Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Elves of All Kinds (1x1)

Raeliel hesitated at the child's words. "Um...well, Saelhil says we're going to be having guests coming over, so I think I have to stay at the house. And...well...I don't know how to leaf-walk... We don't have anything like that in my home. Saelhil says he's going to teach me, so maybe after I learn." She smiled a little at the girl. "How does that sound? Is that okay?"

"Oh..." Talainna looked terribly disappointed, but after a few moments she nodded in conformation. "Well... alright. I guess it's alright." She smiled up at Raeliel, then enjoyed the rest of the tour through the house.

Afterwards, Saelhil picked up Talainna and murmured something into her ear, making her giggle, and she nodded. "You'll come see me later, won't you?" he asked her with a smile.

"Mm! Good bye! Good bye Raeliel!" She waved cheerfully, running out of the house.

Raeliel showed her throughout the house, and when they were done she watched as Saelhil told her something. "Goodbye, Talainna." She waved a little, then sighed slightly. "I think I'd rather spend a day with Talainna than with strangers." Talainna was the only person she didn't have to keep up appearances for. She was a child, she didn't care if Raeliel said the right thing or behaved just the way she should.

"And why is that?" Saelhil glanced at Raeliel, quirking a brow. He quietly shut the door, then glanced out the window. It would be time for people to come soon.

Raeliel looked away after a few moments. "Well, because children are much easier to be with than adults, of course." She went to go sit down. There was a rather awkward silence between them. "So....what exactly are we supposed to do with these guests that arrive to give us presents?" She had no clue how all of this went. He was the expert here.

"Hm." Saelhil shrugged, then leaned against the wall for a moment. "Just be friendly. Thank them. It isn't really too hard." And it wasn't. People began coming, some in groups, others individually. All of them congratulated Saelhil and Raeliel on their beautiful home, most giving them house-warming gifts. Some even gave Raeliel little trinkets so that she could become accustomed with certain things that were normal to the natural elves. Saelhil would always make sure to stay with Raeliel and say something to the people to make sure there was never any awkward silence, should Raeliel become overwhelmed or flustered with all the talking and gifts.

Raeliel was actually very good with the guests! This was what she was good with, after all. She thanked them, complimented the lovely gifts, invited them to look around the house, and kept casual conversation. For all her worries, she handled the guests flawlessly. She stayed by Saelhil's side as well though, smiling and laughing, occasionally taking his hand if anyone asked a question about them as a couple. Naturally, Raeliel played it off that they were getting along marvelously, and how she was so lucky to have been set up with such a nice person as Saelhil.

Soon enough, the guests stopped coming. Saelhil was rather happy, being able to talk to everyone, but something seemed a bit... off. He went along with Raeliel's little "act", always responding to hand-holding or other sort of lovey-dovey things to make them appear like the perfect couple. It felt stiff and unnatural to him, to be acting and almost lying about their relationship. Was this how her people acted when they were having troubles in their marriages? It confused him and made him feel awkward, and he was glad when everyone had left.

Raeliel was in a good mood after everyone left. "Well, that was really nice." She looked at the trinkets she'd been given. "Your people make beautiful things, Saelhil." She chuckled softly. "Everyone was so generous and kind." She sat down and played with some of the trinkets, looking over them in her hands. Her eyes kept getting caught by the ring, though. That was what she tended to look at the most. "So what do we do now? Or will more guests be coming later?"

Saelhil took a seat, exhaling and nodding. "Thank you. Now we can relax, I suppose. Not much else to do." He leaned back, stretching his arms above his head. He just watched Raeliel for a while, watching her explore the trinkets she had gotten.

Raeliel wasn't quite sure what to do. She didn't want to just sit here. "Well...maybe we could start putting things away? We got a lot of lovely gifts, but we can't just leave them sitting around in boxes. What do you think?" She set her trinkets aside and stood up. It would be something to do, at least. Instead of just sitting around in awkward silence.

"Hm?" Saelhil nodded. "Yes. Of course." He stood and began gathering a few of the things, sorting through them in order to find out what was what. "What else do you want to do today?" he asked, inspecting something for a moment. "We've got a few hours until sunset."

Raeliel helped him get things sorted. "Well, I promised Talainna I'd go leaf-walking with her sometime, so maybe you could start teaching me today?" She helped him with everything getting sorted, and while she was doing so...her hand brushed against his. She blushed, pulling her hand away. "Sorry." Touching hands reminded her of their dances yesterday, and she certainly didn't want to think about that. "Is that alright with you, if we start leafwalking?"

"Of course. I'll be happy to start teaching you." Saelhil glanced at her when their hands touched. He got a slightly confused look on his face, but he shook his head and went back to sorting.

So it truly was just an act? When people were around, she would grab his hand with no hesitation, but when they were alone, she apologized for just barely touching his hand? They were married, for the gods' sakes! Saelhil was beginning to realize that they had separate ways of making their marriage work: he wanted to actually get to know her and to become comfortable with her, but she thought that they only needed to put on a show for other people, then be completely different when alone. It almost hurt him, thinking that she didn't realize his intentions of wanting to genuinely get along with her.

Raeliel nodded slightly, then glanced at him. "...I'm not going to fall and break a leg or something, am I?" She picked up some things now and took them to the room they belonged in, and started to put them away. Saelhil simply didn't understand the way she was raised. "Listen, Saelhil?" She looked over at him for a few moments. "...Nothing. Nevermind." She looked away and took in a deep breath. Part of her wanted to ask about that dance. Especially the one where they almost kissed. But the other part of her didn't want to know.

"No, you won't. I'll catch you before that happens." Saelhil nodded, putting some other gifts into another room, sorting them out properly. He looked up at her when she asked something of him, but when she didn't continue, he frowned. "What is it? Just ask me." He straightened himself and walked a bit closer to her, but kept a few feet away.

Raeliel glanced over to find him...closer. She looked away quickly and tried to focus on putting things away. "It's nothing, really. Just a silly question, it's fine. Anyways, we should get this done so that we can go leaf-walking, shouldn't we?" She was scared. What if she spoke of it and he didn't notice anything at all? "...was there anything alcoholic at the wedding yesterday?" That was the only reason she could think of for her to get that feeling during their dances.

Saelhil now just looked more confused, but he went back to putting things away. "Alcoholic? No. We don't have alcohol at weddings." He paused for a few moments. "If it's a silly question, you wouldn't have mentioned it. You aren't really a silly person, so it must be important. Just ask me."

Raeliel listened to him. Well, her hopes were dashed. She sighed softly. "I am not a silly person. You know me that well, at least." She hesitated and then glanced at him. "...Saelhil...about our dances yesterday.." She paused and closed her eyes. "..did...you..?" She shook her head slightly. "It's nothing! Nevermind." She got up and went to put her trinkets away. She couldn't do it. She couldn't ask if he had felt anything. She sighed in frustration. This was so irritating. She was so confused.

Saelhil watched her leave. What was on her mind so that she couldn't even ask him? He shook his head, sighing, and finished putting everything away. He would just wait for her downstairs until she was ready to go leaf-walking, and he wouldn't bring up the question again.