Ahh debutante season... The outfits, the hair, the overwhelming scent of desperation in the air... How little things had changed in the five years that he had been gone.

Xavier's deep green eyes swept the room as he slowly sipped his drink. He wanted so desperately to be back in Asia, or some other distant land, so long as he didn't have to be here. Yet, his father's words hung heavily in his conscience. As the first male heir, it was his responsibility to wed and to carry on the family name. 

It was honestly surprising enough that his father had allowed him so much freedom to begin with. Every summer upon his return from Hogwarts he was lectured about his responsibility to the family. It was Xavier who was to protect his sisters and younger brother once their father passed away. It was Xavier who was to look after his aging mother. And it was Xavier who was to secure the family fortune, ensuring there was plenty of gold to go around. As of now, his adventures were over and it was time to take up his place in proper society.

Standing from his chair, he searched the room for a familiar face. He had caught his father's eye more than once at this point and Xavier knew that if he didn't commence with the socializing, there would be hell to pay upon his return home that evening. 

Just then, the crowd parted and a playful smirk crossed his lips. "Perfect..." he muttered, downing the last of his drink. Crossing the dance floor, he approached a group of men a few years his senior. "Well now, long time no see Vaisey! How's life been treating you?"

Gilbert had attended another party with his Wife and, yet again, the place was crawling with young faces. Unfortunately for him, he had to accept the fact that he was entering an old age and that most of the children were growing rather rapidly. He could care less about their well being, considering his only daughter at the time was recently born, and celebrated their coming of age by taking a few swigs from his drink.

He stood across the room socializing with a few other attendants when he heard an all too familiar voice come up from behind. "Smith! What a surprise to see you here -- It's been hectic but I think I've gotten the hang of things. How about you? It's been quite a while." His usual demeanor shifted to that typically exhibited by a youthful bachelor, though those years were well behind him now.

Xavier nodded appreciatively at the man's words. Though he was unable to relate to the recent events of his old schoolmate's life, he was able to imagine just exactly what had occupied the man's time as of late. If he remembered correctly Vaisey was betrothed early on in their Hogwarts days and most likely married not long after graduation. To be sure, the fact that his own father had not arranged something similar was quite the oddity.

"Yes, I know! It has indeed been too long," he started, unsure if he should go into detail about adventures. "I've just returned to town after many years of travel," he finished, deciding it was best for now to keep his words vague. That part of his life was over, at least for the foreseeable future, and it was time to get his head out of the clouds and to concentrate on more practical matters.

"Things have gone well since my return, though, I do have to admit, my father has been quite insistent that I find myself a wife and finally settle down," he chuckled, giving a slight roll of his eyes. "I swear with every owl he sends with my acceptance to this or that event, two more arrive! I'll be lucky if I make it out of this season with my feet attached after all the dancing I've done."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow at the man's comments. He was more or less surprised by the fact that Xavier had gone on extensive travel after graduation instead of settling down, though figured that was the way of many men now a days. With a hearty chuckle at his former peer's words, he decided to chime in with his own two cents on the matter of family. "Your old man may be on to something. Once you're able to look into your first born's eyes... I don't think you can imagine another moment so magnificent." Even that was a little too mushy for the new father, but any message to persuade another gentleman to have a family was always welcome to him. "But before you jump too far, do you think you're ready for it all?" Gilbert asked in a semi-serious tone. The conversation was getting a little personal; nothing too far off from the normal aging man's agenda by any means.

Though he had not expected their conversation to take such a personal turn, Xavier was glad for the opportunity to express his reservations. Honesty was not very common in the Smith household. All his father ever wanted to hear was that he was going along with whatever plan was laid in front of him.

"You know... I'm not really sure," he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "There's a lot to consider when it comes to choosing a wife and in all my years of attending these functions, I've never met a single woman who I'd be willing to spend the rest of my life with..." 

He paused, unsure of what to say next. So many of those around him seemed to simply accept whatever woman was chosen for them. Xavier always wondered if such arrangements could ever produce a marriage that was truly fulfilling. Though, expressing such feelings, especially in a public setting, was generally frowned upon.

"Though, now that I'm older and I know myself a bit better," he continued, a thoughtful expression on his face, "I'm hoping that there's someone out there who catches my attention. I certainly don't plan to spend the rest of my life alone!" He chuckled, imagining just what his father would do should his eldest son choose the life of a bachelor.

Well I'd hope not! He chimed in, chuckling along with his former peer. He was coming to terms with the fact that Xavier wasn't a fan of arranged marriages and wouldn't resort to such a tactic to find himself a woman. While it wasn't necessary for a man of his standing to accept such a custom, it may prove difficult in the long run for him if he were to seek someone with similar traits and class. Of course, Gilbert was not going to voice his thoughts outright as that would be extremely distasteful. Instead, he hoped only to encourage the man into finding someone who seemed fitting to start a family with.

Has this function proved any different than the others so far? Or same old same old?" He asked, peering about for any signs of attractive women. In the midst of his sight seeing, he caught the glare of his wife from across the room and quickly averted his gaze back towards the company he had been chatting with.

He shrugged, eyes wandering around the lavishly decorated hall. In truth, he hadn't really given much of his attention to the last few functions that he had been dragged to. Though he had danced with a fair number of women and had even managed to have meaningful conversations with a few, Xavier couldn't shake the feeling that the only reason he was even in the country was because of his father's guilt trip.

