Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hearing Ambroise's deep breath, Elizabeth flicked her gaze over to her lifemate's face, curious as to the cause. It had been a very noticeable noise, given the fact that the two had been traveling in complete silence, so it was only natural that it would attract her attention.

That was not to imply that she regretted the silence. Unlike the majority of mares out there, Elizabeth needed no constant chatter to reassure her of company, constancy, or affection. The very nature of their union was such that if she were being honest, silence was preferable to any possible type of conversation right now. One could argue that the silence allowed the two to acclimate to each other's presence without having to be overly anxious about what they were saying; for Elizabeth, the silence allowed her time to think.

And she had a great deal to think about these days.

Ambroise had been a perfect gentleman during the days it took them to ascend the slopes, always inquiring into her state of hunger/thirst/weariness and seeming determined to see her as comfortable as possible at all times. He had been courteous, informative about their surroundings, and generally pleasant, if a bit on the serious, solemn, and silent side. However, that did nothing to change the fact that he was now her lifemate after what could only with the utmost of charity be regarded as a whirlwind courtship (as that would imply there was a courtship at all!). She was as irrevocably bound to him, by her own words and actions, as if she were chained to him.

Needless to say, the concept was intimidating at first glance. The staid, practical part of her continued to be amazed at her indulging in such reckless and possibly dangerous behavior, agreeing to commit to a stallion she had spent so little time with.

Yet at the same time, she was contented. Minimal as their time together had been, it had been early on in her acquaintance with Ambroise that she had become comfortable with him; his care for his brother, closeness to his family, fondness for his mother, and unmistakable devotion to his homeland were all touching proofs of his dependability and steadfastness; any stallion that considerate of his mother had to be a good sort. It was true that he wasn't affectionate, conversational, or overly warm, but in his own way he was proving to be companionable. She certainly found the silence comfortable, far more comfortable than any forced merriment would be. Regardless of whether he was silent out of contempt, bashfulness, laryngitis, introspection, or lack of something to say, the end result was that she had time to gather her thoughts without the added complication of keeping up a conversation.

That wasn't to imply that she didn't WANT to have conversations with her mate; quite the contrary, actually. But now, at this time, just getting used to his physical presence was enough. Though she continued to keep a respectful distance from her mate at all times, he was still THERE, very close, very big, and very real.

And at the moment, apparently very much in need of mental preparation. Having glanced his way for a moment, Liz glanced back ahead to see what might have prompted his sharp intake of breath. It only took an instant for the red coat of his mother to register, along with another bright (but masculine) shape. Suddenly his breath made sense; she could probably do with a moment herself.

But that wasn't the way she did things. No, she would smile, be polite, be warm, let Ambroise do the talking; she would be the perfect lady as she met her in-laws.

Oh dear, there were those butterflies again...

Coming on the heels of such a long silence, Ambroise's comment was a bit of a surprise than it should have been; that, well, the silence paired with her sudden case of nerves at the sight of her new in-laws. Yei had seemed like such a pleasant mare before, but what would she think of Elizabeth as a daughter-in-law? Especially after such a short relationship? And Ambroise's father...though Ambroise hadn't really said anything about him, in her mind Grencia had taken on a rather stern, no-nonsense persona that was like Ambroise and then some. Meeting Grencia would be a nerve-wracking experience, and she only hoped she acquitted herself well.

These being her thoughts, Ambroise's sudden, incredulous comment about planning caught her off-guard, drawing her attention back to Ambroise from his parents. Who had planned this, and what was "this", for that matter? His look of abject shock did nothing to clear up any confusion, and the transition of shock into utter relaxation actually worsened it. She felt as though she had missed something important, which was an unsettling feeling...

Still, it was a pleasant surprise to see how comfortable he suddenly seemed on the heels of whatever realization he had come to. His body became less stiff, his face less drawn...he looked even more pleasant than when she'd first met him, and at the time she had thought him a very pleasant-looking stallion!

And it was another pleasant thing to see the obvious affection with which he greeted his mother, his ease and comfort in her presence a delightful thing for Elizabeth to witness. The affection between the two was so delightful for her, a mare so used to being on her own...but now she was a part of this family! She found herself hoping, with much more fervency than before, that they liked her!

At Yei's arrival, she had adopted her best smile, giving the older mare a slight bob in greeting. "I am very well, Yei, and it is a pleasure to see you again. And I suppose you might say that; your home is a very beautiful place. And the warmth of Spring is proving to be delightful!" Keeping her composure and maintaining her poise was something Elizabeth always prided herself on, and this was proving to be the hardest test of that yet. She felt that she came off well, but beneath the relaxed exterior she was atwitter with nerves, especially when Ambroise's father (he HAD to be Ambroise's father, there was no way that stallion was a brother) came up and started looking at her. He wasn't staring, wasn't crowding, didn't seem upset, accusatory, or otherwise unpleasant...but it was still nerve-wracking.

