' looks like for me, because it sure as shit isn't in my dictionary."

"Wait Seldan! What do you mean about Malik..." Auranar frowns and then nods at Andelena's words. "Please stay Seldan, even if you can't come to the wedding you deserve to stay here for a while and talk about things that aren't life-and-death. You don't have to answer my question, just... stay for tea and biscuits?" She looks at him hopefully, and offers a comforting touch on Andelena's arm.

Verna nears a frown as Seldan turns to depart, combined with the mention of Malik and, she infers, totems in the same sentence. From her experiences with the latter and what she knows of the former... she can make some general hypotheses on how the combination could be unpleasant. "Your company and conversation are welcome, Seldan, as a friend and not merely an ally." She looks to Andelena and back, stating for both. "Only as you are comfortable and at ease with."

For a moment, Seldan looks - positively trapped, between the talk of weddings, dresses, and questions. His head lowers - no, droops, then lifts, and he turns to face the others, his expression that of quiet reserve. "As you will. Mal is well enough, fear not for him. He has changed little."

He then turns to Andelena. "My honored father was as your mother," he tells her quietly. "There are reasons why I am no longer permitted to claim the name Padaryn. Still is it for you to decide who you shall be. Perhaps a dress that is naught that she would choose a means of defiance of its own."

There's a surprised look in Andelena's eyes as Seldan reveals he's disinherited--a look that quickly turns to a sympathetic one. "Guess we're the same," she says. "Mother disinherited me when I insisted on marrying Bry. I don't have the right to the family name, either."

She looks thoughtful again. "A dress that she /wouldn't/ want me to wear... You know, that's a thought. I'd probably have to find a tailor to make a dress that won't look horrendous on me." Then she brightens. "Seldan, anyone ever tell you that you're a damned genius? I hope to shit I'm not the first."

Seldan's expression makes Auranar feel guilty for asking him to stick around. No matter her intentions, he clearly felt uncomfortable here. "I'm glad Malik is doing well, and..." She frowns at his mention of his problems with his family. "I'm sorry about your father. You don't deserve to be treated that way any more than Andelena does."

The wild elf meets Seldan's eyes. "Nor do you deserve to be trapped by your friends. I only meant that you were welcome to stay Seldan, you don't have to rush off, but if you have other things to do, or if you want to leave... Please don't stay on any of our accounts." Aruanar smiles and offers her hand to Seldan. "Okay?"

Verna retrieves tray, additional cups, and biscuits before setting it upon the remaining horizontal surface not occupied with paperwork. The teapot is then added to it. "Seldan is most wise, and I am certain that you are not the first to comment to this fact. I believe all here are, unfortunately, familiar with familial strife. Whilst my current coif proved most practical over the past years, its origin was an act of rebellion. My mother, as most mul'niessa, prized lengthy, lustrous hair as a symbol of power and status..."

Her mention trails off with Auranar's concerns and she looks to Seldan with her own worries. Did Verna inadvertently migrate from hostess to hostage-taker?

Seldan is about to speak, when the sword at his hip beats him to the punch, this time in the deep female voice of one fairly young. "Oh no, honey. Your mother was just a bitch. He _earned_ his disowning, and it was one of the best things I've ever witnessed. That peacock deserved to get the shit beaten out of him."

"Tisa-" Seldan says helplessly, and lets out a sigh. "Forgive me, Auranar. I intended no insult. It was in my mind that the talk had turned to matters that were none of my concern, and thus did I not wish to intrude. I am not an expert in dresses." The last is said in a deadpan tone that is just a touch droll.

Andelena blinks several times at the voice that comes out of the blade--and then she bites her lip, suppressing what was likely to be a loud, loud laugh into a sort of snort that leaves her through her nose. "I'm sorry," she manages to say. "Hello, one of many in Reunion. I wish /I/ could punch my mother, damn."

She grins widely. "Yeah, I suppose you wouldn't know much about dresses. Damn, I'm being rude. Let me have some of this tea. Auranar, Verna, let me ask you this: what help do you need with the wedding at this point, if any? Seldan here's the only one of us who's been through his own wedding, and I think Bry and I's turn will be up after yours, so... I guess in a way, I'm just trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing?"

Andelena picks up a teacup and finds somewhere to sit at this point, canvassing the rooms for signs of the little Hunter-kitten before she adds, "I mean, I think the last wedding I attended was as a teenager, to witness some far-flung cousin getting married to some other rich fuck, and I was so bored I slipped out to see if I could sneak a drink from the feast hall."

Auranar looks properly scandalized by the sword's commentary, but a little smile sneaks up on her lips. "Well, I can't imagine Seldan hurting anyone that doesn't deserve it, so I imagine that his father did." This seems to put the subject to bed in her mind. "As for the dresses... I think we've got that part figured out? It's the details that are giving us hiccups. Everyone needs their own invitation - like the one I just gave Seldan. I don't suppose either of you have nice handwriting? And feels like writing about a dozen invitations? I wrote Seldan's, but the rest still need done."

The wild elf smiles and throws a smile at Verna. "Verna thankfully had the brilliant idea of holding the ceremony and after-gathering in a magical area set up in the colosseum. It'll save us so much work. No need to worry about heating or food beyond what we want. I was worried I'd be baking for DAYS."

Verna reflexively returns Auranar's smile, though her distorted cheeks also color. "In truth, it was prompted by exasperation more than inspiration. Locating the necessary resources on limited notice proved improbable." A more firm gaze to Auranar. "I would not have allowed, much less expected, you to spend days preparing the feast, love. As much as I relish your baking, you are my light, my better... not my baker." She looks to the others and nods lightly. "We would welcome ideas and wisdom, but the needs are more ... tedious."

