Welcome to Gaia! ::

As Lore and Elnara got into their positions, Serenity set up her easel and canvas, and as she pulled her paints from her bag she glanced up at her parents to see how they were sitting.

"Hmm," she murmured thoughtfully, tapping her chin and tilting her head in different directions at them. "No ... it's not quite ... natural ... try sitting closer together ..."

Elnara wondered how much rearranging they would have to do before Serenity was satisfied, but she was all for sitting closer to Lore. She smiled up at him and shifted so that she was sitting in the middle of the seat, right beside him.

"You know," she commented in amusement, "I've seen the hall of portraits ... I lived here for a while, after all. And they're all formal portraits ..."

Serenity stuck out her tongue. "All the women are sitting in a straight-back chair with the men standing behind them," she replied with a frown. "Sure, they're all smiling, but still. They're so impersonal!"

A slow grin spread across her face.

"This one is going to be nice and personal," she promised them, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Papa, lean a bit closer ... can you put your chin on Mama's shoulder and put your arms around her stomach? And Mama, lean back against him a bit ..."

Elnara could feel Lore's chuckle vibrating into her shoulder just as clearly as she heard it in her ear, and she giggled and leaned back into him, resting her hands atop his and brushing her thumb across the back of his hand lightly.

"Perfect!" Serenity beamed, giggling softly. "Now hold that, and I'll try to take as little time as possible."

Really she didn't need them to sit for long, she just needed the basic sketch and then she could do the rest from memory. She wasn't much for math or science at school, but when it came to an image or a piece of art, she had a memory like Shiro's.

She got to work quickly, wasting no time.

Elnara, for her part, was as comfortable as she had ever been, leaning against Lore, and she loved being able to just relax with him, something that there had not been time for in many months. Of course, when they were visiting the Borderlands for a year, they would again have lots of time just to relax ... but that of course was a different story. Honeymoon, Lore had called it - but today was even more special, because today, they had finally been married.

At long last, Serenity announced that she didn't need them to pose anymore, and suggested that they go inside while she finished. She would have it done by the time the feast started, she assured them, and mentioned that it might be a good idea for them to go get ready.

As Elnara and Lore headed back towards the door that would take them inside, Elnara smiled thoughtfully up at Lore.

"You know," she commented softly, her fingers interlocking with his, "I'm not sure about you ... but I really don't know what there is for us to get ready. Even if we weren't in a palace with servants and the like, no one would let us lift a finger to work today."

Elnara giggled softly. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea," she agreed. "Perhaps the gardens again? I know I always ask to go there, but it's always so beautiful ..."

She blushed softly, but her eyes were sparkling brightly as she looked up at Lore.

Elnara smiled warmly as she walked with Lore.

"I think that would be wonderful," she murmured. "I know Serenity also wants her own garden with food ... perhaps with the manor grounds being so large - I assume, anyways, I've never been there - there will be room for us to have to gardens."

She paused thoughtfully.

"Do you think we could transplant some of the roses from here?" she asked, looking at Lore curiously. "I know in Gaia, the blue ones at least don't grow naturally ... or some of the others ..."

Elnara nodded, her brow furrowing softly in worry.

"I'd forgotten about the winter," she admitted. "But if we have a greenhouse, like the school has ... you know, one of those glass buildings? They might survive in there ... or if worse comes to worst, we could simply take them inside."