She had already resolved on letting Ambroise handle all verbal communications, had expected and trusted her would handle things in the best and most efficient fashion...but darned if it didn't feel like she was keeping some dirty secret from these two Soquili!

'Horrified' would be the expression that best described Elizabeth's feelings upon hearing Grencia's words. Mild though his tone was, the meaning, look, and words themselves were undeniably censuring. Luckily for Elizabeth that she was so pale; as it was, nearly all of the color drained from her face before Grencia had finished speaking.

Why hadn't she thought before about what a disruption her visit had been before? After all, Ambroise was a busy individual, and he had spent so much time humoring her during her unannounced visitation...perhaps he had neglected something without realizing it? Or perhaps he had needed to clear such things first, like sending Venom off on his way? Ambroise was an adult, yes, but in herdlands, wasn't the alpha supposed to oversee everything? Surely Grencia was the alpha, had Ambroise made a mistake? Had she made Ambroise make a mistake? Or worse, had she gotten Ambroise in trouble because of her whims?

Had she been less used to schooling her expressions and behavior, Elizabeth would have been round-eyed, her jaw open in horror and stammering her apologies. As it was, she was rather pale, but managed to keep her tone level and her expression suitably neutral. Fenghang and Yei she had met and come to terms with their exuberance and sense of mischief (sort of...); this was a totally new type of teasing, one that she was far from familiar with. Even Yei's good humor did nothing to alleviate the concern and extreme discomfort she was feeling at the moment, and it took longer than she would have liked to compose herself enough to respond.

"I do apologize if I disrupted your routine or caused any complications in your herdlands, but I assure you it was not my intent. My visit was unplanned, yes, but it was my desire to be as unobtrusive as possible..."

She didn't know what else to say to him, and an anxious sideways glance at Ambroise betrayed her nervousness. So much for making a good impression!

When she had daydreamed about the idea of being a part of a close family, there were elements that Elizabeth had not considered. Inside jokes, baiting, delivering zingers with a straight face...this was all new to the mare that appreciated humor but had always taken it in a much more upfront manner. Grencia was starting to overwhelm her, and she was beginning to feel like she had walked into some sort of trial.

Well, sort of. Grencia's smile had taken her completely aback, and his and Yei's half-verbal, half-inferred conversation caused her cheeks to go from ashen to crimson in a second, their obvious amusement doing nothing to lessen her discomfort with the whole process. Oh, she was glad to realize (belatedly as it was) that she wasn't actually in, or the cause of, any trouble...but being a source of amusement when trying to make a good impression and meet some very important Soquili was unsettling.

Maybe that was the point? To see how well she responded under pressure, or how well she could improvise? Oh goodness, was she failing? Had she failed already??

Agonizing internally over how she had or hadn't performed in this hypothetical test, Elizabeth was more than willing to let Ambroise answer all of his parents' questions on her behalf. She hadn't even been introduced yet, and she already seemed to be putting her hoof in it. Or wasn't she? Was that the problem? Should she have responded in a more irreverent fashion? Was she EXPECTED to respond in a more irreverent fashion?

Well, if such WAS the case, then there were bound to be problems; irreverence was not her strong suit, or even her suit at all. She could only be what she was, which was deferential and polite.

And, when called upon, honest.

Reigning in her blush and casting her eyes demurely downward, she answered Yei's question with the most confidence that she could muster. "If you are asking if there is a commitment, then I would have to say yes." Anything more definite than that she would leave to Ambroise; the last thing she wanted to do was overstep herself with his parents!

She'd always wanted a family. She'd always appreciated the ways that families interacted, their little inside jokes, cameraderie, and generally affectionate way. She'd always admired the way that they could communicate without having to actually vocalize or be specific, and the way that they were always there for each other (well, at least in her idyllic daydreams).

All of these things Elizabeth kept reminding herself as she weathered the meet-and-greet with Grencia and Yei, doing her best to keep her composure and her color in the face of a deeply concerning and diconcerting line of questions. It was a consolation that she had taken the time on their journey to reflect on just such a probability: after all, it was a strange thing for anyone to up and commit to a Soquili they'd known for such a little bit of time, and it was the duty of one's family to ensure that everything was well to inspire such an arrangement.

It was ALSO nice to have Ambroise there, able to field some of the questions and take the heat off of her. And he certainly was taking some heat, particularly by the end of Grencia's line of questioning. Yei and Grencia might be amused at the idea of Grencia being the more intimidating/overwhelming one, but his more serious delivery and manner was making him that figure in spades! Ambroise was standing his ground, every bit as firm in his convictions as Grencia was in his concerns, but it was still a little intimidating to see the obvious concern/criticism on Grencia's face. Especially when his attention was back on her.

But the reprieve had given her a chance to collect herself, and she was able to answer in a very calm voice the question implied by his eyebrow. "While I agree that the speed of this arrangement is atypical at best, please don't have any concerns on my part. Ambroise has been a perfect gentleman for the entirety of our acquaintance, and I could never have agreed to such a commitment as marriage without being convinced that it was the right choice. I feel that Ambroise is just the sort of stallion as stands to make me the most satisfied with mated life, and I will endeavor to do all that is in my power to see him comfortable and contented as well."

It was hardly a romantic, emotional, or impassioned speech, but it was honest and sincere. Buoyed by that sincerity, it was easier for Elizabeth to meet Grencia's gaze than ever before, and her expression was calm as she she spoke.

There, that wasn't so hard now, was it?

Emotionally draining. That was the only way to describe this interaction, unless she were to become uncharitable.

Elizabeth hadn't exactly expected a warm reception, but she hadn't expected to be greeted with such skepticism, either. Yei's friendliness at their previous meeting had perhaps lead her to suspect a warmer greeting than the circumstances merited, and dealing with reality was proving to be a challenge.

Still, she had to appreciate Grencia's honesty. Were their positions reversed, she couldn't doubt that she would be skeptical, concerned, disbelieving; everything that she had come to know of Ambroise pointed against his embarking on a major life choice lightly. If it were her son, who was to say that she wouldn't be more wary, possibly even hostile?

At the same time, though, her behavior towards her own children was all hypothetical at this point anyway; those children were nothing more than a happy daydream, and would continue to be just a daydream if she were to chicken out. No, that wasn't entirely true, either, and it was unkind to both herself and Ambroise to assume that she would simply go out and...no. She couldn't finish the thought, even in her own mind; the idea that she would behave in a loose manner was just...wrong. Wrong on many, many, levels!

No, she would manage this. Nothing that she was hearing was truly wrong or offensive, and much as she appreciated Yei's support, she would have been willing to accept Grencia's original condition. Yei was correct, Ambroise was an adult; but even adults were parts of their family and she would rather not see him ostracized on her account. She would simply take this trial period for what it was, a chance to get to know her new home, her new life...her new mate.

Yei and Grencia's fast and furious exchange over, Elizabeth was completely at peace with everything; not having to talk had done wonders when it came to having time to think!

Ambroise's weary welcome was met with a calm, pleased smile and a slight nod, her own voice low as she replied, "I'm sure that I shall be able to manage beautifully." Raising her voice and turning her attention to her in-laws, she was the picture of composure as she nodded, her tone smooth and her gaze level. "One month is entirely reasonable; I appreciate your indulgence and hospitality in the meantime."

As she spoke, Elizabeth stepped closer to Ambroise, adopting a stance that put her close at his side, yet slightly behind in a position of respect and support. As far as she was concerned, Ambroise was the final say, and it was up to him to determine where they went from here.

Obviously becoming at ease with her new life was going to entail more than simply becoming acclimated to Ambroise. Disconcerting as this meeting had been, Elizabeth had to be grateful for the opportunity to meet her in-laws in the capacity of daughter-in-law; while it could be argued that they (Grencia in particular) had been a tad aggressive in their queries, they had shown her the closeness of the family and the natural concern they had for Ambroise's well-being. And her own, she supposed, as Grencia HAD asked what she felt of the whole situation.

Yes, it had been a good thing. Perhaps if they had waited until later to make their formal announcement she would have been more poised and less shakable by Grencia's observations, but at least now she knew what to expect going forward.

She would also file this meeting away under 'useful information on the family.' Strange as it seemed to be contemplating this now, she had a strong feeling that she would be very fond of her father-in-law, might even be fond of him now. He had been direct and unsettling, but he had also been calm, honest, and shown a great deal of care for his son's well-being, all characteristics that she could appreciate and admire. Yei was pleasant, kind, and welcoming, but it struck Elizabeth as she considered the two that Grencia was the most like her...or she was the most like him. Hopefully this experiment would go well, not just to she and Ambroise but also to his parents; then, perhaps, they would all be able to truly get along.

Not that Yei wasn't working on that angle now!

At the lunch invitation, Elizabeth's smile brightened a bit, Yei's enthusiasm proving to be contagious. Lunch would be nice, she had to admit; the higher they had climbed in their journey, the more the trek seemed to take out of Liz. Altitudes were something that she had never needed to consider previously, living the lowlands; now, she knew she'd have to get used to them. But right now, she was feeling a bit tired, and very peckish.

Though her first reaction was to look over to Ambroise, silent, but tilting a brow at him in query. Considerate as the invitation was, she was operating on Ambroise's agenda for now and would be as likely to skydive over a waterfall as to make or accept plans without his input. Being as how he was the decision maker, she would leave their acceptance or denial to him.