Smaller than some of the chambers below, Oriane's room is still quite pleasant. A high ceiling with delicate struts arching between the columns marking the walls gives the room a sense of openess. A pair of tall windows in one wall compliment the aura of the room by drawing in a gentle breeze or the light from outside. Shining white and grey marble gleams along the floor, spreading into the white of the walls. Standing out with a splash of color are numerous plants around the room, some with flowers in bloom. 
     An average size bed occupies one corner, jutting out into the room diagonally with a veil of pale cream gauze draped from the ceiling down around it. A series of shelves hold several books and papers in an organized disarray, matching the small writing desk nearby. Finishing off the room is a wardrobe and chest of matching wood to hold the rest of her belongings. 
 

Night blankets the house in a state of relative silence, only the occasional sound of a servant moving about disturbing the slumbering peace. Almost all are tucked away in their beds, thoughts turned over to the keeper of Dreams until another day dawns. But someone is up; someone is awake. The door opens slowly, letting a sliver of light invade the darkness. Thalia peeks her head inside, tired eyes dusting over the room. Over the two sleeping forms. Over the gentle tangle of white and ebon feathers. On quiet feet, she slips inside and moves over toward her daughters. Fingertips touch and glide over hair both gold and dark before the woman bends down to lay a whisper soft kiss upon each of their forehead's. 

It was only a short while ago that Oriane actually succumbed to sleep, finally putting away her books and scrolls to turn out the candles and join her sister in bed, so the soft kiss stirs her awake as velvety black feathers shift with a quiet rustle and she murmurs a soft question under her breath. Dark eyes open with a flutter as the dream ends and reality begins, her voice sounding soft and childlike with the coating of sleep, "Who... Mama?" 

Is it a dream? It's hard to tell at first. The tattered remains of slumber cling to consciousness--the dew that holds onto a spiderweb at dawn. Thalia is nothing more than a silhouette, light darting along the edges of her form. Is it really her? The soft-white wings behind her stir, flit outward, as Oriane awakens and the woman kneels down beside the bed. "Shhh... I didn't mean to wake you." she whispers, an emotional surge in her hushed tone. Happiness. Relief. Those fingertips reach out and brush back some of her daughter's short, dark locks. "Yes, it's me." 

With Riana deeply embraced in the arms of a dream beside her, Oriane wakes even more as Thalia speaks. Eyes widening further, first disbelief is seen and then relief, "Oh, Mama..." With an urgent rustle of feathers and bed clothes, the girl surges forward to wrap her arms around her mother. 
 

Thalia 
      Shadows grow long in the afternoon, revealing a subtle beauty so often lost within the blinding brilliance of the morn. Like sunlight shining upon gold, strands of silver play within her rich, medium-blonde locks and her loose curls are pinned up absently, wisps of hair whispering against her jawline. Delicate features, brushed with the very fine lines of a woman who has smiled often during her lifetime, compose the symphony of her visage: high-cheekbones, a sweeping nose, a soft mouth. Anchoring her regal face are twin pools of blue-grey, the orbs being the colour of rain-swollen clouds. Half-lidded and framed by heavy lashes, her eyes possess the deep shine of intelligence and understanding--an unboastful confidence. 
      Purity spreads in feathers of gleaming white, the soft wings of a dove stretching out behind her. She moves with an easy grace, marking her as someone utterly comfortable with herself--inside and out. Her figure, still rather shapely for one of their middling years, is covered by a chimere of the darkest blue, the colour so deep that it appears velvety. Although her clothing carries simple elegance, such finery does not a woman make. She is swaddled by an aire of gentle patience just as much as she is by the silk garments which drape her form. This woman is the silence after a storm. Grey clouds roll in an oppressive darkness, the fingers of the wind ripping at the earth and a violent downpour assaulting everything below. And then it is all swept away, leaving only ... calm. 
 

Thalia teeters just slightly, as she is seated upon her heels, when Oriane throws her arms about her. That is the only moment wasted before the woman returns the gesture, holding her daughter close in a tender embrace. "Oh, honey..." she murmurs, kissing the girl's locks of midnight before resting her cheek against them. 

