All Adelinde needed to do in town was check for more score books; Matteo offered to come with her, so ultimately they ate breakfast together before the brief shopping trip. She brought him to the outdoor garden and lingered there while he waited—Matteo’s protests were mostly feigned to her being there. She went back home when his friends started arriving, even if most of them offered a kind greeting when they passed her.
The rain managed to be kind enough to wait until she entered the house before it resumed, mostly drowning out what little sound came from mindless music from a guitar inside. Adelinde went to the music room and offered a smile to Rene and Tara.
“I’m back a bit later than expected; I stayed with Matteo,” she said. Looking at Tara, she asked, “Do you want me to play on the piano for you?”
She seemed a bit more…anxious than usual. Adelinde couldn’t tell if it was the rain or something else, but the feeling was confirmed when Tara only offered a quiet murmur in response. Rene frowned, stopping her own music and setting the guitar aside so she could walk over to Adelinde.
“Someone came by earlier,” Rene explained. She paused near Adelinde for a second before offering a light kiss and stepping away again. “I might have scared her, to be honest.”
“Was it a stranger, or just someone unexpected?” Adelinde asked; Rene’s tone worried her.
Rene recognized it, but proceeded cautiously rather than hesitantly.
“Elina.”
“I didn’t think you’ve spoken to her since you went on that trip?” Adelinde couldn’t recall seeing her while they were married, at least. Considering she had the impression they didn’t treat Rene well, it was the one familial connection she had no qualms with letting die.
“I haven’t; that’s part of the problem.”
Adelinde began to continue asking after it when Rene winced. Adelinde walked next to her as she went over to the chair to sit down, at which point Tara watched them as best she could without looking at the windows.
The silence continued for a moment as Adelinde’s thoughts steadily grew darker—normally by a few hours, Rene’s migraines got better, but this was almost worse than this morning. Tara spoke up after some silence, shifting her position so she faced them.
“You…know her? Or used to, at least?”
Adelinde looked to see if Rene would be able to answer—a quick glance told her ‘no,’ given she now had her eyes closed and leaning against the back of the chair—before turning towards Tara and giving her own response.
“Elina was Rene’s adopted sister,” Adelinde explained. “She’s the eldest Dazuz child, excluding Rene.”
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“…I didn’t know Rene was an adopted Dazuz,” Tara replied quietly.
Rene opened her eyes and tried to give Tara a comforting look, despite the pain behind it. “I dropped the last name—and the ties therein—when I married Adelinde; I haven’t officially been in the family for a decade. There’s no blood relation, so not much reason for you and Matteo to ever meet them.”
“That being said”—Adelinde glanced at Rene, who returned the look—“neither you nor I have spoken to any member of the family in years. Why would Elina visit now?”
Rene couldn’t offer an immediate response, but Tara let out a small noise. Slowly, the girl crept so she was as far as the wall—her usual reaction to thinking whatever she had to say may not be appreciated, and something she didn’t do often. That worried her, especially considering the distant roll of thunder outside that likely only made whatever Tara felt worse.
When Tara did speak, it came out as a whisper only slightly audible among the rain—an odd mix of fear and a realization she must not want to believe, although Adelinde only understood the reason for the former.
“…Matteo and I saw her when we were traveling.” Rene tensed, gaining that same expression—a certain kind of fear—that Adelinde hadn’t seen in a long time. “She…walked into a restaurant and asked for a strong omyn. She said the reward would be a new nation.”
Adelinde’s thoughts immediately went to Aurik—what he wanted and what he did to achieve it. Rene, instead, forced herself to stand with a small curse.
“It means something more to you?” Adelinde asked, hoping conversing with those in the present could let her avoid the past. She didn’t often remember Aurik now, but the whole experience came back when it did—him, her time after, everything up until Rene came. She would rather avoid that regret now that she was past it.
Rene cast her a reassuring smile that almost looked genuine, speaking somewhat quieter to try to keep it between them.
“I can handle everything with Elina and the rest of the family. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not letting you talk to them alone.”
“I managed for five years before I met you, didn’t I?”
“Maybe you did, but—”
Her initial protest was cut off when Rene slightly lost her balance; she leaned into Adelinde for support.
“…But bear in mind,” Adelinde continued more quietly, “The last time you saw them, this started. I’m having a hard time still thinking it’s coincidental.”
Rene’s silence meant that she couldn’t confirm or deny it without lying, giving Adelinde all the answer she needed.
…So there were things Rene still wanted to keep from her. She assumed that little over a decade of marriage would have changed that. Regardless, she knew from experience that Rene wouldn’t hide it for a petty reason—and that trying to get Rene to tell her about it required more prompting than Tara needed to sit through.
Adelinde attempted her own smile, betrayed by worry, and spoke a bit quieter.
“I can keep Tara company,” she said kindly. “Please, go and rest.”
Rene nodded her agreement and left to go upstairs. After a moment’s hesitation, Adelinde sat down behind the piano and played.
She did what she could to maintain a pleasant-sounding melody, rather than whatever notes first came to mind. Tara didn’t say a word afterwards, drawing as per usual but regularly switching to another piece of paper.