After a few long minutes passed, which Rosaria swore up and down felt like an eternity, Solae released her 'victim' and wandered back towards the group still smiling. Yarue and Dasin had watched with detached curiosity; they both had been taught to dance in their youth, but as one might guess, their cultural dances were vastly different from those that humans performed. Neither wanted to ask the duchess any questions, however, lest they be pulled out onto the floor and compelled to humor the peculiar aristocrat themselves. They murmured to one another quietly, trying not to draw attention to themselves, but unable to keep from conferring over the details of their discoveries.

"Humans and Syshin choose their mates," Solae said as she brushed aside hair that had come undone in her over-exuberant waltz. She could not remember the last time she had lead a dance, but she was certain she had never done so with such a squirmy, unenthusiastic partner dying of embarrassment. Briefly she paused to make certain her Kalderi guide did not seem to possess knowledge of human courtship. Once she saw that the other female was paying rapt attention, but remaining silent, she continued. "Most humans mutually decide to enter into a romantic relationship and, if some time passes and their affection grows into love, they choose to marry."

"Did your parents... select each other on such criteria?" Kel'shaiel asked diplomatically and politely, seeking to better understand the traditions of the Kalderi's newest guests. She had already surmised that Solae and Rene had an attachment to one another, but it was difficult to correlate it directly with any arrangement the Kalderi had. Engagements were somewhat unique to humans since they could carry on endlessly; even the Syshin found this comically ridiculous since they viewed one as either mated or not, rather than promising to one day formally take on a title. Yarue and Dasin did not call attention to their view on being betrothed out of respect for the couple that saved them.

"No, the humans that bear titles like myself are expected to typically select someone that benefits them- they have political connections, business connections, a higher title, greater wealth. My parents cared for each other but were not madly in love; I believe they valued one another's companionship more than anything," Solae conceded. For a brief moment Kel'shaiel was pensive, shrewdly calculating the age of the woman based on her limited knowledge of her species, and quickly concluding that if they were being spoken of in the past tense they were deceased, but it was not of old age. The linguist was far too young to have parents unable to sustain their own life with all the medical achievements that the Stellar Empire possessed. It would be incredibly rude to speculate aloud, but she could make an educated guess they did not meet their end 'naturally.'

"Ah, but that is not the case with myself and Rene," Solae corrected, erroneously believing the pause in conversation was because Kel'shaiel was trying to determine what the soldier attache brought to their imminent joining. "I am not interested in possessions, currency, or being appointed to any higher station in the courts," she added, belatedly realizing that as a duchess there was not much higher she could climb- if at all. Internally she wryly wondered if the late marquise would have been proud to know his daughter had been elevated without aspirations to do so. "Although you probably know as much from my introduction. I have to confess I am quite smitten with Rene just as he is," she said cheekily, "and if your protocol necessitated me defending him from other suitors, I would already be practicing my swordplay." From the couple times she had held Lord Armon's sword, Rene could be absolutely certain that she was as much of a danger to herself with the weapon as anyone else.

"We are fortunate that is not necessary," Yarue remarked dryly, nearly making Solae erupt in giggles. She knew he was serious, since it would be an offense for him to have his charge be forced into combat, especially since he owed her a debt for freeing him from slavery, but she couldn't help but think it was an apropos reaction to her terrible lack of swordsmanship.