Quills

"Greetings Reye, I'm sorry I missed your greeting earlier." Nora said calmly and curtsied. This spouse was being somewhat hostile when he did not acknowledge their presence initially. He also would not want to lose face in front of Allurai, so if she was overly polite it would make his rudeness stand out more.

'Mother taught me that it was best to deal with bullies by 'killing them with kindness' and being unaffected. It worked so well with Leilanna. It seems to have worked she is staring daggers at him and he is flushing. Yes.' Nora thought.

"We look forward to your ceremony tonight, you bring us honor." Reye said in the same tone, seeming not to give up his attitude. It surprised Reye to get a respectful greeting from her. His countenance changed, and he flushed as he noticed Allurai had not yet left. The surrounding men started getting uncomfortable. Would Allurai comment on Reye's attitude? He was being terribly rude.

"Oh?" Nora said with a smile and paused. Nora, however, understood that this was probably him slighting her on Leilanna's behalf. If he wanted to be cannon fodder, then so be it. She had lessons in antagonism from catty individuals. She knew what worked and what to do to embarrass her opponents in a manner that would not get herself into trouble and make the other party look awful to a crowd. It was a mixture of negging and obviousness. She would appear diplomatic, but she would be singling the other person out. Jennifer, her stepmother, was an expert at using it to dress her down when she was at home. It was why she seldom went home.

"I am honored by such a unique welcome, Reye, and such warm sentiments. It is odd that you laughed along with Leilanna's odd words earlier, but you say I am an 'honor' now. Calloran culture is different from Alphem to Alphem. Interesting." Nora said sweetly.

"Well, It appears we will all be very busy tonight. I hope to meet you all in the coming days. It might be more pleasant then. Yes?" Nora said. Allurai's eyebrows knitted realising that Reye was harboring a strange sort of strange enmity towards Lenora Quill. She made a mental note to address it later. She narrowed her eyes upon Reye. Sensing the tension, Dorien cleared his throat. 

"I will be showing them the housing we set up. Can I trust you with taking charge of making sure all the changes are made to the food, decorations and entertainment tonight, Reye? Dareem will care for Allurai," Dorien said in a happy tone, thrusting work on him specifically. Reye nodded. He would now be forced to do his best as Allurai would be on the platform and would note if he was careless during this event.

"Oh yes. I will." Reye followed and remembered he would be busy. He looked at the stage and realised that he needed to get started. He opened his own software and began to call staff in to help him set up the stage and had the kitchen add the necessary dishes and drinks for the event. 

"We will see you in a couple of hours then," Dareem said, gladly breaking up the awkward atmosphere and ushering Allurai in a gentle way to the elevator. 

"Some of the children will be arriving soon from the Educational Center for the event tonight. The house will soon become very lively." Cevez chatted happily with Allurai. Dorien looked at Cevez with appreciation, happy that he did not feel the need to compete with him. A Bind that was friendly or friendly to each other was ideal. That is why Dorien was happy with the spouses Liem would be entering into his Bind with. It took years to build relationships but moments to wreck them. He would have to give Liem that advice. Happy that Cevez assisted with easing the tension, he gave him a smile. They would all have to meet together later and talk to Reye about his conduct. Dorien was not happy. If Reye messed up he would take him out to the garden again and show him how to adjust his attitude. 

'Rai will not see the marks for some time. I could bring a medical kit and heal the superficial injuries while he is knocked out', Dorien thought, still keeping his happy grin. 

"Please follow me this way." Dorien said and led the pair away from the group and the curious eyes of the children and staff members. He noticed an enchantingly sweet fragrance as they separated from the group.

"This is really beautiful." Nora said as she took in the room. The building was huge, it was like she had walked down street in which several family homes could stand. The wealth of the Allari was immense. It would make the billionaires of Earth look like mere paupers in comparison. After a five-minute walk, they approached the door and opened it.

"This is your entertaining room." Dorien said. A big elegant foyer greeted them. She kept following Dorien, her neck turning. It was beautiful. The murals seemed to be painted with her heritage in mind to welcome them. Nora's jaw dropped. "Your living space. The office is down the hall and connects to the Foyer." Dorien continued. Cream-colored seating greeted them with large floor-to-ceiling windows. The room was filled with some plant species that she recognized from their old living space in the facility. Outside the window she recognized a plant.

'Camellia Sinensis Assamica, to be precise. Proper Tea! With beautiful leaves. I have practical experience from my trip to the plantation in China.' Nora shrieked with delight. She could collect seeds and in the future grow more. Liem looked at her puzzled. Dorien's grin grew.

 "I adore this garden area, these grew at home, mine were much smaller though." Nora said in a chipper tone. Dorien beamed with delight, finding that she appreciated the work he put in. Dorien was quite proud of his garden.

"Thank you. I brought this from my maternal home and planted it before them after the twins were born. They remind me of home too. I'm from North Bernin. There is a lot more in the shared garden and other Northern plants and fruits." Dorien said as he smiled, he was happy to find something in common. A good relationship with her, meant a good relationship with his son and his child. 

"I might start picking fruit and leaves from your garden. I hope you do not mind?" Nora asked.

"Not at all. Speaking of food. This way now." Dorien said " This is the kitchen and attached eating room.There is a door here that connects to the living space and there is a fully stocked supply room that connects to a special supply hatch out in the logistics room." Dorien said as he gave them a tour of the house. There was a large common room. The kitchen was huge and had lots of room for many people to work. It was a house for a huge family to grow into. Nora felt moved by the design and care that was put into it. It looked like it was designed with her in mind. That emotion was quickly replaced.

"Here is the main sleeping chamber," Dorien said as he opened the door. The bed was massive. There was a lot of multipurpose furniture, like a chaise with a contoured design. It looked like a contemporary sculpture that could hold her weight. He opened an equipment closet and that is when Nora clued into what the furniture was for. Starting tonight, she would be sleeping with three spouses, all at once. She bit her lip. She blushed. She was the only one with hang-ups about this. Many cultures on her planet had polyandrous relationships in them. The roles were not reversed like this. She was not going to be doing anything weird by being with them. 

'That furniture though. Someone would probably put me on it. In the future,' Nora thought. It felt odd seeing all the sex furniture as if it was a common place item. She was so grateful that the two men seemed happy and were not observing her directly. It just seemed odd to see a room full of furniture that his family had provided and the attitude Allurai had earlier. It seemed like they had odd societal hang-ups. She continued to follow him around, trying to control her face. Her face was red from blushing. She looked at Liem, who was unfazed.