Lion Head Mesa not the same without you here [wp]

ramesses found poor aquene so formal; he wanted to say something to rattle her. but of course she was; the lady was far from mereo, representing her pack and without germanicus. he too would have liked to see the imperator here, uncomfortable and ripe for teasing.
"a feast such as this can only bring happiness. and the lady qiao is traveling. i believe she will return."
their path began to circle the crowd once more.
"perhaps you will see her while you are here. there is another wedding to be had, another two or three days of festivities." his blue eyes smouldered a moment. "i would like to see you here for it all. and perhaps at some point you will enjoy lunch with myself and the queen."
he heaped honours about her, garlands of golden looks and necklaces of amber words; and waited for her to falter, testing the woman that germanicus had sent as representative.