"I wouldn't say that it's entirely same old," he started, attempting to make it seem as though he had his head in the game, "there are certainly new faces amongst the crowd, but it is definitely interesting to see just how much hasn't changed. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that I just stepped back in time!"

He sighed, shaking his head slightly, "I guess it's to be expected, eh? It's not like the upper echelon of society is known for its ability to embrace new ideas!" 

"You are quite right there, Smith." He chuckled. Admittedly, he had paid only a little attention to the other females - purely to help his friend out of course - and could relate to the unchanging behavior and fashion of the younger generations. Gilbert felt rather bad for Xavier as his life was, in his opinion, paused. Smith didn't have the opportunity to marry like he did and there was no family for him to speak for. While it wasn't uncommon for men to wait a little ways to have such accomplishments, it was equally as troubling to hear that he hadn't found anyone promising at this event.

"Well hey, there's plenty of time for you yet." He tried to reassure his old peer, though couldn't help but think doubtfully. He wanted to help him in any which way he could, so he decided to take an initiative. "Look over there, she seems rather intriguing." He nudged Smith in the desired direction. It was hard to match make for Gilbert, since he usually wasn't a fan of such things, thus tried his hardest to refrain from exhibiting discouraging behavior.

"Merlin Vaisey, does my old man have you on the payroll?" He laughed shaking his head. While it was certainly nice for his old friend to offer his help, Xavier was much more interested in avoiding the topic of marriage at the moment. Or, at least, his marriage.

Signaling one of the passing waiters for a drink, he turned back to his old school friend. "But seriously, things are going well on your end? You mentioned that your wife just had a baby- congrats! Boy or girl?"

Gilbert was relieved when Xavier suggested they speak of something else. He really did not want to push his old friend away to some random woman let alone act as Smith's father would. Plus, the subject of his own children seemed more of a pleasurable topic than that of forced marriage. "A girl - Thelma." He said with a sparkle in his eye. He was extremely proud to be called a father but at the same time didn't want to rub such a fact in his friend's face.

"She's been fairly great. She keeps me up most nights - not out of necessity, but more from worry. I guess it's in my nature." He assumed such a thing was due to his new life as a father and that it would surely fade over time, but as of now, he really had no problem with it.

"That's great Vaisey," he smiled, truly glad that his old schoolmate was happy with the path that his life had taken. Xavier, on the other hand, was very glad that he had not been bogged down with the commitment of a wife upon graduation. He was itching to get out and see the world, something that would have been nigh impossible had he been forced to marry.

"Was she named for one of your relatives?" he asked, hoping to keep the conversation rolling. The longer he chatted with Vaisey, the less time he had to spend with his father and whatever UCPB woman he was attempting to pawn off on him this time around.

Gilbert felt rather proud to be talking about his little girl to one of his old peers, provided that his words spark a sense of curiosity within his companion. He knew Xavier would be a hard man to temp, however his efforts would hopefully be noticed at least at some point.

"I can't say that she was - unless Mrs. Vaisey had some distant relative I am unaware of. I do assume she would have told me." He replied, taking a moment to question the name at hand. If she had been named after a relative, he must have just forgotten, but he honestly had no recognition of such a conversation occurring. Gilbert wasn't exactly the youngest fellow at this point and he surely wasn't the oldest, so his memory couldn't have been that foggy - could it?

As the waiter appeared with his drink, Xavier picked it up and chuckled lightly at Vaisey's comment. The idea of his wife secretly naming their child after a family member without telling her husband was definitely amusing. Though, he was quite sure that if he were to find out that his wife had done something like that, he would not find it so worthy of laughter.

"Well it is a great name none-the-less," he held up his glass in cheers before taking a large gulp. As the amber liquid slid down his throat, he became aware of just how grateful he was that events such as these came with copious amounts of alcohol. It made dealing with his father, and his continuous attempts to throw women at him, infinitely more tolerable.

"And your wife is doing well? I apologize that I could not attend the wedding by the way. I was backpacking through the rain forests of Africa at the time and, as such, was completely disconnected from the outside world."

Gilbert found Smith's questions to be inviting and not at all too invasive. He liked talking about the family after all and felt it only common place to do so. "She is quite well - she's actually here with me, though socializing elsewhere." He answered, eyes darting about to notice the constantly moving woman throughout the venue. He was grateful to have Freida in his life and even more so for the baby she gave him.

"Well that sounds like quite the adventure, Smith. How was that?" Gilbert had never really heard much about Africa, let alone been, but from what he had heard he certainly had no desire to venture there. His idea of a relaxing trip involved kicking his feet up and ordering several drinks - perhaps with some fruit on the rim. Those were the good ones.

"Good, good," Xavier nodded, smiling as he followed Vaisey's gaze across the room to where his wife stood. He remembered her from their Hogwarts days. Though she had been several years his junior, they were in the same house and had interacted on a few occasions. In fact, it was probably her sister Greta, who was in his year, that had made the initial introduction.

He turned back, trying to figure out a way to describe his travels. The things that he had experienced in the last five years were so vast and incredible, they were hard to put into words. Plus, talking about it was especially difficult when all he wanted was to run away back to the forest.

"It was certainly quite the adventure," he started, taking a sip of his drink, "I spent a little over a year in that part of the world. The creatures that I came across were truly amazing and I was introduced to a whole new branch of magical plants." Especially poisonous and carnivorous plants, which happened to be Xavier's favorite kind, but he thought it best to leave that part of the story out.

"If you ever have the opportunity to go, I definitely recommend it." The experience had been life altering.