Under the Stars (Bella)

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Now that she was finished with the interaction that was expected of her, Liaran would have preferred not to talk at all to the vast majority of people who were present. Haeden, of course, was one of her few exceptions to that, though she didn't respond to him right away. Instead, she looked in the direction he was pointing, then walked over and sat down at the semi-isolated table. Once he joined her there, away from the crowds and the activity, she felt capable of continuing the conversation.

"It is going well, " Liaran commented. "We've had a lot of guests, maybe even a few more than we expected. I hope you managed to enjoy yourself while I was gone?" she asked him. She hadn't picked up on any emotions through the bond that would have suggested otherwise, but she had admittedly not been able to pay them much attention while she'd been carrying out her required duties.

She would have liked to have sat closer to him, or reached for his hand, but since they could still be seen, even here, Liaran resisted that temptation by turning away from Haeden, gazing at the nearby lake. By now, it was completely dark, and a few of the boats were floating on the water. A quick check of the tiny lights suspended over it told Liaran that the weaves she'd had a large part in creating were holding up well and providing more than enough illumination for the boaters. When Haeden answered her question, she would turn back and focus on him as she had not been able to earlier, but for now, Liaran sat still, studying the reflection of the lights against the dark water.

[Bella]

Haeden eased back into his chair, adopting that casual-while-still-ready-for-anything posture that Gaidin were purposefully trained in how to achieve. His gaze swung easily between her, even as she watched the lake, and then everything around them. He didn't enjoy the large social gatherings any more than she did, though he was equally used to them.

If he reached back into his memory, he could even remembering attending some as a child with his mother and father. The generational nature of the Grey Tower was something else.

"I did just fine," he assured her with a small smile. "It was practically a family reunion. I saw Mother, and Sadira, and Derren," he said with warm amusement. "Derren complimented everyone's efforts for the evening, though I imagine he will not be here long. He doesn't tend to stick around at social events that don't have a nationally diplomatic requirement to them." He chuckled a little.

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran smiled and said, "I don't think I've met Derren yet." If she had, she didn't remember; entirely possible when she considered all the members of Haeden's large family. "But I'm glad to hear that he enjoyed it, and that you found others to spend time with while I was gone." She gave the lake another quick glance, which revealed that the lights were still working and many of the boats were being rowed slowly on the water.

Looking back to Haeden, she said, "Would you like to walk around the lake for a while? Maybe think about where we want our wedding to take place?" She'd noticed earlier that while there were more people gathered around the lake than there were in their current location, the area wasn't terribly crowded. A look in the opposite direction from the lake showed her that most of the guests had wandered to the area set aside for dancing, and quite a few of the rest had returned to the food tables for more. Liaran turned away, quietly watching Haeden while she waited for him to answer her question.

[Bella]

"I think that sounds like a splendid idea," he replied without hesitation. Casting his usual glance around as he rose to his feet, he offered a polite hand to help Liaran up as well. Of course, he knew she did not need his assistance with this, but he just wanted the excuse to take her hand for a moment.

As they left the table and moved beyond the regular gathering area toward the water, the austere Gaidin smiled. This would be a beautiful location for a wedding, although it still surprised him at times that he was getting married at all. It had not been something he envisioned himself doing, but then this Blue came randomly into his life and...

...well, got kidnapped, but that wasn't really the start of his feelings for her. It was just how they met, sort of.

"I'm not sure my eye is keen enough for aesthetic to know that the best place would be," he commented as they went along, not voicing the thoughts that had otherwise been in his mind. "It's all quite lovely to me, with the calm waters and the colors of the forest around it."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran smiled up at Haeden as she allowed him to take her hand. She would never have tolerated that gesture from anyone else, but the bond conveyed his feelings to her, emotions she welcomed. Even after she stood up, she held his hand for a few seconds before letting go. They proceeded towards the lake together, and Liaran studied the surrounding area. She had chosen the location because it was by far the largest source of water her chosen home contained, and she saw now that plenty of spots around it would be suitable for their wedding.

It was a little overwhelming, and Liaran wasn't entirely sure how one made this sort of decision. It seemed to her that Haeden felt much as she did, as he commented about not knowing where the best place would be. Liaran stopped walking and stepped to the side of the path where they'd been before looking up at her Warder. "I don't think there's a best place, really. I was thinking more of where both of us might be most comfortable, maybe also with enough space for any guests." While Liaran very much preferred to keep the event as small as possible, she also knew that Haeden came from a large and loving family, and was not going to object even if he wished to invite all of them.

Turning her head, she waved a hand in the general direction of a tree that overhung the water. "That's pretty, though I'm not sure if there's enough room. There's some flowers on the other side that might look nice....and there are a few places at the edge of the water that remind me of the ocean. But it really doesn't matter; as long as we are married at the end of the day, I will be more than content." Her anticipation of that day had Liaran regretting that they were around other people, so that she didn't feel it would be appropriate to kiss him, or even reach for his hand again.

