For the blue-eyed blonde to become flush with warmth at the whisper of the fae man's name was hardly an uncommon occurrence in all truthfulness. If anything, it seemed that those close to the young woman managed to steal some sort of amusement out of those moments when they might decide to ask after him, mostly because it was the simply query on how he was faring if perhaps he had taken her anywhere new as of late that would see Beylani nearly stumbling over herself as she tried to conceal what she could of the feelings that were obviously threatening to overwhelm her at almost any moment should her thoughts carry her to those dark hazel eyes, the way that his lips would taste on her own, the way that he made her feel when he held her closely... Even now, those thoughts flickered across the forethought of the young woman's mind and she could hardly keep them away when her dear friend decided to bring up the very conversation that she'd been hoping to distract herself from. Was this truly what it was like to be so in love, so taken, so utterly captivated by someone that almost anything and everything would remind one of that special individual? Was she perhaps just being silly, perhaps too twitterpated with someone that surely would never in a thousand lifetimes â€" or one immortal one â€" feel the same yearning as she did? She was almost entirely certain that she was being foolish. She was just... Lani to the fae man. He wasn't even just a fae man. He was a fae high lord. Just as Dorian was a fae king. In all reality, she would have never thought she would have encountered two individuals of such status. Not ever. And to think that they were also of a very race she'd been told as a child was did not exist beyond folklore and fairytale stories told to little ones, there was still a part of Beylani that was bewildered to think that this was where life brought her, that these were the souls some unknown force â€" however real or in her imagination such a thing might be â€" fated her to meet. How little she'd known mere months ago about the world that she'd lived in all this time.

So, when Dorian gives her that knowing grin, so easily saying that he was glad to see the fae high lord had taken to courting her properly, it was enough to send that heart of hers racing at the mere thought of such a world where he might feel the same as she did towards him. There was a part of her which so desperately wanted to think that Andras was truly courting her, that those gentle glances, those stolen kisses... that night beneath the stars in the steamy waters of the hotspring on roof of the lodge in Somnia, it had all meant something. Still there was a constant war, a seemingly endless struggle that the young woman endured each and every day as she tried to convince herself that she was simply dreaming. How could there be anything beyond friendship between herself and the fae man? Especially when he was immortal and she was nothing beyond human, fated to live only the smallest fraction of time in contrast to that existence that Andras was fated to live, it just seemed so... star-crossed. It was almost like some twist on one of her favorite stories. A love story and a tragedy all in one fell swoop, it was practically torturous to think that even if he did have feelings for her that reflected those that nearly consumed the blue-eyed blonde entirely, it was destined to end only in heartbreak. She wasn't sure if she could do that to Andras... For a fleeting moment, she dared to imagine a world in which they were so much more. More than friends, more than lovers. There would come a day where her short life would come to an end, and he would be forced to live the rest of his days alone, perhaps even heartbroken. Maybe even devastated. She remembers in that very same moment how he'd laughed and smiled as they danced together in the main square of Somnia during the Winter Solstice Festival, remembering with such love in her heart at how happy he'd been. It broke her heart deeply to think that one day, after those short years of loving one another so deeply, she would be gone and he might never laugh or smile again. She couldn't do that to him. It was hardly fair to the fae man, loving her when she could never be there beside him until the end of time. Even if it was the one and only thing that she found herself ever wanting anymore. She would rather it be her own heart that was shattered than his, because at least in due time, it would all end when she drew that last breath.

Dorian's words bring her from those deepest thoughts that seemed to go on for hours when in reality only fleeting seconds had passed them by, baby blue eyes meeting startling silver as they look up at her from the ring that he brushed his fingers lovingly against. He gives her a gentle chuckle then, smooth accented words falling from his lips as he told her of a small piece from his own time, swiftly reminding her that he truly wasn't from this day and age despite how young he appeared. She listens intently as he explains to her how things were back then, and it had Beylani daring to imagine what things would have truly been like for her and the fae man if they'd found each other back then. Maybe back then, she would have known almost instantly what it was that Andras wanted from her, if they were to only be friends or if it was something more that he sought from her. How would they have met then? Surely not by the same circumstances that they had months ago. Perhaps they wouldn't have met at all. From the books that she'd read, the documentaries that she'd seen, it had seemed frowned upon for men and women to enjoy the companionship of the opposite sex unless they were interested in one another. While she didn't know how much of this was true, especially considering the fact that what she'd always been taught was nothing beyond myth turned out to be very much real, Beylani couldn't even begin to imagine how different things might be between her and the fae man that she so hopelessly, helplessly adored to the point that it ached. He continues after a momentary pause, his smile and softer expression shifts into something more impish. At his very words, she can feel fair-skinned cheeks become ever warmer as her heart grows ever lighter. Could Dorian truly be right? If he was, then why hadn't Andras said anything? Yes, some of those more intimate moments between them could easily be interpreted as such, but she didn't dare assume... How she desperately wished for those words to be true, and yet, she can hardly allow herself to believe it. Perhaps Andras had more than Beylani tricked into seeing that which wasn't truly there."I'm not so sure, Dorian. I mean, I certainly know how I feel about him... I've never felt this way about another before... And yet, I just... don't know. He hasn't said anything, and I don't want to assume that he might fancy me in such a way when he might not", she replies almost breathlessly, baby blue eyes betraying in that fleeting moment the uncertainty that she tries so fiercely to keep hidden from even her beloved friend Elain. How little the world knew of those true depths with which her feelings ran.

