Ozymandias wasn't sure how to interpret the brief movement of her hand against his. Had it been intended as a comforting gesture, if she'd noticed something in his demeanor that hinted towards his not being pleased by his sister's nuptials? Or was it intended to signal something that she thought he ought to be aware of when it came to the charade they were putting on this evening? He doubted it was simply a coincidence or a slip of her hand; she seemed too precise and deliberate to do anything without some intention behind it. Particularly anything involving physical touch; they were limited so severely in how they were able to touch each other here that it had become an especially meaningful form of communication, he thought. Still: he didn't know what to make of it. Perhaps he wasn't as well in step with her thoughts as the dance steps that followed would have implied.

He didn't think his calendar that weekend was especially full, actually, but that didn't mean he knew how to respond to her question. The wedding was on a Friday, and Daphnel intended to spirit his sister away on the honeymoon the following morning. If there were any festivities the family was inclined to engage in after the newly minted couple had departed on their holiday, no one had made him aware of them. Though in fairness, it wasn't as though he had any experience to draw on; he was the only one of his siblings married so far, and he'd obviously been busy with his own honeymoon on that occasion. Maybe there was some sort of family affair that would be forced upon him by his parents in order to celebrate the wedding being complete, but if that was the case he had no interest in being privy to it. He would pretend to be pleased for the couple during the wedding itself (and that only for Christabel's sake, so that she could start her marriage without the dark cloud of rumor hanging over her head) but he hadn't taken many pains to hide his misgivings where his family was concerned. Fortunately, between that and his usual penchant for moodiness, he didn't think anyone was likely to try and force him into celebrating when he wasn't in the mood. All of this missed the point, however, because whether or not he was preoccupied this coming weekend didn't matter half so much as why she'd asked in the first place.

Did she hope to see him? They hadn't discussed anything, and her tone didn't feel playful or flirtation, as it might have if she'd been teasing him. Was there some reason they ought to see each other soon, as opposed to any other time? Oz felt vaguely guilty once again, though he still hadn't been able to articulate what exactly it was he was feeling guilty about. He didn't care for this sensation in the slightest. But nevermind his feelings on the matter: suppose he was right, and she wanted to see him because he was (for some yet to be determined reason) in trouble about something. Ought he to agree, and perhaps play contrite? Or remain aloof and try to keep the upper hand? Their relationship wasn't an adversarial one, generally speaking, but they had played games with each other often enough that he was unwilling to cede any lead he might have had to her. (Was that a facet of their relationship or reflective of his character? He often thought of his interactions with Thomasina in terms of points won and lost).

"Luckily an older brother's responsibilities in a wedding are not so expansive as the ladies'," he said with a shrug. "But I expect they shall keep me busy enough. Hopefully at this time of year I shan't miss the event of the season due to the conflict of engagements," he added with a slightly teasing smirk. "It's being held at our home in the Burren. I expect it will take at least two full days to rid us of flower petals and grains of rice."

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