The Witch and the Alchemist (closed)

[Rudolph Quin]

Seeing the expression on Dorelia's face after she asked about Baba, Abigail somewhat regretted bringing it up. Oh! Look at her! A grown old woman being all snoopy and whatnot! She shouldn't have asked, it was obviously not something Dorelia wanted to talk about...but she had to know... The way Dorelia had acted towards her in the bedroom and helping her to the hospital... this woman, this Baba that Dorelia knew was similar enough to have the girl confused while she'd been delirious. Granted it could have just been the hallucinations and might have happened to anyone...but it was just too much of a coincidence that Abby's mother's name was Baba. She had to know for sure.

So sitting listening to the girl tell her heartbreaking story, Abigail sat on edge, waiting for the answers to the questions and curiosities buzzing around her mind. Hearing about all that Dorelia had gone through and at such a young age, filled her with sorrow and a sense of awe. That she'd suffered through these early tragedies--a mother suffering madness, attempting to kill her and her father, the town she grew up in shunning her even as a witch hunter breathed down her neck--and here she was, a bright young woman, unhindered by the sorrows of the past. Granted, she still seemed haunted by these things on some level--her fevered dreams were evidence of that--and her worries about how she would be as a mother was understandable with all she'd gone through. But on a whole, Dorelia had a cheerful disposition full of optimism and strength. Abigail was moved by the girl's resilience.

As she listened, it seemed a great deal of her ability to move past those traumas was due to this woman she'd been given to. Her father's decision was a smart one in Abby's opinion and he seemed like a good man who had loved his daughter very much. When Dorelia started to describe this woman she went with as a child, Abigail sat straighter, leaning forward just the tiniest bit, hanging on her every word. It had been so long ago since seeing her mother and thinking of the woman who raised her brought up a pain and sorrowful longing that she didn't like to deal with, so Abby's memories of her were a bit fuzzy on the physical details. She remembered the rings though and how she would sit on her mother's lap as a child and play with them on her fingers, taking them off and putting them on her own.

And then there was the cups, different colors for the different types of tea. But she didn't let herself get excited. Lots of people wore multiple rings and the color-coded tea cups wasn't definitive... But then all doubt and explanations were erased when the girl mentioned the woman dancing in the moonlight. Abigail's eyes widened at that and she stared off into space as memory clouded her vision. Sitting at the window as a girl and watching her mother sway and twirl by the light of the moon. Dorelia had known Baba. She'd known Abigail's mother.

So many questions ran through her mind--How was it possible? Baba had died before Dorelia had been born... hadn't she? But there was no doubt it was the same woman. There were too many similarities and Abigail had never heard of anyone else dancing in the moonlight like her mother had. Despite the large coincidence that this young woman had been raised by her mother and had been led by God to this town, Abigail was warmed and filled with joy at the thought of her mother still spreading her goodness. Unbidden, tears started to form in her eyes as she looked at the beautiful, upright young woman before her. Regardless of being tricked all these years in being led to believe the woman was dead, she found herself wanting to ask so many things--how was she? Did she ever talk about her life in Altara? She desperately wanted to hear about the girl's memories of the woman, of times they'd spent together. But most of all, she wanted to know, where was Baba now?

But then she stopped before the words left her mouth, when Dorelia asked her question. All of the questions she didn't want answered came about as well: why had Baba left? She'd left well before Father Justin had come and it was better that she had with how vicious and cruel in his accusations, the man had been in the beginning. But why did she have to leave? Abigail started to wonder if maybe she'd somehow been the cause of her mother faking her death and going on to live somewhere else... It was something she didn't understand and wasn't ready to face. So, she hesitated a moment longer in response to Dorelia's question, smiling to cover the sudden change in her expression.

"No, reason," she said calmly. "I just don't recall you ever mentioning the woman before this and was curious." She shrugged and laughed a little. "She sounds like she's a wonderful woman." Desiring to fend off more discussion on the topic, Abigail patted the girl's leg and stood up from the bed. "I'll...let you get some rest..." And she offered one more small uncertain smile before turning to leave the room. Not wanting to leave Dorelia too alone, the old woman stayed in the antechamber just outside the hospital room, sitting in one of the chairs and thinking about her mother.

----------------

Several hours passed, the sun drifting lower over the desert town, smoke from houses chimneys drifting into the sky like a bunch of gray fingers holding up the orange and reddening clouds. Women stood in their homes busily working at stove and oven, chopping up vegetables scrounged from their cellars and tenderizing meat with their wooden hammers. Husbands came home from hard days work and children came in as night settled and the outside air grew cold. Both men and children stood scratching their heads in wonder, watching as their wives and mothers worked tirelessly, shooing out any who got in their way and slapping a many hand that tried to taste the food that was not for them.

