A Business Most Personal [GoblinFae!]

[Zane]

Hanna couldn't not hear the hurt in his voice, she'd been trained to take in slips of emotion in order to better manipulate a business deal. It sounded genuine enough, like a kicked pup. He's quite the actor, she mused internally.

She spared him a glance before fixing her eyes ahead of them and quietly responding, "Your compliment seemed like flattery to me because your actions seem to say something different. You say I am to have as much space from you and your family as I desire and you have already spoken into possibility the outcome of a union without love. I mean, you kissed me on the back of the hand during the wedding. The most subtle of actions echo with magnitudes greater than words shouted from the peaks of mountains. Surely you must know that, Ithel?" She gave him back his own words from the carriage ride. Letting them fall like an axe leaving silence in its wake.

[GoblinFae]

He kept his silence until the last guest had been greeted and ushered within and the hall doors were closed. Only when they were left on their own to mingle with their guests before the feast did he pause to address her at last, his face expressionless and his voice low as he did.

"Can a man not compliment a woman without it being perceived as anything more than that? Would you rather me lie and call you hideous or hold my tongue altogether? I will not quarrel with you in front of our guests but I do not believe I deserve the cloak you have cast upon my shoulders. I am not the villain here, Hannah. I am not a cad and I hope that perhaps one day you will see that. Now if you'll excuse me," he bowed before her not wishing to stay even as he felt his heart shred itself into smaller and smaller pieces, "there are some guests I need to speak with."

[Zane]

Well that was smooth, the girl mentally berated herself, hardly half a day into the marriage and they were already quarreling. Or rather, not quarreling for the sake of their guests. Their guests. How odd it seemed to her, not even two months ago she was listing off reasons to her mother why another suitor was unsuitable and sending him off. Now she was married to a man she had met once in passing.

She wondered if the feeling would ever pass, by all rights of Law and God, she was subservient to him. And she'd accosted him. True, he's deserved it, what with his sweet words and stupid charming face and endearingly naive personality. Bastard.

The reception was progressing quietly, Hannah making small talk, enjoying a bit of gossip and rumor, but never spreading any, that was not of her nature. She also did a fair amount of stirring up business. despite the small number of nobles, there was quite a bit of services that TTC could provide them, she was certain that her subtle hints would bring more than a few new customers.

But still, it was far too quiet, something was bound to happen. The Karmic Balance of the universe demanded it. All eyes turned towards the large ballroom doors as the weeding cake was being rolled in.

[GoblinFae]

Ithel entertained his guests with ease even as he toiled and chastized himself internally for his foolishness and stupidity when it came to dealing with his newest family member. He felt sick to his stomach and wanted nothing more than to match back to his new wife and hash out whatever problems they were having once and for all to be completely done with it.

When the cake finally was brought out, the sight of it brought both relief and dread to the nobleman. The beauty and massiveness of it screamed trouble just waiting around the corner. Sure enough the cake had not been in sight for more than five minutes before the cake was suddenly lurching forwards in a steady decline to the polished marble floor.

A pair of surprised screeches followed by a long wail rang out through the stunned hall as two cake-encased culprits fought to slip and slide their way out from the colossal mess they had inadvertently created. Ithel could only stare in pained detachment, already cringing at the expected backlash his new wife was likely to create for the destruction of her wedding day cake.

[Zane]

"Dally, With me." the new Lady Conloach quietly said to her manservant, peeling off the long silken gloves off her hands and passing them back, where her servant took and pocketed them. Hannah took on a matronly smile as she approached the crying children, with a sympathetic tut, she took the two that she could see by the hand and led them out of the mound of what was once a very expensive and no doubt heavenly cake.

"There, there children, no reason to cry. Come on, take a deep breath." Once out of the remains of cake, she produced a handkerchief from within her gown and started to whip their faces clean while Dally fished a third child out of the pile of cake on the ground. She hadn't seen the third. About that time, kitchen staff came forward with towels to drape around the children.

While this was going on, one of the nobles in attendance sidled up to Ithel, giving him a gentle prod in the ribs in the elbow, "Congratulation are in order, Lord Conloach, every bachelor from here to Fell must have tried their hand at courting the Torva Heiress, and all were turned away with refusals and, if rumors are to be believed, the occasional lash and sword. Yet you've seemed to tame the fiery tigress of House Torva. Just wait until she gives you one of your own." The lord gave Ithel a pat on the shoulder before melting back into the crowd, that was starting to intermingle again now that the disturbance had been assessed and was being handled. Plus it seemed like the kitchen had found a steady supply of pies and smaller cakes now that the wedding cake was no more.

It wasn't long at all before Hannah detached herself from the kids and headed straight towards her new husband. Two plates of cake in hand, demolished wedding cake scooped from the top of the mound that was now being efficiently cleaned. Handing one plate to Ithel, she smiled at him, "Some traditions can't be deterred by a simple fall." Taking a fork off her plate, she scooped up a large bite of cake and held it out to him.

[GoblinFae]

The nobleman had to all but scrape his jaw off the floor in shock at his new bride's compassion and attention to his siblings. She had acted faster and with more care than he gave her credit for. He had not even managed to process what had happened before she was already finishing with remedying it.

Ithel shook his head slightly to clear it and focus on the other nobleman speaking to him. "Hardly tamed, Lord Dgon. She is her own person," he murmured softly, uncomfortable with the way people were viewing his wife as nothing more than a trophy.

He had little time to relax though for once the gentleman was gone his wife was soon at his side with cake in her hands and a smile on her face. "Thank you," Ithel said softly as he accepted the other plate. After a moment of looking between her and the fork he finally hesitantly leaned in to accept the bite she offered him.