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| Sapphira Calren | Feb 9 2009, 02:05 PM |
High Queen & Chancellor
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Sapphira glanced down at her elegant red silk gown with its white embroidery and smiled very slightly. If someone had told her a few weeks before that today she would be hosting a coming out ball for Robert's adult daughter, Sapphira would not have believed it. Yet here she was, in a dress bought specifically for the occasion, and Robert did have an adult daughter. That fact did not bother Sapphira, plenty of men fathered children, but she had to admit she had not been expecting a grown woman to show up out of the blue. Still, Robert had taken to fatherhood quickly, and although Sapphira did not know Gwen well, she liked the girl so far. Sapphira was hosting this ball, but she had played only a cursory roll in the planning. That had been Erin, though the Light knew the woman probably had other things she could have been doing. If Gwen had arrived a few years before, Sapphira could have taken a hand and helped with the planning, but there was simply too much going on right now. Too much for her to excuse more than a couple of hours at this party, really. Yet at the same time, Sapphira relished the idea of being able to spend a few hours not worrying about the war and the world. She enjoyed parties and balls. She had been a very social girl in Cairhien, but she had forgotten most of that as a Red. It had come back in her years as Amyrlin. The setting and finery did not matter so much to Sapphira, but she did enjoy maintaining as much of a social life as she could. It was difficult, but Gwen's coming out was exactly what Sapphira had needed. She made her way to the ballroom with Gwen, Robert, and Erin, thoroughly impressed by what she saw. Erin had worked hard to set all this up so quickly, but truly it looked as if it had been a year in the planning. Sapphira stood at the end of the receiving line, as befit the hostess, and greeted guests along with the members of House Laurel. Sapphira wondered how Gwen felt about all this. Sapphira had certainly never had such a party thrown in her honor, not until she was raised Amyrlin at least. Neither commoners in Cairhien nor novices were the guests of honor at grand balls- nor did they even attend them, really, except perhaps to serve. Soldiers were more common at grand festivities, but still Sapphira wondered how Robert's young daughter was feeling. She had known that her father was an influential Cairhienin noble, but had she expected all this to happen so quickly after she announced herself? Most likely, Sapphira would never find out, unless Robert decided to tell her. She could ask the girl what she thought about all this, but likely all she would get in reply would be gracious thanks for hosting, some sort of compliment, and something about not being used to such treatment. Sapphira would ask the question all the same, it would be expected, but the answer would tell her nothing about how the newest Laurel really felt. Robert may choose to let Sapphira in on how his daughter was really feeling, but Sapphira did not count on it. It was family business and although she and Robert were friends, she did not think he would see any need to go into great detail about how his daughter felt about her first time in Tar Valon society. Letting her mind wander idlly, Sapphira greeted the guests that came to speak to the guest of honor and her family. She gave a nod and a smile, speaking a few simple words where appropriate. She did not need to concentrate very hard to accept compliments on how nice the ballroom looked, or how gracious it was of her to play hostess for the Haran al'Tari's daughter. Later, once the more formal greetings were over, she would have to put a little more mind on what she was doing, and she knew she would be rewarded for it by an enjoyable evening. Yes, Sapphira was very glad to take her mind off the world's worries, if only for a few hours. Hopefully, after an evening of relaxation, she could return to her duties the next day with renewed vigor and fresh eyes. |
 Unweaving, Healing, Warding | |
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| At the Ball · Inside the Towers | |
3:19 AM Nov 28