More often then not, the women grew frustrated with their family's continued grumbling and shoved bread, cheese and dried meat onto the table. "There. Eat THAT." and it was back to work to create the masterpiece of flavor for the poor girl in the hospital. And men and children alike stood pouting as they stared at the cold meal presented to them, wondering who the warm meal being prepared was for. But they didn't have time to explain. Most of the women who had visited the hospital today knew they weren't the only one preparing a meal. Some had chatted with one another about what they were going to make like old friends just excited to share their domestic knowledge and help fill the hungry girl. But a lot of them remained silent as they hurried home, keeping their plans secret. The girl was rumored to be an heiress and it was a competition in many minds to not only show her the good food that Altara could provide, but to impress her with each individual woman's own talents. Family recipes were dug up quickly in the race to be the first in line with the proffered dish.
The sun barely peaked above the horizon when Abigail was roused from her thoughts by the first arrivals of women bringing dishes. She stood from her seat with a pleased smile on her face and led them to the hospital room, peaking her head in to see if Dorelia was awake. The young woman had had a few hours rest by herself and Abigail knew she was probably starving by now, not having had anything to eat all day. "Dorelia," the old woman said softly. "You have some visitors--" But then one of the women, carrying what appeared to be a pie entered the room past Abigail, eager to have the girl taste what she'd made especially for her. Then the other woman who'd also been there followed her as Abigail stammered and frowned.

She stood by the door watching as the two women approached the bed, both offering forth their labors.

"This is a pie I made," the one woman said. "Full of chicken and vegetables." She waited a moment before pulling out a spoon and instantly proceeded to scoop out a spoonful and have Dorelia taste it. The women waited patiently as Dorelia ate what was offered before the other woman nudged her way closer to the bedside holding in her hands what looked like porridge.

"My great grandmother's recipe for frumenty," she said delightedly. "Wheat porridge boiled in a meat broth and seasoned with spices." Then she had the spoon and was scooping up some and pushing it forward for Dorelia to take a taste. Abigail was watching from the door so didn't notice until they passed her that two more women entered the room with dishes in hand.

It wasn't long before most of the women who had been in the room before were clamoring to not only have Dorelia taste the meals they'd made but expecting the girl to eat them as well. Abigail knew the situation was starting to get out of hand and the young woman looked like she was beginning to get overwhelmed again. Abigail looked out the door and down the hall towards the lab. Where was Lan? Would he hear the noise and come and restore order? Should she leave Dorelia and go and get him? Looking back into the room, Abby knew she couldn't wait for the man. So, settling herself firmly, she stepped forward into the midst of the women crowding the bedside.

"Alright, alright!" she said in a loud placating voice. "Settle down ladies!" For once, her thin reed-like voice gathered enough strength to cut through the noise and she waited for the women to fall silent before continuing. "Now, you must know that it'll be impossible for the girl to eat ALL of this food, no matter how wonderful it must be. Not only that, but it would be wasteful! You'll make the girl sick trying to shovel all of this down her throat and then all of your efforts will be wasted as her memories of this feast bring to mind a feeling of illness from being overstuffed. That's not the impression you'd want to leave, I'm sure."

She surveyed the gathered wives and mothers as they stood and listened to her. "Maybe we could have a feast?" one of the women suggested.

"There's enough here to feed the whole town," another, older woman said. That issued forth murmured agreement from the women crowded around.

"Alright, a feast then!" Abigail said brightly. Then she started to rally the women together, organizing them to different tasks to get things set up. Normally the largest indoor place in town was the church, but since no one was willing to go near the building because of what happened, they decided upon having the feast in the hospital, the hallway between the hospital wings and the lab being the next largest place indoors. So, the women hurried home and told their husbands and the husbands gathered neighbors and found a bunch of tables that they brought to the hospital. Lining the long hallway with multiple tables standing side by side, the women who'd made meals filled the table tops with the food they'd labored so hard to create. The hall filled with people and the air buzzed with voices as neighbors and friends and family members talked together amiably. Then they started to get seated at chairs brought in from all the houses.

