Spare a Room? {DragonSong}

[Celegwen]

@DragonSong
----------------
The carriage ride from Reajh was a long one, but being away from the capital was a welcome change of pace for the ambassador. Declan Maddox sat in the crimson and gold coach with the velvet drapes drawn over the windows. A book in his lap, the elf couldn't seem to focus on the historical fiction tale because the eyes of his mordecai companion kept burrowing into his skull.

"You need a book," Declan said finally, not looking up from the words that appeared to blur together.

"I don't like reading," Thera said simply, turning away from him.

Declan looked up with a smirk. "Well, perhaps, if you did, you might be capable of besting me in an argument for once." His comment only earned him a roll of her eyes and a sneer. He smirked, looking back down at the book to actually try to get into the story. That is, until the coach almost collapsed to the left with a loud CRACK!

Thera jumped out, and Declan frowned suddenly, bracing himself with ease. Against his guard's instruction, the ambassador stepped out of the coach to join Thera and the driver. The back left wheel had split in half.

"Get this fixed," Thera spat at the coachman. "Ambassador Maddox, follow me. Less than a mile to the east, there's a house. We'll stay there."

"The house is owned, Thera," Declan said. "We ask permission."

She pulled Necrolight slightly out of its sheath. "This is permission."

They approached the house, and Declan turned to Thera. "Let me do the talking," he said quietly. "You aren't exactly warm and cuddly." She rolled her eyes, and the elf knocked three times on the door.

[DragonSong]

"Oh?" Lydia raised her eyes from the book she'd been reading, a puzzled frown on her face at the sound of the knock. "Now who on earth could that be?"

Her husband rose from his seat beside her on the chaise and moved to the door of the parlor. "I have no idea...we aren't expecting anyone." He frowned and called, "Berthel, the door."

"Of course, m'lord." The butler seemed to appear magically in the doorway and moved through the foyer toward the manor's great front doors.

"I do hope it's someone from Reajh," Jess sighed, her head pillowed in her twin's lap as he seemed to be examining his signet ring with utmost interest. "Honestly, we've barely been out of the city for a week and I'm already bored." Dorian brushed his fingers through her hair absently.

"Honestly." Jorris rolled his eyes from where he tended the fire. "Do you think of nothing else, Jessa?"

Amid the chatter, Lily continued her playing. Her mother would just tell her to continue her practice if she stopped, so she didn't much see the point. She tried to tune out the voices of her family as her fingers danced over the piano keys. With the parlor door open, the melody flowed out into the foyer, and further, out into the open air as Berthel heaved the door open.

The butler's eyes skated over the two unexpected guests at their door, blinking a bit in surprise at the odd coloring and obvious finery of the elf. "Sir. Madam." He dipped his head to both of them. "This is most unexpected. How may I be of service to you?"

[Celegwen]

Declan returned the butler's respectful nod, them gestured to the red-haired woman standing slightly behind him. "My companion and I-"

"We need a place to stay," Thera said quickly, cutting the elf off mid-sentence. "You have an extra room?"

With a hard stare at Thera, Declan started again after she stopped. "You must forgive my guard, ser," he said politely. "This is Thera Nirani, a mordecai soldier and my personal escort. My name is Ambassador Declan Maddox. We were on our way towards Matron's Hallow for a short break from the capital, but our coach-"

He stopped talking, a smile growing on his lips. "Oh, don't start," Thera grumbled.

"My apologies, ser," he started again. "The music is lovely; reminds me of home. Might we come in? I'd appreciate speaking with the house lord, if he's available?" He held his journal against his chest, shooting Thera one more warning glare.

[DragonSong]

"Of course, sers." Berthel bowed again and stepped back to allow them entrance into the manor. "The lord and lady of the house will be pleased to make your acquaintance, Master Ambassador. Welcome to the Hartnet estate."

