"It's so good to have you home, darling!" Lady Amelie swept over to her daughter, all pink cheeks and ripe lips, astoundingly like her daughter. The Matron of the Lutgardis home embraced Ilithyia delicately, much to the tall woman's chagrin.

Illy shot Dren an expression of discomfort as she awkwardly extricated herself from her mother. She didn't expect sympathy, but maybe a cool glare of recognition. "Yes, mother. It's good to be home. Now, please, can we go to the parlor? I'd like to get something out in the open. As quickly as possible." She had wanted to wear her uniform, but her mother disliked seeing the dark, serious green in her pastel hued home, so Ilithyia was wearing some surely out of fashion gown she'd gotten after her graduation from Brunnhold. Picking at the loose sleeves, she slipped off her practical rain boots, slippers beneath saved from the drizzle.

Amelie's eyes darted from her daughter to Dren, obvious curiosity in the glance. Yet she had better manners than to pry, especially with the tantalizing if confusing knowledge that all would be soon explained. She hurried to comply with her daughter's wishes, leading them down the pretty hallway. Ilithyia sighed as they passed portraits of men and woman that held only a passing familiarity to the officer and her mother, and it was with a small smile that they reached the sitting room.

Without a word, the younger woman settled down on a couch, purposefully grabbing a teacup and sipping it. Mmm, sweet berry tea. Her favorite. Amelie flounced about, her blue eyes sparkling, as she provided for Dren. "Are you comfortable, young man? Try some tea, I had it sent for as soon as I saw the carriage coming up the lane."

Dren smiled in response, allowing his eyebrows to raise slightly at the centre, lips slightly tentative. He affected the appearance of a man who was happy but nervous. You didn't just elope every day in galdori society, or even pretend to have eloped. He knew that it would behoove him to seem repentant. He cleared his throat before speaking and the sound seemed to make him jump.

"Oh, very, Lady Lutgardis. Thank you for welcoming me into your home." He bowed his head, reaching for Ilithyia's hand slowly, not wanting to spook her and ruin the ruse. He entwined their fingers. "It is truly a pleasure to be here, thank you for the tea."

He politely took a sip, looking about Ilithyia's home with feigned interest but not yet looking at her.

The girl managed to feign a smile at Dren, rubbing the back of his hand with one thumb. She secretly contemplated gnawing her arm off to remove the offending appendages, and mused that she had a hatcher by the claws. Illy immediately discarded the idea, for there was no way a hatcher was quite as disastrous as Dren. Her expression became more genuine at the thought, and warmth leaked through. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with madmen before, right?

Her manner with her mother, however, was less than polite. "He's fine, mother, stop fussing over him." She waved dismissively, taking another swallow of tea.

Amelie merely looked pleased, and did not stop her tender ministrations. She wouldn't rush them into this announcement. She hadn't even gathered the boy's name before her headstrong girl had rushed them off. "It's no trouble, my dear man. It's delightful for my little Illy to bring someone home. She didn't ever invite anyone home from Brunnhold--"

"Mother! Please!" Flushing, Illy fought the urge to draw her hand away from Dren's, instead leaning closer to him, as she might have Alstair. "This is far from me just inviting someone home from school."

Dren quietly watched their interaction with a gentle expression. His eyes seemed to have gained an unfocused cast. To a clever eye he almost seemed to be counting the books on the shelf before him.

"Well then, what is your name, as my daughter hasn't seen fit to tell me yet?" Her tone was gently chiding, and Ilithyia's blush worsened and she averted her eyes, grumbling internally. However Amelie's eyes were still soft when they glanced between Ilithyia and Dren, hopeful. She had some inkling as to why a girl like her daughter would bring a boy home, and most of those reasons made Amelie one very happy mother.

"My name is Simon, Simon Carrington." Dren said, lying smoothly. "I'm sure she meant to, dear Ilithyia is always so busy with her civic duty. I'm blessed that she makes time for me, her selflessness knows no bounds."

It didn't sound like a jibe and honestly, he hadn't meant it that way. It was obvious that he was aware of how she might view his words. It just hadn't stopped him. He continued to lean against her slightly and Ilithyia was surprised to find that he wasn't cold on the outside.

"Would you care to share the good news, my love?" Dren said, gazing lovingly at Ilithyia.

When he saw that her mother wasn't watching, he momentarily raised his left eyebrow at her, expression turning mocking.