Only when the words have already fallen past her lips does she realize with those soft eyes widening what she'd practically confessed to. She'd not even told the honey-blonde woman about the ache which would often overwhelm her when she would think of just how much she loved him when she alone, when she would tell herself time and time again that she would never be right for him. No matter the passionate kisses so full of wanting, no matter the gentleness in those dark hazel eyes... no matter how desperately she wished for him to see, she just couldn't give him all that he needed or deserved. She is almost uncertain of how Dorian might react to that near confession that really only scraped the surface of her feelings, and yet she simply couldn't help but confide in the fae man. He made it so easy with his warmth smile, even if there was a knowing impishness to it. After all, he probably knew Andras more than she did. When their conversation shifts to the wedding, the young woman feels like she can finally breathe as her dear friend gives her something entirely different to think of. Vegetarians. Such an ideal was clearly not something the man was accustomed to, and if anything he was almost outraged about the thought of those who would refuse to eat animals. She offers him that idea that it was simply because people - humans, anyway - have shifted in their viewpoints on animal lives, and admittedly she believed that it seemed a little extreme to suddenly decide that animals should not be eaten. After all, many of her favorite meals were made with beef or salmon. There is subtle amusement in Dorian's disbelief and yet she is understanding that such a lifestyle seemed preposterous to the man who had been born in and lived in a time where things were so very different that she couldn't even begin to guess at how today's ideas and inner workings might have rattled him as his world changed drastically from a time where men were gentleman to where he were hardly so kind or well-mannered. She would have been quite content growing up in Dorian's time, or so she would venture to believe.

His expression shifts into a look of surprise at Beylani's words, his own bringing a gentle and understanding smile to blush-colored lips as she watches the man cross his arms over his chest with a clear and determined disposition that seemed to say that he just couldn't find it acceptable that people these days might have such an unusual, perhaps even backwards way of thinking become something somewhat common. The woman herself didn't know of any vegetarians, and even her friend Elain who was perhaps the biggest lover of all things nature and peaceful still partook in the consumption of animals. She nods in wordless agreement with Dorian's opinion, hers not being nearly as passionate or less stubbornly set as the fae man's but she certainly believed that there was a natural order of things."I agree with you entirely. I find it to be an unusual lifestyle. Some vegetarians will still eat fish, but why they don't consider them inedible is beyond me. And what I've always found even more baffling is vegans. They don't even eat things produced by animals. Like eggs or dairy. People are... definitely unusual compared to how they surely used to be", she replies, wondering now just what he might have to say about vegans, surely having the same opinion towards such individuals as vegetarians. Soon, they move on to the topic of Inner Sanctum, and Dorian offer her a soft chuckle as he remarks on Alexander's solemn nature and Beylani smiles sweetly."He is a wonderful man to work for, so I couldn't agree with you more", she replies easily. She truly did find the man someone that she was happy to work for, always striving to please and surprise with her willingness to work those extra hours and her eagerness to learn all that he might decide she needed to know. Whatever he asked of her, she would certainly give her utmost efforts to accomplish and yet he hardly asked anything of her that he might consider too far out of my her capabilities. She was willing to test those limitations all the same though, knowing that she couldn't grow as an individual if she didn't push them. When Elain returns to their table, she smiles radiantly at the pair as she asks if they'd decided what they would like to have, Dorian reaching suddenly for his menu to glance at it before his silver gaze met Beylani's baby blue gaze as he asked what it she would be having."I'll have the beef daube over pasta, please", she says warmly to the honey-blonde woman who nods before turning to Dorian with bright pale blue eyes, the two women able to easily be confused for sisters."And what about you, Lani's friend?", Elain asks brightly with pencil poised on her little white notepad as she waits patiently for the man to decide on what he would like to indulge in.