"I don't think I have," he lied, not willing to admit it as they walked to the refreshments area. The Polumenta Viscount's Capital Estate had been built with music in mind, as the Southernmost Viscounty, their businesses were instrument and musician focused, so they'd staged choral singers to fill the entire Estate with an endless seeming song that rose and fell in waves. As one entered the Estate, the very marble seemed to hum with harmonized voices, and as Alaric considered Aayina's question it added an almost whimsical stain to his thinking. "I think yearning for someone you can't have would be rather exhausting though."
"Who do you miss?" she asked instead of directly responding. 
"I miss my mother and father, and now that she's away I miss my sister Edwina," he could actually answer that question. Right now, he couldn't be missing Aayina's sharp wit because he was standing victim to it immediately. 
"Would you go to them just to be able to stop missing them?" she selected a sour but refreshing alcoholic drink, so Alaric decided to try the same. 
"Honestly, no," he shook his head in the negative. 
"I have no desire to go to the university at this time of year unless I was compelled to, and family is actually prohibited from attending a selection gallery; don't want to give the implication of interference. And if I were to go to my parents for anything less than a life or death emergency, they would be disappointed in me." As if they wouldn't already be disappointed with him about letting Hida be attacked. "Who do you miss?" he turned it on her.
"I would go to Tashatia to be with my parents in a heartbeat, if it wouldn't leave my sisters unprotected," her admission didn't surprise him. 
"You yearn for them, or for adventure?" he'd never had that need to go, but he knew Farran had it, and saw his own parents' excitement to be explorers again.
The smile she gave him was deliberate, polite but honest, "you are not one of my friends Alaric, to ask what I yearn for like that. Maybe if you ask me again nicely at the next Event, I'll tell you anyways," she lifted her glass to him and drank.
The next Social Event was the Sikali Ball, the Dukedom's Event the most formal of the Events this year. It wasn't even a week away at this point, "as your not friend, will it be safe to bring my foolish self or am I risking a curse of ants?"
"Yes," she didn't specify which part of his question that answered. "Now you mentioned plotting to help me get Bahni and Chanda Suitors worthy of them, so plot." 
She may be a year his elder, but he'd had siblings on the Marriage Market for longer, "Holland and Dolivier," he answered freely. "Lord Alex Holland will be a Baron one day and needs a partner able to help the Western Barony grow. Aiden Dolivier is similar but not the same, he'll be Baron, but the more central Barony is facing the pestilence issue and needs someone unshakeable. Neither family had issued any Letters of Intent as an act of humility and are hoping for a Suitor to step in with Letters."
Aayina looked at him, as if surprised he offered all of that willingly, "I can afford an in-depth portfolio for each family every year one of my siblings Debuts," it was hard to be humble and rich, "So even though Derbie has never shown an interest in men, I even had their motivations figured out."
"How fiscally thorough of you," she didn't seem annoyed at him, but Alaric suddenly felt like he was walking on glass tiles, "what did your resources tell you about my sisters?"
"That if Derbie wasn't already in love with Lady Ban Ruma, he'd have found a marvellous wife with any of them," he was perpetually rude to Aayina, but could compliment her sisters without issue. "Lady Bahni has the keen intellect to be your Heir if you ever decided to abdicate your position," he tried not to emphasize, "Lady Chanda has a romantic streak if her novel purchases are any indication, and Lady Deep is spoken for, but seems to be a sweetheart through and through." Now if he could only stop talking, "but it was the report I received on you that surprised me the most; I never realized you're tone deaf." She danced beautifully but it was apparently entirely due to her hard efforts. He was an average dancer but could sing like Edwina and Derbie could.