Scene #3417: Visiting Family

Owner	Pose
Amalthea	Tea is set to steep, the fire is... Well the fire in the hearth is always on, being that the manse is located in an active volcano, and the study is nice and quiet, save for the crackle of the fireplace occasionally burbling a spurt of molsten lava now and then. Amalthea is settle in at her desk, feet propped up on the ancient table, masterfully hand crafted by who knows what exalt of immense crafting skill, nose buried in a book of faery tales. Also set out upon the table is a simple chess set of ebony and ivory. The first move has been made already, white pawn to E4, just waiting for a second player.
Ainsley	Ainsley is visiting. She would've sent word ahead about doing so, just to be polite, and so when she arrives it's with confidence that she's not interrupting family time or any similar activities. The lizard woman walks with a step that's almost completely silent, a sense of magic about her preceding her arrival. She has a pack of painting supplies along with her, all of which gets patiently set aside without a word. "Hello," she speaks up, in her soft voice, pleased to be visiting again for the first time in ... months, she figures. She takes a seat nearby, in whatever convenient chair there is, settling in with as much softness as how she walks. Her eyes dip to the chess board. A curious look, nothing more. "Should I paint a portrait of you?" she wonders, "I've been trying to keep my skills sharp while Faruja is off doing... goodness knows what."
Amalthea	There is, in fact, a rather comfortable chair on the opposite side of the desk. Nice, cushy, and soft. Very much unlike the uncomfortable chair usually reserved for the severely rare occasion in which Amalthea has to call someone into her office for more official business. It has been far too long since Ainsley's last visit, this is true, and that's why, by the time the Quetzal arrive, the teapot is steaming, and a cup is poured, the sugar and condiments slid over easily, as Amalthea pours her own cup. Yes, Ainsley was indeed expected-- and fully welcome. Now, the unicorn glances from her book, that lone, cleare blue eye flicking upwards as she marks her page and folds it closed. "If you'd like." She replies. "If I have one thing goinf for me, I can at least sit still. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind a game." The choice of entertainment is left to her guest, as Amalthea sips her extremely sweetened tea. "How have you and Faruja been?"
Ainsley	Ainsley leans forward to prepare her own cup of tea, eyes focused on what she's doing. She seems more delicate than the last form she took on, as if having found 'who she really is' just weakened her. It makes her seem more peaceful, though, by the hint of her smile and her half-lidded gaze. She even puts in less sugar than usual! "He has been very busy. We have yet to have a lot of time to plan for the holidays or even really to do anything together. It feels lonely around the house sometimes." She reaches to move a chess piece, choosing a knight first. "I visited my mother recently. She would not speak to me, though I could tell it was because she did not know what to say. I also tried to track down my father, but he is still missing. It's hard to follow a decade-old trail without being a detective. I looked into the family tree and found I have a few cousins in the Quetzal refugees, so I can be around SOME family during the holidays." "How about you?"
Amalthea	"Mm." It's a soft sound of understanding as Amalthea sets her cup down to lean back. "Ellestaria is busy more often than not. I think between both of our longevity, and her tendency to practically live in her lab we might forget we're married, after a century or so." It's an idle joke, judging from the upward quirk of silvery lips, at one corner. Ah but then she nods. "Well. It's always good to remember you have other family as well." She notes, leaning over to get a better look at Ainsley's move, before sliding her bishop out of the gap formed by her open pawn, and bring the holy man into play. "Not necessarily all family need be blood related." Added as an after thought.
Ainsley	Ainsley makes her next move on the board. She doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about it, maintaining her peaceful smile the whole time. It seems hard to shake that look from her face. It widens at the joke Amal makes about their longevity. It's brief. "I have you," she agrees, "And a few others. Zephyr. That was her idea, but I enjoy that someone thinks of me so fondly." "I have heard many sources tell me that I will experience some sort of dark fate at the end of my path," she moves on to say, "Judging by the state of my world, it seems likely. Is it normal to accept that it is a possibility? Staren seemed shocked when he heard my reaction to Loros saying some ominous things about Names."
Amalthea	"Mmmhm. That's right." The Unicorn concedes easily. "You have me. As well as others. I think I need not list them, you already know, that's already clear." Replied as she smoothly shifts queen out from behind the pawn line. A brazen move, but she shrugs it off with a sip of tea. Now the ancient knight's brow quirks. "A dark fate? Ainsley methinks destiny hangs on your coattails so much already. But I suppose Fate is never one to let the chosen have too long a break." Mulled with a slight lift of her shoulders, buzzing with the motorized action. "Normal? Accepting it or not is wholly upon you, such things are always possibility for anyone. But are they probable? Who can say. It's as much on you to make your destiny and mold it, as it is to let it happen."