Joey came from the lab where he'd been sleeping at a worktable and was woken up by all the noise. Abigail saw the boy and waved him over to a seat by her but not before frowning and clicking her tongue about the boy's haircut. People were still being seated when Lan came in and Kennar welcomed him warmly and ushered him into a seat. The alchemist looked around brightly at all the happy faces, people just glad to be together and enjoy each other's company over a warm meal. It definitely helped lift his spirits being in this atmosphere after spending the whole evening alone at home and brooding. After speaking with Kennar he still had a lot on his mind and desired to be alone for a while. It had only been chance that he'd decided to come check on Dorelia now and made it just in time for the feast to start. It was good to see everyone together like this and for once Lan was able to relax a bit and forget about his worries.

It was only after he was seated that he realized he was sitting next to Susy. He didn't notice at first because she was turned away from him talking to a young woman sitting beside her on the other side. But when he did see her he was surprised and wary. It was strange seeing her out and about like this, and he expected that as soon as she noticed him she would probably be all over him, swooning and clingy. He cringed and looked around at the other people in the room and wondered how much of a scene she would make if he brushed her off or told her to cut it out quietly right here. Would she get loud? Would she be pouty and cry? Would she get angry and start yelling? With Susy's mentality, it was hard to know. Most of the time when he dealt with her it was in private, but in public there were so many things he had to consider when anticipating her behavior.

Landon sat there watching as those around them continued to take their seats some people continuing to talk as they did so. But every time he looked over at Susy she was turned away and chatting with the young woman beside her. His attention was drawn to her once when she laughed but she still hadn't noticed him. He didn't have a mind to be jealous by her lack of attention for he was still too worried about how she would react upon seeing him and every moment she hadn't noticed was a moment of freedom from her obsessive, smothering personality. But someone ruined it for him by bumping into him as they passed by the table and thus making him nudge her roughly. She turned to him then, curious at the disruption and registered surprise when she saw it was him.

"Oh, hello, Lan," she said placidly with a small smile. He was still cringing and preparing to say something in greeting when she'd already turned back to her friend on the other side, continuing on their girlish conversation. All Lan could do was sit gaping somewhat, feeling a confusing mixture of relief and resentment. Then his attention was caught elsewhere as he noticed Dorelia walking towards him from the hospital wing. He looked around suddenly realizing there were no more people standing and...the only empty seat was the one on the other side of him. Which was where she came to place herself, sitting snugly between him and the mayor on the other side of the space. Her face was still severely bruised and the stitches on her cheek were monstrous, but the swelling wasn't bad and she seemed alert and happy. From when he noticed her walking this way he had looked fixedly at her and when she glanced at him now, he quickly turned away, embarrassed that he'd been staring.

When she'd settled herself, the mayor stood from his seat beside her and thumped a hand on the wooden tabletop loudly, waiting for people to fall silent before speaking. "Out of every bad situation," he said in his raspy voice. "Something good must come. A meal fit for kings and queens was prepared to share the culture of Altara with our lovely visitor and she has seen fit to let us all partake in this wonderful feast with her. So, to Dorelia and to Altara," he said raising his glass, the gesture being copied by the rest of the people at the table. "May the future remain bright. Now, let's eat!"

Then the mayor sat back down in his seat and the chatter resumed as people started to serve themselves from the myriad of dishes that covered the tabletops. Lan sneaked a glance at Dorelia here and there as the meal began and grew annoyed with himself for acting so skittish. Finally, pushing food around on his plate with a spoon, he quirked his mouth and leaned towards her a little. "How are you feeling?" he asked, finding confidence and strength in his cold professional tone. He wondered if she was possibly still mad at him, but he hoped he could break through that anger by showing a doctor's concern for her condition.

 

[Cheshire Pup]

Dorelia was so confused. She didnâ??t get it, she didnâ??t understand how to read people without her magic. She realized that she had it for so long that it had not become a crutch. She wished she had listened to Babaâ??s lessons about living without it more because now she felt so helpless without a spell at her fingertips. She didnâ??t know what to do, she felt so lost and powerless but she did notice that the desert seemed less lonely. It might actually be nice living there... so why was Abigail crying? Dorelia was absolutely dumbfounded to see the woman crying after her story. She had been so lost in her own memories of the woman that she hadnâ??t noticed the woman getting excited and she began to wonder if she had been crying the whole time.

Were the tears for her? Did she pity her so much that she was crying for her? Her gaze hardened and some pride kicked in. She did not want to be pitied. She had no need for it form Abigail. If this woman knew what she could do she would not pity her! She could- Dorelia stopped herself right there. If I heard this form someone else I would pity them to she told herself and forced herself to calm down. Those had been dark thoughts, mostly implanted by everything that she went through with the monster. After such torment the idea of someone thinking she was weak or defenseless infuriated her. It was not Abigailâ??s fault and she refused to let those dark thoughts take root. That was how blacks were made and she refused to be one.