No sooner had the words left his lips and Lydia and Carlton appeared in the entrance to the parlor. The lord's eyes widened fractionally, though he quickly smoothed his expression out again. "Ser Maddox." He inclined his head politely as he strode forward. "I don't believe we've ever been properly introduce, though you are...hard to miss at formal occasions. A pleasure." He extended a hand, reaching back with the other to take his wife's hand delicately as she glided up beside him and curtsied demurely.

"Welcome, welcome." Lydia smiled, both to him and the mordecai. Something like a flash of cunning sparked in her eyes, then was gone. "Please, do come into the parlor, won't you? We just finished the noonday meal, and we were taking a moment to relax. Well, most of us- our eldest daughter is practicing her music."

As if on tune, the melody from the piano was suddenly joined by soft singing, Lily's voice trilling and airy, as was proper of a finely trained young lady.

[Celegwen]

Stepping over the threshold of the door, the elf flashed a small smile. Thera followed him, making no attempt at any of the typical niceties expected from her.

"The pleasure is mine, Lord Hartnet," Declan said, graciously grasping wrists with the man, as he knew was the customary Connlaothian way. When it came to greeting women, Declan didn't observe Connlaothian customs. "Lady Hartnet," he said, bowing to her.

Thera peered around the visible area of the household, observant and alert to anything that could pose a threat, or even distract her from the dull small talk she had a feeling would eventually ensue. "I'll stay here," she said flatly, resting her hand on her sword and leaning against the wall near the doors.

"Excuse my companion," Declan said, accepting their invitation into the parlor. He stepped into the room, warmed by the fire and the music alike. Music always seemed to be missing from his life in Reajh. Back in Serendipity, the halls would never be without some kind of tune, but the embassy just seemed hollow. "Your eldest daughter?" He asked, looking around. "She's rather talented. How many children do you have?"

[DragonSong]

"Ah...of course." Lydia was not used to hosting mordecai, or soldiers in general. Women fighters in particular were a mystery to her, despite her eldest's tomboyish ways in her youth and the claim that she intended to be a lady knight at the age of ten.

Clearing her throat, the lady of the house quickly smoothed her expression into a smile and gestured for the elven ambassador to follow as her husband led them into the parlor. "We have four. Jorris, our eldest, Lily, and the twins."

As they stepped into the parlor Jorris rose from his position in front of the hearth and gave Declan a polite half bow. "Ser."

Dorian nodded and smiled, though he couldn't exactly bow as his sister seemed to have taken up permanent residence with her head in his lap. "Jessamine," her mother hissed as she just gave Declan a smile and a lazy wave.

For her part, Lily seemed not to have noticed that a stranger had entered the room. Her eyes were closed and she leaned gently back and forth on the piano bench as she played, completely losing herself to the music. It was a habit she'd developed to tune out the fussing of her family, particularly during one of her episodes- or "attacks", as he mother had taken to calling them recently.

It was a kind of defense mechanism that was actually rather counter-intuitive. Hidden and denied, her magic was allowed to flow through her body in this state, and though she didn't know what the tingling energy pulsing through her veins was, she knew she was most content like this. Unfortunately, it left her rather blind and deaf to the world around her, at least until someone snapped her out of it.

[Celegwen]

As Jorris bowed, Declan respectfully returned the gesture. The elf looked to the twins, smiling at them. Dorian acknowledged the ambassador's presence, while Jessamine didn't seemed dazed at all.

When Lady Hartnet scolded her daughter, Declan waved it off. "It's fine," he said calmly. "Truly. I've come into your home, not vice versa. It is I who should be showing you the utmost respect."

His violet eyes were drawn to the figure at the piano. Lily had untamed, dark hair and seemed to be in a trance induced by the melodies flowing from her fingers to the piano keys. Glancing at Thera, the elf knew that magic couldn't be used within half a mile of her. That didn't mean Declan couldn't sense the power the girl was giving off.

