In Which Laveria Meets with Her In-Laws

November 17, 1198

"Well, it's about time you newlyweds pulled yourselves out of your cave and paid us a visit!" Laveria's aunt--now also her mother-in-law--waved her finger in mock-scolding. "I hope he's been doing his fair share of the housework."

"I think the maid's been doing both of our shares," Donnie muttered, earning him a raised brow from his mother. She'd never quite gotten used to having servants at her beck and call--and, even though it was only the maid and the cook at their good-sized-but-not-a-castle house, Laveria doubted she would either. "But I try to pick up after myself, at least?"

Laveria opted to help him out. "He knows better than to expect me to do it for him."

"Good." Her uncle--now also her father-in-law--smirked. "You're the one working in that house, after all. He gets to go out and about as a knight, but when your clients come to you and you've been cooped up there all day, I'm sure the last thing you want to do is clean your own cage."

"It's certainly not a cage--but no, I don't want to clean it."

"Ah, to think of how we'd live without the people who actually do enjoy cleaning! Or are willing to make a job of it, at least. I believe for most of us, those domestic chores fall into exactly that category: necessary, but unpleasant."

"Hence the word 'chores'," her aunt quipped with a wink. "In any case, it looked to be quite a nice house when we were there. The maid's managing well in spite of the two of you?"

Laveria nodded. Her Aunt Alsina had been the one to find the woman actually--and she could expect the nicest of Christmas presents Laveria could manage for several years yet. "She's a godsend. I don't know how she does it."

"She is, but it probably helps that I'm not around most days, and you take clients in the study." Donnie turned to her and winked. They had the same eyes--being cousins twice over would do that--but he somehow managed to do more with them. "And when we are both around, it's not as if we spend that much time outside of the bedroom."

Her in-laws shared a knowing, unsurprised glance. Laveria supposed she ought to have been embarrassed. But, that was the sort of thing one could expect, marrying a Kemorin.

And even if she herself didn't spring from the line of Old Lonriad... well, no one married a Kemorin if they didn't think they could keep up with them.

"That's a fair point."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Yvanette Braces for More Wedding Talk

May 16, 1198

"You should definitely go with that last one you tried on. It looked amazing on you!" Alina asserted once again now that she and Laveria and Yvanette had returned to Taurus House. Yvanette fidgeted as Laveria blushed at the compliment. Both of the other two had weddings scheduled for the end of the year, and after a prolonged morning burning off any required transformation time in her room, Yvanette had joined them for an afternoon of dress-hunting. She couldn't expect her life to ever be half-normal if she didn't occasionally go out and about with people who might have been close-ish to being her friends, after all.

But of all her uncomfortable topics--and there were quite a lot of them--weddings had a spot rather near the top of the list these days.

"Aww, thank you! But it couldn't have been nearly as perfect as that first one you tried on!"

Alina laughed. "I did like the style of that one--but it's a little late for me to be wearing white! Perhaps Yvanette might try something like that when it's her turn?"

Yvanette rubbed at her forearm. She was, indeed... qualified for a white dress, as she was damned terrified of transforming mid-coitus and Sevvie either understood that or was too polite to argue. There were also the certain complications that a pregnancy would bring. If she transformed with a baby in her... would it transform too? Could it transform back? If it didn't, wouldn't it be too big for her body?

And yet, Sevvie's eyes kept skipping any time anyone ventured a hint about any upcoming nuptials. Yvanette hated feeding him that false hope. It might have been kinder to steal away to a nunnery and leave him to find someone else: an actual, proper person.

Not that she dared mention any of that to her roommates. "Maybe..."

"You would look good in it," Laveria agreed, locking eyes with Alina for the nod. "Though, if you did decide to speed things along before the wedding, I doubt anyone would really know any better if you wanted to wear white anyway. Sevvie's a Kemorin, after all, and so is his father; Lonriad's not about to bother with anyone checking your sheets."

Yvanette curled her toes inward, rocking somewhat in her too-tight slippers. "We're not even betrothed..."

"But it's only a matter of time!" Alina winked--if only to showcase that she had the same deep blue eyes Sevvie did. "He's my cousin, after all; don't think I don't see him just as often as you do, and don't think he always keeps his musings to himself."

No--unless it was someone else's secret, Sevvie never did keep much to himself. Given enough time, who was to say he wouldn't expect the same from her eventually?

"I, uh... well, I still have a year left here; I should focus on my studies before getting worked up about a wedding that may or may not happen."

Teasing, Alina stuck out her tongue. "You dork. Any chance we can change your mind if you join us for a cake tasting at my grandfather's castle next week?"

Yvanette shrugged. She doubted a week would be long enough to get over this first bout of endless wedding talk, but... well, normalcy.

For all she feared she'd get poor Sevvie stuck married to her merely for want of normalcy. "All right..."

"Good!" Alina smacked her hands to a fold as she turned back to Laveria. "Yvanette can mediate if we both decide we want the same flavor."

