Keep dreaming

When word had reached her that her oldest friend had come all the way to Alderrath, she was shocked and appalled to find out that he didn't come straight to her. Never mind the business side of things, of course. At first she had indeed thought that it was her father who he was here for, but that was far from the truth. No, instead she had come to know that he was here for her cousin Charlotte. Little Lottie. She supposed it wasn't that weird, considering what the two families meant to each other. However, that did not mean that she wouldn't inquire about his exact intentions.

The man that played a big role in her childhood memories was now looking for her, or so she was told. Luckily she found him first, spotting him studying some flowers in the garden. She didn't want to disturb him just yet, and so she turned around slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes from where she was standing. For a moment she felt very much like her 7-year old self, waiting behind a corner for the perfect moment to ambush and startle him. There was no intention of startling now though, purely observation. But when she noticed him making his way over to her, she couldn't help but mirror his bright smile. "If it isn't the baron of Dawnmire." she teasingly said, before jumping forward and grabbing him in a tight hug. After a moment she leaned back, looking at his face. "I am very good. But what about you? Are you here for any special business?" she asked with a sly grin. It might not entirely be her business, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious.

At first she wasn't too sure what to think. Victor was like an older brother to her, and Lottie was her little cousin. They got along well now, but when she was 12 and Lottie was 8 the age difference felt enormous. No, if you'd ask her a few years ago whether the two could ever be engaged, she would look at you as if you asked her if she would ever scrub a bathroom. In that sense, Jane's engagement made more sense. Now that Lottie was all grown up, though, it wasn't quite as weird, and politically it also made sense. However, the decisive factor for Alison was the fact that Victor and herself would now actually be family, even if it was just cousins-in-law.

The grin on her face only spread wider as he started with the familiar tease, lighting up her features. He had caught her red-handed: she did know exactly why he was here, but she wanted to know each and every last detail. "Soo...? How did it go?" she asked him, her eyes glittering with a naughty curiosity. She should be more mature about this, maybe, but this affected her personally, did it not? The grin made way for a pensive frown as he mentioned her guards. "I would, but I doubt my newly-appointed personal guard would be of much use. So we might need some of your intrinsic motivation for that." Victor would probably be able to handle Nyx perfectly fine on his own, guard or no guard.

One never really knew why their parents made the matches they made. Her engagement to Faolan was the perfect example for that. Sure, he came from a good family, but especially her mother didn't seem to hold any warm feelings for him (although of course it was questionable whether she held warm feelings towards anyone to begin with). Alison had wondered before if, had Emilio not passed before his time, they would have decided to engage her to Victor? It was impossible now, with him being Baron and all that, but she wouldn't be surprised if the thought had crossed their minds before. She supposed that was the only good thing that had come from his death, then. A cruel thought, but she could not imagine being engaged to Victor, ever, in any lifetime. He was the brother she never had and nothing more. So in that sense, his being engaged to Lottie wasn't that bad.

It was funny that he should even ask. Judging by the look on his face, he already knew exactly what her answer would be. "Both." she said determinedly, not even trying to hide her nosiness now. She laughed at his plan to take matters in his own hand regarding her guard. He would be able to do it, that was for sure. But it might not be the best idea. "I doubt Father would appreciate that, but thank you for the offer." she laughed. Apart from the fact that she would be in big trouble if he ever found out, Victor should probably lay low until he was actually married as well. After all, engagements were just as easily broken as they were formed.

Her gaze turned soft as she noticed how he became a bit more quiet. Not usually one to doubt himself, but in this case she understood perfectly well where he came from. She had those same doubts and worries about her own upcoming marriage, after all. "I think you can, if you both want to." she said honestly, putting her hand on his arm as she did so. "Knowing Lottie, she will be desperate to make it work." As far as she was aware, it was Lottie's greatest wish to be happily married. If anyone could give her that, it would be Victor.

Alison furrowed her brows together in something that wasn't quite annoyance, but it was clear that she wasn't satisfied. "Yes, Lottie's great, but you're going to have to tell me a little bit more than that." She wanted to know everything. Word for word, basically. And if he wouldn't tell her she would just have to ask Lottie, but she wanted to hear it from him first. His few on the matter was probably a bit more objective, she thought. That wasn't Lottie's fault; she supposed that's just where the age difference came in. Alison didn't have a realistic world view at 20, either. Probably still didn't.

And there it was. It was amazing, but the doubts were still there. How could they not be? Older people always acted like engagements were not a big deal, like they were more of a business transaction than anything else. Sometimes that was true, but more often than not an engagement could change a person's whole life. "Maybe you should try to get to know her a little better before worrying." she said sweetly. She felt for him, truly, but she was positive that this match could work.