He floated from the parlor entrance towards the piano in a strange movement that was swift, yet slowly graceful at the same time. Declan looked back at Lord Hartnet with a nod, silently indicating that he wasn't going to cross any boundaries with the man's daughter.

Listening for a moment, Declan tapped his foot softly to pick up the beat. Holding his journal with his left hand, his right hand danced on the keys for a few notes, simply adding a few accents to the practically flawless piece being played. He smiled at Lily, unsure if she even realized that he was there, then looked at the lord and lady of the house. "Thank you for your hospitality. With luck, we'll be out of your hair by sunrise."

[DragonSong]

Lily's eyes, half closed in her semi-trance, flew open with a gasp and she jerked back from the piano so violently she nearly toppled off the stool. Chest heaving with sudden pants, she stared up at the stranger, lips slightly parted and eyes massive silver discs in her pale face, like twin moons.

Whatever connection to her power that had existed snapped, and the magic sank back into the deep recesses of her core, hiding from the outside world.

A blush quickly came to Lily's cheeks as she realized just what had happened and saw her mother already starting forward, worry lining her brow. "Forgive me, ser." Voice soft and demure, she dipped her head to the stranger. "I...seem to have lost myself a bit."

"Lily." Lydia came forward to wrap an arm around her shoulders as her eyes flickered over her. "Are you alright? Do you feel dizzy, weak?"

"I'm fine, Mother, honestly," Lily replied with no small amount of exasperation.

Quietly, Carlton moved to Declan's side. "My daughter has a rather weak constitution," he explained quietly. "Ever since she was a girl. My wife worries endlessly, I apologize for...any discomfort in the situation."

[Celegwen]

"No apologies necessary," Declan said, taking a step away from the piano. He wasn't uncomfortable in the situation, but thought it would be more appropriate to give Lily and her mother space. The tone that Lily spoke in when talking to her mother plainly told that this was a common occurrence.

Not that Declan was going to speak to it, but he had a feeling Lady Hartnet was overreacting to her daughter's start. He could tell what had happened, as Serendipity was flooded with mages of all kinds. The undiscovered magic was his favorite kind to watch.

Perhaps, the ambassador thought to himself, I just might stick around a bit longer to see if this unfolds.

He looked at the other three children, curious as to what their reactions would be. Declan found that more could be told about a family by how the siblings interacted, than how the parents did with the children.

"What is it exactly?" Declan asked finally, resting his eyes again on Lily's. "If you don't mind sharing... Does she have a mental condition? Or something else?" This was simply to feel out just how much Lord Hartnet knew of his daughter's situation.

[DragonSong]

"Fainting spells," Carlton answered softly with a small frown. It was clear this was a rather sensitive subject to the Hartnets. "And...night terrors. No physician seems to be able to properly diagnose her."

He kept his voice quiet enough that his fussing wife and exasperated daughter couldn't hear the exchange, though eventually Lily got to her feet with an irritated shooing motion in her mother's direction.

"Forgive me, Ser," she said as she turned pointedly to the elf. "I was...rather distracted when you were introduced. I don't suppose you could remind me of your name?"

[Celegwen]

Just as well, Declan thought. He'd heard all he needed to from Lord Hartnet, so he decided to drop the subject.

His right brow raised at Lily's sudden separation from her mother. Not being able to help it, a slight smirk tugged at the left corner of his lips. He was used to being around strong women, especially having one as a constant escort, but this tiny girl was something else.

"Ambassador Declan Maddox," he said, bowing respectfully to the young lady. Coming back up, he looked at her. The elf flashed a small grin. "Call me Declan."

Thera rolled her eyes at the exchange, huffing silently from her position near the door.

[DragonSong]

Oh goodness. He really was quite attractive.

Lily gave herself a mental shake and shoved that thought from her mind as she dipped into a polite curtsy. As she rose, she offered a small smile of her own. "Then I suppose you must call me Lily."

