Monday night at Nell's (and Gladio's)

[mylandmyrules]

This would be the first time everyone would get together at the now shared residence of Nell and Gladio. The overall decor hadn't changed much, though the number of books had at least doubled and there were 100% more swords around.

Nell had made a delicious all vegetable stew as well as a similar beef stew that was more than a little spicy. She made fresh sourdough bread to go with them both and had biscuits ready to pop into the oven for a mixed berries and cream version of strawberry shortcake for later.

Comments

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana might have blinked upon seeing Gladio's books on the shelves already; again, last she'd heard, things were still in the 'being discussed' territory. Apparently, things had moved very fast - including the moving aspect itself.

But this did at least give her the chance to peruse Nell's shelves, something she hadn't done since getting an invitation to join the gatherings and that was always good for...well, a number of things, really.

[mylandmyrules]

"See anything you like?" Nell asked. "I'm excited to read some of these myself."

[deathsmajesty]

"I'm already pawed through much of Gladio's library, though I've only read two," Liliana said, still going through the titles. "Well, two and a half, really. We have similar interests, but different lenses. No, darling, I'm poking at your collections."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell's collection was remarkable eclectic with historical romances sitting by books on psychology and philosophy. There were the expected books on plants and gardening as well as books on expeditions to the Arctic and the complete works of Shakespeare.

In her bedroom - their bedroom now - should Liliana snoop in there, she'd find a book that Nell was shortly making her way through about cults and the psychological damage done to the people who'd managed to escape them. It was hard reading emotionally, but she was determined.

"It's a bit different from Gladio's," Nell said with a fond smile.

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana was nosy, but Liliana would also be furious if random people found their way into her bedroom and so refrained from going in, though if the door were open, then she'd likely at least take a peek.

"Indeed," Liliana said, picking up a book on Shakespeare and flipping through it, frowning at--something within it. "He and I both appreciate history books, though I prefer examining history via their arts and culture, rather than war." Her eyebrows contracted - she seemed both frustrated by something and also truculent.

[mylandmyrules]

The bedroom door was open, they both were, and Nell's rooms were always fit for company - something Gladio would learn to live with. "I find them both fascinating," Nell said she looked at Liliana curiously. "Something wrong?"

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana was far too secretive private a person to welcome intrusions into her most private sanctums. Her bedroom, her bathing chamber, and her workshop all required particular invitations to enter, above and beyond a simple invitation to visit her house.

"This language is hard to read," she admitted, a trifle reluctantly. "Spoken language comes easily to Planeswalkers, it's part of our spark, but written language, less so. And this--" She tapped the tome of Shakespeare, is sufficiently removed from the English that I have learned to make it difficult to parse - but close enough that it feels like it ought not to be."

Liliana only liked admitted having trouble learning things when she was lying about it.

[mylandmyrules]

"It's challenging even for those who do speak English fluently," Nell said. " But I'm told that if you watch it performed it's quite understandable."

[deathsmajesty]

That lightened Liliana's countenance at least a little bit. "I hate it," she said with a sigh. "Those first few days when I'm still picking up the alphabet and how the plane's writing system works. I don't mind the time it takes learning additional ones later, but the first one - when I'm still basically illiterate - is always particularly galling."

[mylandmyrules]

"Well you're better than me,"Nell said. "I only speak one language, well, unless you consider church speak it's own language. Took me a long time to change my speech patterns and I still slip into it from time to time."

[deathsmajesty]

"Magic," Liliana assured her. "Part of the Planeswalker's spark. My first time on a plane, I learn the dominant language of the area I'm in almost immediately. And then, with enough time spent around speakers of other languages, I will learn theirs, too. But reading and writing is a slower process." She smiled slightly. "Communication is at the heart of things."

[mylandmyrules]

"Well now, that sure makes things easier," Nell said with a smile. "Guess I don't feel as bad about bit knowing so many languages."