[Bella]

Haeden suffered the same compulsion and regret around the crowd--so much so that he had to keep his hands locked together behind his back to resist reaching out for her. He instead focused on the practical angles of what they were discussing, since that really was far better an area for him to offer thoughts than on sheer appearance.

Though even just with appearance, he could see the appeal of it. It was lovely, and he liked how she said it reminded her of the ocean, if even just a little. That was important to her, so it was important to him.

"I think there'd be room," he said. "My guest list is not long. Obviously, my mother and Ravak and Iain. He's old enough to behave himself in a gathering with people now. Sadira and Alrim. Lysira. Derren isn't much for events like this, too much emotion. And I don't plan to invite anyone outside of the Tower. So six people for my side of it."

He had friends and comrades around the yards, but to Haeden--who was intensely personal by nature--he saw no need to display this sacred moment to more than his nearest and dearest family.

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

Liaran looked back at her Warder and smiled. She knew him well enough that she wasn't exactly surprised, but was still pleased that he shared her desire for a small wedding. "There should be more than enough room, then, for so few people," she agreed. "For myself...I'm not sure I want to invite anyone at all," she admitted. While she did have friends, if not many, every time she'd considered having any of them present at her wedding, it just hadn't felt right to her, and she'd finally stopped trying to talk herself into inviting them. The Aes Sedai sighed and reached up to shove a loose hairpin back into her hair.

She began to walk along the side of the lake towards the place with the tree they'd been discussing, staying close to Haeden as she did. "I mean....I don't see our wedding as some sort of party, it is more than that to me, so I don't think I want my friends there. And my parents.......I don't know what to do about my parents," she said to him. It was a decision only she could make, but Liaran still wanted to hear Haeden's thoughts.

"I'm going to let them know that I am getting married, but I just don't know about inviting them here. It may not matter, since my parents are old and the Grey Tower is so far from any ocean that they might not come even if I do invite them. But if they do....they don't approve of any of the choices I've made. I don't know if they'll even be able to manage politeness to you, and if they can't.....I won't tolerate it, not on any day and certainly not our wedding day. I'll send them straight back to their ships should it come to that."

[Bella]

Obviously, this was not really news to him, as they knew each other well enough already to know this (and get married and all that), but still, he liked when she felt comfortable enough to share thoughts on this topic with him. He knew it was her favorite, or the easiest, and the wedding--as weddings could often do--brought it all to a somewhat awkward forefront.

Haeden was lucky, he knew, in the close-by family that he had that he didn't worry about this kind of thing. Of course, there was something bittersweet in his father not being alive to see it...but he had been dead so long that the hurt was very little.

"You know, but I'll say it again anyway, that I will support whatever choice you make. If you wish to invite your parents and they do come, I will do all I can to accommodate that and not take issue with any lack of manners toward me." He smiled for her protectiveness, but did add, "I'm a big boy, after all. I've had people try to kill me. I think I can handle a cold shoulder.

"That being said, I would not blame you for not inviting them. This day isn't a party, we are of one mind on that. It's special, sacred, and you shouldn't have to stress about whether they will be there or how they may or may not behave. What's most important is that you and I are there."

[Alianora]

Liaran Sedai

"I know you can handle it," Liaran quickly agreed, "but you shouldn't have to, especially not at an event as important as your own wedding." She shrugged, no closer to a decision about her parents than she had been before asking for Haeden's opinion. "I just don't want the possibility of having to deal with my parents to prevent you from enjoying the day." While she spoke, she continued to walk along the lake, and her gaze drifted towards the boats on the water. Giving Haeden a smile, Liaran decided to try not to give her parents any more thought for the evening.

She stepped to the side of the path to stop and scan the perimeter of the lake, noticing that a few of the boats were still unoccupied and remained where they'd been placed at the edge of the water. "Would you like to take one of the boats out?" Liaran asked as she glanced at her Warder. She had wanted to for most of the evening, and with the frustrating question of her parents and the wedding still lingering in her mind, she suspected that the peace she always found on the water would help her settle her thoughts.

[Bella]

His eyes flickered around for a moment, just to see how close anyone else may be, before offering her one of the smiles that was hers alone as he bowed his head. "Wherever you go, I shall follow," he said warmly. "Of course, I'll have to follow your lead. I have spent very little time in boats of any sort, though I used to fish at times as a youth."

Of course, Haeden as a "youth" was a while ago no so that experience probably didn't count for now. Still, they were small boats on a man-made lake, so it wasn't like he'd have to ride the oceans on a raft or something. He knew what going out on the water meant for Liaran, so he was happy to see how it went.