Corsair Atadel smiled, somehow deep and gracious at the same time. He bowed slightly again, indicating the magicycle storage shed cloaked in shadows near the main house. "Please, come this way. We can leave them in the storage, and then you can all come in and my servants will show you the way to your rooms."<br/><br/>After his short dialogue, he looked down at her, some undefinable emotion lurking in his eyes. Lhurriel smiled tremulously at the affection and kindness in them, and she gave him her hand, allowing him to tuck it onto his arm like she was a young lady instead of a tomboyish water mage. They walked in silence next to Kaeden, and occasionally Lhurriel interrupted the silence with interesting tidbits about the estate, such as the prize horseflesh wandering the beginnings of the pastures, some notable natural landmarks such as mountain ranges and forests, and even the spectacular gardens that wound around the main house.<br/><br/>"Here we are," Corsair finally said, arriving at a large, clean, and well-maintained building. "Just place your magicycle in one of the open stalls. I'll have one of my grooms lock the doors after you. We've one of the best crystal security systems in the country, so you won't have to worry about thieves. When you're done here, just come into the house to our left-" He waved vaguely at the large, elegant front of the house to the group's collective left surrounded by neat, pruned plants and flowers; "-and then we can talk and I'll show you to your rooms."<br/><br/>With that, he bowed politely again and made his leave of the guards, still leading Lhurriel on his arm. Once they were out of sight, his free hand closed warmly over hers, squeezing her smaller hand gently. She glanced up, startled, face slightly pink. "Is something wrong, Corsair?"<br/><br/>His eyes flicked over her subtle features slowly, and then he shook his head, continuuing to amble them towards the main house. "No, no, nothing like that. It's just been a long time since I've seen you, that's all. I didn't think, after we stopped being lovers, that I would feel your loss so much, even though we parted on good terms," he confessed, leading her inside. She took a deep breath as they entered the house, and smelled only the clean scent of flowers. He led her into the library just off the entrance into the hall, and settled her beside him in a chair facing the fireplace opposite the door into the room.<br/><br/>They were quiet, content to sit in the peaceful silence surrounding them. Lhurriel's hand was still clasped in Corsair's lap; she glanced at him, and then leaned over to hug him, her smile remniscient of past days when their intimacy went beyond mere friendship. They'd evolved from business partners to friends to lovers, and back to friends, but no hard feelings existed between them. Still, it was easy to miss what used to be.<br/><br/>"Corsair, even if we are no longer lovers, we are still friends. Good friends," she murmured, giving his hand a quick squeeze before she got up to examine the books lining the shelves behind them. Her fingers and eyes flicked over titled volumes as they waited for the guards to return, but her mind still thought wistfully of the past, when all she had worried about was her magic and her crystals.