Despite having brought Damaris back to her home, thus making her both welcome and wanted in the residence, Solae couldn't help but feel that she was an intruder in a precious and intimate mother daughter moment. There was something about the manner in which parent and child clung to each other so desperately that made her heart ache. The loss of her own mother was still fresh in her mind though she had avoided speaking of it except in passing commentary. Selene Falia had been neither especially warm nor outwardly emotional, and there was no physical resemblance to speak of between her and Damaris's mother, yet something in he latter's gaze evoked a familiar lingering sentimentality. For the briefest moment the golden-haired diplomat yearned to walk into her sprawling estate and say something purposefully controversial that would instigate an argument with her parents. She wished against reason to be scolded in the haughty tone that was reserved for when her mother wanted to verbally bludgeon the strong-willed heir. Death had made the most heated of arguments precious memories. In retrospect it was possible such vocal sparring that had been the female Falia expression of love just as a simple hug was here.

"We thought..." the middle-aged woman sobbed as squeezed the adolescent with unadulterated joy.

It was clear what she thought given the broadcast she had been both listening to and watching. One could scarcely imagine how exceedingly unexpected this reunion was. The names of the missing that scrolled across the screen were presumed dead given the intensity of the storm and the time that had passed since its initial assault. Officially the authorities were not giving up hope there were survivors. Chances were a few lucky individuals would be dug out of the rubble of their demolished homes in the next twenty-four hours. In their heart of hearts, though, San Roayo knew they would discover more corpses than living citizens.

"She washed up on the shore of an island," Solae tried to explain. Damaris's mother was intently focused on the miraculous sensation of holding her daughter in her arms again rather than fretting over how it came to be. From her experience the marquise knew that curiosity and a need to understand would follow as this initial exuberance gradually faded. She also felt increasingly awkward standing there watching in silence. Giving a vague recounting of how their circumstances developed was preferable to quietly standing just inside the doorway and waiting for their existence to be acknowledged.

"It's true Mama! I was carried to an island and I almost hit Mister Rene with a stick because I didn't know he was a knight," Damaris proudly recounted. "Then Miss Solae stopped me, and they took me back to their ship to sleep, and gave me things to eat." Normally the girl was much more eloquent but she was so excited and overly eager to recite the tale that she simplified it to the extreme.

"You almost hit... a knight?" Damaris's mother asked in mixture of confusion and horror. For the first time she looked at the two strangers that had entered her home. Eyes drifted from Rene to Solae and then back again as she began to comprehend that she was in the presence of nobility. Wisps and errant ringlets of aureate had spilled past the edges of Solae's hood and onto her shoulders. This unnatural coloration called attention to their high cheekbones, enviable physiques, and other features indicative of elite breeding. Beleaguered and weary as they were they still stood out under the scrutiny of the common man. The matriarch let out a strangled gasp.

"May we sit down?" Solae asked politely as she gestured to the small table tucked against the wall. There were four chairs, two tucked under each side, that were clean but neither matched each other nor the table. Mentally the linguist considered that someone ought to force her peers to descend from their villas, castles, and vacation homes to the planets of poor colonists. The empress had been making strides in surrounding herself with trustworthy people as she seized power, but making certain the politicians granted title also had empathy for the rest of the Stellar Empire was paramount in Solae's mind. If they were forced to face the conditions of their lessers it could teach humility and give them insight to the challenges that lay ahead.

"Oh yes, of course, of course," Damaris's mother said as she bobbed her head and furtively tried to wipe her hands on her smock. Before anyone could try to pull back one of the chairs for her Solae had already done so herself once permission had been granted to take a seat. From her posture Rene could tell she was tired but obstinately fighting her fatigue. Her shoulders sagged slightly, there was a subtle curve to her spine that was not present when she was more alert, and she failed to cross her legs over one another or at the ankles as she typically did. The anxiety borne of undertaking the endeavor to cross the ocean with their young charge had taken a toll. She would not be relieved until they were back in the [i]Bonaventure[/i] and enjoying the protection its shielded hull offered.

"I apologize, it was a bit of a walk to get here," Solae admitted as an attempt to excuse any minor breaches in etiquette that existed or might follow. "What Damaris said is true, she did swing a stick at Rene, but it was understandable she was startled to find us on the island. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Solae and this is my fiance, Rene."

Damaris's mother moved forward and took both of the marquise's hands in her own as tears brimmed in her eyes. "Thank you, miss. If you hadn't brought Damaris back to me I... I..." she struggled for words. Not one to judge another's feelings, much less after something so traumatic, Solae only smiled reassuringly.

"She saved herself, we just helped her return a little more quickly than she might of if we hadn't been there," was the reply. It felt wrong to accept gratitude as if it was their effort alone that had guaranteed Damaris's livelihood. Arguably the scrawny brunette would have dehydrated or starved before she was found, but Solae didn't want to discount the fortitude it took to endure the historic waves that had tossed the girl about, the determination it took to crawl up the beach, or the stubborn will to live that had kept her from giving up when she thought she was on a deserted caldera. "We needed to come to San Roayo regardless," she added so that it didn't seem like the child had inconvenienced the couple in a major way.

"Where are my manners? I am Julia," Damaris's mother introduced herself. "Let me... let me get you some water to drink. Are you hungry? I do not have much but I am happy to cook for you. Please, let me do something to thank you," she pleaded earnestly. Solae bit the inside of her cheek pensively. It was apparent that Julia felt obligated to repay their kindness despite every attempt to convey that such gestures were not anticipated nor necessary. Uncertain how to proceed she turned towards Rene and raised her eyebrows as if to ask if he wanted to have a late night meal or politely decline.