She watched Abigail fight off the tears when she asked why she wanted to know but the woman didnâ??t really respond. She watched the woman destroy any chance she had of trying to find out more before leaving the girl behind. She didnâ??t have to be a witch to know that the woman was lying. But why would she lie? Left alone all she could do was think. She began to think more and more about the past and about those dark thought that she had when a horrible realization came to her. What if that was the point of it? There wasnâ??t a witch of any color that didnâ??t know a defense spell, that boy should not have been able to get to her. That man wanted her found, taken away from there without him letting her go. He wanted to twist her, to taint her, to darken her green to the black that he was.

The thought made her shudder. She forced those kinds of thoughts out of her mind and did her best to relax before she finally drifted off to sleep. Even if it was fitful and packed with nightmares it was still important to sleep.

When she woke up the first thing she heard was a load of voices. She winced slightly and rolled on her side, trying to gather herself. She looked around and saw all the chatting plants. She smiled, she had her powers back. For the moment she had to tone them out. Turning to the women who had entered her room she looked at the two of them very confused. They both carried food and it smelled so good her stomach growled again and she remembered that she had not had anything to eat all day. The other events of the day came back as well. The incident in church, her engagement to Landon, her beating by the father and her stomach growling in front of all of the concerned woman making them run off to get food.

Even though she remembered it all now things were still moving too quickly for her to process still half asleep. One of the women had spooned something and held it close to her mouth. Under her nose it smelt so good she opened her mouth to compliment when the spoon was placed inside. The flavor exploded in her mouth. It was so tasty she could not believe it. This helped her wake up fast. The spoon was pulled from her mouth, clean of the food that had been on it. She finished the bite in her mouth then opened it to thank the first woman when the second woman inserted another dish in there. It was another explosion of flavor and she loved both dishes, still hungry for more.

She began to thank the two of them when more people pushed their way in, more spoons thrust towards her mouth. These woman had been cooking since she slept and now they were all eager to have everything tasted and eaten by her. She was happy but she felt bad at the same time. If every woman made hot food for her then what food was prepared for their families? The confusion was reaching its peak when Abigail stepped forwards and managed to get everyoneâ??s attention. Abigail mentioned this being a feast and Dorelia suddenly had an idea, what if the whole town got together to have it together. This town needed unity and this was the perfect way. She whispered the words in magic, so quietly she didnâ??t even hear herself. It was just a slight whisper to have a feast and she was delighted to hear one of the women say it.

All of the otherâ??s quickly agreed and Dorelia knew that she was free from having to eat at least twenty different meals tonight, however she would have to try every one. All the otherâ??s hurried home to tell their families. Dorelia wished she could help but Abigail kept her in bed, telling her to look out the window and she realized it gave her a perfect view of everything going on. She saw people working together to bring all kinds of tables and chairs for their family and otherâ??s if they had extra. Some people brought other food. Seeing the children coming made her smile. They didnâ??t realize what a momentous occasion this was. For the first time in years people in this town were not at each otherâ??s throats and they all seemed happy. She even noticed Susy talking with some other woman her own age, all seemed to be having fun together. The madness Father Justin spread through this town was finally cured and they were a family again.

She wanted to join them but every time she went to try and do something one of the women ushered her away and told her to relax in her room until everything was ready for her. Her stomach growled angrily at being denied more food. She tried to sneak off a few times but someone noticed her and brought her back. They finally stationed someone to guard her room and keep her inside until everything was ready when things were finally set and done she was happy to hear that she would be allowed to join them at the table. A younger girl brought her to the table but half way there the girl ran ahead to get a seat with her family. It was not something she could fault the girl for but she was surprised when she saw how full the place was.

Just about every seat was full and the room got quiet when she approached. She felt awkward and stopped, wondering if this was a good idea. The only seat open was between Landon and the mayor and while she was still mad at Landon she saw the mayor gesturing her over so she smiled and joined them. Everyone resumed talking as she continued again, mostly greetings and asking her how she was holding up. She saw the looks in their eyes, all know of the beating, some knew of the attempted rape. Her eyes went to the floor and she wondered if she would be interrogated the entire dinner. She hoped not, she didnâ??t want to talk about what happened any more than it already had. She reached for her cross for comfort, angry all over again to find it not there.

