Canon update thread (OTA after his return)
Andrej at the hotel for a late lunch before returning to the clinic for the rest of the afternoon. Morning had been busy, not with patients, but with paperwork. Andrej had worked the schedule through the next month. He wasn't certain why he had bothered because there were so many holidays for the Earth people upcoming that changes were
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She was headed from work to her room when she came across a rather uncomfortable scene. She had not seen a man like than since Henry had been told of his future.
Carefully, she walked over to where he knelt.
"Sir Audrej?" She called softly, gently shaking his shoulder.
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"Your Excellency," Andrej managed. He leaned to kiss the air above her hand. It was a poor cover for his position seated on the lobby floor but they could pretend he had knelt to greet her. Yes, that was certainly what happened. Andrej knew he could not possibly have been openly weeping in such a public place. He rose with as much grace as he could manage. Security had reached him but he raised his hand to stay their inevitable questions. He would explain soon enough.
Turning back to the lady, Andrej paused. He could hardly give greeting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. What to say? Perhaps nothing would be necessary.
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"Sir Andrej...it has been awhile, hasn't it." Lying didn't come that easy to her: reserving the truth yes, but not lying. This was different: she really hadn't seen him in a long while, not since Febuary. It was also a matter of keeping calm and trying to not draw attention.
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"Indeed it has," Andrej agreed. "Too long. Perhaps we could dine together? I was about to have midmeal. It is a bit late, I know, and rather abrupt." To invite a lady in such a way was not proper, but he waived toward the restaurant at the side of the lobby. It was not as if they would be dining privately. But that gave him an idea. "Although perhaps you would consider dining with me soon, more formally." Not just as a meeting by accident to cover embarrassment. Andrej was behaving badly. He hope Anna would excuse him.
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"It is actually closer to dinner time." She corrected, wondering what happened that he was suddenly forgetting about the last few hours. "I would be honored to dine with you just the same."
She couldn't use the word 'love', but she did like the idea to have a proper talk and meal with him outside of a party, which he most likely had guests to tend to.
Of course, there was the matter of her classes, but she had two hours of free time prior, and she couldn't think of a better way to spend them than dinner with someone.
Besides, she had no doubt that they would both welcome the distraction.
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Andrej offered his arm to Anna. He had planned on a quick meal and return to the clinic. There was no way he could concentrate on paperwork after this afternoon. Why not dine early with the lady and then retire? He could mope in his suite all he wished. And inform security who would in turn inform Mr. Anasazi. Yes, a nice long dinner it would be. He wished to distract himself.
To his security, Andrej said, "Would you please check with the staff to see if the main dining area is available? I would prefer Her Excellency not to be exposed to dining so publicly as in the bar area."
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She took his arm, offering a reassuring smile. "I do not mind dining so publically, especially in a bar, my court from home was not so formal as to make meal time a ceremony." She thought a moment: it may be best for them to be able to talk away from prying eyes. "However, it would be nice to talk and be able to hear what the other one is saying."
Such was not always the case in the bar area.
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As the host began leading the way to a table, Andrej waived at the empty room. "You will see that all is reserved just for our pleasure. We are private and public both."
Andrej could see security falling in behind him. It was a skill, one from his youth, judging what his younger siblings were doing behind him in church while he was forced to kneel in front with his parents. In this case, it was not hard to guess. His security were looking at each other and studying Andrej to see what could possibly have happened in the last few minutes to leave their employer so changed.
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She walked with him toward the room with the table, also talking a moment to observe the guards. It was a skill she never got rid of-how to read people when she was unsure of their language. They looked unsure of their master as well, but why?
She carefully took a seat, placing her thinks next to her.
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She listened to him, her head above the menu to observe.
"That.." She frowned. "It's not impossible. The same happened to me last year, I found myself back home for a year, and yet when I returned to the village, it had only been a week. I remember seeing you earlier this morning in the hotel, so you were right, you were not actually gone for long, but I cannot be sure why this is, that the village will send us back home, only to send us back here."
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Behind him, security had also relaxed considerably. They had heard.
"I do not know why we are here at all. It seems random, almost. Children. Who would bring children to such a place?" That was the largest crime, to Andrej's mind. Himself, yes, he could understand. Ransom or revenge or even a political motive. Anna, similar. Children never. Oh, perhaps for the same motives, but against the parent. But none of these could be true of everyone here and there was no evidence of any of them.
The relief brought with it a return of Andrej's appetite. It was not true that he had not eaten since fastmeal. Well, it was, but fastmeal had been fewer hours ago aboard the courier Magdalenja. "What appears to interest you, Madame Anna? I should say I will for us order some of this bread with cheese (bruscetta), perhaps the vegetable sauce (spinach-artichoke dip), and the spiced bread ( ... )
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Like the lady Mary and Elizabeth, both at one point bastards and used as political pawns, both wanting and almost craving their father's attention.
The list of appetizers made her smile: it was a lot of food for starters, but then it was like back home in a way-she would usually only pick at such items anyway, greed was looked down upon.
"That sounds lovely. I believe then for mains, we may share an entree of chicken with butter sauce, sage and prosciutto (chicken Saltimbocca) and something else for a 'side order'?"
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"For all your talk of science, I see more in common between yours and the English court-without the superstitions of course. The meals there are grand, even for a small dinner." She smiled, her face lighting up a little from the laugh. "And yes, I agree. One dessert with chocolate."
One might think that she was sick of chocolate, given her roommate's shop, but then most of the food cooked by Vianne was healthful and hardly contained chocolate except as the occasional sauce-and even then that was only for special occasions.
Speaking of which, she paused in her thinking to order when a server came to their table, as well as getting a bottle of house wine. It seemed only fitting.
She felt herself smile a little at his gaze, not flirtations, but she did enjoy his company. It'd been awhile since she'd been with a man that she could just relax infront of.
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