Ilithyia pursed her lips sourly. Oh damn, he was far too accomplished at duplicity. She'd almost bought it there for a moment, though she still felt rather bemused by the overly complimentary line about her selflessness. Perhaps if he was going to lie, he might as well make it big?

Trying to convert her frown into the beginning of a sappy smile, Ilyia nervously tucked a strand of auburn hair behind one ear, blue eyes averted so Amelie couldn't see the emotion behind them. She had, in her opinion, few options; she would go with the plan ver-batem, pronounce the secret marriage and the baby. It would shock her mother, perhaps even shame her, but that was that.

"Mother, Simon and I are-- well, we-- um. We're married." She smiled and bit her lip, imagining that in Dren's stead was someone she could love, could marry. Certainly not Alstair, either. No, she made Simon Carrington someone she would be happy being the father of her child. "We had a secret ceremony a little after the riot. I was terrified and Simon was so wonderful, so we decided..."

Amelie's lack of all expression made Illy trail off. Blue eyes met, and she saw the deep hurt in her mother's gaze. Ilithyia had visited during the school's masquerade, had months to tell her. Amelie didn't expect over much from her children; her eldest boy was an adventurer, the next two lads were a scientist and a politician, respectively. Yet she'd always dreamed of being her daughter's confidante, imagined chan parties and wedding plans. When her daughter had grown up plain and sad, she'd been lost; none of Amelie's desires were shared. Now that her girl was pretty and headstrong, those hopes had been rekindled.

"So-- so quickly, then! Marriage is not something to be rushed into, Ilithyia dear, I would have thought you'd have given it a little more thought." She glanced at Dren, a look of querying hurt written over her. He'd agreed to something so drastic and in secret, no less.

Ilithyia slid away from Dren, and leaning over the tea tray, laid a hand over her mother's. "I'm-- I'm not sorry I did it, mother. It was what we both wanted. We had to keep it quiet because he-- he's um. He was investigating some of the Seventen's actions." There, a good reason for silence. "We met when he was questioning my squad, back in Intas, right after I arrived. It was all so quick, mother." She sat back, looking at Dren with forced affection, even sliding her hand back under his.

Lady Lutgardis (as she now assumed her daughter was going to go by Carrington) nodded slowly, understandingly. There was so much hurt, though-- Ilithyia sighed, and as Amelie look away for a moment, pulled a face at Dren.

"You could have another one." It was a desperately optimistic plea, one that made Illy's heart freeze. "If this one was really so secret, there would be no problem having a public ceremony. I think a Roalis wedding could be lovely with your coloring, Ilithyia, and Simon would look dashing in anything, with that skin--"

"Mother. I'm pregnant." This time, Illy didn't meet her mother's eyes. Amelie was stunned into silence. As Ilithyia searched for words, he hand tightened around Dren's. "It-- we just found out. I thought it was the flu, when he made me go and get a check up. Mother, Mom... please. Be happy for me, because I am. I am happy like this." She smiled at the older woman, like an olive branch, blue gaze hopeful.

The lies were flowing more easily now, like a crack that had become a spring, perhaps one day a waterfall.

Dren took this moment to stand and walk over to the senior of the Ladies Lutgardis. With a tremulous expression that looked for all the world to be genuine, he took her hands in his. He inhaled and held his breath for a moment, as though unsure of what to say. His eyes began to crinkle and his expression, slightly sad to begin with, fell.

"My dear lady, we are truly sorry for the hurt we have caused you. Our impetuous happiness has, in the way of such things, made a weathered road for us to tred upon." Dren said, voice ripe with false-earnestness. "I swear, if there is anything we could do to make this right, we shall do it. We can have a public ceremony, before the baby comes. For your family to celebrate. This is not what you would call ideal and I regret that my rashness has created some scandal for my dear wife but still... Is this not a joyous occasion? You will be a grandmother and your daughter a mother."

Dren looked back at Ilithyia as though overcome. The expression that she saw while his head was turned was actually quite intrigued. The process of creating a child was one he was familiar with. Actually bearing and birthing a new human being, well, that was another thing entirely. By the time he had turned back to Lady Luthgardis, his expression was suitably hopefully and enthralled, the perfect father to be.

Ilithyia sat quietly as Dren bared something of his forged soul to Amelie, trying to take in his earnest offer. She supposed that he would later tell her to convince her mother that the public wedding was a bad idea.

