ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย @arducnna
ย ย ย โ Iโm so sorry if this invitation seemed FORWARD, but your mother has not stopped saying such good things about you that I felt it was time we met. โ She sounds sweet, careful. She is not quite sure of Gallandus just yet. The information she has had on him is very little for her to know what his outlook on life, courtship and marriage are, and she knows better than to believe the parental pattern and words are in any way reliable sources of information. One thing people did not exaggerate was how truly good looking he was, so perhaps regardless of the outcome of this morning, this would be a pleasant brunch after all.ย
ย ย ย โ Can you believe that she would have been classmate with my own father so many years ago? โ Small talk would not get them anywhere, but it would test the water. Besides, anyone having had contact with Mandyโs father and remembering him positively still baffles her after all these years of seeing him smile and manipulate his way into the heart of other diplomats. She knew the real deal, and would have almost felt sorry for Gallandusโs mother for having been inflicted with the likes of William Hurst at any point in her education if she had cared for the woman enough. โ I doubt she would have told you, though. I firmly believe she has been trying to CHARM me during the entirety of that charity ball we both attended. โ Not that any of this matters. This is merely testing the water before jumping in.
gallandus would have reveled in yet another opportunity to schmooze, put on his perfectly guarded, yet still disarming grin and then basked in all the attention he received. galland, however, puts on that same smile, but heโs uncomfortable with amandaโs seemingly innocuous words. nothing in his life is to be trusted anymore, what with the debacle of the wizard and -no he would not think of her anymore. heโs suspicious of amandaโsย intentions, especially so because of her neutrality in her political life, which may or may not be self-serving.ย โAH, yes, my mother tends to... overinflate. iย hope to be at least half of the person my mother claims i am.โ
he actually hates his motherโs intentions and expectations for him, but there was no way in oz that amanda would become privy to that information before a first dinner out. perhaps she would never be. galland has grown adept at the art of deceit and suppression of feelings over the years, and he doubts a little secret would be difficult to manage.ย
โ oz is a small land, dearest. metaphorically, of course. still, my mother was the type in school to befriend anyone and everyone who she thought would be important someday; it isnโt a stretch to see her reaching out to your father. he is brilliant, by the way. โ he nods his head in appreciation before taking a sip of the water glass to his right. galland can sense that this conversation is mere trifle, a gateway to something of more weight. he decides he would rather like to see how long amanda can last before she tires of unimportant small talk. perhaps heโll manage to put off the so-calledย โbig newsโ his mother said amanda was to share
โย what does your mother do? i hear plenty about mr. hurst in the news, what of mrs. hurst?ย โ