"Mal and I were most simple, in ours," Seldan explains quietly, assuming a parade-rest stance without thought. He has not yet availed himself of tea or biscuits. "Zeke was our witness. We - have no others," he admits in a low tone, examining the invitation in his hands. "My - handwriting is not what it could be."

At his hip, Reunion chuckles. "You always have that option, my dear, if they really need it badly enough."

Andelena rubs the back of her head in thought. "Handwriting--you know, mine's not /shabby/, but probably not the greatest in the world," she says. "I kind of spent more time in my penmanship lessons drawing crude pictures of swords than anything else."

She smiles at Verna's words to Auranar. "Damn straight. It'd be a crime to make Auranar bake for her own wedding. I don't care how great Auranar's baking is--and I can attest it's good--it's not worth all the effort and all that pain. Big day like that should be all about you both having fun. And the way that you wanted it. I'm assuming yours was small by design, Seldan?"

Then she blanches a little. "Not to pry or anything. Shit, I need to think before I talk sometimes."

Auranar hands out tea to everyone that wants some, offering some biscuits as well. The wild elf sneaks a kiss to Verna's cheek while she's at it, a flashing smile that fades when Seldan admits that he hadn't had very many people to invite to his wedding. "You and Zeke seem very close. I'm betting there's a story there." She lets out a little sigh as she takes a seat and motions for her guests to do the same. "You'll have to excuse me, Verna and I have been on our feet a lot for fittings. I'm wearing my mother's wedding dress to the ceremony. It needs some alterations, but..."

Her eyes shine with fondness. "I'm so glad that it survived the fire, and these last years." Auranar's smile takes in everyone but ends with her eyes on Verna. "I'm so glad we changed the location of the celebration to here. It's taken so much off our shoulders. I'm not even sorry that grandmother probably will abstain from coming."

Verna's cheeks warm again at the affection before she settles back into her own seat now with a fresh cup. "Grandmother will have her time to speak her thoughts and share traditions when we visit, Aura." A slim smile is present, though it would best be considered reserved. "The wedding is for you; for us; for our friends and guests." She then looks to Seldan after Andelena's mention with light curiosity.

Seldan's eyes lower at that, and he is left to stand in a pensive silence. "It was out of necessity," he murmurs. "Too many enemies have I made to risk guests at a wedding." He does not seem concerned with Andelena's forthrightness. "Forgive me. Such is not your concern. I would not spoil your wedding day with my cares."

He draws a deep breath, and when he lifts his eyes, there is quiet, calm reserve. "I entirely concur that baking for one's own wedding should never be needful."

Andelena nods. "No, that makes sense," she replies to Seldan. "I... could see myself doing something similar with my own wedding with Bry. But I want a big celebration, myself. And Bry deserves something that's a big, happy memory."

She looks at Auranar and smiles. "I'm damn glad that changing locations brought that weight off your shoulders, too. Nobody deserves a person-sized weight hanging on them."

Auranar has the grace to look embarrassed. "You spoil nothing Seldan. I'm sorry though." She frowns a little to herself. "I don't know much about the business that you're involved in, but please take care of yourself. Don't imagine that there aren't people that care about you. People that would be worried if something happened to you."

"I can hardly wait for you and Dolan to be married Andelena. You're right - you both deserve a big happy gathering of friends and family. Except those who deserve to be excluded of course." Auranar wrinkles her nose but smiles. "I know there's so much going on right now for everyone, but... It's nice to have something good to look forward to."

Verna's lips purse at Seldan's explanation for his own wedding, wholly reasonable as it is. It was a valid concern. May still be, in general. "I regret that you were unable to do differently, Seldan, if you had wished to. If that is your concern for attending as our guest, I assure there will be no uninvited attendees to our wedding. Regardless of that, you deserve peace as much as, if not moreso, than everyone."

She shifts to Andelena and the other wedding in the foreseeable future. "As do the both of you. I look forward to your celebrations, Andelena, whatever you choose to wear."

Seldan's eyes lower again, and he doesn't answer any of the three of them. He merely draws a deep breath. "It has not always been so," he answers simply, quietly. "Still am I grateful for the kind words." He considers the invitation in his hand. "I shall think on it. Naught can I promise you. You call upon the mage's mansion?" he asks keenly of Verna.

Auranar picks up her own cup of tea at last. "That was our solution - Verna's idea - to the quick venue change. We were going to hold the ceremony where my grandmother could and would attend, but... I didn't want to drag all our friends around when we could have the ceremony where everyone else could be there more easily." Something darkens her dark eyes for a moment, but she shakes it off and drinks her tea. "You don't have to come Seldan, we will not take it as social snubbing if you stay away, but it is to be in Alexandria for those wards in place to protect us, and in a magical construct to ensure only those we want to can enter."

Verna nods with Auranar and in answer to Seldan. "The very same. It seemed the ideal solution, as guest will be protected from the elements, feast and servers are available, and the venue can be easily designed and decorated as we desire. As well, it is far more secure. This is my first attempt to organize a wedding celebration, yet it seemed far more pleasant to all involved than to be shivering away in a draft-prone canvas tent."

"A brilliant notion," Seldan nods approvingly, but relaxes from his parade rest stance. "I shall think on the invitation," he considers the envelope in his hand, "and see what may be done. I would not keep you further, and thus must I bid you all farewell." With that, he bows politely. "You have my deepest thanks for all of your kindness. It is rare enough here in Alexandria." He turns, then, for the door.

-End