Amelie was nodding, taken in by Dren's total charm and faked integrity. Dabbing at her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief, her smile returned, softer and more serene than before. "Oh you are a dear, my newest son. I am happy, I was just taken by surprise. A grandmother! None of my other children are even wed yet, so this will be my first. How wonderful!" She patted his hands, tears of happiness now the ones misting her eyes. Since he had offered the wedding, strict politeness demand she deny all desire for one, as the thought should be as good as the action. However, Amelie wanted a wedding. Looking at Ilithyia, she looked her daughter over with quiet pride.

"I know you will start to show soon, so I do think it best we start preparations for the wedding immediately. Although more rushed than is strictly fashionable, we can have the ceremony as soon as the end of Loshis, or early Hamis." She placed one soft hand against Dren's face, all motherly affection. "If we make it particularly extravagant, it might seem as though more time was put into it than the reality. I'm certain that with... lavish enough gratuities, the decorators can be convinced we have been planning all of this since you two met."

As though the conspiracy had cheered her, she winked at Ilithyia. "It wasn't so long ago I was pregnant with a baby and unwedded myself. Your father and I have experience with these things."

It was Ilithyia's turn to go white. Nikos... was conceived out of wedlock? Her Aniketos? "Clocking-- mother!" It was shocking; she knew her mother was cosmopolitan, but really!

Amelie merely smiled like a cat in cream and raised one finger to her lips."I always knew you were more like me than it seemed. At least you had a secret marriage to hold you through; I was terrified your father wasn't going to propose. However, things ended well. As this has." She looked to the tea try, and seeing that Ilithyia and Dren both were long done with the contents of their cups, stood and gathered the things. "I shall return with better fare for a mother-to-be and the handsome father, please, make yourselves at home!" She rushed off, eager for Ilithyia and Dren to have a moment to process her rather interesting advice.

Watching her mother's pink clad posterior leave the room, Illy whirled on Dren. "You-- you're really going to go through with it? A real wedding?" Shock, amongst other things, was written across her face, eyebrows lifted comically. "I mean I know it's 'Simon Carrington,' but..." If they had a real ceremony (which she had no doubt her mother could arrange with a great deal of speed), it would be really... real.

Dren now seemed to be quite bemused by this entire event. He was possibly more pleased than Illy had ever seen him. His normal, shrewd expression was turned up around the edges, making him resemble a contented osta.

"Why not? I do enjoy weddings." He said, looking philosophical. "It's not as though you will be married to me. You will be married to pleasant Mister Carrington, until you so choose to be done with him. Then he's going to fall into the ocean in front of plenty of witnesses and never be seen again."

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and patted once, twice.

"I know you will surely miss him but in time, you will move on." He said, voice comforting below his piercing, laughing eyes.

Then he grinned, as if he was inviting her to laugh along as well. Ilithyia's expression was sour for a moment before collapsing into something of a smile, rather nonplussed with the turn of events but not totally unhappy either. She hadn't particularly minded the touch, it was easier to be comfortable around Dren when he was amused, or at least not object-oriented. She even lifted her brow, the sardonic quirk almost affectionate.

"I'm certain I will, however a bout of grief from the widowed mother-to-be is just the sort of thing to play on heartstrings, so I may have to be bereft for a bit." Sighing, she ran a hand through her loose hair. "Though a wedding. That will be... interesting. I have to find a dress." her expression morphed into something akin to distaste and a rather ashamed excitement. She patted her belly, wondering if she'd begin to show soon. Now with a safety net and a plausible backstory, she was feeling the tendrils of fondness, even pleasure, at the concept. Besides, she rather liked the name Carrington.

She was just about to ask where's he come up with the name when her mother burst back in, carrying the luncheon herself. Her cheeks were pink and sleeves lightly stained, and Illy could only conclude that she'd made the meal herself. It was... shockingly sweet of her. She gave the short, plump woman an affectionate glance as she set the food down.

"So, how does Hamis 3rd sound?" Amelie's quiet glee was infectious, and Ilithyia turned to Dren with an honest laugh. The entire ordeal had been far more pleasant than expected, and Ilithyia wasn't certain she should be this excited about a false wedding to a nonexistent man. Yet...

"It sounds wonderful, mother."

(( This was cowritten with Sharky before my Hiatus, but this will stand as an explanation as to where Illy has been since the beginning of Loshis! It was a great experience to write with her, and I hope I get the chance to do so again! ))