Lhurriel happily greeted the others as they trooped in, followed last by Kae. She giggled at their exaggerated comments about Rowhik's stellar table manners, contributing one or two of her own comments about his otherwise not-so-perfect behavior.<br/><br/>"A glorious morning indeed, Sir Kaeden," Corsair immediately answered, standing with a genuine smile on his face. "I am always grateful that Fate awarded me with such a beautiful home, as She is not nearly so kind with others of my peers. And do not worry; it is no great debt to see that the friends of my own dearest friend are comfortable and in want of nothing, except that which I cannot provide them."<br/><br/>When Kae addressed Lhurriel, she stood politely as well, bowing the exact degree required of an Aladellan Master Mage to the captain of a special guard contingent. "I'm well used to the rigors of travel, Sir Kaeden. I am reluctant to leave such good company, and wonderful accomodations-" Corsair grinned at that, but declined to comment, merely chuckling as he seated himself, "-but I do realize we have a mission to accomplish. Nothing will keep me from reaching my goal." Kae was then hustled off to his seat by the housekeeper, and plates of food began circulating, the pleasant exchange of conversation beginning almost simultaneously.<br/><br/>The matching of wits always left Lhurriel in a happy state of mind, and she was pleased to see that the soldiers found her in good company, and were willing to let down class and rank barriers to poke fun at her. Though their camarederie was slightly stiffer with Corsair present, her open acceptance of Corsair as an equal (and thus a highly acceptable target for teasing and wit) allowed the others to bring him into the pleasant chatter after most of the food had been passed around.<br/><br/>However, almost all sound and movement in the room halted when Rowhik brought up marriage... and Lhurriel... and Corsair. The mage, startled by the sudden change in topic, flushed a deep rose as embarassment bottled up her usual quick responses; Corsair stopped mid-bite through a piece of toast, and colored slightly... even the servants in the room halted (if they were balanced) and stumbled slightly in mid-step before regaining their footing.<br/><br/>"I- no! It isn't anything... l-like that! Or- at least, not now there isn't..." Lhurriel managed to choke out, completely unable to form a coherent sentence. While she tried to convince Rowhik that what he'd heard was nothing about any marriage, Corsair gave his servants a LOOK - they all nodded, paused guiltily, and filed out quietly.<br/><br/>When all of the servants had disappeared silently from the room, Corsair stood up smoothly. "Rowhik's got it all wrong," he said, with an irritated glare at the soldier in question. "There is nothing you've need to concern yourselves about. Lady-Mage Keladar and I are not getting married - we are of different classes, after all. It was simply a misinterpretation on Sir Rowhik's part." His tone bade the entire group to mention the topic no more, and he took his seat silently, continuuing his breakfast where he had left off.<br/><br/>After a silent second, the others did the same, though the atmosphere was slightly awkward thanks to Rowhik's blundering mouth. Lhurriel and Corsair carefully avoided each other's gazes during the rest of the meal; when he finished, Corsair bade them an early farewell, pleading a busy schedule and estate paperwork. Lhurriel promised to come get him prior to their departure, but those were the only words she said to him for the rest of the morning.