[ Some of the tension leeches out of him as his aunt glides off to greet another guest, and he continues to pointedly ignore the weight of everyone else's eyes on them both. He's used to being a bit of a novelty to gawk at, though the people in attendance tonight have grown so used to them he'd forgotten what it felt like in this particular group. Silly of him to think that the worst of the scrutiny would happen the night of the gala itself. ]
I would say she's the worst of the lot, but... [ He gives her a wry little smile, stroking his thumb along the edge of her hand gently when she squeezes it. ] Perhaps the most important.
[ His own parents weren't able to come, wrapped up in their business ventures in the Antipodes, his sisters are away at school — and won't they be cross to discover that not only did they miss out on seeing Benedict, but they also missed out on heckling him for having a girlfriend — and Gwen is away on deployment; of the members of his family in attendance whose opinions he actually cares about, it would indeed seem that his aunt takes precedence at the moment.
The rest of the evening goes in a very similar vein, with one friend or distant relation after another sidling up to them to make the acquaintance of Benedict's mysterious American paramour, some more polite about their curiosity than others. Thankfully, it isn't too much longer until dinner is announced, and then the only people they have to make conversation with are those directly beside and across from them. ]
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2021-10-14 01:43 am (UTC)I would say she's the worst of the lot, but... [ He gives her a wry little smile, stroking his thumb along the edge of her hand gently when she squeezes it. ] Perhaps the most important.
[ His own parents weren't able to come, wrapped up in their business ventures in the Antipodes, his sisters are away at school — and won't they be cross to discover that not only did they miss out on seeing Benedict, but they also missed out on heckling him for having a girlfriend — and Gwen is away on deployment; of the members of his family in attendance whose opinions he actually cares about, it would indeed seem that his aunt takes precedence at the moment.
The rest of the evening goes in a very similar vein, with one friend or distant relation after another sidling up to them to make the acquaintance of Benedict's mysterious American paramour, some more polite about their curiosity than others. Thankfully, it isn't too much longer until dinner is announced, and then the only people they have to make conversation with are those directly beside and across from them. ]