Instructing Aleyn in the ways of high society

Wanted. Aleyn knew he might be reading too much into that word, but even though Vedran insisted he accepted and understood his father's vision, it still sounded more like 'needed for his plans' instead of 'loved and cherished.' It wouldn't do any good to dwell on that, though.

"I'm glad you were right that you could trust him," he said instead. "I hope that I'm doing the right thing trusting Vedran."

"I may be a biased source," she added wryly, "but I think so." She smiled again, but it turned to concern after a moment. "How is he, Aleyn?"

"He... well, he had been doing quite a bit better," Aleyn said slowly. "But then all this happened, these changes of plan, and it's kind of shaken him up again. He's... we're... working through it, but it's tough."

She nodded slowly, and looked back out the window, but the moon lay hidden behind a cloud. "I'll keep praying... But thank you."

"So will I," Aleyn said.

After thanks and wishes for a good night to Vinalia, he made his way back to Vedran's room. He wasn't sure he felt any more likely to sleep, but maybe he could at least rest until dawn. He was still anxious, but it felt like a little of the weight had been lifted. He tried to slip through the door quietly so as not to wake Vedran...

he's reached out for Aleyn in his sleep, only to find the other man missing. The realization had drawn him part way awake, and he'd lain there, wondering where he'd gone - the bathroom maybe? - and waiting for him to come back. Time seemed to stretch though, and it felt like a long time, and then even longer, until worry was creeping in to his sleep-muddled thoughts. When the door opened quietly, he sat up a little, blinking at the dark form in the entry. "Aleyn?"

"I'm here," he said, crossing the room quickly to rejoin Vedran in bed. "Sorry I woke you. I just couldn't sleep, so I got up for a bit, and ended up talking to your mother for a while..." He shrugged off his robe and curled up alongside Vedran, holding him close.

Vedran sprawled across Aleyn once he was back in bed, and nuzzled his shoulder sleepily. "Jus' didn't know where you were.."

"Not far," he assured him with a kiss on the forehead.

Over the next several days, Vedran and Vinalia continued to help Aleyn prepare for his introduction into high society. Brenn and Agyness joined them for some of the lessons too - Brenn was an excellent dancer and Agy knew a wider assortment of card games than just about any of the others (although she made sure to emphasize that some of them were really more army games, and not for proper drawing rooms) - which made the process a little less stressful and more fun. Even Cael joined them for dancing one night, though that seemed to be more for a refresher of his own, under pressure from his parents to join in at least a few of the social events of the season. It was good to know that Aleyn wasn't the only one who felt uncomfortable at the prospect.

Gradually, though, Aleyn was able to relax somewhat, not worrying so much about every minor slip-up. Vedran was encouraging too - as usual, having something else to focus on seemed to help him worry a bit less about his own problems. Macen provided plenty of distractions too, and more than one formal dinner or afternoon tea party was broken up into laughter by his antics, no matter how much Marys and Kier tried to keep him occupied.

Finally the night of their first invitation arrived - a dinner party at the home of ???, to be followed by 'further entertainments', which Vedran explained meant that some people might dance, and others might choose to play cards and drink their host's no doubt expensive port. It was something of a relief to know that dancing wouldn't be mandatory for the entire evening, although Vedran hinted that it would be polite to at least dance once or twice before escaping to the drawing room.

Vinalia's servants were there to assist them as much as they needed, but the idea of someone helping him dress still seemed odd to Aleyn. He picked out his own outfit, an emerald green jacket and tan trousers, and dressed himself (with some mild trepidation in case he'd chosen poorly or forgotten some key point). He was just finishing tying his cravat in what Vedran had informed him was called a waterfall knot when Vedran knocked on his door and then stuck his head in.

"Oh, hi," Aleyn said with a nervous smile. "How do I look?"

"Mmm." Vedran was dressed save his jacket and a few finishing touches, having enlisted the aid of a valet, but he'd wanted to see how Aleyn was making out. Pretty well, so far... He beckoned Aleyn closer with a smile, unbuttoning his waistcoat and smoothing out a few lines in his tie before tucking it back in and reluctantly buttoning him back up. "You look amazing. I already can't wait to come home - if you don't get dragged away by some overly ambitious suitor first."

Aleyn blinked, surprised, and gave a nervous laugh. All his focus had been on the people who would be pursuing Vedran - it hadn't seriously occurred to him that there might be some who would be interested in him. "Oh, well, is that even likely? I mean, I don't intend to let myself get dragged away, but... probably nobody would try, right?"

Vedran raised his eyebrows. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Aleyn seemed surprised himself - he was constantly undervaluing his appeal. "Well, I don't know if anyone is going to try to court you - though I'm not ruling it out - there will definitely be other people there who will want to sleep with you."

He finished straightening the waistcoat, and turned Aleyn around to face the mirror, letting him absorb the effect, standing close behind him and peering over his shoulder. "Very handsome, and charmingly sweet. I won't be the only one who sees the appeal..."

Aleyn tried to see himself in the mirror with someone else's eyes, but it was difficult. Mostly what he saw was the too-big, crooked nose, the unruly hair, the general air of gawky uneasiness that was at odds with the casual grace Vedran could display when needed. He could accept - having been told it enough times - that Vedran thought he was handsome, but it still seemed implausible that other people (multiple other people!) might agree. "What do I say to them, if they do?" he asked, a rising feeling of panic making his collar seem too tight, making it hard to swallow. "I can't exactly tell them I'm already spoken for..."

"You can," Vedran said, planting a little kiss just where the top of Aleyn's cravat brushed the side of his neck. "Just maybe not who I suppose. Or just tell them you're flattered but not interested?" He slipped a hand around Aleyn's waist, nestling behind him for a moment. The thought occurred that before he'd been married, if he'd found himself in this position he'd have been much more likely to encourage Aleyn to go have a little fun. Neither of them would be happy with that now, but it was strange to think how much he'd changed. He kissed him again, stepping back a bit so as not to wrinkle their clothes before they'd even finished dressing. "Probably some of them will be women," he said with a rueful grin, stepping over to fetch Aleyn's jacket - the green would really bring out his eyes - "So it will even be true."

"Yeah..." Aleyn let Vedran help him into his jacket, buttoning it closed, smoothing down the front. "I wondered if maybe we could both wear those pearl stickpins we had made. Would they go with our outfits? I think it would help me feel a little... closer to you." He reached his hand out to touch Vedran's cheek.

Vedran smiled, caught Aleyn's hand, kissed it, and adjusted his cuff. "Yes, I think we can do that."