Reedy, a King's Own aide arrives, following Corban.

Jordan, apologetic Gentleman of the Chamber have been dismissed.

Keely steps in late, wearing... pants. In fact, her attire more resembles something Macda would wear than her usual style. She walks a little awkwardly, subtly fussing with her clothes as she moves, and she wordlessly plops into a chair beside Lou, reaching to drag a basket of bread closer to them. "Hello," she vaguely addresses the few who have gathered, studiously keeping her gaze on the bread and then the drink that is brought to her for the moment. "How is everyone?"

"Oh. Well. I thought the Queen was going to be here and so I came to take over from her guard," a slightly baffled Sir Corban is saying to an equally baffled footman at the presence of the armed and armored knight. "I guess plans changed." A bit embarrassed, he turns and dips his head when Keely enters.

Eirene is here, quietly drinking. She eyes Keely's pants and doesn't ask the question she's surely wanting to. Eyebrows raise. "Fine. Jace just turned three. We had a painting party for him in the garden. The Riven kids all had a good time of it." She shrugs at Corban, "Sit anyhow, maybe she'll sweep on in. If she's feeling up to it," she finishes with a concerned frown.

Keely bites her lips together for a moment as she glances from Corban to the footman he addresses and back. While the hostess of the evening is preoccupied with hostessing things, she lifts a delicate hand to gesture to one of the chairs in invitation. "I was promised lemon in the dessert whilst in the kitchens meddling with Lou's menu," she entices with a small smile before her gaze flits to, and then swiftly away from Eirene and her eyebrows. Back to the bread.

Lou is settled at the table. She's nursing a glass of whiskey and there might be cake on her plate than any of the regular Grayson fair. She nods politely to Keely as she gets settled then tilts her head in Corban's direction. "We never really know which dinners the Queen is able to attend." She stabs her cake and takes a bite. Yep. That's her dinner. Fight her.

Eirene gives Lou another questioning look at the cakey dinner. Cake and whiskey. "Gods knows that's been my meal before," she says with a wry grin.

Butter butter butter. Keely tears off a piece of bread and meticulously covers every last crumb on its flattest plane in butter before popping it into her mouth. "No one has said how they are this evening," she observes in between bites, still not really looking at anyone, which is probably directly related to the leather and star iron presently adorning her person. "Good, I hope? Any news?" It is possible that she is attempting to act as a social buffer for her whiskey-and-cake-imbibing cousin.

"Oh. Ah. Well. Thank you. I suppose I am a little hungry," says the First Captain as he weighs the invitation from Eirene and settles down in a seat, carefully given all his armor. "And without the Queen here, there will be no unusual items I will have to eat." It's A Thing with them. "Lady Eirene, you are well, I hope? I saw your upcoming lecture on the humors."

Lou gives a slight shrug of her shoulders, mumbling quietly. "Surviving." It's a non-committal answer from the not-social cousin. She does give Corban an odd look when he mentions weird things he's had to eat. She nods in Eirene's direction when she mentions having her meal before. "I felt like cake," she replies, giving another shrug. The darkness from last dinner isn't there, but her demeanor is probably worse from then; indifference.

The question from Corbin brings a natural smile to Eirene's face. "It's a dinner party AND lecture. So you can nosh while I babble about the humors and balancing them through diet. We'll feature foods from each of the four categories and discuss which are better for you to improve your temperament. Should be educational. And tasty. We're making sure it's not hospital grade, actually palatable this time." The doctor winks. She adds to Lou, "You should come. I think it'd help. You seem out of wack."

Keely lifts her dark eyes to glance in silence between the faces of those gathered for a moment, briefly sweeping her tongue across her teeth from behind closed lips when her focus dips again.

"You told me a diet of whiskey was just fine," Lou points out all too readily with Eirene, "And I'm getting by with it well enough. With the cake too." She stabs at her cake and takes another bite. "Besides, I'm perfectly in wack." She washes down the cake with the whiskey.

Eirene points out, "In moderation. And not full fuckin' time," she replies to Lou. "We can... talk later." She clearly doesn't want to press the issue now. She deftly changed the topic to, Pants, Keels? Were you hunting or something?"

Keely chokes a bit on her bread, clearing her throat several times and scooping up her mug for a lengthy sip. She then musters up a smile that she very much hopes looks casual for Eirene. "Oh, well, you know," she says in what is apparently meant to sound offhanded. "It's spring, lots... lots to do outdoors," She is lyinnng and it is wildly obvious. "I don't hunt," she then adds. This, at least, sounds truthful. "Some people wear pants all the time, it's fascinating." She gestures to Eirene, to Lou, to Corban.

Lou glances over at her cousin when Eirene mentions Keely is wearing pants. It's only then that she notices. She gives Keely a suspicious squint. "People in pants can find all kinds of shit," she tells her cousin. "Do please have a care."

There is a motion just outside the door and Keely rises abruptly, smiling awkwardly at those gathered. "A wonderful dinner, only I had such a late lunch," she says, beginning to look and sound a little flustered. "Lou..." She hesitates, then reaches to gently place a hand on the shoulder of the woman so named. "Thank you. And... uhm. Have a good... be well." A pause, and then she leans to plant a kiss atop Lou's head before stiffly dipping her chin to Eirene and turning to hurry out, only to wheel back halfway to the door to return the butter knife she nearly absconded with. And then her actual departure, that turns into a bit of a trot as she nears the door. "I'm coming," she mutters at whoever is out there, just beyond view.

Eirene jerks a thumb in Keely's direction. "The fuck is up with her tonight? Squirrelly.

Keely is overheard praising Lou.

Lou nods to something Keely quietly says after the kiss, then turns her attention back to Eirene. "I suspect she's riding into trouble, somewhere. Although I don't know the details." THere's a lingering 'yet' there. Ya'll don't have to stay and keep me company," she notes to both Eirene and Corban. "I'm poor company," of which she's well aware. "And I'm sure you've got better things to do."

Eirene says, "I'm bossy, which means I want to give you orders as a friend and physician but you also outrank me and while you're the last damn person to flash your title around, I don't want you to have to do that." She stands, having finished her mostly quiet dinner. "We will talk, later though. I'd be a shit friend and physician if I didn't insist on it."

"I love you too, Eirene," Lou responds back to the Riven noblewoman, rising from her own chair in that moment. "Later," she concurs, though there might be a maybe in there somewhere too.

Carissa, a Southport bodyguard, Planchet the Lycene maggiordome leave, following Eirene.