Holding as if she will never let go, Oriane murmurs into her mother's shoulder, "I've been so worried about you, Mama." Only in private does she call her mother that, keeping the vulnerable moments secret. Voice soft in a whisper that does not wake her golden twin, Oriane murmurs, "Sometimes I feared we'd never have get you back." 

One of her hands come up to stroke the back of Oriane's head, a gentle touch only ever shared between a mother and child. Reassuring. Loving. "I am home now," Thalia murmurs, chasing away any lingering thought that this all might just be a dream. "And you can put those fears away." The woman pulls back a bit, enough to gaze into her daughter's face and touch over the delicate features within. A smile hitches up her mouth, a graceful curve to her lips, as she caresses that fair, smoothe cheek. "I've worried about the two of you as well. It is good to be back with my family." 

Sitting up slightly and leaning her face into her mother's touch, Oriane watches her mother's face as if afraid she might disappear at any moment. "Once Ria came to Haven, I made sure to keep her safe." Always supporting one another, the ebon twin always kept her golden half from harm, even when they were very young. After a moment of silence, Oriane says almost guiltily, "I should have stayed at home with you and Ria. Then I could have been there to help when...." When the Varati stole our home from us. 

Thalia shakes her head, the low light in the room catching in her eyes. "Now, now. Don't start with 'should have's. That is the past, which cannot be changed, and there is no way of knowing that things would have worked out better if you had stayed." She continues to stroke Oriane's cheek softly, as much for her own comfort and reassurance as for her daughter's. "All that matters is that we are all safe." See? Who knows what would have happened if Ori had stayed? Maybe the greater resistance would have made the battle more bloody. Perhaps the girl herself would have fallen. Who knows? 

Feeling helpless is enough to make anyone feel guilty for could have and should haves, and for the longest time, that is all Oriane felt. Giving a quiet little smile, the darkling daughter whispers, "Riana wanted us to go rescue you, Mama. She was ready to pack her ribbons and fly to Callisar's to make them let you come with us." 

Thalia chuckles quietly, tapping her fingertip against Oriane's nose. "Well, that makes sense. One can't go on a rescue mission without hair ribbons. Bargaining chips." She leans to the side slightly, peering past her dark daughter to gaze upon Riana all sprawled out beside her. It is a good thing the girl looks after her sister. Who knows how many times peril has been avoided thanks to Ori's level-head? More than can be counted on fingers and toes, that's for certain.  

Following her mother's glance to her sweet, sleeping sister, Oriane smiles quietly, "It's been good to have her close." Dark eyes come back to her mother and the dark haired girl tilts her head to one side, "Your letter was truthful, Mama? They did not harm you in any way?" Eyes can see only so much. 

Thalia nods her head, smiling reassuringly as her gaze tracks back to Oriane. "Yes, the letter was truthful. I was treated more like a guest than a prisoner." There is a faint pause, the woman biting momentarily upon her lip. She's not lying but .. there is more to it that what she's said. However, she chases the hesitation away before it can really be remarked upon and starts to stand. "But, you should get back to sleep and I am looking forward to some rest as well. We can talk at length in the morning." 

Oriane is a quick girl, so she catches the hesitation even as her mother tries to hide it. Still, it is late and her mother has traveled far... Filing the thought to the back of her head, Oriane nods and murmurs, "You need sleep, Mama." Tilting her head to one side, the darkling girl asks almost child-like, "Would you sleep with Ria and I? There's enough room in the bed..." 

Thalia giggles. Yes, the woman -giggles-. "I think I'd like that a lot." she whispers, bending down to unlace her sandals. The task proves to be a quick one and it isn't long at all before she slips into bed with her two daughters. A soft smile and a light kiss later, she's settling her head against the pillow and gazing at her dark daughter with sleepy eyes. "I love you, honey. Sweet dreams." 

Curling up against her mother as if she were five instead of eighteen, Oriane gives a muffled, "I love you too, Mama." before she breathes a content sigh and closes her eyes. There will be so much to talk about in the morning...