To Blindly Wed | Renaissance AU
desk-work-expert:
Throughout it all, Nanao didn’t look away. She kept her gaze steady, fixing on her fiancé’s face as if it was the only thing that mattered in that moment. He was handsome enough, she decided, mainly relieved that he was closer to her age than most of his deligate. Some might have said very handsome and that the matchmaker had done thier job well. Although that was no grauntee they were a good match. She wondered what he made of her. Any initial thoughts he might have were kept flawlessly to himself. His expression was a mask, showing neither approval nor dissatisfaction with her. Which left Nanao with nothing more than her own opinions to work with.
A moment or two passed, enough time for them both to take a long hard look at each other and for her finace to offer a polite bow before she stood up again bowing her head in acknowledgement of the compliments. Then, as if following a script of some kind a small silk wrapped box was withdrawn and presented to her accompanied with more kind words. Nanao nodded and reached out, taking the box.
“Thank you”
The gift stayed unopened, resting impotently in her hand; Nanao unsure if she was expected to open it now or wait untul she was alone. Her fiance’s expression gave no clue either way. Her eyes scanned the room, skimming past her finace’s relatives as quickly as possible then honing in on the famialr faces of her own family, seeking advice. From the front of the crowd, one of them inclined her head, enourgaing Nanao to open the gift and, with nothing else to go on, she did as she was bid; letting the silk fall away to reveal what was underneath. It was a mirror and a striking one at that. Nanao took a moment to properly admire it, running her hands along the carvings and taking in the feel of the ivory before turning her attention back to the one who’d given it.
“It’s beautiful, my lord”
Beautiful indeed, she thought, but no indication of what this man might think of ths match or any genuine enthusiasm for the wedding or their life together. She liked it. She really did. However, at the end of the day it was just another gift.
She looked down at the mirror, then back to the one who gave it to her, not sure what else to say. She knew the ettiquette for this meeting well. It had been drummed into her, often enough by well meaning relatives who didn’t wanted to see her married off without a hitch, to say nothing of the reading she’d done on the matter. That didn’t mean she knew how to proceed now the intial greetings were out of the way. She could feel the weight of both family’s eyes bearing down on the two of them. Waiting. Watching. The pressure building to do something until Nanao could barely stand it. She wished they all go. It might be easier if they were the only two here.
“Welcome to my family’s home,” she said, her expression slightly pensive, anything to break through the silence “I trust we’ve done what we can to accommodate you and your family here”
Byakuya resisted the urge to look over his shoulder to see whose instruction his fiance sought before opening the gift. Instead, he kept up the facade of neutral patience until Nanao moved the proceedings along. But internally, he stirred with impatience. Politically, the match was advantageous. Personally, he would rather not marry at all, except that it was his duty to do so. This social dance was just an obstacle to that end, and he would rather this dinner be a succinct affair.
“My family thanks you for your welcome and hospitality.” Byakuya infused the polite reply with as much sincerity as etiquette demanded. “Thus far, the accommodations have been more than pleasant, and I trust that they will continue to be.”
To avoid another awkward pause and to sooth his burgeoning impatience, Byakuya decided to risk a slight social faux pas in order to steer things to both a more relaxed setting and the next stage of this visit. His grandfather would suspect his real intentions. But his fiance’s family didn’t know him quite well enough, and Byakuya hoped that their onlookers would interpret his behavior more positively. With a little charm, it would seem that he was happy with the match and merely impatient to know his fiance better.
So, he offered Nanao the rare, agreeable smile he usually reserved for business dealings with high-ranking men and held his arm out in an offer to escort her. He wondered if Nanao’s matron would allow the innocent contact between them or if she would intervene and insist on following strictly chaste separation protocols until the marriage itself. Either way, the attempt would jostle things into motion.
“But it would please me more if we could dispense with this formality and continued our greetings and introductions over the comforts of a meal and drink.”
