This was a rarity.
Earlier that day, it had been with a mixture of surprise and gratitude that Edmund found himself being extended an invitation from his cousin-in-law to visit her family home. It was a surprise because the woman spent nearly the entirety of her time with her husband, her son or daughter, with little exception. All of their previous interaction had been formal greetings that did not last before they were both divorced of each others company once more. Yet when Denibra had received an invitation from her cousin-in-law at Silverbite to attend a small familial luncheon, she had saw fit to extend the offer to Edmund to accompany her.
Perhaps it was that she had heard of his desperation to visit as many of the dynastic plantations as he was able to. Whatever the case, the offer was readily and swiftly accepted by the young boy, which had led to the two of them riding in an open air carriage along the road to Silverbite.
"Thank you again for allowing me to accompany you, cousin Denibra," Edmund repeated for perhaps the fourth time. I must stop doing that.
"Oh please, it is absolutely no bother," the smiling woman repeated with her equally authoritative and caring voice. Maternal, Edmund thought it was. "Your uncle Dimeer has told me quite happily that you love to visit the various plantations, and when my cousin sent the invitation it occurred to me that you hadn't yet visited my original home. So I was glad to bring you along."
Something about the way Denibra spoke and acted had the peculiar effect of making Edmund ridiculously pleased with himself. Even in his early adolescence, being smiled at by the wife of his cousin made him feel warm in a way that was rivaled only by Dimeer's praise. It was most likely the absence of his own mother that caused him to react in such a way to someone who was so definitively motherly. Despite their numerous introductions, they had only properly met when they both entered the carriage in which they currently sat, and the rate at which they had taken to each other was astounding to the young Morealis. He hoped that, upon their return, he could talk some more with his cousin-in-law, but he realized too well that such a scenario was unlikely.
Edmund's brow furrowed in thought. "I apologize, it had not occurred to me until now," said he, "But why is your son, Tahn, not accompanying us as well? I would have thought that your children would have been the first you brought along."
"Normally I would have forced them along," Denibra answered, frowning lightly herself as she thought about her family. "They need to get out to the other plantations more often. But both are quite busy with their father today - Tahn especially, he absolutely adores that man. It's a shame, though, since I would have liked him to meet you as well. I wish my children would learn from you a bit and try to mingle with the other dynasties a bit more."
Even that little appraisal made Edmund beam stupidly, and part of himself felt silly for doing so. It was impossible to deny the warm feeling inside of him however, a feeling which he experienced so rarely these days unless fabricated by his practicing.
With a whinny, the horses pulling the carriage turned and pulled up to a stop in front of the Silverbite manor. The square building that was the plantation house did not quite radiate personality like the others Edmund had visited, but as soon as he stepped outside of the carriage he saw that the plantation house itself did not need to. For all around him, in various patches and stretches, sat still marshy water that made the manor look as if it were sitting within the middle of the swamp - which, in reality, it was. As if that were not intimidating enough, the terror of beady black eyes poking above the surface of the still pools was added to the composure of the plantation.
Denibra smiled at the boy. She said, "Don't worry, my cousin would never endanger her guests. She just likes to scare them a little."
She chuckled gently and led the way toward the manor, Edmund following close behind, every so often darting a glance to one of the nearby pools to make sure their inhabitants were still there. One might have moved; Edmund quickened his pace.
"Hello, hi!" the beaming women announced as she entered the room where they would be having luncheon. Edmund was surprised with how direct Denibra had led them to where they needed to be. After so long being at Blacksugar, he would have thought finding her way around her old home might have become a little difficult. Apparently not in the slightest. There were two sitting at the table waiting for them, a man and a girl, watching them as they entered the room with an air of expectation about them.
"Thank you so much for inviting us over, Derek," Denibra continued, walking up to their seats with Edmund in tow. "This here is Edmund, my husband's cousin. He's about your age, Adrienna, so I hope you'll get along well!"
At his introduction, Edmund folded his arms, one in front and one behind, and bowed a respectful depth. When he heard that the girl was his age, his bow suddenly lifted and he looked up quickly, specifically at the girl he had noticed when he came in. She was slight, with black hair in a braid that pulled all of her hair out of face. High cheekbones framed a pair of eyes that were a color Edmund found difficult to call blue, yet did not know of a better color to describe them. She was pretty enough, which of course he had to notice by force of his pubescence. A gentle flush filled his cheeks as he looked to Denibra, who smiled and nodded toward the chair beside Adrienna, as she took the one beside the man - Derek, Edmund recalled. That was how the table was set up, cleverly so, but it did nothing to help his blush as he sat down in the chair beside the Lynint girl.