Jessamine gave a little scoff from her place on the chaise, and Dorian absently placed his hand over her mouth, making her sputter indignantly. Jorris rolled his eyes and shifted slightly to block them from view.

"What exactly brings you to our home?" the eldest Harnet child asked. "I heard something about trouble with your coach?"

[Celegwen]

"Ah, yes," Declan said. "I seem to have gotten a bit distracted."

He held Lily's gaze for a moment longer than normal, then turned to face her elder brother. Jorris seemed to be the most mature of the siblings, as would be expected from the eldest son. He held himself proudly, as well as having what seemed like a natural instinct to take charge of his siblings.

Declan straightened himself - not that he needed to - and nodded at Jorris. "My coach broke down about a mile west of here. The back wheel split, and my guard decided that we shouldn't remain with it." He amplified his voice ever so slightly just to make sure Thera heard it. He could feel her frustration with him, so he smiled, returning to his conversation. "Anyway, I'm waiting for our driver to fix it so we can be on our way again."

[DragonSong]

"Oh." Lily suddenly frowned as she glanced out the parlor window. "Well...are you quite sure your driver shouldn't wait in the house with us until the storm has passed?"

As if on cue, the rest of the Hartnets looked where she was looking- at a perfectly blue sky, with hardly a cloud in sight.

Jorris gave their guests a sheepish sort of smile and shrugged. "Ah...it may seem odd, but she's almost never wrong about things like this. Would you like us to send someone out to collect your driver, just in case it starts to rain?"

"I could go," Lily volunteered easily. She was dying to get out of the house.

"Absolutely not," her mother retorted with a frown. "If a storm is coming, I don't want you caught out in the rain. The last thing you need is to catch a fever."

"Mother," Lily sighed, frowning.

Carlton seemed to be trying to smooth the situation as he turned to Thera. "Perhaps you'd be so kind? I could send Berthel and Andre with you. I assure you your charge would be quite safe in our care," he said with a smile.

Outside the window, the sky continued to be a stubbornly perfect blue, not a hint of the storm the Hartnets seemed to accept was coming in sight.

[Celegwen]

Declan stayed quiet, observing the small interactions. He was amused by Lady Hartnet's belief that rain could bring a fever. Of the hundreds of times he was caught in a storm, not once had illness been brought on.

Either way, it wasn't his place to comment.

When Lord Hartnet asked Thera to go, Declan smirked. The woman was silent for a moment, glaring at the man. "Believe me," she said. "I'd like nothing more than to be rid of this asshat."

"Thera!" Declan scolded.

"But," she continued, "I can't. You think I travel with him because I think he's charming? Pfft! I'm here so he doesn't use his magic. The carriage is farther than my field can reach."

The ambassador sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Thera, if I wanted to use my magic, you don't think I would've found some way to evade you by now?"

"Nope."

"See?" He said condescendingly. "There's where my point in the coach comes in. Maybe if you read a book, you'd actually be correct in your argument." He smirked at her stoic expression. "Oh, lighten up. I'll behave."

The mordecai woman pursed her lips and moved off of the wall. "I'll go alone. Bert and Andy can stay here." She glared at Declan before walking out the door.

[DragonSong]

Lydia gasped quietly and clapped a hand over her mouth at Thera's language- but it wasn't her place to reprimand the guard, so she didn't say anything, just frowned disapprovingly.

Lily on the other hand had to cover her mouth to hide a smirk. Dorian wasn't quite as quick, stifling a startled laugh into his arm, pretending it was a cough. Lydia glowered at both of them and they smiled innocently.

She couldn't deny she was a bit disappointed though; she would have loved the chance to get out in the fresh air. Her mother was convinced too much time "exerting" herself would just make her condition worse.

She hated being treated like glass.

"Well, if you're sure," Carlton said a little warily, but he gave the mordecai a nod. His eyes flickered back to Declan, calculating, but it was his eldest who seemed to speak his thoughts.