It was not long after she settled that the man beside her stood. She heard what he said and she smiled at him, it was such a lovely little speech. The chatter resumed and people moved around, mostly to make sure she got a helping of whatever their dish was. By the time she had a helping of food room every dish there were four plates waiting for her to eat them. She smiled at the woman, laughed slightly. She didnâ??t speak to Landon, she could feel him looking over her wounds though, she could feel many eyes on them. Her face was still a bit swollen and she had to monsters of black eyes. Some of the kids closer stared and she just smiled at them. Once she smiled they got embarrassed for staring and looked away.

Dorelia was going through the dishes, making sure she at least took a bite of everything. She didnâ??t even think of the desert that was sure to be coming. Halfway through Landon spoke to her. She looked at him, confused and still mad. â??I am doing better, Abigail gave me something for the pain and I had a nice nap. Now have a meal enough for five of me.â? She joked with him.

â??Well you are eating for two now arenâ??t you?â? Asked the woman across the table. Dorelia was dumbfounded for a second and completely lost for words.

â??E-excuse me?â? she asked, trying to find out if she had heard right.

â??Your baby. You know you have to start eating a lot more because you have to eat for the growing child. Especially if you have twins.â? Said the woman, smiling and possibly senile.

By this time other people had their eyes on her and conversations changed. No one had really gotten the chance to talk to her about her pregnancy. There were a lot of congratulations and offers to help her get through this. Someone asked Landon if he felt lucky for getting such a beautiful and young woman as his bride. That someone turned out to be Cain, smiling mischievously not too far down the table. There were so many questions and comments that Dorelia knew she needed to find some way to stop them if she wanted to eat. She quickly thought of something to hopefully pacify them for now.

â??If you donâ??t mind, I had a very light breakfast and slept through lunch so both my child and I are hungry. I have so many beautiful foods to try and I am not the only one involved I this.â? She told them as she gestured towards the man next to her, Landon. â??Mind you we have not had a chance to really discuss this, suggestions are welcome, Landon should be able to take any and all questions.â? She told them with a smile before smiling at Landon. Through the link they had he would be able to tell that the smile pointed at him as not quite as innocent as it looked to everyone else. She had effectively thrown him under the bus driven by an entire town that wanted to know their plans and a very long table full of questions and suggestions for the wedding. She was however very happy with herself and no longer mad at him for now, this was payback.

As expected he was quickly swarmed with all kinds of questions, baby names and genders and rooms and toys and wedding cakes and dresses and where and who would do it since the priest was clearly not an option. This was of course only the tip of the iceberg, dinner had just begun and there was still a lot more to go.

 

[Rudolph Quin]

Lan could tell from the way that she answered, that she was in a better mood than before. But the relief he felt from that was almost immediately shattered when she switched the attention over to him as people started asking her questions. And despite her innocent smile, he could feel that it was something she'd done intentionally. He only got the chance to give her a raised eyebrow look before everyone turned to him and the onslaught of inquiry began.

"So, have you two thought of any names for the child?" the woman who had started the questions with Dorelia asked, her eyes now focused on Lan for a response.

"Um, I'm not sure," Lan said looking to Dorelia for help but she was focusing on her meal with a discreet smile on her face.

"Veronistasia-Anne Marie Trinidad, is a good name," the woman suggested.

Landon blinked at her, not really sure what she wanted him to do with that, especially such an odd and overly long name, but him being a man and not even the father. "Uh, okay," he said shrugging, but as soon as he answered someone sitting next to her spoke up.

"And what if it's a boy?" the man asked. "You should call the child Mortimer." The man got a few looks from those sitting near him. "What? Then you could nickname him Mort." Lan tried to keep his expression positive, but couldn't help the small crinkling of his nose and scrunch of his eyebrows--that wasn't a good name at all...

"Well, thank you," he finally said, nodding and giving a polite smile. "We'll keep all suggestions in mind, I guess--" Then his attention was drawn somewhere else as someone down the table a bit asked him another question.

"What about room designs?" the middle aged woman asked. "The baby's room must have a design of some kind, to help the child grow up strong and happy." Landon searched for an answer, his mouth moving wordlessly and brow scrunched even more while thinking, but then he was interrupted by the man from before.

"Bah! Little youngin's don't need that sort of thing!" he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "They'll grow up quicker than you can believe it and then you've got these silly baby designs all over the walls. Besides not only will they be spending most of their time outdoors or doing their schoolin' but room designin' is something rich people do!"

