Dinner for Four (Rhea)

[Corias Bonaventure]

Corias could tell she was daunted. Of course, once they actually got there and were settled in, it'd be easier.

He hoped.

"Now, don't be intimidated by either of them. You're a guest, so they're going to try to make you feel as welcome as possible. They're a little old-fashioned... My mom's probably going to greet you by kissing both your cheeks. That's just another of our, um, traditions. But feel free to talk to them. The only thing is that I'd prefer you don't mention anything about what happened in the Veil... or really, anything that makes my line of work sound dangerous. I don't want either of them worrying. Other than that, just be casual... ask about the furniture, or the food, or shipping tariffs... my parents are real good at talking."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea nodded, feeling a little better.

"That's good," she smiled. Still, she was troubled by something.

"Um, Cor..." Rhea swallowed. "What will they think of me? I'm...I'm nothing like them. Like you. I'm not used to the same things they are." I'm not used to money, to expensive things. How should I even act?

[Corias Bonaventure]

"Oh, I don't know," Corias replied. "When we were on Imran, I couldn't help thinking my mom would fit in pretty well. Always socializing. Always cooking, making things, decorating, designing... She's about as domestic as a woman can be. My dad's a wild card, but then... no one's like my dad."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea couldn't help laughing.

"Well, I'm sure he's like no one I've ever met." She looked over at Corias. "I am looking forward to meeting your mother, and getting to know the both of them. Thank you for letting me come."

[Corias Bonaventure]

Corias smiled back--he was relieved he'd been able to set her in a good mood. The last thing he wanted was for her to be intimidated.

"I feel like I should be the one thanking you. Short notice and all. Listen, I want you to enjoy yourself. And don't be shy about the food. Knowing my mom..." He quirked his head to the side. "It's probably going to be a lot better than what I could've offered you."

[Rhea Kaylen]

Rhea perked up a bit. His mother was cooking the food? That was lovely; she hadn't been expecting that.

But then, she had no real idea what to expect. Now that she had a moment to quietly think about it, she realized the whole situation was a bit surreal--having such a chance encounter with Corias' father on the street and instantly agreeing to attend dinner with two people she barely knew, one only by word-of-mouth. But, though she was a little nervous, that mostly sprung from being dressed in nice clothes, and from wondering what kind of lifestyle she was about to see lived by those with the good fortune to inhabit the Velorum District.

But even her fantastic imagination could not have conceived of it.

She watched out the window as the cool sterility of the Temple District washed away in a rainbow burst of neon. Slowly the bright color dimmed to a soft sort of gold, and Rhea saw the duracrete and transparisteel buildings climb taller and taller yet, glittering and imposing. And it wasn't all duracrete, either: she noticed the beautiful shades of marble and granite and other incredibly rare stone more and more frequently.

And then the cab stopped, and, taking a deep breath, Rhea climbed out. Before her was a sort of pale stone archway in a high wall, more decorative than practical, and, in a moment, Corias was leading her through it. Beyond, a broad courtyard flagged with smooth grey stones was spread out between them and the ornate entrance to an impossibly tall residential tower. A magnificent fountain held pride of place in the middle of the courtyard, which was lined with ornamental trees hung with tiny fairy lights.

Suddenly Rhea felt acutely out-of-place. True, there were spaces inside the Temple every bit as beautiful and expansive as this, but Rhea knew she had a right to enjoy those, because she lived there, and because she knew that the gardens and rooms of the Temple had not been built to flaunt wealth.

This place had been. It shone in the building's marble facade and coolly whispered in the water and trees. The Imrani woman felt even more strongly, like the twist of a knife in her gut, that she was just playing at being something she was not. What did she think, a little makeup and a skirt would make her good enough for a place like this? For the people who lived here?

You should not have come.