"I didn't realize you were a mage, Master Ambassador," Jorris said carefully. There was a slight edge to the tension in the parlor now as the Hartnets seemed to give the elf a second look. None of them had actually spent much time around marked mages, or even mordecai for that matter.

Lily shivered, then frowned, confused by the tingle that had run down her spine. "Ah...perhaps I could show you to a spare room?" she offered into the awkward silence.

[Celegwen]

The elf was used to being looked at funnily. Being a 6'5" Serenian elf with blue-green hair, he knew that he wasn't exactly the typical Connlaothian inhabitant. "Yes, Jorris," he said, "I'm a mage. That's why, when I came to Reajh, I requested a mordecai escort."

He thought that knowing he was the one who asked for the mordecai would ease their minds at least a bit.

"Thank you, Miss Lily," Declan said. He turned to Lady Hartnet. "Ma'am, I fear I've asked this if you too many times within the short time of knowing each other, but please forgive me. Thera is as tactless as she is headstrong. She's also the only guard who has been able to tolerate me for as long as I've been here."

He felt the uneasiness in the room and decided it would be best to shorten the interaction with the whole family. Lily and the twins seemed absolutely fine with Declan being a mage, but Jorris and his parents were understandably wary around someone like the elf.

He looked downward momentarily, then to Lily again. "Where's this spare room?" He asked with a smirk.

[DragonSong]

Jossir had the decency to flush a bit at the elf's pointed answer, and he didn't press the issue. The twins didn't move much from their spot on the chaise, but they were both shooting curious glanced in Declan's direction when they thought he wasn't looking.

"Wait a moment." Lydia frowned as Lily opened her mouth to reply to his question. "I'll call Ayla; you should have a chaperone."

Oh good God.

"Mother!" Lily exclaimed, half laughing and half groaning. She stared incredulously at the lady of the house. "I'm just taking him upstairs to one of the spare rooms, what on earth do you think is going to happen?" Did the woman expect her to throw herself into this- for all intents and purpose's- stranger's arms and swoon the moment they were out of sight?

Lydia frowned and seemed to be about to object, but her husband laid a calming hand on her shoulder and shot Declan a wincing sort of smile. "Forgive us- we don't mean to impune your character, but propriety is a comfort to Lydia."

"Carlton," Lydia protested, flushing a bit.

[Celegwen]

It was then Declan's turn to flush in slight embarrassment. The first genuine smile he unwittingly gave appeared on his face with a nervous laugh.

He averted his eyes from Lily, facing Lord Hartnet. "As it should be," the ambassador said, shifting slightly. "I take no offense, my lady. If it eases your spirit, I'll accept a chaperone. You've been most gracious and continue to be, so it's only polite that I abide by your rules."

He looked at Lily, then back at her parents. Jorris seemed to be respectfully silenced, while Declan caught the twins sneaking looks at him.

Declan shook his head. "Though, I must tell you that I'm engaged to a lady in Arca." Well, that was probably the biggest lie of the century. Declan never before saw a girl - or guy, for that matter - who held his attention for longer than a polite conversation. Still, lying came quite naturally to anyone involved heavily in politics. "I have no perverse intentions with your daughter."

[DragonSong]

"Oh." Lydia seemed to relax considerably and Dorian raised his book to hide a dramatic eye roll. "Well. I suppose that's alright then."

Lily bit down on a sharp retort, instead giving her mother a brief, tight smile before she moved toward the parlor door with an elegant gesture to beckon Declan after her. "Just this way, then." She slipped out into the foyer and, once out of sight of her family, allowed herself to relax just a bit and an audible sigh.

"Sorry about them." She lowered her voice as she glanced back over her shoulder, wincing apologetically. "Mother can be...very particular." She cleared her throat, a very slight flush to her cheeks as she started for the stairs. "You come from Arca, then? Originally, I mean," she asked politely.