"Well, the alchemist has the rooms for it--I assume you'll be living together in your house, won't you Lan?" Isendre asked, her attention switching from the man who'd been speaking to the alchemist as she changed subjects. "It's a lovely home, and right in the center of everything, close to the hospital where you work, so if your wife--I mean, your fiancee' at the moment--if she should ever need you..."

"Designing the room doesn't need to be extravagant," the woman who'd first suggested the idea said. "Just a bit of color to the walls and furniture and things--"

"A waste of TIME!" the old man said, shaking his head stubbornly at her.

"Oh, hush!" Isendre said to the man.

"I think it's a splendid idea," Susy said to Lan. "And flower designs would be perfect for a little girl." Several women said "Awww," in agreement, glancing at both Dorelia and Lan, imagining first the young woman with a little girl trailing by her side as she walked about town and then visualizing Landon gingerly holding a small baby wrapped in a pink blanket.

And all Lan could do was blush for several moments, wondering what they were thinking in the small pause of conversation. Then he cleared his throat and made a move with his hand to rub his mustache, but instantly dropped it when he remembered it was gone. "Well...I don't know...maybe--"

"And oh, my goodness!" Maggie said from where she sat next to her children and husband. "You HAVE to let me do the cake for your wedding! It's something I've wanted to do for someone ever since I started baking." From the way she looked at Lan, it was clear she was looking for a response of his approval and he glanced once at Dorelia and then back at the baker's wife uncertainly.

"Sure, I suppose--"

"Any ideas for wedding dress designs?" the young woman next to Susy asked.

"Oh, I LOVE wedding dresses!" Susy said in an adoring tone and both girls made swooning noises over that.

"Landon," the mayor said, drawing his attention back in this direction of the table. "Who is going to do the wedding? Surely not Father Justin..." The large man with the gravelly voice tried not to draw attention to the woman sitting beside him, but just from his close proximity to her and mentioning the priest, it immediately drew everyone's eyes to the stitches and bruises on her face, before they all quickly looked away and back at Lan waiting for the answer to the question.

The alchemist sat for a moment looking at the older man on the other side of Dorelia; this was definitely something he'd thought about while brooding alone this afternoon, so at least he had somewhat of an answer. "I think Brother Tomas, in the next town will do nicely. I met him on my way here when I first came to town all those years ago and he seemed a very respectable, devout man of God. And I've heard a lot of good things about him over the years." Several people smiled, set at ease by this. Not many of them had heard of the young priest from the neighboring town, but the fact that Landon was already planning ahead and coming up with solutions for their town's current religious problem, made them feel relaxed. They wouldn't have to worry about the drama that would surely result from Father Justin running the wedding service of the woman he'd attacked.

"Where will you have the honeymoon?" a voice suddenly asked from a little ways down the table. When Landon turned to look, his gaze met that of a swarthy and grinning Cain. "You gotta have a honeymoon after the wedding. That special, 'first' night together..."

Landon blushed a little and glared at the other man. "I..." he stopped to clear his throat before continuing to speak. "I hardly think that's appropriate..."

"What's a honeymoon?" a young girl, no more than five years old asked, looking directly at Lan with bright blue eyes. There was a moment of complete silence as they both just looked at each other, she with expectant and innocent facial expression and he unsure of what to say and not wanting to explain the thing to her.

"Well," Maggie said uncomfortably breaking the silence. "I'll tell you where we had ours." She was speaking to everyone, but mostly to Lan. There was a long pause with everyone looking at her, and she said dryly, giving her husband sitting beside her a sardonic glance. "Here." A few people smiled and nodded at that, knowing that when they'd first wed, the baker and his wife had not been a very rich couple.

Jed smirked through his beard at his wife and said in a gruff level toned voice, "You didn't complain at the time. 'You want to get away?' I asked. 'Somewhere you've never been before? Here, let me show you the back room of my bakery. We'll cover you in flour and cranberry sauce--I'm sure it's an experience you've never had before.'" And he winked at her, Maggie's somewhat cynical facial expression starting to turn into a grin.

"Oh, yes," she said mockingly sweet, playing along to his joke. "And it WAS the most romantic night of my life." Those around them at the table laughed at the jocularity between the two as Maggie leaned in and gave her husband a modest kiss on the lips, sitting back and smiling fondly at him.

As soon as the moment of tension had passed, Landon turned to Dorelia and whispered, "I hope you're enjoying yourself." His tone was light and cheerful but there was still a slight blush on his cheeks.