"Who's to say we can't have the same flavor?"

"Oh, please. Your wedding is only six weeks before mine, and my grandparents are your aunt and uncle, and your betrothed is my uncle; we're going to have all the same people at both weddings, and they're not going to want the exact same cake only six weeks later."

Perhaps that wasn't the most ridiculous thing imaginable. Yvanette was invited to both weddings, and she doubted she'd be able to work up the energy for Alina's only six weeks after Laveria's--especially since Sevvie would also be attending both.

Not that either of her roommates--or anyone--knew it. Or could know it.

"I think you underestimate the skill of the bakers. If it's a good enough cake, they'll all be wanting it every Tuesday."

NEXT CHAPTER:

In Which Had Learns How Small

September 3, 1180

"Papa, why does Mama need mushrooms?" Hal took a few cautious steps toward the basket and studied them with an unconvincing grimace. "She's not going to make us eat them, is she? Mushrooms are gross."

Had cringed. Leave it to a seven-year-old boy to say the most unintentionally rude things in public; Had's little brothers ought to have taught him that much. "Hal! Apologize to Mistress Aerina!"

Hal opened his mouth to do just that, but ever the even-tempered saleswoman, Aerina just picked her little daughter up from the ground and shook her head. It was still a shock and a shame that old Laveria's shop had had to change hands at all, but even old Laveria couldn't have birthed a more capable daughter. "It's fine, Had; I'm not wild about mushrooms myself, really. And don't worry, Hal, your mother won't make you eat these. They're just for her. These particular mushrooms can help with aches and pains while women are expecting."

"Hear that, squirt?" Had shot a wink to Aerina before staring down his son. If Hal could embarrass him in public, then the boy was fair game for teasing. "None of you kids are going to have to eat the mushrooms--except your new baby sister, of course."

"Brother!" Hal corrected, indignant and insistent, just as expected. "One sister's bad enough!"

Little Laveria took to answering that, sticking out her tongue despite not even being Hal's sister. She probably didn't get such comments from her own mild-mannered brother. Had chuckled. "You tell him, sweetheart."

"Be nice," Aerina scolded the little girl. "Anyway, I hope Lyraina hasn't been too uncomfortable."

Had shook his head. "Not really. It's just that she's not the sort to take it easy, you know? Always has to be busy. I offered to hire someone to take care of the place for a few months, and your brother said she could have some time off, but it figures that she'd refuse us both. Just wait, she'll give birth in the castle kitchens."

The herbalist laughed. "Well, it's not like they aren't used to births over there."

"If anything, they're missing a new baby a year--well, everyone but his lordship and her ladyship, I wager."

"You'd wager right. Her ladyship had a scare just last week--came here in a panic, asking if there was any chance she'd taken the herbs incorrectly. Lucky for her, her courses resumed a couple days ago."

"Well!" laughed a booming voice from behind. Nearly jumping, Had whipped around to find a stranger some odd feet back, a man of about his father's age, hair sloppily tied back, dressed simply but finely. There was something familiar about that smile, but if he could have placed it, he would have made note. "Commoners freely discussing the nobility's bodily functions in a public place? This is my kind of kingdom!"

A hot surge pulsed through Had's face. So much for needing his son to embarrass him in public. "Oh no, we don't make a habit--"

"That's a shame. Nothing like bold-faced honesty, I find--at least when it comes to spoken word." And why, pray tell, had the man winked at that addendum? "And there's no sense covering up our natural workings, not when they happen to everyone else as well. I say, the best way to fart is to fart for all the world to hear!"

"And smell!" Hal added with a snicker. Had supposed he could only be grateful that the man had chosen an example that wasn't a swearword.

Delighted, the stranger clapped. "Ah, what a clever youngster you have here, good sir!"

"Well, his mother and I like him."

"Good! All parents ought to like their children, fathers and sons especially. My own father didn't give a warthog's backside for me, and look how I turned out!" And yet, he sounded almost proud. "I take it your own father likes you fine?"

Had nodded. "So far as I'm aware."

"Of course he does," the man agreed, despite the fact that he'd probably never met Had's father in his life. "Anyway, I'm sorry to bother you fine people like this... well, actually, I'm not, but it's the polite thing to say." He chuckled to himself again, in some private joke. Had suspected he knew what was so funny. "Truth is, I'm looking for someone, and it turns out she lives somewhere around here. Tell me, does the name Evaleith Ladell mean anything to you?"

"Yes, actually." For all he couldn't see her getting tangled up with this sort. "She's my big sister."

"Really?" The strangers eyes went wide, both excited and amused, rather like a puppy when the master stepped in the door. "Well, what a small world we live in!"

Apparently so. But it would have been nice to know just how small. "So, how do you know her?"

"Oh, funny story." The man tossed back a lock of hair and indulged himself in another laugh. "You see, I'm her father."

NEXT CHAPTER: