The elder was out the door before either one of them stood to follow, causing both to rush a bit. A servant presented Esme with a robe she wrapped around herself as she strode behind the much taller Aelifs across the great chamber. They moved into an ethereally lit room-this was more what Esme expected of the Aelfine. Unnatural balls of light hovered over exotic plants shaped into benches, chairs, tables. The two males were as dark as could be even under the lights, but the woman in front of her? She defied expectation. She glowed with light. True, her skin more than matched her son's, but being dark and a source of light at the same time was hard on her practical mind. The former thief was forced to look away.

A slight frown marred the woman's features. "She's entirely too human, Dervaine. How can this be?"

Esme was startled back into looking at the woman, with this statement. Thankfully she was shifting a veil over her face, something to knock down the glory of her presence. "Please sit, children."

Althalos' hand on her shoulder directed her to a seat, something the young woman was too numb to figure out for herself at the moment. She did manage to sit down. The Aelif sat at Esme side and brought his arm around her shoulder, to drag her into his warmth-a side-affect of feeling her numbness through the bond.

His father sat next to his wife, with a little more space between them than Althalos had chosen with his bondmate, which gave Dervaine room to face his wife a bit-as well as allowed him to shrug without interference. "Either her mother was bonded to a human or something went terribly wrong-what do you kow of your situation, girl?"

"You are aware that I'm in my mid-twentieth summer? Legally, I've been an adult for over eight years now." The words were as calm as ever, but even with all the punishment she's had over the years, she was now censured from being responsible for herself? No one had called her a child in all that time, and she didn't think she wanted to get used to it now-although it would be a thing to endure if no one relented.

"Getting upset when a being eight times your age calls you a child isn't the way to get them to agree that you're not a child." Althalos murmured this into his woman's hair before speaking out for his parent's sake. "Mother, I've had all of one night with my betrothed, and a month of fruitless searching for her. I've got a great many questions to ask as well, but there's been little time for much more than getting a few paltry conversations together. She has needs."

"Of course, dear." The elderbeing smiled, scarcely visible through her veil. "It's just that we're nearly as surprised as you must have been, although we've had centuries to prepare for such cases."

The mistress clapped her hands and food was ushered in by nondescript servants-even more so than the one she grabbed the robe from-the type you couldn't tell if they were human or automaton, one of the many things Esme was sure would still confuse her over however long it took her to adjust.

Althalos made a plate for her of various tidbits, but he was selective in his choices, passing a good half of it by. "Everything on your plate I chose to help you put back on the weight you've lost, without making you ill..."

"I've heard that Aelif food is quite medicinal, but I've been far longer than this month without a full meal. We were taught to work hungry so this is more than I've seen on a plate since before I was taken in-that and I had those thumbprints."

"Eat what you can."

It was disconcerting to have all the of them watching her eat, but she was still too hungry even after the meat pies to let that stop her. She found herself wolfing down her meal in an entirely too human way-as was evidenced by the look on her future father-in-law's face. Thankfully Althalos' remained more impassive, otherwise it would have made her pause as soon as she could control herself. He was the one she was responsible with pleasing-if anyone.

The mother remained silent until Esme's pace settled into something less ravenous. "Tell me one thing, girl. Why did you hide for a month?"

And thank the gods she did, as the former thief wasn't sure she would have stopped to answer until then. "I wasn't hiding, really. I was out in the open selling wares every day. But I did avoid your son for the sake of those who have sheltered me. My line of work was in conflict. I'd prefer to not have their death on my conscience."

"You cannot mean to protect the criminals forever." The look of shock at that idea crossed Dervaine's face. Althalos smirked, looking like he wanted to do anything to cause his father's upset to be worse, but since it was his mother speaking he remained silent.

"I'm not. Assets are moved, and they'll have to rely on their skills to avoid further interaction. The debt is squared away as best we could manage."

The problem with a good meal is that it can disrupt whatever else you had inside you-meaning that Esme's chosen beverage was loosing its grip, and that terrible ache that cried for the man at her side began to dominate her mind again. Eventually Esme's clasp on her plate turned too rigid-hands shaking so hard, she was forced to put it down.

Althalos frowned at her. "Can you still eat?"

She blushed, not quite willing to explain what was going on so publicly."Can't hold the plate."

It was his mother who made the decision for them. "Son, bring her to your old room and bring the meal with you."

Althalos stood and bowed to both his parents, then gave Esme his hand-so reminiscent of their first meeting for a brief moment. His Aelifine face more registered to her as sad instead of shocked. Well, she was in such a state that it was bound to solicit some pity, if her betrothed had a heart at all. That and she was too pragmatic to let feelings get in the way of what was needed, at the moment.

For his part, Althalos' second night with his betrothed was spent more in documenting the changes that ravaged her already trim frame more than enjoying one of the few things that the bond allowed them. Esme was too tough to cry over the balance he restored in her, in spite of what their more innocent time together told him she was capable of. Eventually, they fell asleep and truly rested-the first peaceful night they had since he first gave her his hand to help her stand.